Discover Iran’s Most Unusual Hotels, where traditional charm meets unique design. From cave-like retreats to eco-friendly desert stays, these Iran boutique hotels offer experiences unlike any other. Whether you’re seeking adventure or tranquility, these accommodations provide a distinct blend of culture and comfort.
Perfect for travelers looking to explore Iran’s rich heritage while enjoying exceptional hospitality. Explore the top unusual hotels in Iran and find your next unforgettable stay.
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1. Bali Desert Hotel, Khur and Biabanak, Isfahan
The first hotel on our list of Iran’s most unusual hotels is the Bali Desert Hotel. This hotel is also known as the Khur Bali Hotel or Bali Khur Biabanak Hotel, and all these names point to its location in the Khur and Biabanak district of Isfahan, about 55 kilometers from the Mesr Desert.
The Bali Hotel is designed and built in the traditional style of desert houses in this region. The rooms of this hotel are divided into two sections: one section is similar to other hotels with beds, while the other section consists of traditional rooms without beds, tables, or chairs, designed in a completely traditional style with mud walls.
You might wonder why this hotel is included in the list of unusual hotels in Iran. The lively and cheerful atmosphere of this hotel completely changes your perception of staying in a desert area.
If you plan to travel during the cooler months of the year, we recommend a visit to the Khur and Biabanak region of Isfahan and a stay at the largest desert hotel in central Iran.
This desert hotel has 32 rooms equipped with essentials such as a study desk and other necessities. However, some rooms are entirely traditional, with no beds, tables, or chairs, offering a completely traditional experience.
2. Laleh Kandovan Hotel, East Azerbaijan
If you want to spend a night in a 700-year-old unusual accommodation, the Laleh Kandovan Hotel is your only option. This hotel is the world’s third rock hotel and Iran’s only rock hotel. It has become so popular worldwide that about 300,000 foreign tourists visit and stay there every year. The hotel is unusual because, unlike other hotels, it doesn’t follow conventional architectural designs. The cone-shaped houses of this hotel are located outside the city of Tabriz in the mountainous and cold village of Kandovan.
The Laleh Rock Hotel consists of forty natural stone rooms, providing an experience similar to living in a cave. Although this hotel is carved into the mountain, its units are separated by several steps.
The nearest unit in this rock hotel has forty steps, and to reach the farthest room, you must climb one hundred seventy steps. Therefore, getting to the rooms may not be suitable for individuals with physical disabilities or the elderly. However, it’s worth noting that the hotel’s facilities are excellent and meet its star rating.
In this mountain hotel, you can book an imperial suite with 24-hour room service. The hotel’s drinking water is sourced from the surrounding mineral springs, ensuring it’s clean and safe to drink.
3. Parsian Ghaleganj Hotel, Kerman
The Parsian Ghaleganj Hotel in Kerman is so unique that even its appearance confirms its place among Iran’s unusual hotels. Let us introduce you to the world’s only capar hotel; the Parsian Ghaleganj Hotel in Kerman. This hotel is the first and only capar hotel in the world.
This hotel has now become one of the most attractive accommodations that every world traveler dreams of staying in. This capar hotel welcomes many foreign tourists each year. One of the features that make this hotel stand out among Iran’s unusual hotels is its environmentally friendly design.
The hotel’s construction is such that it creates no environmental pollution in its surroundings. This hotel, built traditionally, has 30 rooms, all made from materials such as palm tree fibers and daz bushes. Besides its traditional design, the Parsian Ghaleganj Hotel also meets the standards of a modern hotel.
One of the beauties of staying at this hotel is experiencing the local lifestyle in a capar, which creates a unique and unforgettable experience. You might find it interesting to know that this unusual hotel in Iran has no foreign counterparts anywhere in the world!
4. Toranj Marine Hotel, Kish
Toranj Marine Hotel in Kish is the first marine hotel in the Middle East. This hotel is one of the most unusual hotels in Iran. The main reason Toranj Hotel is listed among Iran’s most surprising hotels is its location on the blue waters of the Persian Gulf, allowing guests to enjoy stunning views of the sea and the experience of being on the water.
Another feature that makes Toranj Hotel one of the most unique hotels in Iran is its design, which, when viewed from above, resembles a toranj. You can only find similar designs in countries like the Maldives and the Caribbean. The hotel’s interior design is also impressive.
The interior design of Toranj Hotel features glass floors in some rooms, allowing guests to observe the movements of fish, corals, and jellyfish beneath their feet. In other rooms, guests can sit on a terrace overlooking the sea and enjoy the blue sky.
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Toranj Hotel offers complimentary services such as buffet breakfast and lunch, airport transfers, a gym, and recreational activities like beach volleyball. The hotel is close to famous attractions like Kolbe Hoore and the Greek Ship but is somewhat far from the city center. However, the free shuttle services to shopping centers make up for this distance, and staying at Toranj Marine Hotel will create wonderful memories of your trip to this beautiful island.
