For the majority of travelers who aren’t flying first class, the idea of sleeping on a plane is less than appealing. But, it’s hard to argue the unique charm of sleeping in a beautiful vintage airplane repurposed into a proper — even luxurious — hotel suite. Here are four of our favorite airplane hotels throughout the world.
Hotel Costa Verde (Costa Rica)
Even in a country known for one-of-a-kind beach and rain forest accommodations, Costa Rica’s Hotel Costa Verde stands out. The property offers standard hotel rooms and bungalows, but its pièce de résistance is the aptly named 727 Fuselage. The unique suite consists of a classic 1965 Boeing 727 fuselage perched atop a 50-foot concrete pedestal with stunning views of the Costa Rican rainforest and the Pacific Ocean. The interior was thoroughly gutted and reworked from nose to tail with locally sourced teak and hand-carved Indonesian furnishings.
Jumbo Hostel (Stockholm, Sweden)
At the entrance to Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport sits Jumbo Hostel Stockholm — a repurposed Boeing 747 that’s home to 29 rooms. While most feature economy class accommodations (that’s code for “like a dorm room”), a single cockpit suite offers legitimate first class lodging. The room provides a pilot’s view of the airport through the large, panoramic windows at the nose of the plane. There’s even a 24-hour cafe/bar in place of the First Class cabin and the hotel offers wedding ceremony services on the wings of the aircraft.
Vliegtuigsuite Teuge (The Netherlands)
The Netherlands’ Vliegtuigsuite Teuge offers a bit more vintage charm and a lot more luxury than any other “hotel” on this list. The single luxury suite is housed in a meticulously renovated 1960 Soviet Ilyushin 18 turboprop plane. The interior was gutted down to the frame and outfitted with sleek, Scandinavian-inspired furniture and all the amenities typical of a five-star hotel suite. A minibar, multiple flat-screen TVs with DVD players, a Jacuzzi hot tub, and even an infrared sauna are all included.
Woodlyn Park (New Zealand)
Woodlyn Park boasts a list of accommodations that’s as rustic and unique as New Zealand itself. Every “room” on the property centers around recycled and repurposed materials, including underground “hobbit-style” units, a steam train, and a five-suite vintage navy patrol boat. But aviation enthusiasts will love the 1950s-era Bristol Freightor plane which the owners bill as “one of the last allied planes out of Vietnam”. The aircraft hosts just two units — Tail and Cockpit — with the latter featuring much of the original instrumentation and a private entrance that’s only accessible by ladder. Amenities are thin but, if you’re visiting New Zealand, we imagine you won’t be spending much time indoors anyway.
