By Victor Block
Ari and Brad Nicholson settle for the night in the most luxurious setting they’ve enjoyed anywhere. Their penthouse is lit by chandeliers and includes opulent touches like a martini bar and hot tub.
The ambience is very different where Lee and Laura Hockman are bedding down. As dog lovers, the opportunity to stay in “the world’s biggest beagle” gave them no paws (pun intended).
These aren’t the only unusual accommodations available to travelers around the country. Opportunities abound for those seeking a unique experience when it’s time to check in and turn in.
That plush penthouse is one of 16 themed quarters at the Adventure Suites in New Hampshire. Others include a deserted island room where guests sleep in a giant oyster shell-shaped bed and a jungle hut complete with thatch roof and waterfall. For more information call 603- 356-9755 or log onto adventuresuites.com.
Overnight guests at the Dog Bark Park Inn B&B in Cottonwood, Idaho enter a 30-foot-high beagle-shaped structure which offers the usual hotel amenities. The inn is a throwback to the kind of roadside architecture that was popular in the early days of automobile vacation travel. The unique B&B is open April 1-October 31. For more information, call 208- 962-3647 or log onto dogbarkparkinn.com.
From rail to sail. Train buffs who check into the Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel may think they’ve gone to railroad heaven. Along with standard accommodations, there are four dozen train car rooms. They’re lavishly decorated with Victorian furnishings, yet provide today’s modern conveniences. For more information call 800- 872-2529 or log onto choochoo.com.
The accommodations are less luxurious, but equally as intriguing, aboard a World War II submarine moored along the shoreline of Lake Michigan. The USS Cobia was launched in 1943 and saw action in the Pacific, sinking a total of 13 enemy ships. Guests, who bring their own bedding, receive a guided tour and admission to the adjacent maritime museum the following day. For more information call 866-724-2356 or log onto wisconsinmaratime.org.
Living high. Those who prefer to rise above it all also have inviting alternatives. At TreeHouse Point, located in a forest near Seattle, Wash., cabins are perched high in the trees. Guests access their rooms by way of stairs or a swinging walkway, where they will find rustic but comfortable accommodations. For more information call 425- 441-8087 or log onto treehousepoint.com.
Another room with a view, the Jersey Jim Fire Lookout Tower, is one of hundreds of structures that were built throughout the country from which forest rangers once kept a lookout for fires. Located in the San Juan National Forest in Colorado, the cabin sits 55 feet (and 70 steps) above a meadow. Inside are the original furniture and ranger log book, along with propane-powered heating, lighting, refrigerator and oven. The tower is available from late May to mid-October. For more information call 800- 253-1616.
Although it’s 20 feet shorter than the fire tower, the Rose Island Lighthouse offers an equally dramatic, if different, view. It overlooks Narragansett Bay along the coast of Rhode Island. Guests may play the part of keeper for a night or longer, handling chores like raising and lowering the flag and managing the wind-powered electric and rainwater gathering systems. After completing their tasks, keepers are free to swim, fish, use the kayaks or just take in the scenery from the top of the tower. For more information, call 401-847-4242 (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.) or log onto roseislandlighthouse.org.
Staying Low. Despite its name, Kokopelli’s Cave Bed & Breakfast in Farmington, New Mexico is no mere hole in the ground. Carved into a 65-million-year-old sandstone cliff face, and almost 1,700 square feet in size, the carpeted grotto includes a full kitchen and bathroom, television, DVD player and other amenities not expected 70 feet below ground. The cave can accommodate up to four people. For more information call 505-860-3812 or log onto kokoscave.com.
Another low down experience awaits guests at Jules Undersea Lodge. Originally built as an underwater research laboratory, the mini-hotel sits on the floor of a mangrove lagoon off Key Largo, Fla. The living area includes two bedrooms and a combination galley, dining and entertainment area. The best entertainment is provided by 42-inch round windows which look out onto a gathering place for angel fish, barracuda and other reef dwellers. It’s even possible to enjoy a meal prepared by a chef who dives down to the hotel and prepares a gourmet dinner. Non-divers receive a brief introductory course and loaner scuba gear. For more information call 305-451-2353 or log onto jul.com.
Back to Basics. Some accommodations appeal to folks seeking a less exotic experience. That certainly applies to the Shady Dell in Bisbee, Arizona. In 1927, it began to provide trailer space for travelers along U.S. Route 80, the first all-weather coast-to-coast highway. Today Shady Dell puts up folks in 10 vintage trailers. For more information, call 520- 432-3567 or log onto theshadydell.com.
The word “basic” also applies to tin-roofed sharecropper cottages in the Mississippi Delta region, furnished in what’s described as “a flea market lover’s dream.” The atmosphere at the colorfully named Shack Up Inn lives up, or perhaps down, to that moniker. Once guests get past the ramshackle outside appearance of the little houses, they find rooms that have been renovated to add electricity, plumbing, heat and air conditioning. Mismatched furniture, walls adorned with old photographs and other period pieces are in keeping with the Inn’s motto, “the Ritz we ain’t.” For more information call 662-624-8329 or log onto shackupinn.com.
