WHETHER YOU call them a restroom, loo, lavatory, the jacks, toilet or “the facilities”, they are always an important part of being on the go. With this in mind the members and editors of travel website VirtualTourist.com have compiled this list of the World’s Top 10 Toilets. This is it.
1 Bryant Park, New York City
Who would have thought that a loo in the middle of such a dirty, noisy, frenetic city would have classical music, fresh flowers and even an attendant! Visitors report that it’s also spotlessly clean.
2 Covent Garden, London
If visitors to the public toilets at Covent Garden don’t notice the cleanliness and efficiency of this facility on their own there’s a prominent sign on the wall informing them of the place’s 2011 Loo of the Year award.
3 Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo, California
It only makes sense that one of the world’s quirkiest hotels would have one of the world’s quirkiest restrooms; a waterfall urinal that comes to life when used. We can only imagine the surprise of the uninformed.
4 Thornbury Castle, South Gloucestershire, England
Not only can you walk in the footsteps of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, but you can spend your first few minutes trying to find the hidden bathroom.
5 Place de la Madeleine public toilets, Paris
Even a century of grime can’t mar the beauty of the remarkable Art Nouveau facilities at the Place de la Madeleine. Dating back to 1905, this stunner of a lavatory is as worth checking out as any of the city’s other more mainstream attractions.
6 Scholastica Baths, Ephesus, Turkey
The public toilets here not only provide a glimpse into la vie quotidienne of ancient peoples but also a highly unusual photo op as modern day visitors are welcome to take a seat on the no-longer functional commodes.
7 The Outhouses of Elk Falls, Elk Falls, Kansas
An annual contest taking place every November; this competition and tour features outhouses that run the gamut from greenhouse-like rooms to mini-movie theatres. A high-stakes operation, organisers offer a first prize of $60.
8 Opera toilet, Vienna
Complete with operatic music, murals of the interior of the city’s opera house proper, show posters, and even stalls referred to as “loges”, the opera toilets are the next best thing to being there.
9 UFO restaurant, Bratislava, Slovakia
Rest assured that although these urinals face large windows, there is just enough frosted glass to keep the view appropriate to the outside world.
10 Hundertwasser toilets, Vienna
Dubbed the toilet of modern art, this is the second facility in Vienna to make the list.
Its randomly shaped tiles in bold primary colours make this playful room a fun alternative to the average dreary public toilet. – (Reuters)