glamping: 9 places to only pretend you’re roughing it
Glamour meets camping at these 9 global “glampsites.”
1. Silver Bullet Retreats, Florida, U.S.
The 50s. Such a stylish decade. Silver Bullet Retreats is bringing back some of that retro chic―to the great outdoors no less. They’ll tow in and set up a gleaming vintage Airstream tricked out with refrigerator, running water and more. Just stay at one of the recommended Central Florida campgrounds on their site. Ready, set, hula hoop. Visit Silver Bullet Retreats for more info.
2. EcoCamp Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park, San Fernando, Argentina
By day, trek the Patagonian wild. Back at the EcoCamp, enjoy a three-course Patagonian-fusion menu in the community dome. Sipping Chilean wine, mingle with friends until you tuck into your sleeping dome, gazing at stars through your skyroof. Seasonally priced packages are graded according to difficulty, starting with a “Suite Dome” for an “easy” 5-day Wildlife Safari Package. Plan your next EcoCamp Patagonia trip (even a glamper’s got to dream).
3. Conestoga Ranch, Bear Lake, Utah
Conestoga Ranch delivers Old West character without the Old West hardship. Think chef-curated menus over cornmeal mush, and en suite bathrooms as opposed to outhouses. Grand Tents feature soft beds and mini-refrigerators. And the Conestoga Wagon will enthrall the kids—and the kid in you. Find out if Conestoga Ranch is right for you, cowhand.
Photo by Bren Photography.
4. Asheville Glamping, Asheville, NC
Stay in a whimsical yurt, Airstream, or tent cabin outfitted with WiFi, TV, showers and sometimes: hot tubs! Hit the nearby Appalachian Trail when you’re feeling sporty, or local breweries when you want to party. Then visit the famed Biltmore Estate, George Vanderbilt’s historic French-Renaissance-style mansion. Now that’s glamping! Get the deets on Asheville Glamping.
5. Camp Kátur, North Yorkshire, UK
Kátur means “happy” in Icelandic, and this folksy camp lives up to its name. Honeymooners love the Romeo and Juliette pod. Families favor the geodomes. Bell tents and teepees span price points. And because one camper’s happiness is another’s “no way,” Kátur has an activity for everyone. Indoor types: How about drawing class? Adventurers: Falconry, for sure. Then there’s the cocktail-making class―for adults of all stripes. Look into cozy Camp Kátur.
Photo by LEAPfactory.
6. LeapRus 3912, Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia
LeapRus 3912 sits on Russia’s Mt. Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe. Housing skiers in space-station style, it’s as otherworldly as the lunar-esque landscape outside. Architecture firm LEAPfactory powered the site with solar energy, using melted snow to supply bathroom water. The pods are furnished with bunks, WiFi and panoramic views. Prepare for landing. (And expect extreme weather.) Book through the North Caucasus Mountain Club.
7. Sandat Glamping, Bali, Indonesia
Here, the luxe tents and “lumbungs”―thatched-roof structures traditionally used as rice warehouses―emphasize the glam in glamping. With infinity pools, canopy beds and Balinese antiques, you could get used to it. For a taste of authentic Bali, visit nearby Ubud, home to the “Monkey Forest,” where macaque monkeys make endless mischief. View Sandat Glamping’s opulence.
8. Rockwater Secret Cove Resort, Sunshine Coast, British Columbia, Canada
Hydrotherapy tubs. Rainforest showers. Private verandas. These and other luxuries make the “Tenthouse Suites” here more “suite” than “tent”. Nestled within the lush arbutus forest, however, the rooms are as close to nature as any backyard pup tent. So bliss out with a massage or make like a camper and hike. Visit Rockwater Secret Cove and swoon.
9. Arapaho Valley Ranch, Arapaho National Forest, Granby, Colorado
Five tipis with queen beds or bunks, decked out with Native American décor, sit within Colorado’s scenic Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. A winding trail takes you along the Colorado River to a storybook wooden swing. Look up: You might see a hawk! Cook your fresh-caught trout over a community fire, then visit the Red Dog Saloon, an intimate lodge. Read up on Arapaho Valley Ranch.
