A unique new camping experience is offering an otherworldly way to see the great outdoors – and witness six planets aligning right from your bed.
The Million Star Hotel, birthed by car brand Dacia, is a one-of-a-kind destination in which the Dacia Bigster turns into a mobile stargazing suite – where the entire galaxy is your ceiling.
Temporarily located in the heart of Scotland’s Galloway Forest Park – the UK’s first certified Dark Sky Park – the Million Star Hotel is made up of a fleet of SUVs, each equipped with a Sleep Pack and a panoramic roof.
Dacia’s Sleep Pack helps guests transform the car’s interior into a fold-away double bed complete with a plush 190cm mattress.
It can also be used as a tray table for meals and picnics, and provides necessary storage for bulky items, such as luggage, when the bed is extended.
Meanwhile, the panoramic sunroof turns the sky above into guests’ own personal planetarium.
Dacia’s hotel concept seeks to redefine the idea of ‘luxury’ by proving only the essentials – in this case; a comfortable bed, good company and a blanket of starts overhead – are needed for a memorable experience.
Instead of room service, glittering hotel lobbies and fully-equipped gyms, guests can enjoy open-fire cooking, walk in the crisp night air among whispering trees, and even fit in a spot of kayaking and fishing the following day.
The Million Star Hotel is a unique experience in which the Dacia Bigster turns into a mobile stargazing suite – where the entire galaxy is your ceiling
A fleet of Dacia Bigster SUVs will park up at Scotland’s Galloway Forest Park – the UK’s first certified Dark Sky Park
Each vehicle is equipped with a Sleep Pack and a panoramic roof, which turns the sky above into guests’ own personal planetarium
What’s more, the hotel opens at the same time as a rare astronomical event, giving avid stargazers the perfect platform to see it all unfold.
On 25 to 26 February, a six-planet alignment will take place after sunset, which sees Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and Mercury become visible to the naked eye.
Although a seven-planet alignment took place on the same dates in 2025, this is a relatively rare event that does not happen every year.
This year’s six-planet alignment will be the last planet parade of this decade
A night’s stay at the Million Star Hotel is completely free – but there’s a catch.
Guests must enter a ballot to be in with the chance of securing a reservation, which will be taken for 25 to 26 February, after which the hotel will close up shop.
UK explorers who wish to enter the draw can do so via Dacia’s Million Star Hotel website.
For those looking beyond the UK for an equally unique stay, along the Arctic Circle, on the edge of Norway’s Alta River, is a hotel that looks a little bit different every year.
The hotel opens temporarily on 25 to 26 February – the same time as a rare astronomical event: a six-planet alignment
Dacia’s Sleep Pack helps guests transform the car’s interior into a fold-away double bed complete with a comfortable 190cm mattress
At the site, guests can enjoy open-fire cooking and a walk in the crisp night air among whispering trees
There’s even time to fit in a spot of kayaking and fishing the following day
The Sorrisniva Igloo Hotel, located about 20km from Alta’s town centre, is built entirely from snow and ice – and has to be re-constructed from scratch every winter.
The hotel is not only Norway’s oldest ice hotel, but it is also officially the world’s northernmost igloo hotel.
It’s even been a source of inspiration for the popular Apple TV+ series, Pluribus, which features a similar ice hotel built to represent a dreamlike, yet uncomfortable, experience for the show’s characters.
The hotel, an impressive 2,500 square metre structure, is crafted using 250 tonnes of ice and over 7,000 cubic metres of snow harvested from the local Sierravann lake and Alta River.
