From Treehouses to caves - our dream holiday properties
Forget two weeks in a hotel, we want something a bit more special for our holidays this year - and in many cases, we can actually have it.
We've spent most of the cold, dark, rainy months quietly dreaming, and booking our summer holidays. But while we sign ourselves up for a fortnight in a studio room with three children - and resign ourselves to dawn starts or sunbeds three rows from the pool, we're giving up on far more adventurous dreams.
Research from Airbnb looked at the properties most commonly added to wish lists around the world, to find the types of properties we'd most like to stay in. There weren't an awful lot of two-bedroom flats on the list, and the top ten was.
1. Treehouse
2. Igloo
3. Van
4. Lighthouse
5. Cave
6. Island
7. Yurt
8. Train
9. Loft
10. Cabin
Some of them sound frankly impossible, but in the mad world of Airbnb, you'll be surprised at the unusual kinds of properties you can stay in - and how affordable many of them can be. We have unearthed incredible ways you can stay in the top five.
Treehouses
There are plenty of treehouses available without you having to travel too far. There's Tree Sparrow House in Cornwall - accessible by ladder - which starts at £100 a night for two. Alternatively you could opt for a stunning treehouse built between two oaks in Andalusia, starting at £56 per night, or a fairytale treehouse in the grounds of the Castle of Graville in France - from £106 per night.
Igloo
Igloos are admittedly a bit thinner on the ground, and one hastily thrown together in New York during the coldest of the weather this year has been delisted by the site. If you're willing to be a bit flexible on the definition, you could always spend the night in a concrete 'igloo' on the beach in Cairns for £56 a night (for up to four people).
Van
Anyone who has endured a caravanning holiday is unlikely to be convinced by the attractions of a van, but Airbnb could change your mind. There's a 1960s bread van in the middle of a forest about half an hour from Oslo, complete with heating, a real bed and the internet, for £58 a night (they also offer a Swedish fire truck if the bread van is taken). Or there's a VW camper van parked up on a farm in the Netherlands, where the owner recommends a dip in the canal, for £59 a night.
Lighthouse
If you and seven friends fancy a trip to the US you can stay in Wings Neck Lighthouse for £358 a night and enjoy a 360 degree ocean view. If that seems a bit of a trek, then you and the same seven friends can stay in a lighthouse in Medulin in Croatia for £200 a night - although you'll have to get along pretty well as the nearest village is 4km away.
Caves
There are even a few caves to choose from. There's the Lava Cave on Santorini, where three of you can stay for £399 a night. Among the attractions is the spa pool with the kind of cliff top view that sells postcards. Alternatively, there's a stunning cave house in Sassi, Italy, which sleeps two and costs just £79 a night; or a cave in a former winery in Greece for £56 a night - in among a number of caves in what is imaginatively called Caveland.
But what do you think? Would you give up your all-inclusive hotel for a holiday in a treehouse, a lighthouse or a cave? Or are these the kind of lovely dreams that would end up being uncomfortable and impractical in reality? Let us know in the comments.
