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10 unique underground hotels from around the world
Sala Silvermine Sala, Sweden
The Sala Silvermine is an actual mine that allows visitors to stay in a Mine Suite, the "world's deepest hotel room". The room is about 508 feet below the Earth's surface, next to underground galleries and caverns. Guests will receive a guided tour of the mine, which was well-known for its silver, lead, and zinc content, as well as a basket of goodies including cheese, fruits, chocolate, biscuits, and sparkling wine. While beautiful and peaceful, just make sure to dress warm as it is only 35.6 degrees Farenheit in the mine all year round and 64.4 degrees Farenheit in the room itself.
Coober Pedy, South Australia
Since 1915, people have flocked to Coober Pedy in the Outback in search of the precious opals the town is known for. They have also gone to explore the underground dwellings of the area, as many locals live in "dugouts" to keep cool. The 4-star Desert Cave Hotel officially opened in 1988 as a way to help people experience the underground way of life. While there are 50 rooms available, 19 are underground. All contain modern luxuries like color television, Wi-Fi, and free in-house movies. And those living below the Earth won't feel too disconnected from the world, as there is also an underground shopping arcade that features an extensive range of opals and opal jewelery.
Kelebek Cave HotelCappadocia, Turkey
Located right in the center of Goreme's historic village, the Kelebek Cave Hotel allows guests to stay in spacious underground cave dwellings as well as fairy chimneys formed from volcanic activity. The rooms are surprisingly comfortable and cozy, with a fireplace and a traditional Turkish breakfast. If you want a better idea of what the property looks like inside and out, they offer a comprehensive virtual tour on their website.
Woodlyn Park
Waitomo, New Zealand
Lord of the Rings fans will love this hobbit-inspired accommodation. Woodlyn Park includes 4 types of motels, including a plane motel, train motel, boat motel, and the underground hobbit motels that have circular windows poking up out of the ground. The rooms include a kitchen, bathroom, furnishings, and decor. While this is by no means a luxury hotel, it is a fun and unique accommodation option.
La Claustra
Airolo, Switzerland
La Claustra was once a hidden military fort housed inside the St. Gotthard Mountain. In 1999, the Swiss army gave up the space, giving arist Jean Odermatt an idea for a unique modern accommodation that is embedded deep into mountain rock. This 4-star property also offers, innovative and organic cuisine, a steam grotto, and activities and events upon request.
Les Hautes RochesRochecorbon, France
Les Hautes Roches is located in the Loire Valley and was formerly the living quarters of the nearby Abbey of Marmoutier monks who sought refuge during the wars of religion. After being abandoned for 15 years, these caves and adjoining 17th century pavilion were renovated by hotel owner Philippe Mollard into a luxury Troglodytic hotel. Guests sleep in rooms sculpted from tufa rock and housed inside the center of cliffs. Fun fact: Tufa rock has a velvet-like appearance and is also known to promote health and well-being.
Beckham Creek Cave Lodge
Parthenon, Arkansas
The Beckham Creek Cave Lodge is a serene and secluded underground property with modern technology and luxurious amenities. Relax in the below-ground jacuzzis, watch movies on a flat sceen television, or just enjoy the elegantly furnished room and high-tech stainless steel kitchen. While you will be sleeping below the Earth, you will be able to immerse yourself in nature above ground with horseback riding and hiking through the Ozark countryside.
Cuevas Pedro Antonio de Alarcón
Guadix, Spain
The Cuevas Pedro Antonio de Alarcón is a pre-historic cave hotel near Granada that has been amended into chalet accommodations. Carved into the clay hillside, the individual chalets feature modern living facilities inside whitewashed caves that give guests the chance to "experience the authentic lifestyle of accitanos". There are 23 fully-equipped caves to choose from, as well as a pool, restaurant, meeting room, reception, and laundry facility.
Kokopelli's Cave Bed & BreakfastFarmington, New Mexico
Kokopelli's Cave Bed & Breakfast is a cave accommodation that has been blasted out of mountain rock. The property is a 1,650 square foot, one-bedroom cave hotel that sits 280 feet above the La Plata River and is made from sandstone that is 65 million years old. Luxury and comfort is part of a stay in this private and secluded cave, with plush carpeting, a hot tub, hot waterfall shower, kitchen, washer and dryer, and Southwestern-themed decor.
Null Stern Hotel
To be determined
The first Null Stern Hotel opened in Teufen, Switzerland, but closed down on June 4, 2010, exactly one year after opening. The closing came not because of an unsuccessful establishment, but due to an overwhelming amount of positive guest feedback asking for more properties. A former Swiss Nuclear bunker, the aim of the underground property was to give the unused space a second life while providing guests with an affordable accommodation.
