Sometimes you want to get away, and then sometimes you really want to get away.
While regular hotels are all well and good for a break from the routine, if you want to shake things up and say, sleep in a helicopter, relax on a houseboat or hang out in a treehouse, the following unique inns are just the answer.
Green Turtle Floating B & B
For an entirely different perspective of Boston, the Green Turtle Floating B & B offers a novel place to rest, one where you can be gently rocked to sleep.
Located in the Charlestown Navy Yard, on the water, Green Turtle is actually three different boats: one houseboat with two separate luxury queen suites; a 45-foot motor yacht with two queen staterooms; and a 43-foot motor yacht with two queen staterooms.
While the houseboat has two suites, you have plenty of privacy. Each suite has a kitchenette and its own private, en suite bathroom. Those staying on the yachts will have them to themselves.
Breakfast is delivered to the boats each morning, which you can enjoy on your private deck.
All boats unique views of the city and are within minutes of the USS Constitution, the Freedom Trail historical attraction, and the North End neighborhood.
Getaway
If you’re curious about what tiny house living is like or if you’re interested in briefly going off the grid (or both), then Getaway gives you a way to experience both.
The unusual concept property, now located in several states, came from an idea created at Harvard’s Millennial Housing Lab. Cabins, set in nature and usually the woods, offer simple, tech-free escapes. But, that doesn’t mean you have to do without modern comforts.
The closest Boston “outpost” is in Epsom, New Hampshire.
After you book your cabin, you are then sent directions to it. Cabins are less than 200 square feet in size, but feature stocked kitchens, queen size beds, fresh linens and towels, heat and bathrooms with a hot shower.
All the cabins also have their own outdoor space with a fire pit, picnic table and chairs.
If you need to, you can purchase inexpensive Getaway Provisions, which includes non-perishables such as pasta, snacks and coffee.
Since you’re pretty remote, you can’t count on internet or cell service (there is a land line for emergencies), giving you the perfect excuse to truly unplug for some R & R.
Winvian Farm
Located in Litchfield, Connecticut, this utterly whimsical, yet totally luxurious property, is something special.
Composed of 18 separate cottages and one suite, 15 architects designed individual accommodations, each with a different theme. One of the most unique is the cottage that resembles a hangar, which sports a 17,000-pound restored 1968 Sikorsky Sea King Pelican HH3F helicopter. While the bed is in the hangar, you can climb into the cockpit with your copilot or kick back with a drink in the fuselage.
If channeling your inner pilot doesn’t interest you, other options include the romantic Secret Society cottage, which sports a glass pyramid ceiling in the bedroom allowing you to stargaze from bed, and the Treehouse cottage, which takes treehouse design to a completely new level, with a full bar, Jacuzzi and gas fireplace.
This Relais & Chateaux property offers all sorts of luxurious amenities, including a fine-dining restaurant, a 5,000-square-foot spa and an outdoor heated pool.
Adventure Suites Hotel
Another theme property, albeit a more wacky one, Adventures Suites dials up the concept to an 11, with over-the-top accommodations, all meticulously designed and guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
Options at the North Conway, New Hampshire hotel include the Jungle, the Wine Cellar and the Dragon’s Lair, among several others.
The most over-the-top has to be the Haunted Castle, which can accommodate up to 18 people and features all sorts of interactive fun and games. There’s a whole backstory to this “castle,” which is revealed when you stay there. A sophisticated computerized system that boasts motion sensors, time delays, videos, projections, pneumatics, lights and audio, will really spook you (in a fun way).
Other highlights include a five-person hot tub, a drawbridge and full kitchen. While some of the suites seem custom-made for parties and groups, others like the Roman Rendezvous, Victorian Spa and Cupid’s Corner, are ideal for couples.