Inspired by the ice hotels in Sweden and Finland, two temporary sandcastle hotels called the Zand Hotel have been built in the Netherlands as part of sand sculpture festivals.
It took event organizers Global PowWow four weeks to build these amazing structures with thin walls that are covered inside and out with reinforced sand to ensure they won’t crumble. It also took some careful calculations to place them safely away from the ebb and flow of the tide.
Fully booked this year, an overnight stay for two costs around $170 and includes extras such as a personal tour of the nearby festival towns of Sneek and Branbant Oss with its 30 large sand sculptures, according to CNN. When the sand festivals end, the hotels will disappear too.
Because these unique hotels have already been so wildly popular, they’ll be recreated next year and plans are already in the works for similar hotels in Germany and the U.K. with domain names already reserved for www.sandhotel.co.uk and www.sandhotel.de
The sand hotel experience gives new meaning to the axiom “life’s a beach” with some surprisingly luxurious touches. Guests are greeted in reception with coffee and tea, traditional Dutch cookies called “oranjekoek,” and will find fresh fruit and a bottle of Prosecco in their room. (http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/worlds-1st-sandcastle-hotel-now-open/story?id=33915638)
The fully-furnished one room suites are hidden inside eight meter-high sculptures that follow whimsical themes: one is modeled on the fictional Bedrock home of the Flintstones, while the other is decorated with dragons and a representation of the Great Wall of China.
These sand palaces have windows, electricity, running water and free WiFi, but while mostly constructed of sand the shower, bathroom fittings and deluxe box spring beds are made of traditional materials. The rooms have a TV, a terrace, and a comfortable seating area.
Imagine the bragging rights that come with a stay! For devoted beach lovers life’s more at ease with an ocean breeze, so it’s an experience to consider and check off of your beach bucket list.
Photo credit: Zandhotel.nl
