From Horse Yoga to Cow Cuddling, These Are the World's Wackiest Hotel Activities

Jancee Dunn

Cryotherapy? A bit yesterday. Stand-up paddle boarding? Done that. These days, hotels and resorts know that they have to crank up the novelty factor when it comes to activities, both to tempt seen-it-all guests and reap those all-important social-media likes. Savvy properties are hustling to out-do each other with a host of inventive — and in some cases, borderline wacky — activities. (If yoga is on offer, it should be practiced with a large group of animals). Below, seven of the zaniest offerings we've ever seen.

Beekeeping

Courtesy of Miraval
Courtesy of Miraval

At the newly-opened Miraval Austin you can be beekeeper for a day at the resort’s onsite apiary. After strapping on a full beekeeping suit, you'll help the beekeepers manage the hives, getting an up-close view of the extraction process.

Cow Cuddling

At Mountain Horse Farm, a leafy wellness retreat in New York’s Finger Lakes region, the rurally-deprived can brush and pet a small herd of placid cows. If the animals happen to be lying down — often the case — you can snuggle up to them and listen to their slow breathing. Your stress levels are guaranteed to plummet.

GolfBoarding

Courtesy of Kukui`ula
Courtesy of Kukui`ula

Whiz through the 18-hole golf course at The Lodge at Kukui’ula in Kauai on this strange-looking but undeniably fun hybrid of a golf cart and an electronic snowboard, developed by surfer Laird Hamilton. It’s eco-friendly (powered by lithium-ion batteries) and can go up to twelve miles an hour.

Zen Horse Yoga

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Get your horse yoga on at Hawaii’s Four Seasons Resort Lanai. Gather at a platform in the middle of a vast — and insanely scenic — horse pasture. As the sun sets, yoga master Rajanish Govind leads you through poses as horses graze and frolic around you. Not into horses? Grand Hyatt Baha Mar has rolled out Flamingo Yoga, where you can practice alongside Lenny, Luke, Indy and Baha, the resort’s in-house flamingo flock.

Woga

Courtesy of Grand Hotel Tremezzo
Courtesy of Grand Hotel Tremezzo

Grand Hotel Tremezzo, the sumptuous, family-owned resort overlooking Lake Como, Italy, boasts a floating water-on-water (WOW) pool on Lake Como. Sign up for Woga (a yoga class on the WOW pool), and you'll flow from pose to pose while being gently rocked by the waters of Lake Como.

Snuba

Craving a scuba experience without the certification and hours of training? Try Snuba, a combination of snorkeling and scuba, in which you breathe through a 20-foot tube. At St. Lucia’s Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort divers (Snubers?) can explore the island’s famous reefs using a regulator and weight belt like scuba, while an oxygen tank floats on a raft above the waves.

Dog Surfing

Take a private surf lesson from former pro surfer and North Shore native Rocky Canon at Oahu’s Turtle Bay Resort, which overlooks one of the world’s most epic surf spots on the North Shore. You’ll be joined by his two surfing pups, Hina and Kahuna, who hang ten on the front of Canon’s custom board wearing tiny wetsuits. Don’t forget the GoPro!