Unusual hotels around the U.S.

Ever wanted to stay in a treehouse? How about in a wigwam, a light house, or even 30 feet underwater? At hotels around the United States, you can indulge these wacky fantasies and more. From yurts to train cars, here are some of the most unique places to stay around the country.

Kokopelli’s Cave Bed and Breakfast – Farmington, New Mexico
Located in the cliffs of New Mexico, near Mesa Verde National Monument, Kokopelli’s Cave B&B is just what it sounds like – a hotel dug out of the rock, where guests sleep in a carved out cave 70 feet underground. It’s perfect as a home base for hikers who want to explore the surrounding area, or for couples looking for a luxurious, relaxing retreat.

Jules Undersea Lodge – Key Largo, Florida
Dive enthusiasts who stay at the Jules Undersea Lodge won’t have to go far to don their scuba suits. Actually, they’ll need to scuba dive just to get to the Lodge, which is located 30 feet below the sea. The Lodge still functions as an underwater research station and welcomes guests for overnight stays, but the claustrophobic may want to look elsewhere for accommodations.

Treebones Resort – Big Sur, California
Staying in a yurt, a kind of permanent tent structure, isn’t exactly roughing it at Treebones Resort. The yurts here feature hardwood floors and French doors, and restrooms and a large swimming pool are just a few steps away. The yurts overlook the Pacific Ocean and the resort offers several tours and activities.

Out’n’About Treehouses Treesort – Takilma, Oregon
Never had a treehouse as a kid? Here’s your chance to make up for lost time, spending the night in a souped up treehouse in the Oregon woods. The treehouses don’t have TV, phone, or air conditioning, but they do have comfortable queen beds, and some have kitchenettes and bathrooms. The treehouses are accessed by stairs, swinging bridges and zip lines and the resort offers a variety of active adventures for guests.

Dog Bark Park Inn – Cottonwood, Idaho
If you’ve ever dreamed of sleeping inside a two-story wooden beagle (because really, who hasn’t?), head to the Dog Bark Park Inn in north central Idaho. Billing itself as the “world’s largest beagle” the Dog Bark Park Inn may not be a destination unto itself – other than typical outdoor activities, there’s not much to lure you to Cottonwood, Idaho – but if a road trip brings you through the area, this will make for a memorable place to stay.

Aurora Express Bed and Breakfast – Fairbanks, Alaska
Sleeping on a train is nothing new. Sleeping in a retired rail car turned into a hotel is a little more unusual. Each train car on the Aurora Express Bed and Breakfast holds one to four hotel rooms, featuring lavish bedding and gilded decor reminiscent of the golden age of train travel. A dining car serves breakfast daily. The hotel is only open in summer months.

McMenamin’s Kennedy School – Portland, Oregon
For the ultimate trip down memory lane, head to Portland, Oregon and book a room at the Kennedy School, a hotel built out of a former elementary school. Many of the original furnishings remain and nearly every room plays on the educational theme. Sip a brewed on-site beer at the Detention Bar, party to live music in the gym, or tour the brewery housed in the former girls’ bathroom. Even the guest rooms get in on the fun theme. They are housed in converted classrooms and many still have their original desks and chalkboards.

SkyMall Monday: Night Sweat Alarm

I love sleeping. After a long night of testing fabulous SkyMall products, I like to retire to the SkyMall Monday domestic headquarters, curl up with the catalog and fall asleep with my best buddy. I sleep like a log. But, not everyone is so lucky. Some people are startled awake every night by an awful sensation. It happens involuntarily. It’s embarrassing. It’s damp. They wet the bed…with their sweat. Night sweats are no laughing matter. Every year, zero people die of night sweats. Together, we can reduce that number.* In order to survive night sweats, the victim must be made aware of this dangerous situation before it’s too late. Now, thanks to one very special invention, people can be made aware the moment that night sweats strike. Now, we have the Night Sweat Alarm.

The Night Sweat Alarm detects persperation and wakes you up so that you can deal with your night sweats immediately instead of in the morning when you would be making the bed and perhaps doing laundry. This way, you’ll pay less attention to your night sweats as you focus, instead, on how tired you are. Your spouse or hooker will also be awakened by your movements and will be there to help you deal with your night sweats.** Now, rather than waking up naturally in the morning and throwing the damp sheets in the wash, you can discuss your problems with your mate at two o’clock in the morning. What great bonding time!
As always, we refer to the product description to hammer the point home:

If you’re bothered by night sweats, try this monitor. When it senses perspiration, it vibrates and sounds an alarm so that you can wake up and remove blankets or take other corrective action. Saves you time and trouble changing moist sheets and sleepwear.

