Taking time off can renew your perspective on life, which is so easily lost when you’re caught up in the day-to-day. Freed from your usual concerns and constraints, you can get back in touch with what it means to be you. Or you can play out what it would be like to take a completely different path.
That’s especially the case when you stay in an Airbnb that goes beyond the routine. The home-rental site has some really unusual finds that can let you live a lifestyle completely different from your own. The fastest way to find them is to go to its OMG section(Opens in a new window), which features rentals that are truly out of this world, including more than one spaceship you can rent. Airbnb has sorted through structures to help 100 hosts build extraordinary rentals, granting $100,000 to each as part of its OMG fund(Opens in a new window). Pretty soon, you’ll be able to stay in the Mischievous Mango Mansion in India.
As for us, we’d like to spend the summer in Barbie’s Malibu DreamHouse. Which we could do, as Airbnb is taking reservations for two one-night stays (free) in Ken’s wing(Opens in a new window) of the perfect pink home. The listing goes live at 10 a.m. PT on July 17(Opens in a new window).
(Credit: Airbnb)
Even if you don’t manage to find out what’s like to live inside this pink palace, there are plenty of other stunning spaces to stay, found elsewhere on Airbnb’s site. We did some virtual vacationing for you, scrolling through places we’d love to stay and listing them right here so you can book them.
Want to run a bookshop for a week? Be part of an undersea world (on dry land)? Inhabit a Hobbit house? Sleep under the stars, high up in a tree? Or pool your funds with friends and pretend you’re pashas? All this is possible. Choose your perfect place, and don’t forget to send us a postcard!
Recommended by Our Editors
Any time you stay somewhere that isn’t home, it’s smart to check your security and privacy. Here’s one way to do that: “Does Your Airbnb Have Hidden Cameras? Here’s How to Check.”
For Flower-Power People
This hippie dream of a house(Opens in a new window) was conceived of as a seafaring sort of unicorn, though it’s located in the woods high above Austin. The entire home, inside and out, evokes nature and is anything but a square. And it’s in harmony with its surroundings. Even so, all the modern amenities you could want are on the premises.
For Vacationing ETs
You can have an entire UFO(Opens in a new window) to yourself, no little green men included, in southwest Wales. The interior has a cool, retro-futurism vibe. For bathroom facilities, though, you’ll have to venture outside to another building on the property. But beware of any flashing lights in the sky if you go in the dark of night.
For Beatlemaniacs
Stay in this yellow submarine(Opens in a new window) in New Zealand—no Blue Meanies allowed. It’s outfitted comfortably, at least for a metal vessel, with everything you need for an overnight stay including entertainment options. Which is handy, as your phone is not going to work inside what is essentially a Faraday cage of a residence.
For Bagginses
Feel the fellowship of the ring in Wee Nook,(Opens in a new window) which is nestled in the woods of Tennessee. It’s as cozy as can be with a living roof, edible plants, and an outdoor fire pit. While you’re out, you might see horses, goats, and Highland cows that roam the property. Bring along activities Frodo would enjoy because there’s no internet and barely any phone service.
For Rail Buffs
If you love trains, you couldn’t engineer a better place to stay than in Caboose #3(Opens in a new window) at the Apple Ridge Farm Caboose Bed & Breakfast. It’s comfortably outfitted with a queen-size bed, futon, and table for two. The caboose sits on a property with two other train cars and nearly four miles of hiking trails.
For Buccaneers
It’s the pirate’s life for you aboard this cabin(Opens in a new window) that sleeps six mateys. It’s decked out with seafaring details, inside and out. Just like life on the high seas, though, there’s some amount of roughing it. You’ll need to bring your own bed linens, and the property has no Wi-Fi. But you do get phone service, so you can post all your Pirates of the Caribbean–themed selfies before you disembark.
For Bunker Mentalities
For those who want to relive the Cold War, you could turn to, well, the news—but also this missile silo(Opens in a new window) rental. Oh, did we mention it’s in Roswell? The property has a launch control center and utility tunnel—you can go as deep as 186 feet underground. It also features a floor filled with Americana-themed décor, including its kitchen and bath.
For Mycologists
This mushroom-shaped house(Opens in a new window) in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is made of earth. It may make you feel like a small blue Belgian creature(Opens in a new window), particularly since it’s on a path with other, similar structures. But its original purpose was to be a minimal space for meditation. Outside is an organic herb and vegetable garden for guests to use as they like and a grill to prepare your harvest.
