When it comes to unique accommodations, today’s travellers have a vast array of options available to them all over the world, and the latest offering is no different; a luxury home built deep inside a mountain cave in the Arkansas Ozarks.
Called the Beckham Creek Cave, the property is nested inside a natural cavern within a mountain that overlooks a valley. The luxury home sits on a 260-acre resort, offering peace and quiet to visitors, and has already proven popular for weekend escapes, company retreats, family reunions and weddings. The four-bed, four-bath property can sleep up to 16 people and includes a full kitchen and multiple living areas with lofts and balconies. The master suite includes a round queen-sized bed and a spa-like private bathroom surrounded by the natural formations of the cave.
The lodge was built in 1989 at a cost of over six million US dollars and has played many roles throughout the years, originally conceived as a bomb shelter, and at one point was used as a bordello. It was updated in 2007 and again in 2014. Walking into the entrance, guests are greeted by a 2300-square-foot room with 40-foot-high ceilings of rock. The original cave walls are used throughout the property, and the cavern is complete with a natural waterfall formation that flows right through the living room, under the house, out the front beside the deck to create an upper pool, before falling almost a thousand feet to create a spring-fed pond below. A helicopter landing pad is located right next to the pond.
“A stay in the cave is a once-in-a-lifetime experience you'll get nowhere else on earth! Pictures do not do it justice, folks walk into the cave and they are not expecting the intense magnificence and energy they feel. They are blown away and stand there staring, open-mouthed in awe. I love watching their faces as they step in the first time,” current owner Rayne Davidson told Lonely Planet Travel News.
Guests can gaze at naturally-formed stalactites inside the cave, as well as walking down to a catch-and-release pond on the property for fishing. Hiking, canoeing, horseback-riding and helicopter rides are also available in the area, while Buffalo National Park is 12 miles away.
Rates begin at US$1200 (£936) per night. More information on visiting Beckham Creek Cave is available at the official website.
