October 12, 2012 – Purple Travel Official Blog

A Night Less Ordinary: Hotel CasAnus Belgium

Oct 12 2012

In this weekly series, we scour the world in search of the most weird and wonderful hotels. From cave hotels to converted prisons, capsule pods to underwater guestrooms, you can expect only the unexpected. This week, we’re not even joking, this is a hotel in the shape of a giant human intestine. We hope you’re sitting comfortable for the CasAnus in Belgium.

What’s the gimmick? Well it’s pretty evident on first glance what the gimmick is. This is less a hotel and more a giant sculpture of a human intestine that someone just happens to have dumped a bed inside. Created by artist, Joep Van Lieshout, the ‘hotel’ is situated within the Verbeke Sculpture Park in Belgium.

You should read… Top weird ways to travel on holiday

Why stay? If you’re looking for luxury, do not stay here. However, if you looking for an unusual night to remember, it doesn’t get much more memorable than this.What sets Hotel Casanus Belgium apart is the sculpture park; there are some amazing creations to look at when you wake up and you’ll likely never overnight in anything like this again.

You should read… A Night Less Ordinary : Boot Bed ‘n’ Breakfast

The Wow Factor: The exhibition space does not aim to be an oasis. It is, according to the creators, “unfinished, in motion, unpolished, contradictory, untidy, complex, inharmonious, living and unmonumental, like the world outside of the museum walls.” Although you will find no lavish fixtures here, you will enjoy a “refreshing, unpretentious place to look at art and a subtle criticism of the art world”. And just in case you were wondering, there is a clean, comfortable double bed, an electric point, heater, shower and of course – a toilet.

Prices start from €120 per night.

You should read… A Night Less Ordinary: Dog Park Park Inn

The world’s biggest airport to open in Beijing 2017

Oct 12 2012

China has just announced plans for a new Beijing mega-airport, which will have space to transport 130 million passengers a year – that’s 23 million more than London Heathrow and New York JFK combined.

Measuring some 55 square kilometers – about the same size as Bermuda! – Beijing Daxing International Airport will obscure all other competition to become the world’s busiest airport. Set to open in 2017, the airport will have space for up to eight commercial runways.

The latest airport plan shows an integrated ‘ground transportation hub’, which will transport passengers into Beijing within 30 minutes on a high-speed railway and also offer a slower route on the city’s underground. The airport is also designed to minimise the distance travelled by planes to and from the gates, to get passengers off the aircraft as soon as possible and minimise CO2 emissions.

Beijing Capital International is already at capacity, with a whopping 74million passengers a year, so Daxing (a rural city just outside of Beijing) will provide a much-needed second hub for the capital, catering to China’s ever-growing middle class.

Purple Passport: Faking it to skip the queue and big plans for Dubai

Oct 12 2012

Dubai draws

The UAE country is a top choice for seeing the sights, and it’s about to get even better. Over 100 crocodiles will be getting a new home in the state’s new zoo in Al Warqa to no doubt, impress visitors of all ages. Not only that, but bosses there are also planning a huge replica of the famous Taj Mahal, one of India’s most iconic buildings. The crocs and replica building will be in addition to the tallest man made building in the world, the Burj Khalifa Tower.

Faking it to skip the queue

New reports have revealed more and more travellers are faking disabilities to get through airport procedures faster. Free assistance is available to passengers with reduced mobility, allowing them to go through check-in and security a bit faster. However passengers are not required to present proof of a disability, and some able-bodied travellers have started to exploit it.

Airline staff have even coined a new phrase “miracle flight” to describe some travellers who arrive in a wheelchair but manage to walk off the plane at the other side.

Take a trip on the Titanic II

A mining boss in from Down Under has announced plans to build a complete replica of the infamous doomed ship and sail it along its original route, between Southampton and New York. The new vessel will be built to the original specifications and you’ll be able to buy first, second or third class tickets. We’re not sure how many people will be lining up to make that trip.

Disney Land style coming to Kent

Well sort of. Developers have been granted a licence from Paramount Pictures to use its name on a huge resort near Dartford. The project will see Europe’s biggest water park, theatres and live music venues. It’s hoped it will create up to 27,000 jobs. Just over 15 minutes from London, the local council says it’s a “tremendous economic growth opportunity” for the area.

Archive - October 12, 2012