Much as he adores haunting the corridors of the apartments at 20TheBarons, and whiling away his days with the best of brandy and cigars, The Baron is often to be found researching inspirational places to stay around the world. Succumbing to nostalgia about his flying days, he was delighted to discover a number of aircraft that have been decommissioned and opened their passenger doors to guests.
In the Netherlands, the remarkable Airplane Suite at Teuge (near Apeldoorn) is a converted, Soviet-made 1960 Ilyushin II-18. She was once used to ferry East German politicians about, and then flew from 1964 to 1986 as a commercial airliner with East German airline Interflug. After unification, she was converted into a restaurant, before being transported in 2007 to become a Dutch hotel. The Ilyushin is now a luxury suite for two, 40 metres long, with luxury worthy of 20TheBarons: flat screen TVs, blue-ray DVD, Jacuzzi, shower, infrared sauna and air conditioning. http://www.unusualhotelsoftheworld.com/
If you prefer the rotary wing to the fixed, you might consider Helicopter Cottage at Winvian, Morris (near Litchfield), Connecticut, USA. The designer cottage is built around a 1968 Sikorsky Sea King Pelican HH3F helicopter, still in her original US coastguard livery. The chopper was rescued from Arizona, when her own rescuing days were over, and her rotor blades are embedded in the cottage like a giant ceiling fan. Inside the helicopter is a bar and lounge area with flat screen TV, and the cottage luxuries include wood-burner, Jacuzzi and steam shower.
http://www.winvian.com/cottages/helicopter/
At Costa Verde, Costa Rica, you can discover the 727 Fuselage Home, converted from a 1965 Boeing 727 passenger airliner that flew with South Africa Air and Columbia’s Avianca. Salvaged from San José airport, she has been converted into a two-bedroom apartment that is suspended 50 feet above the Manuel Antonio jungle. This has air conditioning, hand-carved teak furnishings and a deck set into one wing. A flight of fancy, indeed, if you can shake off the feeling that she has just crash-landed in the trees. https://www.costaverde.com/727.htm
At Jumbo Stay, Arlanda (near Stockholm), Sweden, is to be found a splendid 1976 Jumbo Jet 747-200. Originally built for Singapore Airlines, she served with Pan Am before ending her airborne days with Sweden’s Transjet. The aircraft was rescued, converted, then opened in 2008 as a 25-room hotel. Choosing your room is rather like booking a flight: select from a budget dormitory, economy twin or three-bed combo with shared bathroom; upgrade to en-suite; or treat yourself to business class in the cockpit with panoramic windscreen view. Facilities include flat screen TV and wireless internet, while the most intriguing sounding room is the Black Box suite, where the black box recorder used to be kept! http://www.jumbostay.com/
The Plane Motel at Woodlyn Park, Waitomo Caves (near Hamilton), New Zealand, is a hulking 1950s Bristol Type 170 Freighter. Wearing camouflage livery, she was one of the last planes out of Vietnam. The Bristol has been converted into two self-contained apartments, one in the tail, one in the cockpit, each of which can accommodate up to four people. http://www.woodlynpark.co.nz/planemotel.html
The Baron didn’t happen upon any aircraft hotels in Britain. Can anyone can enlighten him? However, if you simply want the very best in first class serviced apartments in London (Twickenham), where you can relax with your head in the clouds, he would invite you to land at 20TheBarons.
See also:
http://www.unusualhotelsoftheworld.com/
www.20thebarons.co.uk
Unusual Accommodation #1: Aircraft
