Wake up, open your eyes, and gaze around the rainforest. There are vines hanging from the ceiling, stone carvings along the walls, bursts of colorful flowers, and a towering treehouse.
It’s another beautiful day in … Idaho.
Confused? Don’t be. This is the magic of a themed hotel room. It’s another level of travel wrapped inside the experience you’re already having. The best themed rooms can whisk families around the world, to different moments of time, even off into space. Here are some of the most unusual and interesting.
Adventure Suites
North Conway, N.H.
You won’t find anything typical at Adventure Suites, a 17-suite hotel where each of the rooms has a different theme, from a treehouse to a cave complete with petroglyphs. The most over-the-top offering is for brave souls only — a three-story haunted mansion, where spooky projections and moving objects mean you might not sleep a wink. adventuresuites.com
Black Swan Inn
Pocatello, Idaho
Arabian Nights, Mayan Rainforest, and Pirates are just a few of the leitmotifs at this small, quirky property in the middle of Idaho. Each room features artistic embellishments, plus mood music, special lighting, and other special features to help set the tone. One standout is the sea cave suite, with two aquariums and a king-sized bed inside a hand-sculpted clam shell. blackswaninn.com
Clear Sky Resorts Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon Junction, Arizona
Gaze at the stars from the comfort of your bed inside a clear geodesic dome, located about 30 miles from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Each family-sized dome at this bubble resort is decked out with themed décor, including British secret agent, ‘80s video games, and pretty in pink (a Hello Kitty wonderland!). Kids and adults alike will also love the activities available on site, including frisbee golf, yard games, an oversized trampoline, and nightly s’mores around a fire pit. clearskyresorts.com
Fantasyland Hotel
Edmonton, Canada
Fantasyland Hotel is tucked inside the West Edmonton Mall, which is like a city unto itself, with more than 800 shops, 100 restaurants, an indoor amusement park, paddle boats, a water park, even its own Chinatown. The hotel is equally transportive. Its rooms will whisk you away to an igloo, a Victorian-era coach, or Hollywood. One of the most popular options is the space-themed luxury suite, which includes constellations on the ceiling, thousands of LED lights, and space pod bunk beds. flh.ca
Hotel Rangá
Hella, Iceland
Hotel Rangá is nestled in the rugged and beautiful Iceland countryside, a prime location for chasing waterfalls, exploring ice caves, and watching the Northern Lights. But you may not even want to leave the lodge — among its 52 cozy rooms are seven luxurious continent-themed suites, each containing art and furniture sourced from the places they represent. There’s even a speciality package that lets guests “travel” all around the world over the course of a one-week stay. hotelranga.is
Hotel LEGOLAND
Billund, Denmark
LEGO is known for inspiring creative and fun play, so what better way to inject some of that in your vacation than a LEGO room with interactive features? You can choose a Ninjago room where you can sneak around like ninja warriors, a LEGO MOVIE room where you can fight the DUPLO invasion, and a LEGO Friends treetop hideaway. legoland.dk
Madonna Inn
San Luis Obispo, California
The Madonna is a whimsical jewel along the central California coast, famous for its 110 individually themed rooms. Each is a maximalist wonderland, filled with glam décor and plenty of character. Some of the most spectacular suites include real boulders (above), as incorporated in the rock waterfall showers in Bridal Falls, Madonna Suite, and Caveman. madonnainn.com
The Roxbury at Stratton Falls/The Roxbury Motel
Roxbury, N.Y.
These two eclectic properties were designed to indulge the getaway fantasies of children and the young at heart. Each of the eight cottages at The Roxbury at Stratton Falls is a fairytale come to life — for instance, Cinderella’s Gown is a cottage conjured by a fairy godmother, complete with a pumpkin bathroom, while Crown of the Pendragons is fit for royalty. The Roxbury Motel features rooms that seem to have pulled straight from your oddest dreams. Who hasn’t wanted to sleep inside a coconut cream pie? Or, more accurately, who has? theroxburyexperience.com
V8 Hotel
Stuttgart, Germany
This property is a dream for car enthusiasts, from kids who love things that go “vroom” to serious auto aficionados. Its themed rooms include British Racing, a retro gas station, and the popular car wash room, with a bed situated between pillar brushes and pipes. The hotel is within a one-minute walk of Motorworld Stuttgart; other local highlights include the Mercedes Benz Factory, the Porsche Museum, and Solitude Race Track. v8hotel.de