Imagine the time you’ll save when you wake up in the middle of the night, remove the blanket from the bed and explain to your spouse why you’re up at some ungodly hour. You’ll be so glad that you’re awake when your lover turns to you, carresses your cheek and says, “Why is your sleepwear moist?” “It’s my night sweats,” you’ll respond. “I have to take corrective action.” Surely, your husband or wife will smile, assist you in changing the sheets and lovingly laugh at the misunderstanding. They will love this extra time that you spend together early in the morning, two-to-three hour before the alarm clock goes off. And they’ll enjoy doing activities that easily could be done during waking hours.

So, if you wet the bed through your pours and not your crotch, get yourself the Night Sweat Alarm. You and your partner will be glad that you did.***

* That’s statistically impossible.
** He will probably roll over, go back to sleep and mutter something unflattering under his breath.
*** Your partner will be perusing the Casual Encounters section of Craigslist while you wash your moist sheets.

Check out all of the previous SkyMall Monday posts HERE.

Sleeping Chinese shares hysterical non-action shots

Everyone has their own idea of what makes the perfect photograph. For some, it’s a city skyline at the magic hour. For others, it’s a field of flowers stretching towards the horizon. And for one German expat living in Shanghai, it’s candid shots of Chinese citizens sleeping in public.

Sleeping Chinese is the brainchild of a German who simply goes by “Bernd.” While in China, he has snapped photos of Chinese people sleeping on benches, rocks, shopping carts and under trucks. The site has gained such popularity and the gallery has grown so large (700+ photos), that Bernd has invited visitors to the site to submit their own photos of “sleeping Chinese.”

I, for one, am all for silly photo projects like this. When you travel, how many shots of building exteriors and famous statues do you need? You can find those types of photos in books, magazines, websites and postcards. The best pictures capture quirky moments in time that no other person could replicate. Those moments are unique to you. And if your moment happens to include a sleeping Chinese citizen, then here’s to you!

Before you go thinking that sleeping in public is only popular in China, rest assured that you can find it just about anywhere. I happened upon these tuckered out Japanese folks at a Mos burger in Tokyo earlier this year.

Mahalo: How to Sleep on a Plane

I’ve never been able to sleep on planes. Sure, I doze off occasionally, snapping my head forward every few minutes in a shot of confusion — but I’ve never truly slept in a way that leaves me feeling refreshed upon landing. It’s either too crowded, too loud, too hot, too cold, too comfortable; I can always find a reason to toss and turn. One of the only times I was able to really fall asleep was on an Alitalia flight to India, but that was because they served unlimited, free beer and wine. You get the picture.

The “human powered search engine” Mahalo has a handy how-to on sleeping on a plane. A lot of the info is obvious if you’re a semi-regular flier, but there are some tips that I hadn’t heard before. For instance, did you know the National Sleep Foundation says alcohol prevents sleep? I beg to differ. PLEASE let me differ. PLEASE.

Anyway, the how-to is broken up into 6 helpful steps:

  1. Book the right seat
  2. Prepare before your flight
  3. Use accessories to increase your comfort
  4. Warn people you plan to sleep
  5. Use sleep medications
  6. If money is no object, fly business or first class

Overall, it’s another great guide from the folks over at Mahalo. It should have you sleeping on planes in no time. But since it is a human-powered search engine, I, as a fellow human, would like to offer up a piece of advice for addition. The how-to warns that both the last row and the rows in front of the exit seats often do not recline, so you shouldn’t sit there unless you plan on sitting upright the entire time. Fair enough. However, if your seat does recline, mind the person sitting behind you. Even though the seats are designed to recline with minimal intrusion of your backseat neighbor’s personal space, it doesn’t always work that way — especially if they’re eating. So do everyone a favor, and communicate with the person behind you. Is he or she eating, or working a laptop perhaps? Don’t recline your seat quite yet. Instead, turn around and ask, “I’d like to recline my seat when you’re finished eating. Is that a problem?” Nobody likes a head of hair in their lap as they try to choke down the already-questionable food.

Or you could always just buy the Knee Defender.