For the cost of $180, you could stay in a place where hundreds of criminals have stayed for free.
If this idea thrills you, you need to make a beeline for Roermond in The Netherlands, where people are bunking down in the Het Arresthuis, formerly one of the country’s toughest jails.
The jail has had a luxury multi-million-dollar makeover, turning the 150-year-old prison’s 105 holding cells into 40 luxurious rooms with names that reflect the people the crims would have bumped into before making the jail their home. You could stay in The Jailer, The Lawyer, The Director or The Judge suites.
In sharp contrast to the communal showers, thin uncomfortable mattresses and freezing concrete floors of days gone by, guests can relax in the modern rooms complete with dramatic artworks, coffee machines and free wi-fi to keep connected with the outside world.
For the sake of atmosphere and in a nod to the space’s history, the owners have maintained the original cell doors. The common area now boasts plush sofas, comfortable lounge chairs and enormous chandeliers.
Head to the old prison exercise yard if you fancy a coffee fix, as it has been transformed into an elegant café.
For something a little closer to home, you could swing by Western Australia’s The Old Mount Gambier Goal – also rejuvenated accommodation with a dramatic past.
The difference is it’s more a budget-style accommodation, but judging by their 98% Trip Advisor rating, the modern day cell-dwellers aren’t complaining.
Would you enjoy a night in an ex-jail cell or would you be afraid of being haunted by the past?
