HHave you ever dreamed of sleeping in a chocolate-themed room, a marshmallow suite, or, even crazier, a bed surrounded by bratwursts? Maybe not—but if you have, you’re in luck: These eccentric rooms and many equally crazy options (psychedelic-themed caravan, anyone? Or an Oreo-themed room in a theme park) can all be booked for one night. Europe is home to some of the craziest and most over-the-top hotel rooms anywhere—and these are our favorites.
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1. Sausages in Bavaria
Sleeping in Bratwurst Heaven
Bratwurst Hotel, Rittersbach, Germany
It is no joke when they say: “Here you will sleep in bratwurst heaven.” Every room in the Bratwurst Hotel in pretty Rittersbach near Nuremberg is dedicated to this prince of German sausages. Not only is there a (packaged) sausage hanging above your bed, but three of the rooms are also decorated with sausage wallpaper, a soft stool that looks like a sausage meat tin, and charming pig outlines at the head of the bed to remind you where all that delicious meat comes from. Dinner is available from 6:30 p.m. at the WURSTaurant, where at least 14 different bratwurst main courses are served.
Details Double room with breakfast from £120 (bratwursthotel.de). Flight or train to Nuremberg
2. Marshmallows in Milan
The ODSweet Duomo Milano Hotel has 17 rooms dedicated to marshmallows
ODSweet Duomo Milano Hotel, Italy
Bring an extra tube of toothpaste. Owned by a Milanese pastry chef, the ODSweet Duomo Milano Hotel has 17 rooms dedicated to the marshmallow theme. The decor expertly mixes pink with more pink (and soothing touches of white)—and if that makes your mouth water, you’ll find piles of complimentary marshmallows on a nightstand. After that, you might need a change of scenery. It’s good to know that the hotel is next to Piazza del Duomo, just steps from the cathedral’s west façade.
Details Double room only from £356 (odsweethotel.com). Fly or take the train to Milan
3. A petrol station in Stuttgart
V8 Hotel, Germany
Sorry folks, but the car-themed petrol station room at the V8 Hotel in Stuttgart isn’t the real thing. It doesn’t smell of petrol and there are no mini-market shelves full of tortilla chips and overpriced chocolate. But for anyone who’s ever dreamed of sleeping on a petrol station forecourt, this is surely the next best thing. With an old petrol pump and a double bed that thinks it’s a VW Beetle, it’s the perfect place to rev the engines before visiting the Motorworld exhibition halls next door.
Details Themed double rooms with overnight stay only from £170 (thev8hotel.de). Flight to Stuttgart
4. A pool party in Miami, Merseyside
The Flamingo Room stands out from the crowd
The Shankly Hotel, Liverpool
“The Flamingo Room stands out from the crowd of standard Liverpool hotel rooms,” proclaims the Shankly Hotel. And you bet it does. Fitted with pink and turquoise flamingo wallpaper, rocking chairs and a ten-person Roman bath, it sleeps 14 in seven double beds, six of which are bunk beds, with one pair stacked on top of the other. And if that sounds a bit, you know, indiscreet, remember that this is what’s known as a party room – and the Shankly has several more of those. The wood-panelled Laurent-Perrier Suite sleeps 24.
Details Suite for 14 people with room only from £500 (shanklyhotel.com)
5. A night at the Night Garden in Alton Towers
Discover your inner Makka Pakka at CBeebies LAnd Hotel
CBeebies Country Hotel, Staffordshire
All parents of toddlers love the CBeebies show In the night garden. At least, they do that for 30 minutes every day. But how do you keep that up for a whole night? Here’s your chance to embrace your inner Makka Pakka and find out, at the CBeebies Land Hotel in Alton Towers. The Night Garden themed room has a bed under a starry sky for the grown-ups – and the first thing they see in the morning are the floor-to-ceiling pictures of the Haahoos adorning the walls. The little ones are looked after by Iggle Piggle.
