Amazing Hotels: Unique Spaces in Stunning Places

Arctic Baths, Sweden

Sweden’s out-of-this-world floating spa hotel opened in 2019. Constructed on the Lule River (around an hour away from Lulea), the imaginative Arctic Bath aims to harness the extreme Arctic seasons.

Floating on the water during summer and locked in ice during winter, the hotel centres around a circular open-air plunge pool surrounded by saunas, treatment rooms and a hot bath for soothing muscles between bracing cold plunges. Your toes will be tingling at the prospect alone!

Arctic Bath holds One MICHELIN Key distinction recognising “a very special stay”.

SkyScape, New Zealand

Sleep may well be the last thing on your mind at SkyScape. With glass roofs and walls, this accommodation is all about wide-eyed appreciation of the cosmos. Snug in the native bush of South island’s Omaha Hill Station, the three recessed SkyScape units provide ground-level star gazing from a king-size bed. Watching, mesmerised, as the Milky Way arches overhead, you’ll appreciate why this area has been declared an International Dark Sky Reserve. The night skies are some of the clearest in the world. You can even gaze at the heavens from an outdoor cedar bathtub, contemplating the Southern Cross with a glass of New Zealand sauvignon in hand.

Spend a couple of nights here and you’ll certainly connect with nature. Off-grid, accessed by dirt road and fed by pure spring water from the Ben Ohau Range, SkyScape offers farm tours as well as gourmet breakfasts and evening platters using fresh local produce.

Emma Thomson, Travel Writer says
“Tucked Hobbit-style into the hillside, SkyScape was the perfect one-room hideaway to escape to. I spent the day touring the merino sheep farm with owner Bevan and the afternoon sipping fine wine while watching hawks hunt rabbits on the tussock-laden landscape. My lasting memory? Soaking in the outdoor bathtub watching the steam rise up towards the shooting star-streaked night sky.”

Hvammsvik Nature Resort, Iceland

A coastal setting, rural heritage and hot springs indulgence blend seamlessly at Hvammsvik Nature Resort in south-west Iceland. Four beautifully restored farmhouses sit at the head of Hvalfjordur, one of Iceland’s longest fjords, together with eight newly built one-bedroom cabins. This collection of striking, black timber-clad lodges perches easily in of the dramatic Icelandic landscape. Each one enjoys stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean, rugged meadows and surrounding mountains. The luxurious interiors offer comfort and simple elegance with a nod to the rustic origin of the property.

But the accommodation is only part of what makes Hvammsvik special. Meters away from the lodges is a private hot spring with exclusive access for guests. Then a little beyond, the wider resort features Hvammsvik Hot Springs – where eight naturally heated rock pools offer a quintessential Icelandic bathing experience. Ranging in temperature, you can soak away your cares in the geothermal water or dip like a local alternating between warm soaks and ocean plunges! This is a place to breathe deep and smile.

Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge, Canada

Located on Canada’s Vancouver Island, this exclusive and remote eco-safari resort is accessed by a scenic 45-minute private seaplane transfer from Vancouver and offers luxury under canvas. A multitude of outdoor activities is on offer as well as the chance to see bears, orcas and other wildlife. Or you can simply relax and enjoy the rainforest surroundings.

Clayoquot has Three MICHELIN Keys distinction, recognising “an extraordinary stay”.

PurePods, New Zealand

Completely immerse yourself in a glass eco-cabin amongst New Zealand’s breathtaking landscapes. PurePod’s individually isolated cabins are located in a number of locations across New Zealand from the Bay of Islands on North Island to the Banks Peninsula on South Island as well as Rakiura Stewart Island and Kāpiti Island.

The offer 360-degree views of the spectacular landscape, which might include valleys, lakes and the ocean depending on which location you choose. With four glass sides, a glass floor and glass room, you’ll feel part of the surrounding nature, enjoy heading off on beautiful walks and stargaze at night from your bed.

Treehotel, Sweden

Before Arctic Bath was even conceived, another amazing hotel was being created in the forest outside the tiny village of Harads in Swedish Lapland. The innovative Treehotel opened in 2010 offering four imaginatively themed rooms suspended in the trees. Two more show-stopping rooms were soon added and today the Treehotel features eight eclectic design-led spaces – The Cabin, Bird’s Nest (designed by Bertil Harström who went onto to design Arctic Bath), Mirror Cube, The UFO, The Blue Cone, The Dragonfly, the 7th Room and Biosphere. A new ground-level suite is due to open in August 2026 adding a different perspective for guests to be able to connect with nature.

Dining is a signature feature of Treehotel, with all meals served in the original Guesthouse building. Drawing inspiration from the surroundings and the region’s food culture, you can expect to experience authentic flavours of the North. This is one of our favourite properties in Sweden, a beautiful place to stay in summer under the midnight sun, with the golden colours of autumn or shrouded in winter snow.

Hapuku Lodge + Treehouses, New Zealand

While the Treehotel’s treehouses lean towards the quirky and whimsical, those of Hapuku Lodge favour minimalist luxury and sweeping views. Nestled between the Kaikoura Ranges and the Pacific Ocean these contemporary lodges enjoy elevated positions among the treetops outside Kaikoura in New Zealand’s South Island. At every turn, a stay here is designed to both connect you with nature and wrap you in luxurious comfort. Furnishings are stylish, yet understated. Food is exquisite, offering a taste of land and sea, creatively prepared to the highest level.

Retreat into mindfulness with spa treatments and yoga, swim, soak in the hot tub and join the daily guided nature tour. Jump on the free to use mountain bikes and cycle quiet lanes – it’s only a kilometre to the coast. At night, the sky becomes the star attraction… literally as Hapuku sits under Kaikōura International Dark Sky Sanctuary. This rural lodge truly provides a space to unwind and take in the scenic beauty that New Zealand is so famous for.

Reefsleep & Reefsuites at Reefworld, Australia

Imagine spending the night immersed in, not just near, one of the world’s seven natural wonders! The Great Barrier Reef is a global icon and the technicolour jewel of Australia. It’s also the location of Reefworld – a floating pontoon off Hardy Reef in Queensland’s Whitsundays. Comprising two unforgettable overnight experiences, which bring you up close to the aquatic and celestial wonders of the GBR. Reefsuites feature just two guest rooms below sea level with full length windows looking onto an underwater world of marine wonders. Giving a positive spin on the phrase “sleep with the fishes”, even the ensuite is glass walled. Reefsleep offers a cosmic experience, overnighting in a Reefbed on the pontoon’s upper deck with an interrupted view of the stars.

This experiential accommodation is available as part of a package that includes return cruise transfers from Airlie Beach or Hamilton Island, guided snorkelling, a semi-sub cruise, access to an underwater observatory and all meals.

Icehotel, Sweden

We couldn’t finish without mentioning this amazing hotel in Swedish Lapland. The Icehotel can certainly make a claim to offer some of the world’s most unique accommodation. Not entirely because it’s made of ice and snow as there are other ‘frozen’ hotels around the world – though the Icehotel in Jukkasjarvi is the original, and in our opinion, best hotel made of the white stuff. It’s individuality centres on the fact that no two suites are ever the same. If you stayed in an Art Suite during the 2025/26 season, you can be sure that no other guests will do so again with that iteration of the hotel now returned to nature.

Icehotel is world-famous and blends contemporary art, design and an unforgettable overnight experience in creative and otherworldly Art Suites. Rebuilt annually, there is no denying this is a very cool place to stay. It’s also a gateway to the vast wilderness of the north, where activities like snowmobiling, husky sledding and northern lights excursions are the order of the day.