The Most Unusual Places To Stay

Forget the deluxe five-star room. For those who wish to experience a stay beyond mere four walls, we give you nine speciality accommodation ideas—from caves to monasteries and more.

- Preeti Verma Lal

The travel bug is notoriously unpredictable. It just bites—anytime, anywhere. And when it does, it leaves you in a tizzy. Flights to book. Bags to pack. Leaves to be sanctioned. And yes, a room to be found. Not in a hotel again, please! Those cookie-cutters that look, smell, feel the same. White towels. Black desk. Brown closet. The lemon-scented soap. There is never a zing. Never anything so different that leaves one whooping with new delight. Nothing exciting to choose from the 187,000 hotels offering 17.5 million guest rooms, around the globe. How, then, would you like staying with a family on a farm and waking up to mooing cows? Or, booking a room in a monastery that is old in time and spiritual in vibes. Perhaps be a house sitter in another part of the world—live in a house and sit it, too. Or maybe night swap a room with someone. How about camping under the skies. If camping is too banal, try glamping. Forget the books, yet stay in a university. Live in a castle where the king once snored. Or, redefine the word ‘hostel’ and pick quirky options ranging from underground bomb shelters, prisons, tree houses to caves. Yes, a real cave! We bring you a slice of the world of accommodation that lies beyond the clichéd hotels. Take your pick.

–  MONASTERIES & CONVENTS