Have you ever dreamed of vacationing on an old naval fortress in the middle of the water? Didn’t know it was an option? Well, thanks to a massive makeover, two historic forts in the Solent, a strait near the Portsmouth Harbour in Hampshire, England, are now luxury hotels.
No Man’s Fort and Spitbank Fort were originally created to defend Britain’s coast against the perceived threat of a French invasion. Completed in the early 1880s and deployed in both World Wars, they now offer a very different service. Once equipped with guns, they are now loaded with amenities.
No Man’s Fort, the larger of the two, boasts 22 luxurious rooms and suites—including a four-story lighthouse penthouse—glass-roof atrium, rooftop mini-golf, laser tag, and two helipads. The smaller Spitbank Fork features nine suites, while a third fort, Horse Sand Fort, is a museum showcasing 100 original chambers and living quarters, gun carriages, and armor-plated walls.