6 whimsical Hotels

Deep in the rugged beauty of Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, something magical is happening. Where once there was just mountain wilderness, 16 fairy tale cottages now dot the landscape like something plucked from the pages of a Brothers Grimm collection. This is Charmed Resorts, the brainchild of Tyson and Audy Leavitt, …

The rooster starts his shift at dawn, which is either charming or infuriating depending on your relationship with early mornings. At Beach Plum Farm, tucked away on 62 acres of West Cape May farmland, this feathered alarm clock is just part of the deal - along with actual pigs in …

In the rolling hills beyond Bangkok's concrete sprawl, a whimsical hotel has turned abandoned train cars into a luxurious escape three hours north of Bangkok. As the capital's endless urban landscape finally gives way to undulating hills and thick jungle, something unexpected appears through a curtain of towering trees: the …

You will fall under the spell of Wizards Thatch's 400-year-old building upon arrival. The charming house in the quaint village of Alderley Edge in England is graciously aging behind the green curtain of thick foliage. You can only spot some of its windows and the thatched roof through the wall …

Among the Kimono shops and brooding Yakuza members in San Fransisco’s Japan Town, there is a hotel devoted to Manga and Japanese pop culture. The lobby continuously plays old Godzilla movies. Buy your snacks from a robot vending machine. Like Manga? Who doesn’t? These incredible murals are originals by contemporary …

These days tourists are looking for a more "authentic" experience. To cater to such types, entrepreneurs are setting up boutique hotels in the grungier and less well-known areas of famous cities. Take the Wanderlust Hotel, for instance. It's located in a converted schoolhouse in Singapore's Little India district: a hodge-podge …