Unusual Hotels: Sleeping with the Fishes (Utter Inn)

Sweden’s Vasteras Utter Inn

From the shores of Lake Malaren in Sweden, the Utter Inn (see picture above) looks like a bright red gardening shack being rather out of place in the middle of the lake.

This is actually a hotel big enough for 2 single beds.  The visible section of the Inn includes a kitchenette and little dining area surrounded by an outdoor terrace.  What’s really cool is the part you could not see from the shore – the bedroom is underwater!  The sleeping quarters, accessible via a ladder from the house, is submerged 3 meters (10 feet) underwater and has windows with views of the lake on all sides.

You will literally sleep with the fishes swimming around you – instead of you looking at fishes swimming within the confines of an aquarium, now you are in the aquarium with fishes swimming freely around you and looking at you while you sleep. 

The Utter Inn staff brings guests to the Inn by boat from the port of Vasteras (about a 90 minute drive west of Stockholm) and then leaves you to enjoy it privately.  Don’t worry, you will not be completely stranded in the middle of a lake – There’s a small row boat you could use to explore the lake and the islands around it and the Utter Inn staff is just a phone call away.

You can prepare your own meals (there’s a little fridge and stove top) or have meals boated out to you.  Rates vary but average around 1200 Swedish Kroner.  Be aware, reservations should be made well in advance for this verypopular inn, especially during summer.  There is no official website for Utter Inn but you can contact someone in Västerås at this number: +46 (0)21-39 01 00 to make a booking.

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