Airplanes aren't known for their high levels of comfort. First-class passengers excluded, most people look forward to a long flight about as much as they look forward to a visit to the dentist. Without external aids, sleep is virtually impossible. But what if you could lie down and stretch out on an exquisite double or queen size bed? What if the bathroom was bigger than a broom cupboard and the fittings spotless? What if you didn't have to deal with other people's bratty children, or even other people at all? Wouldn't that be akin to heaven?
All of this is possible, but there is a catch: your plane has to stay grounded.
What's the point, you may ask? Well, novelty. You can count the number of planes that have been converted to five-star luxury hotels on one hand, and still have fingers to spare. Because of their limited size, room is usually limited to one couple or group, which means the number of people who have enjoyed the experience is still quite low. You'd be part of an elite group of travellers.
Visitors to Holland can try the Honecker Hotel, which used to be a four-engine Ilyushin 18 (circa 1960), an old Soviet Union model. Ben Thijssen grabbed the opportunity to create something new and exciting, and turn a tidy profit when he spotted the Ilyushin going for a measly €25,000 (R238 838). He bought it, renovated it and opened his five-star airplane hotel right on the edge of Amsterdam's Teage Airport.
There is only one long suite, but it contains every luxury item you could possibly desire, including a sauna, whirlpool, bar, flat screen TVs (plural), DVD and blu-ray player, wi-fi and a hostess who is on call 24 hours a day. Last year, a one-night stay set you back €350 (R3343), so it's probably a little more by now. Like most hotels these days, it also doubles as a conference facility and is capable of comfortably holding 15 people.
On the other side of the world, in Costa Rica, you can stay in a two bedroom suite in what used to be a 1965 Boeing 727. The airplane hotel is part of the Costa Verde Resort, located on the edge of the Manuel Antonio National Park, and overlooks a beach on one side and rain forest on the other. It's not as sleek and modern as the Honecker Hotel; instead of sparkling white furnishings you'll find the interior of the Boeing is done in a far homelier teak, but all the furniture is all hand carved.
It does, however, contain all the modern amenities, including a kitchen, dining room and flat-screen TVs (plural). Unlike the Honecker, this plane does not have its wheels firmly on the ground. It's balanced on a 50-foot high pedestal, to provide the best views.
Stockholm offers something slightly more affordable, albeit with less emphasis on luxury. Oscar Diös was an ordinary hotel owner when he heard about an unused 1976 Boeing 747-200. It was badly rundown but Diös wasn't going to let that stand in the way of adding an airplane hotel to his empire.
The Jumbo Hostel (or Jumbo Stay) is not a five-star hotel, but it's not a cheap backpackers' digs either. There are over 20 rooms that sleep two, three or four people. Like all hostels the bathrooms are communal, but there is a semi-luxury suite on the upper deck with an en suite bathroom and loo. Each room has a flat screen TV and the plane is in a wi-fi hotspot. No meals are served, but there are a couple of microwaves and a café that sells snacks and drinks.
Lastly, we have one of the greatest hoax's to hit the travel and aviation industry. Towards the end of March 2009, travellers and flying enthusiasts from around the world pricked up their ears at the news that the world's largest helicopter was also a hotel and that bookings would soon be open. The Hotelicopter, as it was named, was to contain 18 luxury soundproofed suites, each with a queen-sized bed and sheets of such fine cotton than even Jennifer Lopez would be satisfied.
The announcement was accompanied by a viral email clip of the Hotelicopter, a Russian Mil V-12, dominating the sky, as well as several images of the gorgeous interior. Some particularly bright people noticed that the images looked suspiciously as though they had been taken from the Yotel (an airport hotel chain) website. Others remarked that as only two Mil V-12s were ever built and that both were accounted for (one crashed in 1968, and the other is in a museum near Moscow), the appearance of a third was well-nigh miraculous.
It didn't take long for Yotel to admit that the whole thing was an "April Fool's joke" but that they continued to be hopeful for the future.
Phil writes about aeroplanes for the South Africa travel & adventure directory, Leeulekker.
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