At Toranj Hotel in Kish, you can visit the hotel’s Golf Cafe and taste international cuisine; enjoy breakfast and afternoon tea at the Taj Restaurant; have lunch and dinner at the Beach Restaurant; or sip a hot beverage at the Beach Cafe. Toranj Hotel also offers other amenities for guests, including a marine club, a massage house, a game room with billiards, foosball, and air hockey tables, and transportation with golf carts.
5. Laleh Bistoon Hotel, Kermanshah
Another unusual hotel in Iran is the Laleh Bistoon International Hotel in Kermanshah, located in the mountains of Kermanshah. At this hotel, you can wake up in front of a UNESCO World Heritage site. This hotel is a Safavid-era caravanserai built at the foot of Mount Farhad Tarash. The hotel is located in Kermanshah, and its unusual aspect is its architecture and location.
This hotel is a caravanserai from the Safavid era, built in the four-iwan architectural style, and has a historical background. The Laleh Hotel was last renovated in 2015, providing facilities comparable to a 5-star hotel.
Staying at this hotel, you can access the central courtyard and enjoy the view of the semi-finished historical site known as Farhad Tarash.
If you are a history and culture lover with a passion for Iran’s beautiful literary legends, staying at Laleh Bistoon Hotel will amaze you. Each room has unique and beautiful architecture, and with 24-hour room service and complete amenities, you will be even more impressed.
The hotel offers standard accommodation units, as well as royal and imperial suites, which you can book for a few nights. If you’re lucky and visit the hotel at the right time, you can enjoy performances of traditional Iranian music in the hotel courtyard and purchase beautiful Iranian handicrafts as souvenirs from the periodic exhibitions held on-site.
6. Dorna Nomadic Camp, Meshginshahr
One of the most exciting and unusual hotels in Iran is the Dorna Nomadic Camp in Meshginshahr, which offers an experience of staying in the heart of nature. This camp is located 20 kilometers south of Meshginshahr, on the green slopes of Mount Sabalan. The camp’s design is inspired by the stone-chambered architecture of the Turkmen and Shahsavan nomads of Iran, featuring units such as mountain cottages, various caravanserai rooms, and two Shahsavan nomadic tents.
The Dorna Nomadic Eco Camp in Meshginshahr has four mountain cottages, two nomadic tent accommodations, and two hobbit cottages. Due to the cool climate of Sabalan, there are no cooling systems in any of the units, and in the tent-like accommodations, there are no private bathrooms or showers. Guests must use shared facilities outside the camp.
The rooms at this camp include single-bed caravanserai rooms, double-bed caravanserai rooms, three-bed caravanserai rooms, four-bed mountain cottages, four-bed hobbit homes, and six-bed royal caravanserai suites, which can be booked in advance.
The caravanserai units all have Western-style bathrooms, showers, and gas heaters. The four-bed cottages also come with a shower, Western-style bathroom, wood-burning fireplace, and heater. The Dorna Nomadic Eco Camp units do not have televisions, and extra beds are provided in the form of mattresses. The camp features a restaurant with a capacity of 50 people, serving a variety of delicious local Iranian dishes.
Staying at this eco-camp offers many recreational activities, such as horseback riding, paragliding, mountain climbing, cycling, swimming, hiking in the mountain foothills, and skiing in the snowy seasons.
7. Majara Residence, Hormuz Island
Undoubtedly, a stay on Hormuz Island will be one of the best trips of your life. This island is located 8 kilometers from Bandar Abbas, and due to the variety of colors in its soil, it has gained fame. The colorful soils of this island inspired the creation of a unique accommodation called Majara, one of the newest members of Iran’s unusual hotels.
The Majara Residence covers more than 10,000 square meters, and when viewed from above, it appears as a rainbow of thousands of colors. Staying in these colorful dome-shaped houses will give visitors a strange feeling of the nature of Hormuz.
The Majara Residence consists of several dome-shaped accommodation units, and the interior of these domes is as colorful as the exterior. Inside these domes, you’ll find all the amenities of a high-quality hotel, including standard beds, tables, chairs, refrigerators, bathrooms, and showers.
8. Dorsa Hotel, Bushehr
Imagine spending a dreamy night in a wooden cabin by the Persian Gulf, with the scent of the sea and the view of the Gulf before you, while enjoying a meal at the dining table and listening to the sound of the waves. All of these beautiful moments are possible with a stay at one of Iran’s unusual hotels, the Dorsa Hotel in Bushehr. This hotel is part of a recreational resort, featuring 20 cottages that can accommodate 3 to 5 people.
