The 15 Most Unique Hotels In The World, According To Tripadvisor Travelers

Forbes

29-04-2025

Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur
Tripadvisor, the popular travel guidance platform, unveiled the winners of its annual Travelers' Choice Best of the Best Hotel Awards, celebrating this year's highest rated hotels in the world based on Tripadvisor reviews.
For their 2025 awards, the company announced a new category curated by Tripadvisor showcasing the most unique hotels worldwide through its One-of-a-Kind list. Taking the top place award for One-of-a-Kind Hotel is Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, India. Leading the pack of winners in the best-reviewed hotel in the world list is Secrets Akumal Riviera Maya in Mexico.
While highly subjective, Tripadvisor's Best of the Best hotels are among the top one percent of the 1.6 million hotel listings on the site. The awards are determined based on the quality and quantity of traveler reviews and ratings posted on Tripadvisor over the 12-month period between January 1 and December 31, 2024.
Taj Lake Palace suite
Udaipur is known as the Venice of the East, boasting several lakes against a backdrop of the Aravail hills. According to Tripadvisor, travelers describe the Taj Lake Palace as a 'once-in-a-lifetime experience,' making it a favorite among users looking for a unique stay. Guests will feel like royalty at this unique property, floating on the waters of Lake Pichola. Every window unveils panoramas of the water, surrounding hills, and the famed city of Udaipur.
Jag Niwas was built in 1746 by Maharana Jagat Singh II and once served as a summer vacation home for the Mewar Royal family. In 1963, the palace was transformed into a luxurious resort dedicated to lavish living. The palace now offers 65 elegant rooms and 18 grand suites, all carefully restored to their original glory.
Ashford Castle in Ireland
Reagan Presidential Suite at Ashford Castle
Originating from the 13th century, the magnificent Ashford Castle has a rich history, evolving from a medieval fortress to a grand luxury retreat adorned with antiques and artwork. The castle, located on the shore of Lough Corrib, has hosted royalty and celebrities for years, earning a reputation as one of Ireland's most iconic and celebrated landmarks.
Guests feel like they are in a fairytale with 83 stunning rooms and suites and a historic boathouse over the lake that offers guests every luxury. After a morning at their award-winning spa, there are plenty of activities such as falconry, horse riding, fishing, or afternoon tea in the drawing rooms. Evenings are spent surrounded by tuxedoed waiters in the elegant George V Dining Room. (Forbes 5 Star Winner)
Bambu Indah Resort New Moon House
Bambu Indah Resort Copper House
Bambu Indah is an entirely sustainable jungle retreat with highly personalized service. Located in Ubud, Bali, the property redefines what a hotel can be, as none of its rooms have walls. Jewelry designer John Hardy and his wife Cynthia originally installed eleven antique Javanese bridal homes (collected on their travels) with stunning views on a jungle cliff top. They eventually added a range of spectacular and original buildings, all made from bamboo.
Soak in a spring-fed pool next to a rushing river. Follow a hand-laid stone footpath and cross a swinging bamboo bridge. Walk through a mysterious tunnel to a sunset bar overlooking ancient rice paddies. The unique room designs, breathtaking views, natural pools, and yoga sessions are a highlight of travelers' reviews.
Fingal Hotel in England
Fingal Hotel luxury cabin
This unique property is created from a former Northern Lighthouse Board ship and offers beautiful cabins, dining, and entertaining spaces. Located in Edinburgh, it was developed by The Royal Yacht Britannia.
Fingal Hotel's 22 stunning cabins are each named after Stevenson lighthouses, inspired by her rich maritime heritage. Corridors are lined with lighthouse images leading to the cabins, ranging from a luxury suite with access to the deck, a duplex cabin with comfortable living space, or the gorgeous Skerryvore Suite with extensive outdoor space to relax and entertain.
Giraffe Manor in Nairobi
Finch Hatton Suite at Giraffe Manor
Giraffe Manor is an iconic boutique hotel in an indigenous forest near Nairobi. The hotel is so popular that it is almost impossible to get a reservation with a waiting list often years in advance. It has twelve individually decorated rooms, with butler service, offering luxurious interiors while retaining the feeling of staying in a family home.
Giraffe Manor is more than a hotel; it is also a center working to repopulate the endangered Rothschild giraffes. The remarkable herd of resident giraffes roams the surrounding sanctuary and provides guests with unique, once-in-a-lifetime encounters over breakfast and afternoon tea when they can be fed by hand. The Retreat at Giraffe Manor, on the same property, offers access to a stunning pool and wellness facilities.
Bubble jungle rooms at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort
Outdoor dining at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp
Dramatically set within a 160-acre bamboo forest, Anantara Golden Triangle is a mountain sanctuary offering breathtaking views of the borders of Myanmar and Laos. This historic Chiang Rai resort, designed by Bill Bensley, combines the natural beauty of northern Thailand with rich cultural experiences. Explore ancient ruins, zip through the countryside in a sidecar, or visit a local temple where hill tribes and Buddhist cultures meet.
Activities here are endless: bond with elephants at the caretaker village, relax with healing jungle-inspired spa treatments at the three-story spa, and Cruise the Mekong River at dawn, discovering the unique cultures of three countries. For dining, enjoy the Canopy Treetop Dining, a private experience with stunning views.
Overwater villas at Nayara Bocas Del Toro in Panama
Treehouse suite at Nayara Bocas Del Toro
