South Africa is home to many unusual accommodation experiences but none quite like this.
Travellers to the country can now spend a night in a luxury Boeing 737-200 hotel.
Aerotel, located in Hoedspruit, Limpopo, is a six-room, 12 sleeper aviator boutique hotel that overlooks the expansive African bushveld and the northern Drakensberg mountains.
The property is the brainchild of husband and wife duo Martin and Tracy den Dunnen who purchased the retired airliner aircraft in 2019.
The couple wanted to give it a new life and a way to attract tourism to the Hoedspruit area.
After a lengthy transportation process, the rebuild and conversion took 18 months.
"It was an adventure, to say the least," Tracy told IOL Travel.
"There was no manual and no previous experience from which to draw inspiration. With the assistance and expertise of local and regional professionals, Aerotel stands today as a testimony of what willpower and passion can achieve when coupled with a great team of like-minded individuals," she added.
The hotel opened its doors in October 2020 to much fanfare.
It offers a bar and lounge area, secured parking, laundry service, outdoor pool, restaurant and free wi-fi.
"Since opening, the hotel has drawn lots of attention, especially from the South African market. With borders reopening, there has been an influx of bookings from international travellers," she said.
Dubbed as "One of a kind experience in South Africa and the African continent", the hotel has recycled much of the original aircraft.
"Our eco-footprint is light. We used as much as possible from the original plane in quirky ways, which guests will surely appreciate. For example, our sundowner lounge area is all original seating. We used the overhead stowage bins as cupboards in the bedrooms and resized and restitched carpets to reuse in the hotel," she explained.
They also purchased an existing VIP aircraft, a Boeing 727, that will launch as a luxury 'private villa' offering accommodation for six guests in early 2022.
Rates start from R1800 pp inclusive of breakfast.