Amazing Costa Rican Hotel Made from an Old Airplane Takes Flight

If you have fantasies of living like the Swiss Family Robinson or even the characters in Lost, this rainforest <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/02/04/monterey-bay-shores-eco-resort/" target="_blank">resort</a> near Quepos, Costa Rica may be just the ticket. Situated on the edge of the Manuel Antonio National Park, the <a href="https://www.costaverde.com/727.htm" target="_blank">Costa Verde Resort</a> features an incredible hotel suite set inside a <a href="https://www.costaverde.com/727.htm" target="_blank">1965 Boeing 727</a> airplane. In its former life the <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/02/11/reclaimed-jumbo-jet-hotel-in-stockholm/">airplane</a> transported globetrotters on South Africa Air and Avianca Airlines, and it now serves as a two bedroom suite perched on the edge of the rainforest overlooking the beach and ocean.

The <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/02/19/deborah-airplane-wing-desk-by-reestore/" target="_blank">airplane</a> was transported piece by piece from the San Jose airport to its current resting place on a pedestal 50 feet above the beach.

Five big trucks were needed to get the plane out to the resort.

The two-bedroom, two-bathroom suite also includes a kitchenette, flat-screen tvs, a dining room, and a terrace with an ocean view.

While the transportation certainly had a negative ecological impact, the finished project is a stunning example of adaptive reuse.

The tip-to-tail paneling on the inside is made from teak harvested locally in Costa Rica.

Like the <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/02/11/reclaimed-jumbo-jet-hotel-in-stockholm/" target="_blank">Jumbo Jet Hostel</a> in Stockholm, this hotel suite is sure to offer jet-setting travelers a lovely location for an extended layover.

It looks a bit like a model airplane on a stand, and we can only imagine the spectacular views from the balcony and the airplane windows.

We can't really agree with their choice of furnishings, which are made from teak and shipped across the Pacific from Indonesia, but at least they were hand carved.