Is this the weirdest hotel room in the world? The £380-a-night suite... 500ft below ground!

Forget the penthouse suite, one unusual hotel is sending its most important guests 500ft below ground to sleep.
The Sala Silvermine Hotel, in Vdstmanland County, Sweden, has created a room so far beneath the earth's surface that it can only be accessed through a mine lift shaft - which sends guests 509ft into the ground in a matter of seconds.
The bizarre bedroom, which costs £380 a night, comes complete with a luxurious double bed, silver furnishings and champagne platter.

Home from home? The decor in the bedroom is certainly minimalistic

But anyone who lives by their phone would be best off staying in one of the hotel's 14 ground-level rooms as there is certainly no mobile signal down there.
In fact, the only way visitors can communicate with the outside world is through the dedicated personal intercom connected to reception on the surface.
And guests are warned to bring warm clothing as temperatures have been known to drop to a chilly two degrees celsius at the bottom of the cavernous mine.
But don't worry, the room itself is actually located in a warm air pocket, with relatively balmy temperatures of 18 degrees.

Down but not out: Visitors access the suite through a lift which plunges them 509ft below the earth's surface

Despite its shortcomings, the mine suite is so popular with those looking for an alternative stay that it is fully booked Friday-Sunday all year round. 
The hotel's director of marketing, Sofie Andersson, said: 'We haven't heard of any other venues with such a unique location, especially none so far under ground.

'People may think that a hotel suite in a mine will be cold and dark, but the mine suite is located in one of our warm halls where the temperature is 18 degrees.

'We have also used chandelier-like lamps and candle holders to illuminate the room in a way that lights up the silvery surfaces to get the right glow.
'Silver can feel very cold or warm depending on the lighting, so that was really important.
'It is easily the most extraordinary place to stay in the world in our opinion. And the environment is real and not artificial like many hotels.' 

VIP treatment: The secluded luxury afforded by the hotel room has made it a popular choice for people looking for unusual accommodation

The silver mine in the town of Sala was originally dug by miners who carried the silver ore out by hand.
They each painstakingly slaved away, chipping at the mine's face at a rate of just one metre a month.
It took nearly 10 years just to carve out the bedroom, thanks to the slow mining method employed at the time, called fire-setting. It involves burning wood, which is used to heat up and crack the silver, allowing it to be chipped away more easily.
But the end result has visitors raving about the unusual accommodation.

As it was: The silver mine wasn't always so welcoming

One guest from Denmark said: 'The night was brilliant - but be aware of warm clothing in order to visit the toilet as the caves are two degrees at night.
'I can only recommend this experience to everybody who is looking for the unusual.'
Another, from Ireland, excitedly proclaimed: 'It definitely has the wow factor.'
For at least 400 years the mine was Sweden's largest and most important silver producer, and today the area has also been developed into a venue for events and adventures.
Ms Andersson added: 'Since the mine shut down the underground hotel experience has become the new silver and is what makes people from far away visit Sala once again.
'We connect the past with life today and have created a room that will be interesting and feel right in the future too.'

Resort to feature underwater rooms

 

Visitors to the Amphibious 1000 resort, which is not built yet, can stay in underwater rooms and check out a sea life centre in the lobby.
It’s the latest barmy tourist project to get the go-ahead in (where else?) Qatar, and it will cost a cool £310million to develop.
Italian architecture firm Giancarlo Zema Design Group dreamt up the crazy plans, designed to look like a giant octopus.
The vast complex is actually four linked hotels that resemble yachts, and will be built in the middle of a marine reserve.

The resort will also feature an ‘aquarium lounge’ and ‘jellyfish suites’ - pods with rooms, lounges and an underwater observatory.
Giancarlo Zema is famed for his underwater designs. He said: “We believe that the future of architecture is on the water and that shortly man will be more and more inclined towards living a floating experience.”
We’re sure his latest venture will earn wave reviews…

The world's first 'space hotel'

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These are the jaw-dropping plans for Russia’s first ‘space hotel’ – called the Commercial Space Station.
Orbital Technologies are behind the project, which will float 217 miles above the earth and apparently open in 2016.
It has room for only seven guests in its four cabins, but their stay promises to be comfortable.

Staff will serve tasty meals, like braised veal cheeks with wild mushrooms, which are made on Earth and sent up to be reheated in microwaves. Iced tea will also be available.
Visitors can sleep on vertical or horizontal beds and enjoy specially sealed showers. The overall experience, according to Orbital Technologies, will be ‘far more comfortable’ than the International Space Station.
We should hope so too, as the price tag is, err, astronomical. According to reports, a five-day stay could cost £100,000, on top of £500,000 for the journey - a two-day ride in a Soyuz rocket.
Scientists and researchers are also being encouraged to use the facility.
Sergei Kostenko, chief executive of Orbital Technologies, told RIA Novosti: “A hotel should be comfortable inside, and it will be possible to look at the Earth through large portholes.
“The hotel will be aimed at wealthy individuals and people working for private companies who want to do research in space.”
It will follow the same orbit as the International Space Station.
An American company, Bigelow Aerospace, is also planning a private space station that uses an innovative inflatable design, but will not be geared towards tourism.


 


 

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