Isabel Choat August 4, 2009

Ten wild places to lay your head

From a wooden hut overlooking Windermere to a cabin with wings in Costa Rica - we've found 10 spectacular places to stay in the wildest corners of the world

Cabins: The Hermitages, Co Tipperary, Ireland — The Hermitages, Co Tipperary, Ireland: The Hermitages at Glencomeragh House are beautiful wood cabins, three of which are perched on a hillside, the fourth at the edge of a waterfall. Part of Glencomeragh House, a retreat run by members of the Catholic order, the Rosminian Institute of Charity, they were designed for peace and contemplation. People of all religions - and none - come here to enjoy the natural beauty, peace and tranquility.

• From €100 (£85) for one night, €80 (£68) per night for two nights (double occupancy, self-catering). glencomeragh.ie/Hermitages; or through holidaypad.net Photograph: PR

Cabins: The Winged House, Tasmania, Australia — The Winged House, Tasmania, Australia: Cantilevered over the cliff above the Bass Strait and under a 32-metre zinc wing span, this house offers views of waves breaking on rocks to the east and Rocky Cape to the west. From the comfort of the cool interior, you can spot Tasmanian Devils and telephone for fresh crayfish on request. Beyond, the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area is waiting to be explored.

• One night A$350 (£175); long weekend A$950 (£475); one week $A1,700 (£850) for four adults. thewingedhouse.com.au Photograph: PR

Cabins: Rosa Muerta, Joshua Tree, US — Rosa Muerta, Joshua Tree National Park, US: No surprise that this chic, gothic "pavillion" has attracted fashion photographers, but it’s also open to anyone who wants a suitably dramatic bolthole for exploring the astonishing landscapes of Joshua Tree National Park. At the end of a dirt track, 10 minutes from the park enrtance, Rosa Muerta features intricate black wrought-ironwork with hearts and roses, a plunge pool, fire pit, and no walls, just the desert breeze to cool you.

• From $200 per night for two plus $50 cleaning fee. prettyvacantproperties.com/pages/view/rosa-muerta Photograph: PR

Cabins: Hotel Aire de Bardenas, Navarre, Spain — Hotel Aire de Bardenas, Navarre, Spain: Among the plateaus and ravines of the Bardenas Reales Nature Reserve in northern Spain, sits a row of white cubes on a bed of pebbles. Inside, minimalist rooms echo the stark landscape; outside the view of crops and sheep-filled fields is timeless.

• From €145; airedebardenas.com Photograph: PR

Cabins: Rolling Huts, Washington State, US — Rolling Huts, Washington State, US: A cluster of huts on stilts in Methow Valley offers a base for hiking, biking, river rafting in summer and cross-country skiing in winter, not to mention fly-fishing, wine tasting at the Lost River Winery.

• Sleeps up to four. From $80 (£47 low season) for two, rollinghuts.com Photograph: Chad Kirkpatrick/Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects

Cabins: The Loveshack, Cumbria — The Loveshack, Cumbria: Tucked away on the outskirts of Beatrix Potter village Sawrey, the sleek, modern lines of this new eco-cabin are in stark contrast to the traditional stone houses of the Lakes. Overlooking Windermere, Loveshack stands in its own woodland, so your neighbours are the birds and red squirrels.

• Sleeps two. From £500 for the week (low season); + 44 7976 359477; lakedistrictloveshack.com Photograph: PR

Cabins: Espejo de Luna, Chiloe, Chile — Espejo de Luna, Chiloe, Chile: A ‘ship-wrecked’ boat lies lopsided on the edge of the forest ... except this boat has never seen water. Espejo de Luna is a lodge on the Big island of Chiloe, a remote Chilean archipelago, with four cabins.

From $150 (£88) a night through Exsus; espejodeluna.cl Photograph: PR

Cabins: Le Carre Rouge, France — Le Carré Rouge, Champagne-Ardenne, France: This six metre-square red cube, in the middle of the Champagne-Ardenne countryside, is somewhere between a work of contemporary art and an off-grid holiday home (with no electricity or running water).

• From €120 per weekend, €30 per extra day; holidaypad.net Photograph: PR

Cabins: Air Camp Furillen, Gotland, Sweden — Air Camp Furillen, Gotland, Sweden: The Air Camp is a new addition to Fabriken, a designer hotel incongrously plonked in the stark industrial setting of a former lime quarry. The solitary Airstream trailer - with Swedish interior design touches including sheep skins and wool throws - stands at the end of a jetty into the Baltic sea.

• From SEK5555 (£463) for three nights inc breakfast at the hotel’s onsite bakery. furillen.nu Photograph: PR

Cabins: The Fuselage suite, Costa Rica — The Fuselage Suite, Costa Rica: And finally ... Bringing a whole new meaning to the term crash pad, The Hotel Costa Verde, overlooking the Pacific beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park, has salvaged a vintage 1965 Boeing 727 airframe from its resting place at San Jose airport and turned it into a two-bed suite for guests to live out their Lost fantasies.

• From $400 (£236) per day (low season); costaverde.com; or through holidaypad.net Photograph: PR

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