Coolest, Quirkiest Hotels in Latin America
Planes, floating pyramids, tree-top towers, salt, and prison hotels – here’s a selection of the weirdest hotels in Latin America.
1. Hotel Costa Verde, Quepos Costa Rica
Address: Puntarenas Province, Quepos, Costa Rica; Phone: +506 2777 0584
Overlooking the beautiful pacific coast beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park, Hotel Costa Verde is possibly the weirdest hotel in Latin America. It’s weird because many of the rooms and facilities are found in old airplanes, which sit perched on the forested mountainside. The 20-acre, the upper-mid-range resort borders Manuel Antonio National Park but doesn’t offer private beach access. Hotel Costa Verde features three cliff-side pools with sundecks.
2. The Pyramid Hotel, Cancun Mexico
Address: Zona Hotelera Km 16 Lote 45 Blvd. Kukulcán, Cancun 77504 Mexico; Phone: +011 52 55 4631 9923
Costing over $200 million USD to build, the floating Mayan pyramid hotel should open in a couple of years’ time. Found of the Maya Riviera coast of Mexico, this massive hotel is designed in the style of an ancient pyramid and will float on the Caribbean sea. Naff in my opinion, and certainly very weird. Its unique building stands majestically on the longest beach in Cancun and features the longest pool in Cancun.
3. Gorgona Prison, Guapi Colombia
Address: Hotel Isla Gorgona, Carrera 5, Isla Gorgona, Colombia; Phone: +57 311 7283213
Spend a few nights on an idyllic island and sleep in a prison cell. It sounds like a weird concept, but that’s what you get when you visit Gorgona Island in Colombia. Thankfully, there are no inmates left in the prison, which has been revamped into a stylish hotel. Only 30 years after the prison’s closing in 1982, verdant foliage twists itself around the crumbling ruins that have become one with the jungle. Facing the beachfront, Hotel Isla Gorgona offers 4-star accommodations in Isla Gorgona and features Restaurant and garden.
4. Salt Hotel, Uyuni Bolivia
Address: Luna Salada Hotel, A 25 Km De Uyuni, Uyuni Bolivia; Phone: +011 591 2 2770885
The Salar de Uyuni is the world’s highest salt lake and an extremely scenic place to visit. It’s an enormous salt flat surrounded by towering volcanoes, and there are a handful of small hotels made entirely from salt. Luna Salada Hotel built purely out of salt blocks, offers a high-level Andean Cuisine. Though ingesting lots of salt isn’t great for you, immersing in salt has long been considered by many to have healing properties, including improving your breathing, mood, and sleep.
5. Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel, Brazil
Address: Av. Leonardo Malcher, 699 – Centro, Manaus – AM, 69010-180, Brazil; Phone: +55 95 4404-8022
Found near Manaus, the Ariau Amazon Towers is built entirely at the level of the rainforest canopy. Catwalks and swingbridges allow access between different sections of the hotel. A very weird way to visit the Amazon rainforest. Ariau Amazon Towers is the largest treetop hotel in the world. This treetop hotel makes for a must-see built over the mighty Amazon River. It consisted of 6 towers, with all 288 rooms elevated from the rain forest floor. The Ariaú Amazon Towers has a wide range of leisure options, such as a pool and a cooper track of 8 kilometers along the forest. Unfortunately, the hotel closed around 2015.
