World's Largest Fort - The Minister's Tree House

Situated off a back country road in Crossville, Tennessee, is the world's largest tree house/hotel, dubbed The Minister's Tree House by the religious man who built it. With 10 stories supported by seven oak trees, the hotel of 80 rooms is made entirely of wood, complete with a church and bell tower on the top level.

If you think this place sounds like a fire hazard, well, the local fire marshal agrees. Even with its firm no smoking policy, the hotel was shut down a few years ago and today stands empty, although the owner is still trying to get it open.

It's Possible to Get a Good Night's Rest on a Plane - Jumbo Stay Hotel

Are you the kind of person who doesn't get a wink of sleep while on a plane? Maybe you should try the Jumbo Stay Hotel in Stockholm, Sweden. The hostel is situated in a retired Boeing 457 whose interior was completely redesigned to include 27 guestrooms, a suite in the cockpit, and a café. Plus, the hotel is located right outside a real airport, so you can roll out of bed and catch your actual flight with no worries. It may the closest I'll ever come to flying first class.

Montaña Mágica Lodge

So you say your last hotel wasn't decorated with enough whimsy for you. Well, next time you're in the Los Rios region of Chile, look into booking a room at the Montaña Mágica Lodge, where you must cross a rickety wooden rope bridge to get to your guestroom situated in a natural stone spire, covered with jungle foliage.

And while the exterior may seem a little rustic, the hotel provides many luxurious amenities, including a hot tub made from a carved out tree trunk and a mini-golf course that utilizes real obstacles such as the forest itself to get in the way of your colorful little ball. I know. Where's the Hobbit bellhop? This place needs to hire a Hobbit bellhop.

Baby, It's Cold Inside - Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel

Alta, Norway, can be a cold and beautiful place. And if after a day spent sightseeing in the frigid temps isn't enough for you, you can now spend the evening sleeping in frigid temps as well, in your very own igloo hotel room.

Sorrisniva, the adventure company that runs the hotel, promises that the temperature in the igloo will stay a constant -7 to -4 degrees and recommends that you wear woolen underwear to bed if you want to stay warm. I recommend that you check into the nearest Ramada instead.

Secret Underwater Hotel? Yes, Please! - Utter Inn

Ever wanted to sleep in an underwater hideaway? No? OK, me neither. But after learning about the Utter Inn in Sweden, you might. Take a boat out to the small red house floating on a platform in the middle of Lake Mälaren in Västerås. Enter .. and discover that the house isn't a house at all, but a portal into the depths of the lake! Crawl down a ladder and hang out in your own reverse aquarium, complete with windows that peer into the water.

You might even spot some Swedish fish. (Sorry, couldn't help myself.)

Need to Disappear? - Mirrorcube

Tree hotels, while cool, are totally passé. Been there, done that, amirite? Well, the Swedes have stepped up their tree hotel game with Mirrorcube, the world's first invisible room. Nestled in the trees of the town of Harads in northern Sweden, the cube-shaped room is made of mirrored walls so that it blends in with the environment and virtually disappears. Even the birds didn't know it was there and kept crashing into it, so the designers had to add on an infrared film that only they could see.

My only question: When is Ikea gonna start selling these invisible cube rooms? I need one for my backyard. Although, thinking about it, the self-assembly could get a little tricky.

My Side of the Mountain - Skylodge

Peru is well known for its crazy elevations and gorgeous views. But did you know that you can experience these two things from a transparent capsule dangling off the side of a cliff? Well, of course you can.

Nature Viva's Skylodge is a group of three pods suspended 1,200 feet up on a cliff face in Peru's Sacred Valley. You can choose one of three fun ways to access your room: by climbing an insanely tall ladder, embarking on a treacherous hike, or flying across a series of ziplines. The hotel's website mentions that "safety is ensured by having the exit portal located in the upper part of the craft." So there you have it - should the cables holding up your capsule snap, an escape hatch will somehow prevent you from dying a distinctly terrifying death. Or, you could just stay at the Days Inn in town.

Room With a View - Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort

Credit: Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort

Everyone's got the Northern Lights on their bucket list. But while I'd love to catch a glimpse of Aurora borealis, I'd hate to catch a cold while waiting for the light show. I know. I'm a wimp. But hey, who doesn't like being warm and toasty?

The good folks at Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort in Lapland, Finland, totally get that. They've built an entire village of "glass igloos," or small, private hotel rooms with a glass ceiling so that you can gaze up at the icy skies while tucked into your bed, chugging hot cocoa. For you masochists, there are also some traditional igloos at the resort that are made of real ice. But book those at your own discomfort.

An Aboveground Pool You'll Want to Be Seen In - Marina Bay Sands Hotel

Credit: Chia Ming Chien

Life's too short to spend at the community pool. It's time to put down that membership card, pick up your passport, and fly to Singapore, where the world's highest and largest infinity pool exists at the top of the posh Marina Bay Sands hotel. Get some laps done while taking in a view of the city, 57 stories off the ground.

Make sure you check into the hotel first, though (it's only about $500 a night), as the SkyPark pool is open solely to guests. No one wants to see you getting carted off by the Singaporean police. If you think their punishment of people who chew gum is a tad severe, you don't want to know what they do to those they find splashing around illegally in luxury hotel pools.