Located off the north central coast of Panama, Nayara Bocas del Toro is an adults-only, all-inclusive resort on a mangrove-covered private island. The almost totally solar-powered hotel features sixteen overwater bungalows handcrafted by artisans, each with a private pool and terrace. There are also several towering bamboo treehouses for inspired accommodations. A boat with a captain is available on demand to explore hidden beaches and romantic neighboring cays or enjoy night swims with the bay's magical bioluminescent plankton.
Valley Views Glamping in New Zealand
Valley Views Glamping Big Ben Dome bedroom
Valley Views Glamping provides the ultimate camping experience in luxurious geodesic dome tents. The Eco Lodge is on a beef cattle farm with expansive views of the picturesque Waitaki Valley. The property offers six luxury domes with private decking for incredible views. As part of the complex, there is an off-grid eco-lodge with shared facilities, including a fully equipped kitchen, a 12-seat table, two outdoor dining areas, and a fire pit, plus full bathroom facilities. For the ultimate experience, there are four outdoor baths in the lush surrounding forest.
Sextantio, The Caves of Matera in Italy
Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita cave suite
One of the most romantic hotels in the world, Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita is located in Matera, a UNESCO World Heritage Site marked by ancient rocky caves. The sassi (stone settlement) is a spectacular formerly abandoned village turned into 18 romantic cave bedrooms, all with cozy, simple furnishings and candlelight.
Italian-Swedish philanthropist Daniele Kihlgren has created a spectacular destination. Like living in a luxurious monastery, the rooms have no televisions and are filled with candles and lanterns to remain authentic to their history. Some of the cave rooms even have fireplaces. Dinner is served in the romantic candlelit 13th-century church.
Cave suites at Kagga Kamma Nature Reserve
Open air Star Suite at Kagga Kamma Nature Reserve
Kagga Kamma will give you a chance to see a part of Africa that is unlike any other. This secluded getaway in the Cederberg Wilderness Area, offers unique room options such as thatched huts and 'cave' suites integrated into the rock. Kagga Kamma's accommodations include the Bushman Lodge which offer spacious thatched rondavels/huts. The famous cave suites built against the sandstone rock formations will take you back to a prehistoric time without missing any modern-day luxuries. Kagga Kamma also offers a one-of-a-kind outcrop open-air suite where guests can sleep under the stars in luxury.
Skylodge Adventure Suites in Urubamba, Peru
Interior Skylodge Adventure Suite
This is the ultimate high-rise experience: sleeping like you are in a condor's nest. A group of transparent, luxurious capsules hangs from the top of a mountain in the Sacred Valley of Peru.
To sleep at Skylodge, guests must climb 1,300 feet of Via Ferrata or hike 40 minutes to the first zipline. Each capsule suite houses four beds, a dining room, solar-powered lighting, and a bathroom. Special overnight packages include breakfast, a gourmet dinner with wine, transportation from Cuzco, and private guides.
Kammi Glass Igloo Suites under the Northern Ligths at Apukka Resort Rovaniemi
Interior of Aurora Cabin Glass Igloo at Apukka Rovaniemi
Experience the Northern Lights and the changing seasons at a glass igloo hotel in Rovaniemi, Lapland. Apukka Resort offers a variety of unique and cozy accommodations, including many types of signature aurora cabins and glass igloos.
The igloos have two floors: a cozy living area, a small kitchen, and a bathroom on the lower level with an electric fireplace and heated floors. The glass ceiling on the upper floor allows you to watch the northern lights from your bed. Daytime is dedicated to Reindeer safaris, snowmobiling, ice fishing, and a traditional Finnish sauna.
ICE HOTEL located in Lapland, FInland
Cold sleep in the ice bedrooms at ICE HOTEL.
Sleeping at this frozen hotel is a bucket list experience. With indoor bedroom temperatures around -5°C, spending the night in a bed made of ice is thrilling, to say the least. Before heading to their room, guests receive a warm sleeping bag suitable for arctic temperatures.
At Riverside, guests can find toilets, showers, and a warm sauna. Kind of a living art exhibition, handpicked artists construct a new hotel every winter using ice from the Torne River. When spring arrives, the hotel and all its artworks melt back into the river, creating an eternal cycle.
Poolside and trainside at the Hotel Chalet at the Choo Choo
The MacArthur Suite occupies a full Pullman Passenger Train Carriage at the hotel.
This remarkable hotel is on the grounds of the famed Chattanooga Choo Choo train station. Here, guests have the opportunity to sleep in stunning train carriages decked out in luxury. There are 127 guest rooms and 25 suites built out of 1920s and 1960s Pullman train cars. A pool, gourmet restaurant, and train-style lobby add to the authentic experience.
The best accommodation is the MacArthur Suite, decked out in opulence and occupying an entire Pullman train carriage. It has a separate living/dining room, powder room, private entrance, and private poolside terrace.
Lion Lodge suite at Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve
Tiger Lodge at Port Lympne Hotel & Reserve
Port Lympne offers guests the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to wake up with a tiger or lion at your window. Located among landscaped gardens, the lodges allow you to get up close to wildlife from your secluded balcony after exploring the Reserve in your golf buggy.
Lion Lodge is the most luxurious overnight accommodation at the property. It is made of timber and feels like a Manhattan loft-style building. Set within the lion's natural and spacious habitat enclosures. The master bedroom and the open-plan living area have large picture windows.
The 600-acre Port Lympne Reserve is home to over 700 rare and endangered animals. Multiple accommodation options are available, including the decadent Mansion Hotel rooms, which overlook the Reserve's resident black rhino, gorillas, giraffes, lions, and tigers. Pods, cabins, wigwams, huts, and treehouses are also available.
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