UNIQUE

LODGING
OPTIONS
By Jordan Wright
A large map of the world, plastered with clusters of brightly-colored sewing pins,
hangs in the home of 73-year-old Myrna Towers. Each pin marks a place that Towers,
her husband, Dave, or one of their six children has visited. Myrna and Dave have
traveled extensively, and have lived in Great Britain, Cambodia, and now Hong Kong.
What the map does not show, however, is where they have slept on their travels. A
cabin on the African savanna, a chateau in the Alps, and a hut in Mexico are only a
few. If you stay in Best Westerns everywhere you go, youll have a very typical trip,
says Towers. They are always on the alert for rare lodging opportunities.

2 spring 2016

If you stay in Best Westerns

everywhere you go, youll have a
very typical trip, says Towers.
www.stowawaymag.com 3
Photographed by Jake Hills.

An internet search for places to stay

in . . . will produce a long list of standard accommodations, ranging from
five star hotels to budget dives. Some
people choose the more adventurous route of hostels, and search for
clean beds and community perks on
Hostelworld.com.
Others look even further: asking
locals, slipping the word unusual
into their internet searches, and
perusing the less popular tourist
guidebooks. For Towers and fellow
travelers, looking beyond the standard hotels and hostels has led to very
memorable vacations.

On Land

One of Towers favorite lodging

experiences was staying in an old
windmill-turned-bed-and-breakfast
near the city of Prague in the Czech
Republic. Originally built with wood
in 1277, Pension Vtrnk (Windmill
Hotel in Czech) was a working
windmill for 500 years. Now the mill
has been rebuilt in brick and stone
and the windmill blades are no
longer on display, but patrons still
experience the history of the place,
as well as very personal hospitality
from the owners.
We got there late in the evening
and they still fired up the kitchen to
fix us a tasty stew and homemade
bread, says Towers. We loved the
homey atmosphere. There is also a
bus stop within walking distance of
Pension Vtrnk, so visitors can easily travel to the old city. Nightly rates
vary from $60125 USD, depending
on the season.
For younger travelers like 23-yearold Eden Cope, the best alternative
lodging is whatever is least expensive.
Often this means a sleeping bag in
the airport, but tents are not out of
the question. There was a time when
I camped in a tent in Hfn, Iceland,
Cope says. The sky never got dark
because it was June.
Tents arent just for thrift, however. The ExplorTambos Camp

4 spring 2016

Program near Iquitos, Peru, includes

a special tent option for travelers.
Visitors spend one night of their tour
in individual or couple tents on the
banks of the Amazon River. Because
the primitive camp site is a two-hour
walk from any buildings and surrounded by rainforest, guests have an
excellent chance of spotting monkeys,
anteaters, and other wildlife.
The trip includes excursions
through the jungle and on the river
itself, swimming with piranhas and
searching for Caiman. Meals are
cooked over an open fire. The full
five-day program (one night in tents,
the others in ExlporTambos lodges)
costs around $1,400 USD.

On Sea

Several years ago, Tom Monson, 49,

spent one night on a junk in Halong
Bay, Vietnam, with his wife and her
parents. It was probably the highlight of our Vietnam trip, remembers
Monson, whose favorite word to
describe the fog-shrouded Dr. Seusslike mountains is magical. Meals on
the junk featured fresh seafood and
the tour included a kayak trip to a
neighboring cave.
The accommodations were very
rudimentary, warns Monson. Hard
beds, leaky roof. But it didnt even
matter. You were there for the unique
experience. Junk tours cost anywhere from $40150 USD depending
on the tour company, the size of the
group, and the number of nights.
Monson suggests a one night tour,
especially if traveling with children,
since activities on the boat are very
limited.

In the Trees

With the rising popularity of treehouse hotels, anyone can have a

Swiss Family Robinson adventure.
One company, La Cabane en lAire,
has a network of over 200 treehouses
spread throughout France.

Some are accessed by rope bridges,

some by ladders, and some even by
zip lines. Treehouses range from just
a few feet off the ground to over 60
feet (the average tree house is around
30 feet). The luxury models have
electricity and water, but some travelers prefer the rustic candlelight and
dry toilets found in the more basic
models. One night costs between
$100$350 USD, and each tree
house has specific age and capacity
requirements.

Underground
On a recent visit to Matera, Italy,
Kim Kitley, 42, and her husband,
Tim, booked two nights in a cave.
Lhotel in Pietra (Stone Hotel) was
originally a cave church dating back
to 1300. Now it is a luxury lodging
experience, costing $80$215 USD.
Fresh air is pumped into the
otherwise damp cave suites, making them just as comfortable as any
standard hotel room, and a lot more

fun. We were glad we made the

effort to go to such a unique place,
says Kitley. We would definitely
recommend it to others.

On Wheels

To save money and time, many

travelers choose to travel while they
sleep. Night trains are particularly
popular in Asia, where travelers can
choose to sleep sitting up in a standard railcar, or get a decent rest in a

more expensive sleeper car with bunk

bedsin essence, a hotel on wheels.
Some young travelers in China buy
the cheapest standing-room-only
night train tickets, and bring small
fold-up stools to doze on in the aisles.
Though not particularly pleasant, this
last option is certainly a memorable
experience and can be fun if traveling
with adventurous friends.
Of course, a hotel on wheels can
be more than time-saving transportation. Wanderlusts Gypsy Caravans

Spend a night on Halong Bay,

Vietnam in a junk.
Photographed by Rosino.

www.stowawaymag.com 5

Gypsy caravans lined up

in a row at nightfall.
Photagraphed by Tiffany Terry.

in the Cambria region of the United

Kingdom offers unique holidays in
traditional bow-top gypsy caravans
called vardos. Guests ride in the
horse-drawn caravan (and may even
get a chance to take the reins) as a
Wanderlusts owner leads them to
a beautiful, secluded spot to spend
the night. Each caravan has a woodburning stove, and the campsites
have open fire pits for cooking. The
caravan holiday costs $102 per night
for two people, with an extra fee for
each additional child.

6 spring 2016

How To
Find Unique
Accomodations?

Exploring the internet is the best

way to find memorable lodging. Just
change the query places to stay
to interesting places to stay or
unusual places to stay. Once you
find an option, look up reviews on
a site like TripAdvisor.com to make
sure your dream vacation spot is
really as dreamy as it looks online. If
you prefer travel guidebooks, choose

a less-popular series (i.e. not Lonely

Planet) to ensure that you wont be
crowded by tourists in the places you
choose to stay. And of course, make
friends when you travel. Locals and
fellow tourists might know of places
that you would never find in a guidebook or even on the internet.
You will likely stay in hotels or hostels more often than not, but be open
to trying a new experience when you
stumble upon it. After all, each new
adventure is a sewing pin in your map
of the world. Make it count.