For Happy Glampers
Ignore the scary connotations that the name Birdbox(Opens in a new window) might conjure up. This is not a place to hide out from the apocalypse but to relieve your anxiety about it. You’ll get back to nature, but you won’t have to sleep too close to it in this modern cube that offers a very cool experience in Norway.
For Bibliophiles
Running a bookstore seems charming—until you have to deal with all the real-world concerns. But if you’re just doing it for a week or so, it’s a literary vacation. The Open Book(Opens in a new window) is the perfect way to cosplay as a small-town shopkeeper in Scotland. You’ll stay in the apartment above the store and run the shop with the help of volunteers.
For Sea Creatures
“Look at this trove, treasures untold… How many wonders can one cavern hold?” Plenty, when it’s The Seashell House(Opens in a new window), a spellbinding home in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. The shell-shaped, shell-filled house has a gorgeous pool, so bring your mermaid tail.
For Interior Design Fans
The expense and work it would take to renovate a home that is worthy of coverage in Architectural Digest is beyond most of us. But you can stay in The Filomena(Opens in a new window), which has already appeared in its pages. The home has six bedrooms and seven baths, a chef’s kitchen, and fireplaces. It’s located in the Berkshires and is a two-minute walk to a charming town.
For Forest Dwellers
Is there any dwelling more magical or romantic than this treehouse tucked away in Atlanta(Opens in a new window)? It’s just nine minutes from downtown, but you’d never want to leave. It has three spaces: mind (an antique-bedecked sitting room), body (a beautiful bedroom), and spirit (a hammock deck that surrounds a 165-year-old southern short-leaf pine tree).
For Royalty
You’re the king of your castle, even if that’s a studio apartment. But you can be the king of a real castle in Scotland(Opens in a new window), at least temporarily, when you book this stay. It has three royal-looking bedrooms, a movie room, a tower, and a rooftop terrace.
For People in High Places
Mamma mia, here we go again! This Greek home(Opens in a new window), perched on a cliff, is majorly modern inside and has a balcony outside that you’ll want to visit for sunsets. Breakfast is provided at a nearby café. There are no promises that you’ll run into Meryl Streep.
For the Arty & Crafty
The Japanese city of Kanazawa is known for arts and handicrafts, and those are on display in an art installation in this townhome(Opens in a new window). It has a Western-style bedroom, a traditional Japanese-style dining area, and a Hinoki soaking tub.
For Mariners
Sure, living in Brooklyn is nice, but what if you also lived in a yacht? Even better! It’s not a lifestyle many can afford, but you can spend a night or two in The Crown Goose(Opens in a new window). This beautifully appointed yacht sits near Brooklyn Bridge Park, so you can walk to restaurants and shops and then return to your luxury home and gaze at the Manhattan skyline.
For Impossible Dreamers
Forget tilting at windmills—stay in one instead. This beautiful mill(Opens in a new window) is located on a picturesque property in Portugal. A bedroom with a king-size bed has an incredible sea view, and when you come down to sea level, you can walk among the property’s fruit trees and flowers.
For Making Beautiful Music
Record the album you’ve always wanted to in this barn home(Opens in a new window) in Woodstock, NY. It offers a recording studio, a Steinway grand piano, Pearl drums, an Access Virus synth, a Casio electric piano, guitar and bass amps, a simple Yamaha mixer, and powered PA monitors. The main house contains three bedrooms and three baths, and you’ll find another bedroom and bath in the guest cottage that the music studio is in, so all your band members can stay.
For Angelenos
You could buy an Airstream, painstakingly renovate it, and then save up for a sweet spot to park it permanently. Or you could just stay here(Opens in a new window). This Echo Park–based Airstream is pristine, has a full kitchen and bathroom, and gives you a fabulous view of Los Angeles.
For Exquisite Surroundings
The Kellogg Doolittle House(Opens in a new window) is found in one of the most beautiful places in the world, Joshua Tree National Park. It was designed by architect Kendrick Bangs Kellogg, a master of organic architecture. That’s apparent in every aspect of this extraordinary home, which matches the natural beauty surrounding it.
For the High Life
Like living the high life? We mean that literally. Secret Suite(Opens in a new window) soars 45 meters into the sky (accessible by an elevator). You’ll have a unique view of Amsterdam from this harbor-crane suite with a bedroom, lounge area, and bathroom outfitted with parts from a sunken ocean cruiser.
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