Le Grotte della Civita, Matera, Italy
Restored from abandoned ancient caves in the Basilicata village of Matera by the Sextantio Group, Le Grotte della Civita has taken great care to preserve the atmosphere of a medieval settlement, with minimalist furnishings. Breakfast (and dinner on request) is served in a former 13th-century cave church.
• Doubles from €200, sextantio.it/grotte-civita
White Cliffs Underground Motel, NSW, Australia
The White Cliffs Underground Motel is a huge former opal mine in north-west New South Wales with 30 underground rooms and two above ground. It aims to be a place of inspiration for artists and photographers and combines the experience of the vast outback with Aboriginal culture and national parks.
• B&B doubles $145, undergroundmotel.com.au
Koza Cave Hotel, Goreme, Turkey
Koza Cave is home to a hotel with 10 originally carved and cosily furnished cave rooms and suites. The ancient cave dwellings were built upon and restored by local people, using reclaimed stone, wood and iron. Attractions in region include Üçhisar Castle and Zelve open-air museum.
• Doubles from €80 a night, kozacavehotel.com
Hotel Marhala, Matmata, Tunisia
Find rough-and-ready adventure in the troglodytic Hotel Marhala. Rooms are dug into the ground, providing a unique experience and constant comfortable temperature. Parts of the Star Wars films were shot here, most memorably the scene in episode IV, of Luke Skywalker looking out at the twin suns as he dreams of space travel.
• Doubles from about £12 a night, no website, +216 7524 0015
Sala Silvermine, Sweden
After a guided tour of the mines, which lie 155m underground, guests are provided with a basket of refreshments, including cheese, biscuits, fruit, sparkling wine and chocolate, and left to enjoy the peace and solitude of the world’s deepest hotel room. In the morning a guide comes to serve breakfast before taking guests back up to ground level.
• SEK 3,750 (£328) for two, with supper and breakfast, salasilvergruva.se
Cuevas el Guindas, Andalucía, Spain
On the outskirts of Baza, in Andalucia, this trio of charming self-catering caves are the work of ebullient owners Pepe and Tina. There are neat kitchens, quirky, rocky bathrooms (with cerulean blue mosaics and a hint of Gaudí) and a garden and pool terrace shaded by tall trees. Breakfast, free bike hire and off-road desert safaris are among the optional extras.
• Two-person cave house from €60, six-person from €90, +34 958 06 31 48, cuevaelguindas.es
