Canada Canada Guide Things To Do Essentials Where to Stay Itineraries All Canada 10 Weirdly Wonderful Places to Stay in Canada By Jane McLean Jane McLean Jane McLean is an Ontario-based travel writer who has covered Canada for more than 10 years. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 10/02/19 Share Pin Email Moraine lake Banff, Canada. Matteo Colombo / Getty Images Most of these unique places to stay in Canada are thanks to the country's vast and varied natural environment. Try something other than your standard Holiday Inn to give your visit to Canada a touch of adventure and authenticity. 01 of 10 Quebec Ice Hotel SUDRES Jean-Daniel / hemis.fr / Getty Images View Map Address 2280 Bd Valcartier, Saint-Gabriel-de-Valcartier, QC G0A 4S0, Canada Get directions Phone +1 418-844-2200 Web Visit website Each year in Quebec City, the cathedral-like hotel is carved entirely of ice, including the furniture and even ice candelabras hanging from the 18 ft ceilings. Generally, the Quebec Ice Hotel's season is from January to the beginning of April. The walls are 4 feet thick and insulate the hotel to a crisp but comfortable 28 to 23-degrees Fahrenheit. Visitors may choose to just pass through for a tour and a drink at the ice bar or stay overnight. 02 of 10 Yurt - Various Locations across Canada Onfokus / Getty Images View Map Address ON-60, Unorganized South Nipissing District, ON K0J 2M0, Canada Get directions Web Visit website Ontario Parks has introduced yurts at a number of their locations, including provincial treasure, Algonquin Park. These canvas-covered shelters sit slightly up off the ground and house hardwood flooring, beds, table & chairs and have electric heat and lighting plus other conveniences. They offer a great alternative to tents, especially in inclement weather or with a family or just for those who want some added luxury in the wilderness. Quebec Parks also features yurts. 03 of 10 Free Spirit Spheres Free Spirit Spheres View Map Address 420 Horne Lake Rd, Qualicum Beach, BC V9K 1Z7, Canada Get directions Phone +1 250-757-9445 Web Visit website Not quite a treehouse, Free Spirit Spheres are pods that hang from thick forest trees on Vancouver Island. Free Spirit Spheres not only offers accommodation in Qualicum Beach but also sells the equipment to build your own sphere. Qualicum Beach offers handy access to Vancouver and Victoria along the Strait of Georgia. The town is sleepy and small with a large retirement population. 04 of 10 Vancouver Aquarium Vancouver Aquarium View Map Address 845 Avison Way, Vancouver, BC V6G 3E2, Canada Get directions Phone +1 778-655-9554 Web Visit website The Vancouver Aquarium offers packages designed both for families with children and for couples. Visitors can enjoy educational programs and then bed down for the night right in front of the marine tanks. Set right within lush and large Stanley Park in the city's downtown, the Vancouver Aquarium is a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of aquatic life. It is open 365 days per year. Continue to 5 of 10 below. 05 of 10 Floating Barge - King Pacific Lodge, BC Richard T. Nowitz / Getty Images View Map Address 4850 Cowley Crescent, Richmond, BC V7B 1C1, Canada Get directions Phone +1 855-825-9378 Web Visit website King Pacific Lodge is moored in Barnard Harbour, BC, atop a floating barge. The lodge is known for giving access to Coho and pink salmon, saltwater fly fishing as well as its ecologically responsible approach to tourism. In addition to offsetting the carbon emissions of all lodge operations and employee travel, lodge owners aim to offset guests' air travel to and from the lodge for a truly carbon-neutral vacation. 06 of 10 Ottawa Jail Hostel HI Ottawa Jail Hostel View Map Address 75 Nicholas St, Ottawa, ON K1N 7B9, Canada Get directions Phone +1 613-235-2595 Web Visit website Get behind bars for the night with no criminal record. The Ottawa Jail Hostel is a historic building in downtown Ottawa that has the distinction of having operated as a prison for more than 100 years. Today, youths and the young at heart can stay in dorm rooms, private rooms or spring for the Warden's Quarters, a self-contained apartment. 07 of 10 Teepee Sundance Lodges View Map Address 432 ON-542A, Tehkummah, ON P0P 2C0, Canada Get directions Phone +1 705-859-2621 Web Visit website This native North American style of accommodation is available at a number of resorts and campgrounds where native populations are prevalent. Manitoulin Island, for example, the largest freshwater island in the world and home to a significant number of First Nations peoples, offers teepee style lodgings, as does the Goldenwood Lodge in British Columbia. 08 of 10 Igloo Sam Chrysanthou / Getty Images Sounds cliché, but Canada actually has igloos for visitors who may find the Quebec Ice Hotel too luxurious. A number of northern destinations offer overnights in these snow houses, often as part of a dog sledding, snowshoeing or other winter adventure packages. Try provincial or national park websites or the Igloo Hotel near Quebec City. Canada West Mountain School in BC runs courses on winter camping, where the truly adventurous can build their own igloo. Continue to 9 of 10 below. 09 of 10 Lighthouse Dennis Jarvis / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0 View Map Address 82 French Island Rd, Bruce Mines, ON P0R 1C0, Canada Get directions Phone +1 705-785-3473 Web Visit website Canada has more coastline than any other country, so it goes to reason that lighthouses are plentiful. Lighthouses are most prevalent in Eastern Canada, namely the maritime provinces, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, and there's at least one in Ontario. Just make sure the hotel is not "Lighthouse" in name only if you want to sleep in an actual lighthouse. There are also Lighthouse Inns in Newfoundland. 10 of 10 Houseboat Houseboat Adventures View Map Address Sabaskong Bay Rd, Nestor Falls, ON P0X 1K0, Canada Get directions Phone +1 800-201-2100 Web Visit website Canada has a massive system of interior lakes and rivers, making it ideal for houseboat travel and a unique way to see the country. Anyone 25 or older with a valid driver's can rent one. license Several websites layout houseboat vacation ideas across Canada, such as Canada Houseboat Vacations or Houseboat Adventures. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit