Weird & Wonderful
PLACES TO STAY
Weird & Wonderful
PLACES TO STAY
GLAMP | SURF | L.A. GLAM | PLAY TO STAY | NIGHT SKIES | OUTBACK
GLAMP
Open Sky
Zion National Park, Utah
Zion National Park is probably as good a spot to camp or glamp as anywhere else in the world.
Weird & Wonderful
Open Sky is the place to do it: glamping on another level, where you can watch the shimmering stars of Zion’s famous skies from the cosiness of your own bed thanks to the ceiling windows. Plush beds and private decks make rooms here look more like a lux apartment than your average tent.
Take on a Via Ferrata, go on a Jeep tour, start hiking or try canyoneering.
And at night you can learn about astronomy from an expert. Or, you know, you can just stay in bed and watch those bright twinkly things do what they’ve been doing since the dawn of time. Up to you.
Every room is pretty cool but the Star Seeker tent stands out. It features an oversized clawfoot copper bathtub, a private platform for telescope viewing, a swing lounger, and an enclosed outdoor rain shower, making it our top pick.
From AU$756 per night
SURF
Hotelito
Guerrero, Mexico
This one’s for the upscale surfer.
Weird & Wonderful
Some rooms at Hotelito on Mexico’s west coast lead directly out onto the beach, and after a short paddle you’re at a cruisy little wave called La Bonita. Coast on this 'til your heart's content, then come in and take a shower in sleek surrounds that straddle the line between luxury and minimalism… like that really cool, attractive and talented person you know who somehow manages to remain really humble.
Nearby are some more iconic waves that are accessible with a private lift from staff, and there’s brilliantly fresh, paddock-to-plate Mexican food on offer all day at Alba, the on-site restaurant. Beach borders the property from the back, and lush jungle from the front. The best of both worlds.
From AU$552 per night
L.A. GLAM
The London
West Hollywood, USA
G-L-A-M. O-R-O-U-S.
Fergie's iconic mid noughties hit may well have been about The London in West Hollywood, a hotel in the heart of it all dripping with L.A. luxury.
Weird & Wonderful
We’re not sure there’s ever been a better location. The London is right on the corner of three icons of Hollywood: the legendary Sunset Strip, the hectic Santa Monica Boulevard, and the very, very lively West Hollywood Design District.
There’s a rooftop pool and a bar, both of which have played host to some legendary parties throughout the years.
The hotel was built over 30 years ago but had a year-long makeover in 2008, so it ain't no faded starlet.
From AU$361 per night
PLAY TO STAY
Hoho Ryokan
Nishikan Ward, Niigata, Japan
The Hoho Ryokan, about 45 minute drive from Niigata Train Station, will give you a meal, a bed and the chance to unwind in hot springs… all for the equivalent of one Australian dollar. There’s only one catch. To the name, this place is get lost all over.
Weird & Wonderful
They want you to play the grand piano that sits in the lobby. For 90 minutes. Twice.
That’s three hours (one morning, one night session) of chopsticks, Clocks and the O.C. theme song. Not a bad deal—think of the incredible Japanese food, and unwinding in a beautiful onsen.
Niigata City is a quaint coastal city on the west coast of Honshu.
The history behind this is that Hoho used to hold small concerts for many years, spurred on by the piano’s presence. Although it's unclear how the piano got there in the first place, it is clear that they didn’t want to get rid of it, and so it’s sat largely dormant for a few years. Until now.
From AU$1
NIGHT SKIES
Lake Inari Mobile Cabins
Inari, Finland
Remember the freak solar storm that took place earlier this year (May 2024) and every single person on Instagram went out and got an incredible photo of Aurora Borealis or Aurora Australis? Only, a lot of people (especially those in the Southern Hemisphere) couldn’t actually see anything, and were only aware of the beautiful shimmering light because it was all over their social media feeds.
Weird & Wonderful
Imagine actually being able to see those beautiful lights, and imagine being right in the eye of the storm, so to speak. That's exactly where you’ll be at Lake Inari Mobile Cabins in Finland—some of the best northern light activity in the world, happens right here.
You’ll be transported (in your bed, on the back of a snowmobile) to whichever metre-thick ice lake is best for viewing that night—viewing made easy by the glass roof. In the morning, you’ll be ferried back to base for a sauna and coffee.
From AU$582 per night
OUTBACK
Bullo River Station
Northern Territory, Australia
Dorothy once said ‘there’s no place like home,’ except hers was in Kansas and this one’s on the dusty plains of Australia’s Northern Territory.
Weird & Wonderful
Affectionately called a real ‘home in the outback’, Bullo River Station is every bit as breathtaking as the 400,000 acres of privately owned rugged wilderness it sits on is vast.
Promising a raw insight into life on an authentic cattle station, as well as your pick of the property’s twelve cozy rooms to rest in after a long day on the land, living out your McLeod’s Daughters fantasy has never been so realistic.
And when there’s cascading waterfalls to admire, natural water holes to cool off in, Aboriginal rock art to marvel at and captivating animals to spot (think kangaroos, dingoes and the station’s 2,000 Brahman-cross cattle), a stay here is a bit like a choose-your-own-Aussie-adventure. Note: cork hat not included.
From AU$1,350 per night
get in the know Roughly 3.6 million Japanese families will indulge in KFC (yep, good ol' Kentucky Fried Chicken) every Christmas Eve in what has now firmly become one of the country's favourite holiday traditions.
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