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15 Hotels Built on Volcanoes

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Volcanoes are all at once devastatingly majestic and powerfully peaceful, harnessing the power to both create and destroy while offering a thrilling mix of beauty and danger for adventurous travelers. Whether your style is more about waking up on the edge of an active volcano or soaking in the sight of a dormant dome from a luxury cabana, check out these hotels for the chance to sleep in the hottest accommodations on or near some of the most powerful forces on the planet.

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Nayara Resort Spa and Gardens

WHERE: La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Located in the Arenal Volcano National Park, this boutique luxury hotel sits at the base of one of the youngest active volcanoes in the southern hemisphere. The volcano’s largest eruption occurred in 1968, leaving behind a wake of activity and amenities for guests to experience while at the property. Natural mineral hot springs feed each of the private plunge pools in the guest rooms, while spa-goers can choose from a range of treatments that include volcanic mud and Costa Rican volcanic stones.

INSIDER TIPBook a 3.5-hour walking tour of the dried lava fields with the hotel to see the volcano up close and personal as it hisses and smokes from the aftermath of its last eruption in 2010.

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Le Champlain by PONANT

WHERE: The Aeolian Islands, Italy

This French cruiseline offers luxury sailings around the world, but only two of PONANT’s itineraries include a bespoke visit to the famous Stromboli Volcano. The volcano has been in a constant state of eruption for the past 1,400 years, earning it the nickname “The Lighthouse of the Mediterranean.” Book a room onboard either the “Treasures of Sicily” or the “From the Amalfi Coast to Malta” sailings in 2018 for the chance to catch a glimpse of the volcano’s natural light show.

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Hotel Hansa

WHERE: Mendig, Germany

The area surrounding the Hotel Hansa is better known as Volcano Park (or Vulkanpark to locals) and is home to the only caldera in Central Europe. When the Laacher volcano erupted centuries ago, the dome collapsed to form a caldera that was transformed into a lake around 1170 AD. Guests of the hotel can spend their afternoons hiking the lava domes, swimming in the caldera lake, or book a tour to the nearby Volcano Brewery to sample the famous “Vulkanbräu.”

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Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp

WHERE: Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania

The Ngorongoro Crater is the sixth-largest unbroken caldera in the world, formed after a volcano roughly the size of Mt. Kilimanjaro erupted and collapsed millions of years ago. From the safari tents at the Sanctuary Ngorongoro Crater Camp, guests will not only sleep in pure luxury at the edge of this volcanic wonder, but, in typical Sanctuary Retreats’ fashion, they will also have exclusive access to game drives led by local guides that will take them into the crater in a 4X4 vehicle to catch glimpses of wildebeest, zebras, hyenas, cheetahs, and more.

INSIDER TIPTalk to your Sanctuary Retreat’s guide about arranging a visit to the nearby Masai Village for some cultural immersion while in the area.

 

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Rooms Hotel Kazbegi

WHERE: Stepantsminda, Georgia

Once a former Soviet resort, this 155-room hotel has been transformed into a modern retreat that looks out onto Georgia’s gorgeous Caucasus Mountain Range. As a member of Design Hotels, Rooms Hotel Kazbegi’s design was strategic. The Brutalist architecture was given a modern facelift to showcase the property’s view of the now dormant stratovolcano Mount Kazbek. Most rooms offer a view of the volcano, but the best way to soak in the scenery is from the subterranean indoor heated pool with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out on the peak.

INSIDER TIPThe Rooms Hotel Kazbegi restaurant’s local cheese plate and khachapuri (cheese-filled bread) are perfection.

 

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Volcano House Hotel

WHERE: Hawaii National Park, Hawaii

Ride a bike to the steam vents or take a stroll through a lava tube in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, before heading back to this historic hotel located on the rim of the Kilauea caldera. The Volcano House Hotel dates back to 1846, just 23 years after the first ever documented eruption of the Kilauea volcano. Rooms at the hotel offer views of the Halema’uma’u Crater (the pit crater that rests within the Kilauea summit caldera), where any activity from the crater is visible from the comfort of a plush, oversized bed.

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Frost and Fire Hotel

WHERE: Hveragerdi, Iceland

At first glance, it’d be easy to assume the steamy landscape surrounding this boutique hotel was still seething from the after effects of a fire. The Frost and Fire hotel, which is actually built along a series of smoldering geothermal springs, uses the naturally occurring heat source below its foundation for everything from powering its geothermal spa to acting as the heat source for some of the dishes at the hotel’s decadent Restaurant Varma.

