10 incredible hotels that take travel to new heights (and depths)

Luxury, today, is learning to hold your breath. It is sleeping 400 meters above Peru's Sacred Valley in a glass capsule or sinking into a Maldivian villa where parrotfish flicker in place of bedside lamps. Such settings are not simply hotels but vantage points. The impulse is not new—humans have long sought the thrill of the precarious or the eerie in remote landscapes—but the internet and the ease of global travel have multiplied access to such extremes. What once belonged to explorers or the deeply adventurous is now packaged, photographed, and shared in real time.

The effect on the psyche is subtle but unmistakable: these experiences reorder our sense of safety, blur the boundary between fear and wonder, and remind us that true comfort often sharpens, rather than shields, our awareness of the world’s edges. Here’s a curated list of hotels, where luxury is measured less by thread count than by proximity to the unfamiliar. They invite us to dwell—briefly—on the threshold between peril and wonder, and to consider how comfort feels when it leans against the edge of the world.

Hanging above the Andes

High above Peru’s Sacred Valley, Skylodge Adventure Suites offer the kind of stay that redefines “room with a view”. Guests sleep in transparent capsules bolted to a cliff face, reached only by scaling a via ferrata or swooping in on a zipline. It is equal parts adrenaline rush and luxury escape—think dangling 400 metres in the air, glass walls framing the Andes, and waking up to sunrise over Incan lands. Opened in 2013, this is the world’s first hanging lodge.But do not mistake it for roughing it. Packages include private transport, bilingual guides, full gear, and the kind of meals that make the climb worthwhile—gourmet dinner with wine and breakfast served quite literally above the clouds. More than a night’s rest, Skylodge is a high-fashion brush with danger: a travel story that is as daring as it is dazzling.

A villa underwater, a sunrise above

At The Muraka, Conrad Maldives’ iconic undersea villa, luxury takes a surreal turn. Picture a glass-walled bedroom sunk 16 feet below the Indian Ocean, where parrotfish drift by as you fall asleep. Above water, sleek living spaces, a private deck, and a butler keep things effortlessly chic.To dine under the glass dome of Ithaa, the world’s first underwater restaurant, is nothing short of an adventure. You can plant coral to leave your mark on the reef, sip vintages in Maldives’ first underground cellar, or stargaze over a private dinner. It is barefoot elegance meets oceanic fantasy—a dream where every sunrise writes a new page of paradise.

Where the guests never leave

Perched high in the Ozark Mountains, the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa is not just a grand historic getaway—it is famously billed as America’s most haunted hotel. From Michael the stonecutter’s mischievous spirit to Theodora the mysterious patient and the lingering “ghost in the morgue,” its corridors brim with legends that have lured thrill-seekers for decades. Guests can join nightly ghost tours ending in Norman Baker’s infamous morgue or take part in midnight investigations led by seasoned hunters. Whether chasing whispers in the dark or savouring the old-world charm of Eureka Springs, this mountaintop retreat is a rare destination where history and hauntings share the same room.

A retreat nestled 1,375 feet underground

Tucked 1,375 feet beneath the peaks of Snowdonia, Deep Sleep is less a hotel stay and more a descent into another world. Guests trek through misty mountains, clip on helmets, and navigate crumbling miners’ stairways before arriving at a hidden chamber where four sleek cabins and a romantic grotto room await.

It is a curious mix of raw and refined: expedition suppers served at a communal table, Wi-Fi powered by underground streams, thick bedding against the cave’s eternal chill. By morning, after the quietest sleep of your life, you climb back toward daylight with a story no luxury spa can rival—you have slept deeper than anyone else on Earth.

Amsterdam’s suite in the sky

Suspended high above the NDSM wharf, the Faralda Crane Hotel reimagines Amsterdam’s industrial heritage as pure fantasy. This 1950s harbour crane, rescued from demolition and meticulously restored, now houses three suites—each suspended 55 metres in the air, with sweeping views that feel almost cinematic.

