By Nikki Bayley
March is national bed month, when the National Sleep Council encourages us to celebrate all that is great about a good night's sleep. We agree – after a tough day travelling, seeing the sights and generally swanning around the world, can there be a better feeling than knowing you have a cosy bed to go to and lay your head on? Well, perhaps... what if it's a crazy bed – as well as being cosy? We've searched the world's bedrooms (um, not literally) to bring you the world's most unusual beds... sleep tight and enjoy!
Bed down in a barrel in Portugal
Do you like wine? Are you partial to port? Then you'll love The Yeatman in Oporto, which gives you that very rare chance to sleep in a barrel bed made from a giant port vat (pictured). Continuing the theme, the hotel has a 25,000 bottle wine cellar, a Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa, which uses grape products, and best of all it boasts a decanter-shaped infinity pool. Hic!
Find out more
Dragons in Denmark
The Legoland resort in Billund has great beds for kids who like to play castles, knights and princesses. Each room has its own dragon (made from 8,395 LEGO bricks!) and a wooden castle door which turns into bunk beds. Mums and dads get to have some fun too, in a bed which has a castle turret for a headboard.
Find out more
Big is best in Bristol
Thornbury Castle is the proud owner of England's biggest hotel bed. Measuring a massive ten feet wide by six and a half feet long, this big bed is at the top of a winding stone staircase in a 16th-century tower. It's not all old-fashioned though – there's a whopping 52" plasma TV hidden in the footboard which rises up at the touch of a button.
Find out more
Snuggle up with a giraffe in South Africa
This brilliant giraffe cot (pictured) is pretty much worth the trip to Lukimbi Safari Lodge in the Greater Kruger Park alone. But if you really wanted to do something other than try and cram yourself into a baby's bed while you're there, you could go spotting the Big Five in the Lodge's 15,000ha private game reserve. But c'mon, is a real giraffe as good as this one?
Find out more
Boldly go to Indianapolis
With 20 different themed bedrooms to choose from, picking the perfect place to sleep at the Greenwood Fantasuite was never going to be easy. The ten-sided Arabian Nights bed in a Sheik's tent? Or how about the Space Odyssey room? This lunar-themed suite has a re-creation of a Gemini space capsule for a bed, along with a 'moon crater' whirlpool. Decisions, decisions...
Find out more
Sleep in a private cloud in Turkey
Ace German designer, Manuel Kloker, created the 'Private Cloud' bed which gently rocks you to sleep as it's essentially a gorgeous giant cradle. You can buy them direct but if designer price tag is a little expensive then try the Private Cloud at the Mardan Palace which has five of the beds in their spa area next to the sea. Sun, sand, massage and giant rocking bed. Yes please!
Find out more
Just say Vrooom in Germany
Perfect for auto-fans of all ages, the V8 hotel in Stuttgart has ten uniquely car-themed rooms – as well as the hotel exterior resembling a 50s American petrol station! Curl up in a Cadillac or snooze in a Shell petrol-station themed room with a Herbie-goes-to-sleep style bed (pictured). Has Jeremy Clarkson heard of this place?
Find out more
America's Yahoo room
Saddle up, and sleep in a bed with wheels. We had to include this, it's the Yahoo bed! Sadly, named after cattle drives and cowboys, instead of your favourite web people, it's still a completely brilliant bed. You'll find the Yahoo at the Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo, which boasts 110 differently-themed rooms, including a Caveman and Matterhorn-themed suites.
Find out more
Also on Yahoo! Travel:
- NEW - Follow Yahoo! Travel on Twitter
- Find a cheap hotel room
- World's most luxurious swimming pools
