Instagram vs Reality: The Cost Behind the World’s Most Photographed Hotel Bathrooms

What was once a space for privacy and everyday hygiene routines has become an internet sensation in recent years. Whether it’s because of the rise of Instagram influencers and #bathroomselfie posts (of which there are currently over 1.6million on Instagram), or an explosion of the self-care trend, the bathroom has undeniably found itself on the social media stage.

To reveal the world’s most Instagrammable bathrooms and how much it would cost to get the picture-perfect shot, Mira Showers monitored five key bathroom-related hashtags and identified hotel locations that appeared the most. The costs of these picturesque locations were then calculated by investigating prices for one night’s stay at these luxurious hotels and villas around the globe during peak season*.

The hotels feature a range of styles from exotic island bathrooms over-looking crystal-clear waters, to outdoor tubs in the heart of the British countryside.

Cost of staying at the most Instagrammed bathrooms in the world (high to low) 

1. Conrad Maldives, Rangali Island, Maldives – £50,076 (or $65,000, €58,088) 
2. The Silo Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa – £3,367 (or $4,377, €3,906) 
3. Punta Tragara Hotel, Capri, Italy – £3,004 (or $3,905, €3,500) 
4. Six Senses Zil Payson, Seychelles – £1,948 (or $2,533, €2,260) 
5. Shangri-La Hotel at the Shard, London, UK – £1,050 (or $1,365, €1,218) 
6. The Peninsula, Hong Kong – £995 (or $1,294, €1,154) 
7. Zannier Hotels, Sonop, Namibia – £806 (or $1,049, €936) 
8. The Udaya Resorts and Spa, Bali, Indonesia – £286 (or $372, €332) 
9. The Old Piggery at Windout Farm, Devon, UK – £145 (or $189, €168)

Topping the list as the most expensive hotel bathroom is The Muraka suite at Conrad Maldives, Rangali Island. As each stay is carefully tailored to individual guest requirements, exact costs are available by enquiry only, but as a guideline, costs can vary between £16,949 ($22,000/€19,661) in low season (July and October) and £50,076 ($65,000/€58,088) in high season (April and December).  

Topping the list as the most expensive hotel bathroom is The Muraka suite at Conrad Maldives, Rangali Island. As each stay is carefully tailored to individual guest requirements, exact costs are available by enquiry only, but as a guideline, costs can vary between £16,949 ($22,000/€19,661) in low season (July and October) and £50,076 ($65,000/€58,088) in high season (April and December).  

If that is a little out of your price range then there’s the Sunset Water Villa option, complete with ocean-facing bath that’s proving very popular on social media. Costs for this vary between £2,897 ($3,760/€3,361) in low season (July and October) and £7,172 ($9,310/€8,319) in high season (December). 

By comparison, the most affordable Instagram-famous bathroom can be found here in the UK.  Listed with Canopy and Stars, the Old Piggery at Windout Farm in Devon can range from £115 ($150/€133) in low season (April) to £145 ($189/€168) in high season (July and December).

Travel influencer and blogger, Erica Vonderwall, believes there are two factors that makes a bathroom so-called ‘Instagrammable’: “Firstly, bathrooms are typically the least inspiring place on Earth, so when one looks like somewhere you’d want to eat your brunch at and invite your pals over to see, you know it’s going to get the likes – while also being the envy of everyone who sees your picture.

“Secondly, for something to be popular on Instagram, it needs to be out of the ordinary; to be different to the norm; to be aspirational, not just inspirational. A petal bath, a glittery bath bomb, a novelty bathmat, or a riot of colours on a wall that’s traditionally white or pale blue is something so unnatural for a bathroom, that it will instantly become a hit for Likes.”