INSIDER TIPRestaurant Varma is Frost and Fire’s slow food concept open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Although all of their dishes are made fresh to order, nothing beats the chance to boil your own eggs in the onsite hot springs for breakfast while the chef pulls out a steaming loaf of brown bread baked inside in an ancient hot spring.

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Villa Neri Resort & Spa

WHERE: Linguaglossa, Italy

Resting in the shadow of Europe’s largest active volcano, the Villa Neri Resort and Spa is a luxury five-star boutique hotel with a design as daring as its location. Owned by the Neri family, who has lived on the slopes of the volcano for centuries, the hotel boasts 24 villas that blend Italian elegance with chic and surprising elements, like the chromotherapy rain showers lined with hand-painted ceramic tiles. Only nine of the rooms feature en-suite wine cellars with wines produced on Mt Etna, but all of the rooms offer candid views of the volcano.

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Kula Lodge and Restaurant

WHERE: Kula, Maui, Hawaii

Built in the 1940s as a private home, this charming lodge is located 3,200 feet above Maui on the Haleakala Crater. The crater, often referred to as the East Maui Volcano, is the world’s largest dormant volcano and was responsible for forming more than 75 percent of the island.

INSIDER TIPBook an early dinner reservation at the hotel’s onsite restaurant for panoramic views of the west side of Maui lighting up as the sun sets.

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Red Mountain Resort

WHERE: Ivins, Utah

Most people only think of the fiery rock formations that make up the terrain around Utah’s Red Mountain Resort, but the area actually boasts a history that’s even more vibrant than the red sandstones that line the resort. A day trip with one of the hiking guides from this health-conscious resort will have you walking on an ancient lava flow created by two cinder cone eruptions occurring nearly 27,000 years ago from the Santa Clara Volcano.

INSIDER TIPThe resort offers amazing retreat packages that range from adventure weekends to weight loss retreats, where all meals and activities are included.

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Hotel Eklund

WHERE: Clayton, New Mexico

In a landscape of plains and mesas, it’d be hard to miss the Capulin Volcano along a drive down US-87 in New Mexico. Now a national monument, the Capulin Volcano is one of the state’s largest landmarks. Although you may not be able to see the extinct volcano from the window of your room at the historic Hotel Eklund—located about an hour from the base of the volcano—the hotel is easy to spot when standing on the top of the national monument at 8,182 feet.

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Rosalie Bay Resort

WHERE: Roseau,Dominica

Even the sand lining the beach at the Rosalie Bay Resort points to the volcanic activity that still occurs on the island to this day. This eco-resort offers volcanic spa treatments as well as geothermal excursions to the nearby Champagne Reef or guided hikes to the second largest Boiling Lake in the world.

INSIDER TIPOpt for indulgence and order the chocolate walnut lava cake after dinner at Zamaan, the resort’s onsite restaurant.

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Paradise Inn

WHERE: Paradise, Washington

It was out of necessity that the Paradise Inn opened in 1917; the crowds of tourists making the trek out to see the 14,410-foot active volcano in Mount Rainier National Park needed a place to stay while in the area. The inn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is currently undergoing an occupied renovation that will debut midway through 2019.

INSIDER TIPAside from the local Washington wines on the menu, most visitors can’t pass up the chance to try the Inn’s signature Bourbon Buffalo Meatloaf.

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Furnas Boutique Hotel

WHERE: São Miguel, Azores, Portugal

All of the nine islands of the Azores were formed by volcanic activity, but only on Sao Miguel can visitors find the largest concentration of thermal waters in Europe. The Furnas Boutique Hotel, a member of Design Hotels, is a nod to the volcanic region, with a color palette chosen to emulate the volcanic vapors that rise from grounds of the local area. Spa treatments include a number of volcanic rituals, and the adventure team on staff offers hiking trips to the volcanoes nearby as well as guided hot springs tours.

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Conrad Bora Bora Nui Resort

WHERE: Bora Bora, French Polynesia

Not only does this luxury resort occupy its own private cove, but the Conrad Bora Bora Nui Resort also boasts unobstructed views of Mount Otemanu from each of the overwater villas. The extinct volcano shaped the island into what it is today, and the resort plays homage to Mount Otemanu’s powerful presence. The Hina Spa has volcanic treatments and rituals that pamper guests from its perch above black lava rocks that rise dramatically from the lagoon below.

INSIDER TIPBook the 5-hour hike to the Cave of Mount Otemanu through Conrad Hotel’s new Stay Inspired program for a bespoke look into how locals have benefited from the volcano and cave over the years.

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