Jail Breaks

We've heard of office buildings and farmhouses being turned into hotels — but we had never heard of converting prisons. And yet the interior architecture of a penitentiary should be well suited to low-budget accommodation — just think how efficiently large numbers of inmates are housed within and are briskly transferred from cell to dining hall. There were certainly no design problems at Hostel Celica, hostelcelica.com, a onetime military prison in Ljubljana effortlessly transformed into one of the most fashionable places to stay in the Slovenian capital.

The 20 prison cells — which start at around $22 a night — were refurbished by local and foreign artists. Bars on the windows and doors have been retained, as have the barbed wire and period graffiti on the property's perimeter walls. Given the modern penchant for minimalism, the revamped cells might seem almost as spartan as the oubliettes they once were, so if you would prefer something less ascetic you can opt for an apartment (sleeping seven), normal shared rooms or a dormitory bed. A requirement that guests strip their own beds upon departure smacks of a prison regime rather more than is necessary, but the bohemian atmosphere — there are regular art exhibitions as well as weekly jam sessions with local musicians — softens the overall experience, while a city-center location will prove irresistible to guests planning a breakout.

Things are even grittier at Latvia's Karosta Prison, karostascietums.lv — a former jail near the Baltic Sea resort of Liepaya. Originally built as a military hospital in 1900, it began housing prisoners during the early days of the Russian Revolution and continued to do so throughout the Nazi occupation, during the Soviet era and right up until 1997, when Latvian authorities released the last detainees. Today, for less than $10 a night, you can sleep on real prison bunks, eat prison food and be harangued by local drama students dressed as wardens. If you tire of these power games, apply for day release: Karosta organizes walking and driving tours of Liepaya starting at a mere $2 a head. It's a great escape.