10 of the world's coolest hotels in 2024

A hotel stay can be everything from something simple, that you do just because you need to stay somewhere, to something that is the main highlight of your trip. Some hotels are more than that though. Here is a list of 10 of the world's coolest hotels. By the way, did you know that you can book them all through Sembo?


Sleep like a viking in Iceland

Have you ever wanted to live the viking life? In the icelandic city of Hafnarfjörður, about 10 km south of the capital Reykjavik, you will find this theme hotel, where you can combine viking life with modern day amenities.

How to get here: Fly to Reykjavik and take the airport bus to Reykjavik followed by a local bus. Or a taxi from the airport.
Read more about Hotel Viking



Sleep in a wine barrel in Moldova

Moldova is not the first country people think of when thinking tourism, but they have a big wine industry, with a few Vineyards that export globally. This hotel, Chateau Purcari, allows you to sleep inside wine barrels with nice view of the surroundings.

Unfortunately, the location is at the moment among the worst in Moldova - the border to both Transnistria and Ukraine are both a few hundred meters away.

On a side note, have you ever wondered how Moldovans sound when they speak Norwegian? This winery did a commercial for the Norwegian market in 2013. In Norwegian. 


How to get here: Fly to Chisinau and take a minibus from the city center, which will drop you in the village of Purcari, within walking distance of the hotel.

Read more about Chateau Purcari



Stay in a windmill in Santorini, Greece

Most people think that Santorini means luxury. This villa, which is in an old windmill, will get you exactly that feeling as well. Stay here and enjoy the beautiful beaches and environments in Santorini!

How to get here: Fly to Santorini or fly to Athens and then take a ferry.
Read more about Windmill Luxury Villa



The world's coolest winery hotel in Spain

Frank Gehry has designed a lot of cool buildings; one of the most famous being the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. Just a short drive from Bilbao, in the Rioja region, is an equally interesting building - the vineyard hotel Marques de Riscal. If you're a foodie, don't miss the hotel restaurant, which has a Michelin star.

How to get here: Fly to Bilbao and rent a car
Read more about Marques de Riscal



Stay in big pods in an "artificial tree" in France

Driving about an hour southeast of the city of Rennes in France, you will find hotel L'EssenCiel, that is more or less in the middle of nowhere. The hotel and the surrounding sculpture park make for an interesting day trip, where you can also dine at their renowned restaurant, named Restaurant L'EssenCiel.

How to get here: Fly to Rennes and take a rental car.

Or even better, do it as a stop on a longer tour to Normandy, Brittany and Paris.
Read more about L'EssenCiel


Camp in a waterpark inside an airship hangar in Germany

Not just any old hangar, but the biggest hangar in the world. The hangar was built to house airships as late as the 1990's as is the biggest freebearing dome in the world. It cost so much to built that the company went bankrupt and never built the airship supposed to stay inside. Instead, it is now home to Tropical Islands, a waterpark open 24/7, where you can actually camp inside the waterpark in tents or huts!

How to get here: Drive from Scandinavia or take a flight to Berlin and then a train from Berlin, which takes about 40 minutes.

Read more about the hotel




Sleep with the fishes in the Maldives

Imagine being able to sleep underwater and wake up to a school of fish looking at you curiously. At this luxury hotel in the Maldives, you can do exactly that! The hotel has a two story-suite, where the bottom level is underwater.

How to get here: Fly to Malé, Maldives. Then take a seaplane, which the hotel can arrange for you.

Read more about Conrad Maldives Rangali Island


Spend the night at the world's oldest hotel

There are a lot of hotels in the world. Some of those have a long history, but none have a longer one than Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan. This hotel was founded in 705, which makes it more than 1.300 years old! Until 2017, it was operated by the same family for 52 generations!

How to get here: Fly to Tokyo and rent a car. It takes a bit over 3 hours to drive to the hotel.

Read more about Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan




Go on a gondola ride in Las Vegas

Not many places in the world is as unique as Las Vegas. And one of the most unique hotel is the Venetian. This is not your average, fairly large hotel. No, this one is huge! It has 7.100 rooms in total! It is maybe also the only hotel in the world with it's own pool filled with venetian-style gondolas.

How to get here: Fly to Las Vegas.

Cappadocia in Turkey is mostly famous for its balloon rides over the majestic landscape. But what better way can there be to start your Cappadocian adventure than to sleep inside a cave? Contrary to what it sounds like, the caves are fairly comfortable and have all the modern day amenities you would expect from a hotel room.

How to het here: Fly to Kayseri or Nevsehir, Turkey. Or go on a multi day excursion from Antalya/Alanya.

Read more about Caldera Hotel