AMAZING PLACES TO SLEEP

We've got our head in holiday planning mode. With that in mind, we've just been chatting about some of the most magical places we'd love to visit and in particular spectacular places to sleep. We've ticked a few of our list (igloo - tick; rainforest - tick; treehouse - tick; desert - tick) but there's still so many still to go.

Here are a few of our favourites from our Kiss the Moon Amazing Places to Sleep Bucket List.  

 

1. Under the sea If you've even spent any time watching fish in an aquarium you'll know how totally calming this can be. So imagine sleeping in a room on the ocean floor with tropical fish and natural coral outside your window as your evening's entertainment.  So much better than a widescreen TV. The Underwater Hotel at the Poseidon Resort in Fiji let's you do just that.  As well as an island resort they have 24 underwater suites. Each with their own coral garden view. You even have underwater lights and buttons to let you push out fish food - so flashes of tropical fish swimming by are guaranteed.  Talk about floating off to sleep. We're not sure we'd ever want to get out of bed. To book the Underwater Hotel, the Poseidon Resort, Fiji - visit their website at poseidonresorts.com    

2. In a cave We love the look of this amazing cave hotel in Turkey. Set in the lunar landscape of Cappadocia - or 'land of the beautiful horses' .  Famous for its rock formation  'fairy chimneys' and cave dwelling people. No wonder it has been the setting for many a film, including James Bond movies.  Those location scouts know how to spot a jaw-dropping natural wonder. Gamirasu Cave Hotel was opened in 1999 by a passionate local. It is located in the village of Ayvali, near the town of Urgup  in the heart of this historic central region of Turkey (the hotel will arrange a free pick up from the airport). Once a monastic retreat in the Byzantine era, it has been carefully converted in to a 35 suite retreat hewn from the rocks.  Each one is beautifully scatter around a naturally forming caves dotted landscape with fresh water streams running by.   Inhabited for over 5000 years, this place looks like it has a special feel and it promises perfect tranquility and full of beautiful spaces to rest in.  It has made it on to the TripAdvisor recommended list for 2015. It's on our must do list too. Book via their website at gamirasu.com    

 

3. In an igloo And wow - what an igloo.  There's a few ice hotels popped up round the world but the original, and arguably the best, is the Icehotel Jukkasjarvi in Sweden.  The hotel melts naturally every spring and is rebuilt slightly differently every year by local artisans and invited artists. We were luck enough to stay there a few years ago - an experience we'll never forget. It feels like you've stepped straight through the wardrobe and into a secret world.  Travelling everywhere by sledge, skiddoo trips in to the forest and drinking vodka out of glasses made from chunks of ice from the river (no need to wash - they just get stacked upside down and made in to a wall once you are finished).  Choose between a warm room (a cosy wooden chalet which is less exciting to stay in but you'll be thankful of an escape from the freezing cold if you are staying more than a night or two). Of course, you must spend at least one night in a cool room - located in the giant igloo and hewn out of ice.  With art sculptures to amazing you and even a chapel. When we stayed, as well as doing weddings they also did christenings so long as the baby had the Swedish word for ice ('is') in their name - step forward Isabel, Doris and Issac. If you are really lucky you might even see the world's most impressive light show - the Northern lights. A bell rings to wake you if they appear. Quite something. For all booking enquiries, please contact The ICEHOTEL Jukkasjarvi directly on info@icehotel.com or +46 (0)980-66800. (Image: Art suite Dragon Nest by Bazarsad Bayarsaikhan. Photo: Christopher Hauser)    

 

4. In a prison This has been on our wish list for a while.  We're big fans of Malmaison hotels and have had chance to stay in a few of them round the UK. However we've not yet made it to Oxford to spend a night in their most surreal property - a converted jail.  The rooms have a fair few more trimmings than they would have had back in the day.  Expect Malmaison special touches such as gorgeous bathtubs (we like the sound of the battleship tub in the Executive Suite), comfy beds and hi-tech at your fingertips. Choose a Cell Superior Double in the A-Wing, or splash out on a half-moon Junior Suite.  Just make sure you don't lose your key. Malmaison, Oxford Castle, 3 New Road, Oxford, OX1 1AY  TEL: 084469 30659 or explore more and book through malmaison.com    

5. In the treetops South African seems to likes a good treehouse so its a good place to look if you want to stay up high with the birds and the monkeys.  Known as one of the best, Tsala Treetop Lodge - just 10k from the Plettenberg Bay beach scene, is our treehouse hotel of choice.  Once you get there it is remote and wild thanks to the forest it is hidden under.  The 16 gorgeous treetop suites & villas are up in the tree canopy - silent and magical. We love the description from the travel expert website, Mr & Mrs Smith "Think Tarzan, but with wraparound decking, private infinity pools and flatscreen TVs."  Book through them and you'll also get a bottle of sparkling wine and canapés in your room on arrival.  All in all, it  sounds to us like the perfect mix of nature and luxury. Find out more on the Mr & Mrs Smith website or book direct via tsala.hunterhotels.com  

 

So many adventures - so little time...