5 Places to Go Glamping

Glamping, short form for glamorous camping, promises all the rugged adventure of the outdoors, with the velvet luxury touch of high-end comfort.   A growing trend in the world of modern travel, here’s my first round of picks from Canada and around the world:

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, BC

Lets kick off on Vancouver Island’s Clayoquot Wilderness Resort (pictured above), which offers 20 luxury tents, connected by cedar boardwalk under a rainforest canopy. Each tent has antique furniture, thick rugs, wood stoves, and a shower house, blending opulence and wilderness at the mouth of the Bedwell River. ​

Rockwater Secret Cove, BC

It was a stormy, cold night when I arrived at Rockwater Secret Cove, so I appreciated the heated slate floors, glowing fireplace, terry cloth robes and hydrotherapy soaker tub.   All the more so because I was staying in a tent, and these are not things one normally associates with tent accommodation.  Located on the Sunshine Coast, Rockwater’s tent accommodations sit off a wooden boardwalk , illuminated at night like a runway, with beautiful views of the Malaspina Strait.

Le Camp, France

Located in the countryside of southwestern France, Le Camp offers six two-bedroom luxury canvas tents, and private yurts located deep in the woodland.   Each tent looks out over the countryside, and comes with handmade beds, solar lighting, composting toilets, and an indoor/outdoor shower.   Private luxury for couples, or big enough to accommodate whole families, Le Camp has space to roam, explore or relax.   You will however have to share the 20m natural swimming pool.  Your company:  butterflies, dragonflies and frogs. ​

Spicers Canopy, Australia

An hour and half from Brisbane, Splicers Canopy offers glampers a back-to-nature experience atop a plateau, and an 8000-acre private reserve.   Accommodating 20 guests, each tent has king size beds with fine linen, polished floorboards, luxurious armchairs and covered deck.   Gourmet meals are included, as are guided walkabouts into the Main Range National Park.  Dining is communal, taking places around a large stone fireplace, under stars sparkling above the clear air of the plateau.   ​

Three Camel Lodge, Mongolia

Perhaps the most exotic destination for today's glamper, the Three Camel Lodge is an environmentally sustainable development built in Mongolia’s Gobi Desert.  Accommodation comes in the form of luxury gers, the traditional circular tents used by Mongolian nomads. Felt and canvas cover a wooden frame that can be dismantled easily, with a wood stove keeping everyone warm in the middle.  Three Camel’s gers have handpainted furniture, a private bathroom, king size beds, and Mongolian style bathrobes and slippers.  The lodge features a restaurant, and Dino House, built in the style of a traditional temple, for evening entertainment. ​