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Tuesday 23 October 2012

Top 10 Coolest/Weirdest Hotels!

Ever wondered what it would be like to wake up surrounded by giraffes? Or in a capsule? Or even under water? Then you are in the right place! 

Above is the Sandcastle Hotel in Weymouth.

NB- On each title you can visit the hotel's website.

10. Library Hotel




This New York City hotel associates each floor with one of the major categories in the Dewey Decimal System. It doesn’t stop there though, each room is devoted to its own subtopic. Any book worms heading to New York? 

9. The Boot Bed'n'Breakfast 

Located in Tasman, New Zealand, this boot shaped "hotel" is said to be "a romantic and luxury stay". Outside is a grove of hazelnut trees, and inside, a warm fire for a "romantic evening in". 


8. Giraffe Manor


What’s cooler than seeing a giraffe in Kenya? How about seeing a giraffe in Kenya take a bite out of your breakfast croissant? Originally Giraffe Manor was a sanctuary dedicated to preserving endangered Rothschild Giraffes and reintroducing them into the wild when, in 1984, a hotel was opened on the grounds. Today, it doubles as both. Try not to ride on them, though...

7. Converted jail



Who wants to stay here? These hotel rooms are in Slovenia, in a prison which used to be a jail. 

6. The Balancing Barn



Does anyone have vertigo? This hotel is probably the closest to home, located in Suffolk, England. I have a terrible fear of heights so I would never be able to conquer my fears and stay here! Would you?

5. Capsule Hotel

This "hotel" or rather  these capsules are in the Netherlands and are definitely not suitable for guests with claustrophobia. These orange capsules are built half underwater in a lake so that you can capture the life of what it is like to be a marine.


4. Dog Bark Park Inn



This hotel is DEFINITELY not like any other. I would only advise those who own a dog, otherwise it is a waste of money. Here you can take your dog (obviously) and let it be pampered while you relax in your room... inside a rather large dog.





There are so many questions to ask about this place. Can you open a window? Where is it? Is it really real? Well, it probably is real, as it has its own website and a professionally made video, which you can view by clicking here. It deserves to be number 3, but where is it?





Miss your flight? It may not be such a bad thing after all, if you're in Stockholm. Why don't you go and stay in one of the 27 rooms in this 1976 Boeing 747?




Here in Sweden, wearing flip flops is not the wisest decision! In the ICEHOTEL you can sleep on ice beds, as well as other ice furniture in your room. Don't worry- it doesn't melt that easily! Every November the ICEHOTEL staff replace the old ice with new ice. I think this definitely deserves to be number one!

Question: Which out of these hotels would you most prefer to stay in and which would you least prefer to stay in?




Sunday 14 October 2012

Port Louis, Mauritius

We went to Mauritius in October last year. It was a very pleasant stay, a good holiday to relax and be stress free. Beaches were surrounding you, and it had a very nice and chilled environment.  


Taken by my brother's camera.

The plane journey was absolutely HORRIBLE! A passenger was so sick that the plane landed in Rome! Rome, out of all places! We waited for 20 hours in Rome and Rome Airport before we headed back on the plane to Mauritius. There was only one upside, and it was that we got to get a free hotel room, but the breakfast buffet was awful! I felt especially sorry for those travelling business or first class who paid for 'luxury'.
LHR to MRU lands in FCO.

When we finally arrived at our hotel, one whole day and a half late, the friendly staff greeted us with some refreshing hot towels and delicious mock-tails (non-alcoholic cocktails) while we took in the breath-taking view of the Indian Ocean. We stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel Mauritius and had a wonderful stay there. I really loved the gourmet buffet with inter national foods from around the world, and I particularly liked the infinity pool overlooking the beach leading onto the ocean with a milkshake bar in it.
The resort's pool.

Monday 8 October 2012

Grand Canyon


I visited the Grand Canyon in the summer of 2011. It really is an amazing place to go, especially if you are visiting it for the first time. If you are wondering what the Grand Canyon is, it is a deep gorge formed by the Colorado River. We visited the Grand Canyon during our stay in Las Vegas, and traveled there by plane.

On the plane.


The view from the plane was spectacular. Especially because it was just my family and the pilot, we felt like it was just us in the air, and the beautiful surroundings. Be warned: because of the high temperature and the humid air the journey was extremely bumpy and we had a few minor turbulences on the way there, as the hottest hours are the afternoon, which was the time we set off. I really enjoyed the plane trip as we saw an unforgettable view from such a small plane.

The view from the plane.

We arrived at Grand Canyon West, where we then took in the amazing view. The gorge was carved by the erosion of the Colorado River nearly 2 billion years ago! We then headed onto a helicopter which took us through the gorge, and carefully landed near the Colorado River.

Click here to see an incredibly short video of the helicopter landing.

On the boat we had a relaxing journey through the river. We learnt some history about it, like the Red Indians did not want the Americans to destroy their home by creating a tourist attraction. The Grand Canyon was declared one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World in 1979. 
The river has slowly decreased in height over the millions of years.



We then went on Skywalk, a half-moon shaped bridge that is supposed to make you feel like you are "flying like and eagle". I personally found it quite terrifying as I have (mentioned in the previous post) a terrible fear of heights. It stretched right across to the middle of the canyon and loops back around to the ground. 











Overall view

Hotel: Four Seasons Hotel, Las Vegas

Rating: 10/10
Other info: The rooms were amazing, great views of the strip, and amazing attention to kids(including plates with our names on written in chocolate filled with smarties and a chocolate puzzle, and mine and my brother's names written out of sponges on our bath).

Travel: Helicopter and Plane
Rating: 10/10
Other info: Amazing views.

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