If you love building sandcastles then here’s your chance to actually live in one. ‘Zand Hotels’ – the world’s first hotels constructed out of sand have opened in two Dutch towns – Oss and Sneek – to commemorate sand sculpture festivals held there each year.
The two pop-up hotels have fully furnished one-room suites, hidden inside eight-meter sculptures. One is modeled after the iconic Bedrock homes from the Flintstones, and the other has a Chinese theme, with dragons, the Great Wall of China, and the Terracotta Army as decorations. Believe it or not, these sand hotels have all the modern amenities, like electricity, running water, glass windows, king size beds, soft carpets, luxurious bathrooms and Wi-Fi!
The structures were built over four weeks by event organizers Global PowWow, who were inspired by ice sculpture hotels located in Sweden and Finland. “It was quite a challenge,” said Alec Messchaert, owner of the company. “Sand has a lot more restrictions than ice, so we had to be very creative in finding the perfect balance between creating a magical sand-room, but also a safe and comfortable environment for our guests.”
The basic structure, he revealed, is made of thin concrete walls that are covered on the inside and outside with reinforced sand. This will ensure that the walls don’t crumble and guests won’t end up buried in sand. The furnishings and bathroom fittings are all made of regular materials, not sand.
The suites are priced at $168 a night, which includes a personal tour of the festivals nearby. Each of the festivals at Oss and Sneek feature about 30 large sand sculptures made from 800,000 kilograms of sand. Sadly, all the rooms are sold out and the hotels will close once the festivals end.
The sand sculpture festival in Oss has already ended on September 28, but you still have until October 4 to see the amazing sand castle hotel in Oss. Both will reopen next year, and following the great success of these two attractions, organizers plan to open more Zand Hotels in Germany and the UK.
Photos: Zand Hotel
