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Bolivian Hotel Truly Is the Salt of the Earth

When it comes to hotels constructed of unique materials, ice hotels always steal the limelight. They are, however, old news compared with Bolivia's Hotel Palacio de Sal, a hotel completely made of--you guessed it--salt. Far out in an otherworldly terrain of the salt flats, some 220 miles south of Bolivia's capital La Paz, the Salt Hotel actually hosts guests for $50 a night and up, provided you refrain from licking the walls.

Built in 1995 out of 14x14-inch salt blocks chopped from the earth, the property features twenty four beds, a pool table, a dining room, a central courtyard, and even flush toilets. As always when you travel, the guidelines for enjoying your stay here are to watch your hydration and don't be tempted to scrape the floor to flavor your dinner. During the day, it seems that the only activity is to stroll around the white expanse of nothingness surrounding the hotel until you reach Isla de Pescadores, or Fisherman's Island, populated with an odd collection of flamingos, llamas, rodents frolicking among thriving cacti.

Having visited similar salt flats ourselves, though in the southwest of Tunisia, we can vouch for the jarring unreality of such an environment. It's the perfect setting for shooting an amateur alien abduction film or just gazing off into space to ponder the meaning of life. Should either of these pursuits whet your whistle, some very old contact information for the Palacio de Sal can be found here. Happy licking!

[Photo: UltimateJourney]