I slept in an off-grid Earthship in the New Mexico desert. It generates its own electricity, collects rainwater, and was the coolest Airbnb I've booked.

As a travel writer, I've stayed everywhere from five-star luxury resorts to treehouses in the woods, and 16th-century stone homes.

I love seeing a place through the lens of unique lodging, and I also have a fond appreciation for eccentric architecture.

So, I've long been interested in the concept of going off-grid, and staying in an Earthship, specifically.

According to Scientific American, an Earthship is a kind of home typically made of natural and recycled materials that are powered through renewable energy sources.

The term Earthship was created by architect Michael Reynolds, who developed the biotecture design in the 1970s, with the goal of creating a fully sustainable residence that didn't rely on water or electric companies, and which utilized recycled materials in the building process.

The original Earthship created by Reynolds is located in Taos, New Mexico, sandwiched between the lower Rockies and Rio Grande.

The concept has since spread to include many more Earthships in the area, one of which I booked on Airbnb for a three-night stay at $220 a night.

I found a couple Earthships when searching listings in Taos on Airbnb, including Reynold's large Phoenix Earthship, but ultimately opted for a studio-sized home with more availability that was a bit cheaper.

According to the listing, the owner built the Earthship home himself over three years while living in a tent. 

The Airbnb I booked is part of the Greater World Community, which is an off-grid subdivision of Earthships just west of the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge in Taos County, New Mexico.

According to the community's website, these homes were all made out of recycled, reused, and reclaimed materials, collect rainwater, and utilize solar power for electricity and heating. 

In fact, they're often built from a variety of "garbage," including old rubber tires, cans, glass and plastic bottles, and cardboard, as well as dirt, stucco, and cement.

I took a tour at the Greater World Community Welcome Center, and learned there that Earthship builders realized early on that trash was preferable to traditional building materials like plywood and plastic, which are less durable over time.

While on-site at the community, I saw several new Earthships being built, and in addition to Taos, there are about 3,000 Earthships around the world.

Here's a closer look around.

I learned from my host that the home's windows were crafted from glass bottles, and they were one of the first things I noticed when I approached the home.

They were also one of my favorite design features, as I thought that they offered a beautiful diffusion of soft light with a stained glass effect that was cool.

At night, when I was sitting outside enjoying dinner around a campfire, I liked how I could see the light shining through them from inside the home. 

Within the entrance to my Earthship was a built-in greenhouse. 

I thought it was gorgeous and saw that it was filled with aromatic mint, aloe vera, and a violet-colored plant called purple queen tradescantia.

The greenhouse was included in the design to serve as a space to grow food items and herbs, but I also liked how it let in gorgeous natural light all day long, which meant I didn't need to turn on any lights until nightfall.

The Earthships I saw and learned about all varied in size, but the one I booked was a studio-size home. Though on the smaller side, it never felt cramped for me and my husband. 

I had enough space to relax in the living area when I wanted to read, journal, play card games, or get work done, and then was able to get comfortable in bed when it was time to go sleep.

I found it fascinating that Earthships don't rely on power companies. Instead, they're powered by solar panels, windmills, and wind turbines. 

The solar panels in this Earthship were affixed to the front of the home, just above the greenhouse windows, and generated electricity for the stove, oven, and refrigerator in the full kitchen.

This made it so even though I was off-grid, I was still able to make to cook and prepare meals like I would at home.

I learned through my stay that Taos, New Mexico, gets approximately 12 inches of rain per year, and Earthships then collect this water from the roof via gutters, and reuse it four times. 

Indeed, the rain collected from the roof at my Earthship was then filtered and used for drinking and showering.

I thought the drinking water tasted amazing, and the shower was warm with nice pressure. In my opinion, it was better than other more traditional Airbnbs I've been stayed in.

I thought the bathroom was well equipped with a shower and tub combo, and the toilet worked just like any other, as did the bathroom sink.

The only caveat was that the Airbnb host left us a note saying that for solid waste, we would need to hold the toilet lever down for about five seconds.

Even with alternative energy and plumbing, I thought the house still had all the modern amenities I expect when traveling.

We had fast Wi-Fi, a flat-screen TV with Netflix, blackout shades, and even a high-efficiency washing machine for laundry.

According to what the host wrote in the Airbnb's listing, the earthship maintains a steady 72 degrees all year without the use of fuel or electricity.

We visited in early spring when it got quite cold outside at night.

But even without traditional heating, I found the home stayed warm and comfortable. 

By the end of our three-night stay, I was convinced that the Earthship was the best Airbnb I had experienced to date.

I thought it offered all the comforts I'm used to in more traditional homes, and that it was designed beautifully and felt so peaceful and quiet. The views from the front of the home were gorgeous, and I loved knowing that our stay was sustainable and helping to support the Earth.

I also liked hearing the sound of nature without the city noises I'm so used to. Both me and my husband enjoyed incredible sleep while we were there. 

I'm glad I finally got to experience my long-awaited dream of visiting an Earthship, and I know I'll be back again soon.