A 'Shipwreck' Hotel Has Opened on Namibia's Skeleton Coast

At the newly opened Shipwreck Lodge on Namibia's Skeleton Coast, guests can stay in cabins designed to echo the rusted carcasses of ships that were smashed on the country's inhospitable shores.

Those wrecks aren't the only reason this stretch of land is called the Skeleton Coast; the sand dunes are also covered with whale and seal bones from the 19th century, when the whaling industry was going strong. And yes, there are human skeletons, too: the remains of all the sailors who lost their lives to the rough seas, jagged rocks, and opaque fog.

The wreck-inspired accommodations, which were recently featured on Robb Report, were designed by Namibian architect Nina Maritz. The cabins are sleek enough for a luxury safari lodge, but at the same time, the jagged protruding ribs remind the vacationer that they're sleeping a few yards away from whale bones. They're stunning to look at, and they perfectly capture the dangerous beauty of the landscape.

On the inside, the dwellings are much less foreboding, and are filled with Instagram-worthy modern decor. A central building boasts a restaurant and lounge, and if you're in the mood for seeing some living animals, you can take a game drive to admire some giraffes and lions.

If staying in an isolated locale that 15th-century Portuguese sailors called "The Gates of Hell" doesn't give you the willies, you can book your stay now. Rates start at 10,200 Namibian dollars (about $778 U.S.).