Netflix’s World’s Most Amazing Vacation Rentals gave me a problem: I wanted to stay everywhere, and I did not have Netflix-vacation-rental money. So I made my own list of unique places to stay for people who still want money left over for the actual trip.
Kristen Cummings
CATEGORY
Lodging, Quirky & Cool
DESTINATION
Utah, Colorado, California, New Mexico, Thailand, Greece, Morocco
POSTED ON
September 19, 2021
UPDATED ON
October 2, 2026
2026 UPDATE: I originally made this list in 2021, which in internet years is approximately 147 years ago. I’ve gone back through the entire thing, tracked down the properties that still exist, replaced the ones that no longer deserve a spot, and updated the booking links. The result is a brand-new 2026 Touristish Stay List.
I have a problem with interesting places to stay. Show me a cave house, a shepherd’s wagon, a dome in the desert or some tiny place tucked into a village I’ve never heard of, and there is an excellent chance I will stop whatever I’m doing and start researching airfare.
That’s the kind of stay that makes this list.
I don’t care about 1,000-thread-count sheets. I don’t care whether somebody folded the towels into swans. And “modern two-bedroom condo with gray sectional” is never going to make me rearrange a vacation.
I want the places that become part of the story.
Some are weird. Some are ridiculously charming. Some put you somewhere you probably wouldn’t have gone otherwise. And several cost considerably less than the supposedly “budget” properties that inspired this list in the first place.
Three Unique Places to Stay That Made the List
Here are three of my favorite stays to give you a taste of what’s inside. There’s a lot more on each of these in the full guide, plus six more stays, including the one in the photo at the top of this page.
Bonora Country Houses
Finikia, Santorini, Greece
A traditional Cycladic cave house in tiny Finikia, about a 20-minute walk from Oia.
You get the Santorini experience without sleeping in the middle of Oia’s crowds.
Peaceful gardens, cave walls and a shady olive tree overlooking the sea.
✓
WHY IT MADE THE LIST
This was my favorite room of our Greece trip and exactly how I’d do Santorini again.
△
KEEPING IT REAL
Finikia is quiet, with only a handful of restaurants and places to stay. That’s the point.
Walk to Oia when you want it. Leave when you’ve had enough.
Raven’s Lair Earthship Casita
Tres Piedras, New Mexico
Actually live in an Earthship for a few days and learn how its systems work.
It’s beautiful, spotless and impeccably decorated, and the greenhouse bathroom
may be the coolest bathroom I’ve ever used.
✓
WHY IT MADE THE LIST
We arranged an on-site sound bath that became the highlight of our trip.
The accommodation itself is part of the experience.
△
KEEPING IT REAL
This studio is part of a larger Earthship, and we had noisy neighbors one night.
The other unit’s yard also faces the greenhouse bathroom, so privacy means closing the blinds.
Elk Park Meadow Stone Cabin
St. Mary’s, Colorado
Sleep in a tiny stone cabin in a huge alpine meadow. It feels a little medieval.
This is roughing it, not glamping: camp stove, wood stove and very simple amenities.
The isolation is incredible.
✓
WHY IT MADE THE LIST
We heard almost nothing except nature and the occasional distant ATV.
I’d go back in a heartbeat.
△
KEEPING IT REAL
This is basically camping inside a stone house. Come prepared.
The road can be rough, and if you need Wi-Fi, restaurants or a proper bathroom nearby,
this is not your place.
Want the other six?
These are only three of the nine stays in my 2026 Touristish Stay List.
The full guide is free and includes a shepherd’s wagon, a traditional hogan near Monument Valley, a stay in a Cretan mountain village, one of my favorite finds in Chiang Mai and two brand-new additions for 2026.
Every stay includes what makes it worth going out of your way for, the stuff you should know before booking and a link to check current availability.
I’ll send the guide straight to your inbox. You’ll also get the new places, weird travel finds and things I uncover that make me immediately start checking airfare.
No generic “10 Things to Do in Paris” lists. Promise.
A quick heads-up: Some links on Touristish are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you book or buy through them, at no extra cost to you. It helps support my travel habit (and this site). Affiliate relationships don’t determine what I recommend. I only share places and products I genuinely think are worth your time and money.
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