Looking for something different, consider spending travel nights in strange and exotic places. Instead the traditional hotel and motel rooms, try snoozing surrounded by ice, high up a tree, in a grounded jet or locked in a former political prison.

Latvia: Karosta Prison is in Liepaja. When built in 1900, the prison and naval port base were in Imperial Russia. Then, from the 1920s it was operated by the Soviet Union until 1990. The imposing structure on the Baltic coast gives guests a taste of imprisonment.

Before going to luxury hotel rooms, they experience dank cells that are sparsely equipped with bunks or floor mattresses. Adding to the prison atmosphere, hotel employees are dressed in vintage Russian military uniforms. Arriving guests are marched to their cells.

Thoughts of my first visit to the 104-year-old Beverly Hills Hotel (9641 Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills CA) go back more than six decades. Following two years of active duty after being recalled by the Navy during the Korean War, your travel4seniors.com editor settled in Los Angeles in 1953.

Reporting at a local newspaper then didn't go much beyond paying rent and other basics, but did have benefits. One was covering events at the Beverly Hills Hotel. It had been the site of many elegant events since its opening in 1912 at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Beverly Drive. Famed movie stars of that era and the present have slept there in its luxurious suites and dined at its elegant eateries.

Guest senior editor Jason W., Santa Monica CA: The days of my exotic golf travel adventures to Hawaii, Scotland, Australia and other faraway links are over. Now, I prefer to take weekend golf getaways in the Los Angeles area.

In my sunset years, sometimes I enjoy the combination of a luxury hotel, fine dining and a weekend of golf. Here are suggestions for great Los Angeles golf escapes:

Guest Senior Correspondent Phil K., Pittsburgh PA: When conjuring the image of a children’s imaginary castle, something similar to the Neuschwanstein image appears. The 19th century marvel may actually be the inspiration for Disney's Cinderella theme park castles.

We visited the castle and were amazed by both the traditional design and location, perched high atop a mountain. It's a great example of a king, having fantastic vision and resources to fulfill his dream.