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Da Lat Crazy House
A Surreal flight of architectural fancy in Vietnam's Central Highlands
Category Odd Accommodations
This bizarre guesthouse is one of the landmarks of the city of Da Lat, a mountain resort popular with local honeymooners. In the Crazy House, Antoni Gaudi meets Alice in Wonderland in a fantastic folly of twisting, tree-trunk-like concrete and artificial caverns, winding flights of stairs and irregular windows, stalactites and stalagmites, flowering purple vines, and an over-sized sculpture of a giraffe.
The interiors are no less intriguing. In one room, guests are watched over by the glowing red eyes of a kangaroo. Other rooms feature elaborate local tribal decorations, or carved birds looming over beds tucked snugly into cave-like nooks.
The whole complex was a labor of love for avant-garde architect Hang Nga, who lives on site and sometimes chats with guests. She is an interesting person to talk to; besides designing buildings like this and her other Da Lat landmark ("The House of One Thousand Roofs," now demolished), she is daughter of a former Vietnamese vice president.
Sightseers are welcome to tour the building during the day for a small fee or to book a room and stay the night. Bring warm clothes: the Da Lat Crazy House is at a high altitude, and all that concrete gets mighty chilly after sunset.
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- Hours Reception 9am-9pm
- Address Hu?nh Thúc Kháng, ?à L?t, Vietnam
- Cost Overnight stay from US$30 -70 per night; sightseeing admission 8000 dong
A 10 minute taxi ride from the centre of town
Comments
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I found it on some random website. I actually got locked out late at night - reception closes around 9pm and I have to say service is shaky - and finally, after banging on the door for 20 minutes a woman appeared to apologise and let me in. I realised with a little start that it was the architect herself.It was quite cool to meet her.
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Excellent. How did you find this place? Did you enjoy staying here?
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Anonymous
July 23, 2009
No worries. I've got plently more to come that I have come across in my travels :) -
Ilbonito: thanks for sharing all these great spots!
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