Skip to main content

Airplane Hotels: 4 Destinations Where You Can Sleep in a Grounded Plane

Airplane Hotels
Image used with permission by copyright holder
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)

Hotel Costa Verde (Costa Rica)
Image used with permission by copyright holder

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.

Recommended Videos

Jumbo Hostel (Stockholm, Sweden)

Jumbo Hostel (Stockholm, Sweden)
Image used with permission by copyright holder

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)

Vliegtuigsuite Teuge (The Netherlands)
Image used with permission by copyright holder

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 (New Zealand)
Image used with permission by copyright holder

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.

Mike Richard
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
This is where you can find the best cocktail bars in the U.S.
You'll be surprised to see where the best U.S. cocktail bars are located
Gin cocktail

If you haven’t been paying close attention to the American cocktail landscape, you might not realize that it hasn’t always been like this. The cocktail renaissance of the early aughts (between 2003 and 2017) made bartending more of an art form as opposed to simply a job.

While it made the job appealing for creative, pioneering mixologists, it also brought back many classic cocktails that had seemingly been lost to time. While drinks like the Old Fashioned, Manhattan, Boulevardier, and daiquiri have always been around, they (and many other drinks) have had a resurgence in popularity in the last few decades.

Read more
Now you can use your Hilton points at almost 400 more boutique hotels
Hilton adds hundreds of boutique luxury hotels to its portfolio
Nobu Hotel Marbella

Nobu Hotel Marbella, Marbella, Spain Hilton

Hilton is significantly increasing its luxury hotel portfolio, adding almost 400 properties from the Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) collection. Now, guests can book a stay at these destinations via channels like Hilton.com and the Hilton Honors app.

Read more
Forget pink sand beaches — this is where you can find rare green sand beaches
green sand beach locations grace simoneau mnmam5sslyq unsplash  1

Dreaming of a beach getaway unlike any other? You may want to ditch the visions of pure white sand and turquoise water for something a little more unique – a green sand beach! Here's a look at the four different green sand beaches across the world.
Punta Cormorant in Ecuador

Located in the world-famous Galapagos Islands, Punta Cormorant has a shoreline shimmering with olivine crystals, giving the sand a mesmerizing greenish-gold hue. Plus, on this beach, you might just spot some marine iguanas sunbathing or even a flock of pink flamingos.
Papakolea Beach in Hawaii

Read more