Guests slip into a world where exclusivity is the rule: a rooftop spa pool that hovers above the city, a studio pulsing with music and art, and spaces that have lured the world’s leading DJs, visionaries, and luxury brands. Faralda does not pander to the mainstream—it curates experiences that are as daring as the structure itself. What was once rust and rivets is now one of Europe’s most audacious sanctuaries, where history, design, and fantasy entwine.

On safari from a bridge

A reimagined 1920s rail safari, Kruger Shalati is luxury with a heartbeat of history. Perched above the Sabie River on the historic Selati Bridge, this one-of-a-kind lodge transforms vintage train carriages and bridge-side suites into an immersive sanctuary. It is a front-row seat to Africa’s wild theatre—elephants at the water, birds at dawn, and sunsets that feel cinematic.

More than design, it is the story that piques your interest: named after Shalati, the warrior queen, the lodge embodies strength, culture, and connection. Expect private decks, an overhanging pool, soulful African cuisine, and game drives into Big Five territory—all wrapped in hospitality that feels personal and poetic.

A hotel carved from ice

In the tiny Swedish village of Jukkasjärvi, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, an otherworldly landmark rises from the frozen Torne River each winter: the ICEHOTEL. Since 1989, artists and designers from around the globe have sculpted its shimmering halls anew, turning blocks of ice into a fleeting wonder of architecture, design, and imagination.But the ICEHOTEL is far more than a place to sleep beneath glacial chandeliers. Guests can chase the northern lights, bask in the midnight sun, ride dog sledges across Lapland’s wilderness, or share a meal crafted from local ingredients—sometimes served on plates of ice. Holiday packages here range from winter expeditions and sauna rituals to summer journeys. There are deluxe suites and overnight sledge tours for those craving extravagance and adventure.

Luxury at the edge of the earth

ION Hotels distil Iceland’s magic into an experience that is equal parts wild and refined. Rising out of lava fields, the striking ION Adventure Hotel feels like a modernist outpost at the edge of the earth, while ION City in Reykjavík offers a chic urban retreat with the same soul. Both fuse raw nature with clean design, creating spaces where glaciers, geysers, and Northern Lights are not just backdrops but part of the story. What elevates ION is its quiet luxury—the kind found in thoughtful details and genuine warmth. While guests rave about the Northern Lights Lounge, geothermal saunas, and menus rooted in farm-to-table freshness, it is the human touch that lingers: staff who remember your journey, celebrate your milestones, and make Iceland feel not just extraordinary, but personal.

Sleeping with the Atlantic below

Balanced on steel legs in the middle of the Atlantic, the Frying Pan Hotel is part survival story, part adventure fantasy. Once a 1960s Coast Guard light station, it now dares guests to swap plush comforts for the thrill of shark-dotted waters, helicopter landings, and sunsets that burn straight into the horizon. This is not a retreat for the faint-hearted—it is where the wild ocean is your front yard and the only luxury is the adrenaline rush.

Here, extreme meets unforgettable: hammocks strung high above crashing waves, scuba dives into protected reefs, and golf balls made of fish food flung into the sea. Frying Pan Tower is equal parts eco-station, research hub, and bucket-list stay. It is not about five-star pampering, but the bragging rights of sleeping at the edge of the Atlantic’s fierce beauty, where few would dare.

The Pink Lady awaits

At Asheville’s storied Grove Park Inn, legend lingers as vividly as the mountain mist. For nearly a century, guests and staff have whispered of the “Pink Lady,” a benevolent spirit said to drift through the granite halls in a blush of smoke—or, at times, the silhouette of a young woman in a ballgown. Her tale is as haunting as it is tender: believed to have perished in a fall during the 1920s, she now delights in playful mischief—moving objects, brushing guests awake with a tickle, and especially keeping company with children.

Part ghost story, part southern folklore, the Pink Lady has become inseparable from the inn’s charm, adding a shimmer of mystery to its historic walls. Amid Cold War tensions, Asheville’s Grove Park Inn held a secret role: a haven for the US Supreme Court. Selected for its seclusion, spacious accommodations, and ready amenities, the historic hotel was designated to host justices and maintain court proceedings in the event of a nuclear threat. Though decades have passed, the agreement remains legally binding—a fascinating intersection of luxury, history, and national security.

Lead image: Getty Images

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