Get a Real Sense of Terroir - Hotel de Vrouwe van Stavoren

Wine snobs: You may have tasted all of the Bordeaux first-growths, visited every last winery in Napa Valley, and paired your last meal with a triple-digit-priced Cab ... but have you ever slept in a wine barrel? No? And you call yourself a connoisseur. Pfft.

Now you can get a REAL sense of terroir - by checking into giant wooden wine barrels that have been converted into hotel rooms. At the Hotel de Vrouwe Van Stavoren in the Netherlands, guests can sleep in one of four 15,000-liter capacity wine casks. The interiors have sadly been emptied of wine many vintages ago and now contain standard hotel-room furniture, but guests do receive a bottle of red upon check in. So if you consider yourself a true wine lover, you'll set down that glass of Château Frou-Frou and book a room tout de suite. Or you might as well admit that you're actually better suited for beer.

It's Not Bad for You If You Live in It - Palacio de Sal

I'm a member of Team Salt. Don't get me wrong - I love me some sweet, too, but salt is what keeps me going through the day. It looks like the people who run Palacio de Sal in Bolivia have somehow gotten wind of my vices and decided to exploit them - by building the world's only salt hotel, on the banks of the world's largest salt flat. The walls of the hotel are made entirely of salt, as are the ceilings and the furniture. The guest rooms are shaped like igloos, only they're made from salt blocks. I know. Let the licking commence!

Actually, there's a strict policy against licking at this hotel, as the point of it is to provide a therapeutic atmosphere, not a delicious one. Which is kind of like saying, "Here's a kettle-cooked potato chip ... now RELAX IN IT." I guess I'll have to settle for the meals prepared by the hotel's dining room, which specializes in dishes made with sugar. Nah, I'm kidding. It's salt.

A Tree House of One's Own - Hotell Hackspett

Last time I stayed at a hotel, I thought to myself, "Why is this hotel situated on a street and not in a tree?" OK, I didn't, but after seeing pictures of Hotell Hackspett in Västerås, Sweden, I did. Because what's not to love about a tree house hotel perched 40 feet off the ground? You come and go using harnesses, the view can't be beat, and you're completely safe if the zombie apocalypse occurs while you're on vacation. Time to book a ticket to Sweden, amirite?

Just don't expect an in-room Jacuzzi, or even running water. You get bottled water, a bed, a hot plate, a fridge, a dry toilet ... and a TREE HOUSE. If you're anything like me, a girl from Queens who grew up with a love of tree houses but a tragic dearth of trees, you'll agree that this hotel is a dream come true.

Leave the Hair Dryer at Home - Icehotel

So by now you've probably heard about the original Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden - a hotel carved out of ice and snow, furniture and all. But did you know that the hotel only exists from December through April, after which the whole place melts down and turns into the Torne river? Then the following December, the hotel is rebuilt with a whole new layout. Is it me, or are the Swedes sickeningly handy, with their annually reconstructed icehotels and their chain store of inexpensive, build-it-yourself furniture?

I'm not a big fan of freezing, but I would stay in the Icehotel for the chance to live in a temporary work of art. The hotel is even considered one of the Seven Wonders of Sweden. Yes, there is such a thing. I hope lingonberry juice and those yummy little meatballs made the list. Which reminds me, my Blërg end table has collapsed on itself and I need to make an Ikea run this weekend...

Water, Water Everywhere - San Alfonso del Mar Pool

The ocean is overrated, am I right, people? All the waves and sand - it's all so annoyingly natural. That's why I'm dying to swim at the pool at the San Alfonso del Mar hotel in Algarrobo, Chile, which is the size of an ocean, but refreshingly man-made. The world's largest pool takes up 20 acres of space, is filled with seawater, and costs $2 million a year to maintain.

Best of all, the pool is located right next to the ocean, so you can make fun of all the poor saps you see splashing in the Pacific. They THINK they're having a good time. Now if only the San Alfonso del Mar would add a wave machine and import some sand...

What the Neck?! - Giraffe Manor

So at Giraffe Manor in Nairobi, Kenya, you get to sleep in four-poster beds, take in sumptuous multicourse meals, and, oh yeah, have breakfast with a giraffe. Literally. I'm talking you're buttering up your freshly prepared scone and suddenly Geoffrey's head is coming through the window and he's yanking the baked good right out of your hands. And guess what, you can't even yell at him or whack his butt with a rolled up newspaper because it's a giraffe sanctuary, and giraffe abuse is definitely frowned upon. All you can do is admire those dangerously long lashes while he puts away your gourmet breakfast.

If being taken advantage of by a giraffe is your cup of tea, fork over a mere 600 bucks and stay a night. The manor itself is gorgeous, and a herd of giraffes roams freely on the estate, sidling up to you as you stroll the grounds and poking their heads into rooms like the freakishly tall peeping toms that they are. There's even a family of warthogs on the grounds. I know. It's impossibly adorable. If you haven't already left this blog to look up airfare to Nairobi, I have nothing else to say to you.