Bettina Kowalewski's "Bed in a Tree: and other amazing hotels around the world" is a beautifully illustrated and inspiring travel book with a difference. Most of us, when we plan a vacation, choose the destination first then think about the accommodation but how about if you found the most amazing accommodation and the destination was a secondary consideration? In this book, published by Dorling Kindersley, Bettina suggests some terrific accommodation (some but not all could be called hotels) that might just get you thinking that way.

The majority of the suggested places are in Europe, and of the rest five are in North America and the rest are in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and the Maldives. I imagined that all of these would be out of my reach pricewise but there's a reasonable mix of price brackets and assuming you can get to these locations, there are ideas to suit most budgets, and if you have no immediate plans to travel, this is still a quirky book that should delight armchair travellers.

Most strikingly there's a visually stunning shell like house on the Isla Mujeres just off the coast of Cancun; it's like a cross between Boticelli's "The Birth of Venus" and something dreamt up by Gaudi. It's designed by architect Eduardo Ocampo and the interior decor uses lots of natural materials but certainly doesn't skimp on luxury. At the other end of the scale is "The Suitcase Hotel" in Lunzenau in Germany: it really is an over-sized suitcase, the idea of Matthias Lehmann, a railway worker for over 25 years with the German Bundesbahn. Inside this little valise there are two bunks, a wardrobe made from an old station locker a washbasin and a separate toilet "compartment". It's tiny and it's hardly luxurious but it's all about the experience and at just Euro15.50 per person per night it's a steal.

In the Rhine Valley you can stay inside a converted wine barrel in the picturesque town of Rudesheim . Maybe a charming, traditionally decorated gipsy caravan in the French countryside in Beaujolais would be more your thing? How about a former prison cell in Lucerne, Switzerland? For brave souls there's an ice hotel in Sweden, or, if you like that idea but prefer to stay warm, there's a little field of glass igloos in Finland (stay here when the Aurora Borealis are in action and watch the swirling light show from the comfort of your bed!). Igloo-shaped but certainly not chilly, there's a real curiosity in California's Mojave Desert - this domed building was built by ufologist George van Tassel who claimed that he had been told by a visitor from Venus to construct a time machine that would rejuvenate human cells. Whatever the story, there's no denying this is one cool place to stay. This one is best suited to groups apparently and when a group of thirty books, the cost is $28 per person per night.

Of course, your accommodation is only one consideration and Bettina helpfully suggests a couple of ideas for things to see and activities to do for each of the accommodations listed. There are plenty of excellent colour photographs of the interior and exterior of each of the accommodations featured and an interesting text on each one, talking about the owners and the history of the property.

If you are attracted to any of the properties featured there are details of how to book and information where appropriate about the times of year the hotels are open (not all are available all year round) as well as any instructions for what you made need to take with you (for example, you'll need to take a sleeping bag or bedding to some of the cheaper ones) and some have self catering facilities only.

I bought this book through a charity auction and thought I'd pass it on as a gift. However, I'm very taken with it and intend to keep it for myself. It's a lovely book to dip into even if I probably won't stay in many of the accommodations featured in it (I do plan to stay in at least one of then in Sweden, however). It's beautifully presented and illustrated, well researched and a lovely distraction from dull days at home.