The Deepest Sleeps

What is the number one hobby of the rich? Making luxurious holes in the ground in Queenstown and planning for the end of the world. Currently my own personal prepper plans involve bottles of water and a box of tinned food I already can’t stand the idea of eating.

But when I holiday I practice the underground lifestyle. I train my body under harsh five star conditions with tons of rocks and dirt suspended over me. I did all this in service of finding the best places to rest and recreate knowing that one day I’d have to write this article.

InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland

Depth: 88 Metres

Perhaps the most visible example right now of below-ground architecture is the InterContinental Shanghai Wonderland, which if you hadn’t guessed by the name is based in China, a short drive from Shanghai. Much of the hotel is in fact, above ground, but it manages to get in on a technicality as it is built into the side of an abandoned quarry making it the deepest 5 star hotel. The establishment is slick, and right from the get-go it leans into its subterranean roots with a bronze layered lobby. At the very bottom is an underwater restaurant, giving diners some of the most excellent views of sealife. If this is your thing there’s also an aquarium suite for someone who prefers to watch fish in private. Every room faces out from the rock face, over the lake, to the opposite side, which at night is adorned with laser light and projection shows. While you’re there be sure to visit the award winning Cai Feng Lou Chinese restaurant.

While it may not be buried, it makes full use of glass floors in the elevators and sky bridges above the quarry to ensure your fear of heights is being triggered at all times.

Grand Canyon Caverns Hotel

Depth: 73 Metres

In Northern Arizona an old cave that had been designated a fallout shelter in 1961 got a new lease of life after the cold war when the Grand Canyon Caverns & Inn above it turned it into a hotel for one lucky couple a night. The living space itself is on a plinth in the middle of a large cave with the roof looming 22 metres above. It looks like someone chopped an entire living room setup out of a house and plonked it in the middle of a cave. They make a lot of bold promises about it being the oldest, deepest (not quite), darkest, and quietest hotel stay in the world. They say quietest but usage of the space is limited due to the fact most of the time tour groups are tromping past it, and with no walls to speak of, you’re going to be somewhat exposed lounging in it, so it’s for evenings only.

Sala Silver Mine Hotel

Depth: 155 metres

Found in the Swedish town  of Sala the old silver mine used to be the largest mine in the country, and has existed for over 500 years. It used to be called the country’s treasure chest due to how much silver came out of it. Today it plays host to balls, functions, and up until late last year even an overnight stay for people looking for a unique accommodation experience. Before the closure the guide would leave you down there at 155 metres with a food basket and then pick you up again in the morning. I’m just writing this so next time someone generates an article using Chat-GPT about the “future growth potential” of this place they know that it is in fact just a storage room now. Tours are still alive and well though, with an elevator down for people who don’t want to do too much clambering.

Deep Sleep

Depth: 419 Metres

The United Kingdom might offer one of the deepest sleeping experiences in the world. 419 metres underground in an abandoned slate mine is a natty little cabin that must have been a real pain to put together. From the entrance near the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog it takes almost an hour of hiking underground to reach your destination. Along the way you’ll find abandoned tracks, swing bridges, minecarts and dozens of winding cave systems to get lost in. To get there you need to book with Go Below Adventures and they give you the caving experience of a lifetime. There’s no previous experience required and they aren’t going to force you into any nightmare fuel style squeezed gaps. But you will be able to go abseiling and other kinds of traversal along with your accommodation, two meals, and tour. You might even climb a waterfall and take the longest underground zipline spanning 130 feet. The food underground isn’t gourmet, but it gets the job done, and the hotel is set within a row of raised lodges and common area within the center of a large cave. Temperatures sit as low as 10° so stay rugged up. It’s only available once a week and in the morning you get an 8am wakeup and a slow ascent to the surface where you get to see the sun once again.

Felsenhotel La Claustra

Perhaps the highest deepest hotel is the 4-star Felsenhotel La Claustra hotel 2,050 metres above sea level in the San Gottardo Area of the Swiss Alps. The rock rock carve-outs are rough, but it juxtaposes nicely with the new accommodations placed inside it. It also has a Turkish steam room and seasonal pool. While you’re in the area go check out Furka Pass, the winding alpine road made famous by James Bond in Goldfinger. It’s an incredible sight, and is home to the now abandoned Hotel Belvédère, which is perched on the cliff wrapped by one of the roads many hairpins. It’s a beautiful old place, and it’s a shame it had to shut its doors in 2016. I’ll have to console myself with a spa in the Alps before retiring to my bunker.