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This Movie Set 'Lord of the Rings' Hobbit Hole Is on Airbnb. How to Book a Stay

There are many fantastic imitations, but an actual Hobbit-hole at the actual Hobbiton set in New Zealand will soon become available on AirBnb.

Russell Holly
Russell Holly is a Managing Editor on the Commerce team at CNET. He works with all of CNET to assemble top recommendations as well as helping everyone find the best way to buy anything at the best price. When not writing for CNET you can find him riding a bike, running around in Jedi robes, or contributing to WOSU public radio's Tech Tuesday segment.
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Russell Holly
2 min read
A Hobbit-hole in Virginia, modeled after the Hobbit-hole in New Zealand.
Russell Holly

There are many listings on AirBnb claiming to let you stay in a Hobbit-hole, but starting Dec. 13 you'll be able to book a stay in the real deal. One of the Hobbit-holes in the New Zealand filming set for The Lord of the Rings movies will become available to book a stay in, as part of the Hobbiton set celebration of the 10-year anniversary release of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. All you need to do is be ready to click the button at the right time and be ready to fly to New Zealand.

Currently more than 20 listings around the world offer the ability to stay a night in a Hobbit-hole modeled after the unique Hobbit dwellings from The Lord of the Rings. Like the one pictured above, they're designed to give the look and feel of these homes as depicted either in the movies or books and are widely considered the best alternative for folks who can't justify a week in New Zealand to tour the Hobbiton set only to stay in a normal hotel nearby. But if you could actually stay the night in Hobbiton and enjoy all of the surrounding set pieces, that may make the trip considerably more worthwhile. 

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A photo of the Hobbit-hole you will have access to as part of the AirBnb stay. 

 Hobbiton

According to the AirBnb listing, you won't actually be staying in one of the 44 Hobbit-holes you can walk through as part of the tour. Instead you'lll be staying at The Millhouse, which has been converted to feel like a two-bedroom Hobbit-hole on the inside. You'll also have behind-the-scenes access to one of the Hobbit-holes to take pictures and video in, as well as access to The Green Dragon pub from the movies, which actually serves drinks and food inspired by the films. Naturally, a tour of the set is also included in the package. Oh, and the stay includes Wi-Fi and a television should you be compelled to do anything other than spend every waking moment wandering this incredible set. 

Getting into this experience is not going to be easy. You'll need to be ready to book a stay at 1 p.m. PT on Dec. 13, and if you get there first you'll be able to choose among three different two-night stays in March 2023. The stay only costs $6, and travel is not included should you grab a spot. If you don't win, I would suggest checking out one of the other really great Hobbit-holes assembled by fans over the years and enjoying yourself in another way.