Details B&B family room for four from £325, including water park entry (altontowers.com)
6. Dress up like David Bowie
The room is decorated with Bowie pictures
PHASE PHOTOGRAPHY
Hotel Pelirocco, Brighton
Ziggy played guitar. And you can play Ziggy when you check into the Rebel Rebel, the David Bowie-themed room at the Pelirocco hotel in Brighton. As well as being decorated in Bowie-themed decor, the room is also equipped with Bowie vinyl (and a record player) and a range of Bowie-esque costumes, makeup and even wigs. Perfect for parading around Regency Square in your best platform boots. Other rooms pay homage to reggae, Dolly Parton and the Mods.
Details B&B doubles from £134 (hotelpelirocco.co.uk)
7. Psychedelic indoor caravan park
Stay in an upcycled one-bedroom caravan at Basecamp Bonn
OLIVER KEPKA
Basecamp Bonn, Germany
It’s definitely not a campsite. And it’s not exactly a hotel, either. But we’re happy to bend the rules a little for this mind-expanding hostel in a warehouse on the outskirts of Bonn. It’s home to a convoy of upcycled one-bedroom caravans, and its collection is all about flower power—adorned with a mix of 1960s and 1970s decor that’s downright psychedelic. A vegetarian breakfast buffet is included. We wonder if there are any mushrooms: But either way, a night here is the perfect appetizer for a stroll around Bonn’s Museum Mile, where you can feast your eyes on German expressionist art and post-war history.
Details B&B double rooms from £64 (basecamp-bonn.de). Fly to Bonn or take the train
8. A Hansel and Gretel Suite
The Hansel and Gretel Suite smells of chocolate
Fabrica do Chocolate, Porto, Portugal
It’s not so much the woodland candy store decor that will make chocoholics’ mouths water, but the room’s chocolate scent, soaps and moisturizers will certainly get you in the mood. It’s what lies behind the door of your family-friendly Hansel and Gretel suite. This is the Fabrica do Chocolate, a chocolate museum, chocolate shop and hotel in the pretty port town of Viana do Castelo, north of Porto. Guests can also book a unique full-body “chocotherapy” massage, which includes a scrub with crushed cocoa beans and a chocolate butter body wrap.
Details B&B suite for four from £166 (fabricadochocolate.com). Flight to Porto
9. Smileys before going to bed
The Backstage Britannia Room at Megaro
CHRIS ORANGE
The Megaro, London
Ah, the yellow smiley face. Since it was co-opted by the acid house music scene, it’s not exactly the international symbol of a good night’s sleep. Nevertheless, it features in the Megaro’s Backstage Britannia room because it occupies a place in the history of King’s Cross, where the hotel is located. After all, the north London area’s now-demolished warehouses were a hotbed of late-1980s rave culture. Other nods to the area’s musical past include a headboard and coffee table made from speaker and instrument casings. It’s an oddly fitting starting point for a visit to the British Library, which opened just up the road in 1998 – a strong indicator of how much has changed here.
Details Double room only from £265 per night (themegaro.co.uk)
10. Lots of fun in the Douro Valley
The barrel-shaped bedrooms at Quinta da Pacheca are a relaxing retreat
PEDRO SARMENTO COSTA
Quinta da Pacheca, Portugal
Yes, you’re allowed to giggle. But after a day on the roads of the Douro Valley, one of these ten barrel-shaped bedrooms at Quinta da Pacheca is a relaxing stopover. Inside, you can sit in bed and gaze out at the vineyards through huge round glass doors. Outside, tours and wine tastings are available, highlighting the estate’s 286 years of winemaking experience.
Details B&B doubles from £262 (quintadapacheca.com). Flight to Porto
11. Stand up and shine high
Three mezzanine suites at the Faralda Crane Hotel are squeezed into the structure
KOEN VAN WEEL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
Faralda Crane Hotel, Amsterdam
Imagine if Jimi Hendrix hadn’t become a global rock superstar but instead taken a job in Amsterdam’s docklands. One of the mezzanine suites at the Faralda Crane Hotel would surely have been his home. Squeezed into the towering superstructure of a quayside crane, all three offer such a gothic mix of Purple Haze style and post-industrial detailing that they practically beg for extended guitar solos. Expect antelope skulls, gold cushions and plenty of rivets holding the walls together.
Details B&B suites from £653 (faralda.com)
Did we miss your favorite crazy hotel room? Let us know in the comments
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