For the time being, the founders of the hotel are dedicating their energy on an expansion strategy and opening a Null Stern Hotel property that is even bigger and better than before. However, because negotiations are still in progress, the exact location cannot be disclosed. The original hotel is currently open as a museum, giving visitors guided tours that introduce them to property features like the wheel of fate, the second check in, and the virtual window.
Filed under: Arts and Culture, History, Europe, North America, Oceania, United States, New Zealand, Hotels and Accommodations, Women's Travel, Luxury Travel












Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
mazaranne Dec 17th 2011 10:28AM
Not sure I would feel comfortable in an underground hotel in an area prone to earthquakes such as Turkey or New Zealand.
RobertHilton Dec 17th 2011 12:09PM
We are going to start a chain of these caves starting next year. It is the name that we are unable to decide on. Our "Madison Avenue" over paid experts are suggesting "Cave-Dwellers," and "Neanderthal Suites." What do you all think? Should we run a contest for this; do people care enough to enter?
Thank you for the help.
Personally, I can't see it. I would much rather have a room with a view, the higher up the better as in the Penthouse suites in our grand hotels.
The demographic studies show that there is a great demand for this.
Eileen Dec 17th 2011 2:50PM
I wonder if those mass graves archeologists dig up, are actually Neanderthal hotels that collapsed in an earthquake. lol
Capt. Brian Dec 17th 2011 10:41AM
All fun and wonderful, but I am totally amazed that this column has missed one of the most remote "Cave Inns". Coober Pedy in Austraila. It is so hot there, the folks living there moved underground, and so are the hotels. Back in Se[tember, 2001 [just after 911] we stayed there. People came there due to the thick opal fields there, and the men would dig a small hole straight down and look for opals.
The natives there saw all the activity, and named it Coober Pedy, or the aboriginal name for "white fellas hole in the ground'...
We loved it. See my Aussie Blog for more info.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coober_Pedy,_South_Australia
boneparte Dec 18th 2011 4:54AM
Its up there Captain!
Capt. Brian Dec 17th 2011 10:43AM
Oops, sorry, guess they included Coober Pedy and somehow I missed it. Well I have missed boats before. Good oh, to the editor.
Capt. Brian [The Lost Navigator]
lisa Dec 17th 2011 11:44AM
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Ariane Dec 17th 2011 11:58AM
Nice article, great pictures.
AnAmerican Dec 17th 2011 12:15PM
Great idea! Let's all go to Iran for a vacation. Does the State Department, and the Islamic Republic of Iran even allow for a visa?
I have been there, long ago. The food is great.
mazaranne Dec 17th 2011 12:15PM
A contest would be fun. You could decorate the walls with reproductions of prehistoric cave paintings, have pedestal sinks which resemble stalagmites, ceiling light fixtures which look like stalactites. Troglodyte Subterranea...lol.
MrHollyWood Dec 17th 2011 12:21PM
After seeing your picture, I bet it has been longer than two years; more like NEVER!
You are fat, I mean obese to the extreme. How can any person allow themselves to be 400 pounds, 300 of which is fat.
I know you can't help your looks but you are really ugly. Somewhere out there is something for you. Let me suggest that you join a kennel club. Other dogs will love you if you give them love.
Ugggg. Fat and Ugly and you advertise yourself?
Cootersmom1 Dec 17th 2011 2:59PM
Hell... you looked her up so who's the desperate one?
italguy Dec 17th 2011 1:39PM
I'm Italian and been living in my basement for years.
So what's the difference?
Tom Hoffnagle Dec 17th 2011 2:32PM
The Grand Canyon Caverns, Cavern Motel Room
The Largest, Oldest, Deepest, Darkest, Quietest motel room in the world!
Imagine, if you can,
Spending the night in the oldest, darkest, deepest, quietest, and largest suite room in the world. Imagine, 220 feet below ground, in a cavern that took 65 million years to form, in a room that is 200 feet wide, 400 feet long with a 70 foot ceiling. The largest dry cavern in the United States, so dark that it is completely absent on any light, so quiet because it contains no life forms; nothing lives in the caverns, not a fly, not a mouse, a bat, bug or animal. Nothing. The only thing moving or breathing is you. The air is as dry and clean as one can get, coming in via 65 miles of limestone crevices from the Grand Canyon to the caverns. The limestone takes out all moisture and impurities.
irkafirka Jan 18th 2012 10:39AM
I am suggesting names, but you are on notice that you have heard it from me this day of December 17, 2011, and as such I claim to retain all propriety rights to the name from this day forward:
The names are: "Cave Men Housing Hotel," or "Hell Hole Boutique Hotel," or "Underground Visitor's Hotel," or "Down Under Cave Hotel," or "Closer to Hell Hotel," or "Hotel of Underground Dreams."
C. "Andy" Sarkany
billy williams Dec 18th 2011 2:21AM
The pic i clicked on to get here,It looked like fred flintstones house!