1. Silver Bullet Retreats, Florida, U.S.
The 50s. Such a stylish decade. Silver Bullet Retreats is bringing back some of that retro chic―to the great outdoors no less. They’ll tow in and set up a gleaming vintage Airstream tricked out with refrigerator, running water and more. Just stay at one of the recommended Central Florida campgrounds on their site. Ready, set, hula hoop. Visit Silver Bullet Retreats for more info.
2. EcoCamp Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park, San Fernando, Argentina
By day, trek the Patagonian wild. Back at the EcoCamp, enjoy a three-course Patagonian-fusion menu in the community dome. Sipping Chilean wine, mingle with friends until you tuck into your sleeping dome, gazing at stars through your skyroof. Seasonally priced packages are graded according to difficulty, starting with a “Suite Dome” for an “easy” 5-day Wildlife Safari Package. Plan your next EcoCamp Patagonia trip (even a glamper’s got to dream).
3. Conestoga Ranch, Bear Lake, Utah
Conestoga Ranch delivers Old West character without the Old West hardship. Think chef-curated menus over cornmeal mush, and en suite bathrooms as opposed to outhouses. Grand Tents feature soft beds and mini-refrigerators. And the Conestoga Wagon will enthrall the kids—and the kid in you. Find out if Conestoga Ranch is right for you, cowhand.
Photo by Bren Photography.
4. Asheville Glamping, Asheville, NC
Stay in a whimsical yurt, Airstream, or tent cabin outfitted with WiFi, TV, showers and sometimes: hot tubs! Hit the nearby Appalachian Trail when you’re feeling sporty, or local breweries when you want to party. Then visit the famed Biltmore Estate, George Vanderbilt’s historic French-Renaissance-style mansion. Now that’s glamping! Get the deets on Asheville Glamping.
5. Camp Kátur, North Yorkshire, UK
Kátur means “happy” in Icelandic, and this folksy camp lives up to its name. Honeymooners love the Romeo and Juliette pod. Families favor the geodomes. Bell tents and teepees span price points. And because one camper’s happiness is another’s “no way,” Kátur has an activity for everyone. Indoor types: How about drawing class? Adventurers: Falconry, for sure. Then there’s the cocktail-making class―for adults of all stripes. Look into cozy Camp Kátur.
Photo by LEAPfactory.
6. LeapRus 3912, Kabardino-Balkaria, Russia
LeapRus 3912 sits on Russia’s Mt. Elbrus, the highest peak in Europe. Housing skiers in space-station style, it’s as otherworldly as the lunar-esque landscape outside. Architecture firm LEAPfactory powered the site with solar energy, using melted snow to supply bathroom water. The pods are furnished with bunks, WiFi and panoramic views. Prepare for landing. (And expect extreme weather.) Book through the North Caucasus Mountain Club.
7. Sandat Glamping, Bali, Indonesia
Here, the luxe tents and “lumbungs”―thatched-roof structures traditionally used as rice warehouses―emphasize the glam in glamping. With infinity pools, canopy beds and Balinese antiques, you could get used to it. For a taste of authentic Bali, visit nearby Ubud, home to the “Monkey Forest,” where macaque monkeys make endless mischief. View Sandat Glamping’s opulence.
8. Rockwater Secret Cove Resort, Sunshine Coast, British Columbia, Canada
Hydrotherapy tubs. Rainforest showers. Private verandas. These and other luxuries make the “Tenthouse Suites” here more “suite” than “tent”. Nestled within the lush arbutus forest, however, the rooms are as close to nature as any backyard pup tent. So bliss out with a massage or make like a camper and hike. Visit Rockwater Secret Cove and swoon.
9. Arapaho Valley Ranch, Arapaho National Forest, Granby, Colorado
Five tipis with queen beds or bunks, decked out with Native American décor, sit within Colorado’s scenic Indian Peaks Wilderness Area. A winding trail takes you along the Colorado River to a storybook wooden swing. Look up: You might see a hawk! Cook your fresh-caught trout over a community fire, then visit the Red Dog Saloon, an intimate lodge. Read up on Arapaho Valley Ranch.