Gimme five ... H2Otels

Sarah Turner5 April 2012
The Utter Inn, Sweden

A one-bedroom submarine hotel by artist/architect Mikael Genberg that bobs about on Sweden's Lake Malaren; utter is Swedish for otter. Looking like a tongue-and-groove Tardis, the kitchen and bathroom are above water, while passing pike can peek into the windows of the bedroom, a tank made from metal and plastic.

Genberg has just secured planning permission for his next artistic project - a hotel in a redundant silver mine. Self-catering "Bohemian" rate £26 a night. "Deluxe" rate £46, including breakfast and dinner delivered on a boat by art students. Open May to October. Contact Mikael Genberg (00 46 21 83 00 23; genberg@beta.telenordia.se).

Amazon Lodge, Manaus, Brazil

A two-hour trip by boat into the Amazon, then a journey by Jeep and speedboat, the Amazon Lodge, a 20-room hotel on the Mamori River, is rather less sybaritic than Soneva Gili (simple wood rooms, single beds, communal showers and buffet meals) but offers the chance to fish for piranhas from the jetty as well as venturing into the rainforest for a touch of jungle trekking. Three nights from £307pp full board, including transfers from Manaus and excursions, but not flights, through Journey Latin America (020 8747 8315).

Soneva Gili, the Maldives

It will be difficult to beat a path to one of the seven Crusoe suites opening at Soneva Gili next month. Built on stilts, and a short paddle from the rest of the hotel, each one is surrounded by 70ft of clear, perfect Indian Ocean. Far from being marooned, however, guests have their own boats, breakfast drifts past on a barge each morning and those who want to dine in their suite's pared down, Conranesque decor can summon the kitchen boat to cook up a storm outside. Seven nights from £2,799pp (room only in a Crusoe residence), including flights, through Abercrombie and Kent (0845 070 0616).

Matusadona Water Wilderness, Zimbabwe

A floating safari camp. Nine individual wooden houseboats, simply decorated with rush mats and lifejackets but with en-suite showers, are tethered in Lake Kariba. Canoes are used to reach the shore and reception boats are furnished with armchairs with a dining area, plunge pools (with wire caging to fend off crocodiles) and viewing platforms from which to watch one of the few remaining herds of black rhino when they come to the water's edge. Five nights from £1,495pp full board, including flights, through Cox and Kings (020 7873 5000).

Kapawi Eco-Lodge, Ecuador

Even higher up the Amazon, the Kapawi Eco-Lodge gets back to nature in a very serious way. Built on stilts over a lagoon, reached only by plane, activities include hiking through the rainforest to imbibe the herbal wisdom of the Achuar tribe, kayaking, bird and alligator watching - and the 20 rooms all have steps down to the predator-free water, where any remaining eco-guilt can be washed away with a quick dip. Three nights from £464pp full board, not including flights, through Worldwide Journeys and Expeditions (020 7386 4646).

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