All the cottages are fully equipped with amenities such as kitchens, furniture, televisions, and standard double and single beds. The Dorsa Hotel in Bushehr is a complete hotel, so you can rest assured about the cleanliness and hygiene of all its units.
This beautiful hotel also features an excellent traditional restaurant offering a variety of local and seafood dishes. If you’re in the mood for southern Iranian cuisine, we recommend trying the Ghalyeh Mahi, Ghalyeh Meygoo, Bushehri stew, and Dal Adas.
9. Abbasi Hotel, Isfahan
The Abbasi Hotel is the oldest inn in the world, located in Isfahan. Given its rich history, this hotel is famous and still hosts visitors to Isfahan. The Abbasi Hotel is not a simple hotel with facilities like other hotels. It is a showcase of Isfahan’s architectural style, displaying the glory and grandeur of the Safavid art during the reign of Shah Abbas I.
The luxurious Abbasi Hotel has been standing for over 300 years. This building was a caravanserai during the Safavid era and is now known as the world’s oldest hotel-museum and one of Iran’s unusual hotels. This unique hotel was built during the reign of Shah Sultan Hussein Safavi near Chaharbagh Square in Isfahan by order of the king. Shah Sultan Hussein gave the Abbasi Caravanserai, along with the school and bazaar between them, as a gift to his mother.
During the Safavid era, Isfahan was a major trading center, attracting many merchants for trade. The Abbasi Caravanserai served as their accommodation. The hotel suffered significant damage during the Afghan invasion of Iran, but it was restored during the Qajar era, and many Qajar-style paintings were added to the rooms.
Finally, under the supervision of French architect and archaeologist Andre Godard, the Abbasi Hotel was opened in 1966. Since then, many famous people worldwide have stayed at this hotel. Many politicians, athletes, and famous actors from around the world visit this hotel as soon as they arrive in Isfahan, and all agree that the Abbasi Hotel is one of the most beautiful and unusual accommodations in the world.
10. Zein-o-Din Caravanserai, Yazd
It’s a unique experience to spend the night in an accommodation that has witnessed a significant historical event. The Zein-o-Din Caravanserai was built to commemorate the meeting between Shah Abbas I of the Safavid dynasty and Zein-o-Din Ganjali Khan in the 10th century AH. This caravanserai, now known as a hotel, is the most unusual caravanserai in Iran in terms of architectural design. There is no other caravanserai in Iran with a circular architectural plan, but the design of this caravanserai is circular.
During the restoration of this building, the actual construction materials remaining from the caravanserai found around the site were used. The restoration was so well-executed that UNESCO awarded this building the Best Historical Building Restoration Award in 2006. Interestingly, Tatler magazine has listed the Zein-o-Din Caravanserai Hotel as one of the 101 Best Hotels in the World. Staying at this hotel allows you to spend the night in one of Iran’s national historical monuments in the middle of a beautiful desert.
This building was designed by Sultan Muhammad Sultan Yazdi, a prominent architect of the Safavid era and the architect of the Ganjali Khan Complex. The Zein-o-Din Caravanserai features a 12-sided courtyard with platforms around it. The sacred numbers 5 and 12 in Islam are represented in the hotel’s towers and platforms. During your stay at this hotel, you can go up to the roof at night and gaze at the starry desert sky until dawn, observing celestial bodies without any light pollution.
11. Barin Hotel Shemshak
Shemshak has long been a favorite getaway for Tehran residents due to its cool climate. Staying in the mountains of northern Tehran in a hotel resembling an Eskimo’s igloo is a unique experience. This hotel won the Chicago International Architecture Award in 2012 and is one of Iran’s unusual hotels. The hotel’s architect aimed to create a design that closely resembles the mountainous environment of Shemshak. The white color of the hotel is inspired by the snow-covered mountains of Alborz, and the curved lines in its design symbolize the layers of melting snow.
This hotel was built in 2011, with a ten-story structure. The size of the hotel rooms starts at 45 square meters and goes up to 270 square meters in the form of a penthouse. The higher the floor you choose to stay on, the more you will need to pay.
The penthouse units have a hot water pool on the terrace, providing a unique experience of swimming in cold weather. All the corridors and rooms are designed in the style of Eskimo architecture.
Each room in this hotel is unique and interesting because the designer tried to create an environment that reflects the feel of icy igloos. So, if you’ve ever enjoyed seeing icy huts in movies and cartoons and want to experience staying in them, the Barin Hotel Shemshak is an excellent choice and will host you.
Conclusion
As you know, the most important thing to consider before any trip is choosing the right accommodation. Many believe that selecting a place to stay is not just about finding a place to rest but about living in a different environment. In this article from SURFIRAN, we introduced you to some of the most unusual hotels in Iran, offering travelers a completely different and unique experience.
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