8 of the most unusual hotels in the world

Sleep inside a UFO

Where? Harads Treehotel, Sweden

Head deep, deep into a pine forest, pick your treehouse and spend the night towering above the woodland. Accommodation ranges from the aptly-named Bird's Nest (seriously, you have to look at pics of this one), the Mirrorcube and – wait for it – the UFO. Choose the latter, and you’ll rewind back to the final scene of ET with an eery sense of deja-vu inside your spaceship pad. Tear yourself away from the woodland hideaway (trust us, it’s hard) and you’ll find plenty of activities on offer, too. Hit the rapids and go white water rafting, try something new with a moose safari or chill in the tree sauna – could it get more Scandinavian? Want to go beyond the forest? Explore Sweden’s best bits with a cruise.

Be controversial with Banksy

Where: Walled Off Hotel, Bethlehem

Here it is, the one everyone’s talking about – the world’s most ironic hotel right beside the Isreal-Palestine border wall. Make a statement with a stay here by going budget and bagging the military barracks style room for £22, or go all out and splurge on the £750 a night presidential suite that comes with everything a head of state would need – including a huge plunge bath, home cinema and library. Don’t forget to peer out at what Banksy describes as the “worst view in the world” (a wall covered in graffiti) or sip cocktails in the piano lounge that’s dotted with CCTV cameras. Want to see inside? Check out the #thewalledhotel on Instagram.

live like an eskimo

Where: Santa's Igloo Arctic Circle resort, Lapland

Always wanted to get away from it all and camp out in Lapland’s wilderness? Set up camp inside an igloo and watch the stars through glass ceilings. And, if the Northern Lights decide to come out to shine, you’ll find you’re in a front row seat to watch the show. Top up on festive cheer with a trip before winter, and zoom across frozen lakes on a snowmobile, or get comfy on a sleigh and let reindeers take you for a spin. Now on Blitzen…

Go compact in a capsule

Where: Cube Boutique hotel, Singapore

Consider yourself a savvy shopper? Save your pennies at the capsule hotel, a popular concept in Singapore, namely for its average price tag firmly sticking to £30. Squeeze into a pod, don your eye mask and drift off. Designed to maximise on space, pods are stacked on top of each other, so get there early if you want to be near(ish) your travel companion. Or, if you’re not one to go budget, go luxury with a stay at the Cube Boutique hotel. Continue living the high-life with cocktails at Raffle Hotel’s Long Bar, or dine at the top of a 50-metre high restaurant in the Gardens by the Bay.