Sandcastles meet the sandman

Enterprising Dutch engineers have drawn inspiration from the sandcastles of youthful beach holidays to create two hotels created almost entirely of sand. But there’s no danger of the tide washing away slumbering holidaymakers — the pop-up Zand Hotel suites are constructed of thin walls covered inside and out with reinforced sand to prevent crumbling. The one-bedroom units, which offer running water, electricity and Wi-Fi, have been built to celebrate annual sand sculpture festivals in Sneek and Oss in the Netherlands.