World's Weirdest Hotels

What makes a hotel "weird"? Each year, we search for out-of-the-ordinary experiences that you can't find anywhere else in the world. "Weird" is our way of saying "one of a kind," and in this lighthearted survey, uniqueness sometimes trumps Budget Travel's typical price point of $150 per night. Our goal is to showcase special corners of the globe, where you can literally slumber Down Under in an Australian "opal mine" lodge or tuck yourself into a vintage plane's cockpit for a nightcap. If our annual roundup is evidence of anything, it's that even your wackiest dreams can come true!

SEE THE HOTELS

Seaventures Rig Resort, Malaysia
An oil rig in the middle of the ocean isn't the first venue that comes to mind for a dive hotel. But that didn't stop the folks behind Seaventures Rig Resort from creating an immersive, ecofriendly experience like few others. Situated in the center of the coral triangle of three Malaysian islands, the bright blue-and-orange converted rig is built over a cultivated reef teeming with undersea life. Rooms are outfitted with the basics, but diving is the focus here: Days are spent inhabiting the underwater home to all forms of sea creatures, from cuttlefish and sea turtles to barracuda and eel. A lift lowers divers directly into the water below to explore the reef, which the rig now serves to protect. With just 23 rooms, the sundeck's never crowded, and spectators can come up anytime they'd like for 360-degree views of the surrounding islands. Come nightfall, there's a house band and outdoor BBQ. Any time an oil rig is helping a marine environment, we're on board. 011-60/88-261-669, seaventuresdive.com, two-night diving packages from $433.

Treehotel, Sweden

Set in Harads near Sweden's Lule River,


Treehotel, Sweden

Set in Harads near Sweden's Lule River, Treehotel puts a high-concept twist--as only Scandinavian design can--on the well-worn idea of a tree-house hotel. Fixed about 20 feet up in the trees of the Harads woods are five separate "rooms" that each offer distinct tree-house experiences. The Bird's Nest is exactly what it sounds like, with a wild twig exterior on grand scale. The Mirrorcube is a square unit that reflects its surroundings, doubling as a kind of forest camouflage. (Bird lovers, don't fret--it's covered in an infrared film that's visible to our feathered friends, to avoid crashes.) The UFO evokes a spinning spaceship from just about any '60s sci-fi movie. Each structure is only accessible by an individual ladder, staircase, or bridge, so to wander among them is to stroll the forest floor. While doing so, you'll also encounter the eight-person Tree Sauna, which includes a hot tub for soaking in after you've soaked up the great outdoors. 011-46/928-10403, treehotel.se, doubles from $590.