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Hotel Trend: Modular Glamping

Fodor’s

We started off camping in tents. The wilderness doubled as playground and commode, and food was cooked over the fire. Then came glamping, still camping as far as we’re concerned, but glam-ed up with five-star luxuries like a king bed draped in goose down, and if you’re lucky, a personal toilet and shower. Now, camping has evolved again with “modular glamping”, a fusion of minimalist design and glamping. Curious about why mod glamping is capturing the limelight in architectural blogs and design magazines the world over? We’ve assembled three boxy flats, offering much more than a firepit and dirt floor. Once you “rough it” here, your tent may never pop up again.

Rolling Huts

There are six in the ‘herd’, and people people are flocking here every quarter. Three hours outside of Seattle in Washington’s backcountry, this herd is permanently wrangled. Technically, each hut sits atop eight large steel wheels to comply with local zoning. Built with steel, polished plywood, and a few windows, the boxy glampers are super photogenic. Inside, the minimalist aesthetic is furthered by modular, moveable pieces which double as a second sleeping platform and living room-slash-eating area. In summer, the sliding glass doors offer natural air conditioning, and in winter the wood-burning fire (and furnace if you’re really chilly) creates a cozy aesthetic.

Glamping Scale: Rustic glamping. Each hut has an attached outhouse and a full shared bathroom (with showers) is 30 steps away. The kitchen is bare-bones with a coffee maker, microwave, bar fridge, and limited utensils.

Insider Tip: BYO sheets and duvet, and if you’re a serious glamper, consider bringing an extra camping mattress to put under the thin foamy provided. For foodies, there’s a BBQ trio (two charcoal and one propane) for a salmon bake, but remember to bring wine glasses, a cheese grater, tongs, and any other kitchen utensil musts to make sure the feast is Michelin-worthy.

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Jackson Hole Cabins

Jackson Hole’s Fireside Cabins represent the next frontier in glamping. There’s no roughing it here; spring, summer, fall, or winter four rustic wooden walls and an angled roof (to help with heating and cooling) blend eco-design and contemporary furnishings. Minutes from the slopes and trails of Grand Teton National Park, 20 cabins exude ski-chic without any fur-rimmed and diamond-encrusted attitude. If fact, you may not even want to hike or ski at all once you curl up in front of the fire with good book or bask in the sun on your private deck—après might just be on the agenda all day.

Glamping Scale: Cushy cabin glamping with a flat-screen TV, WiFi, gas fireplace, petit kitchen, full bathroom, and king-sized bed; in other words, worlds away from from roughing it at the campground.

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Mexican Wine Country

A hop, skip, and a jump by car from San Diego, the just-opened Endemico is the uber-expression of

modular glamping. Twenty rectangular lofts sit staggered between desert brush and boulders on a hill overlooking a vine-lined landscape maturing in the heart of Mexico’s wine country. At first, the glamp-ins (glamping cabins, obviously) are hard to spot, blending into the surroundings built with a combination of steel and wood intended to wear and disappear into the eco-retreat’s 232-acre landscape over time. Don’t let the minimal, green design fool you, these modular masterpieces might be off the grid, but they pack an eco-luxury punch with a king-size bed, full bathroom, WiFi, and deck warmed at night by your personal outdoor kiva (a traditional, wood-burning clay fire bowl).

Glamping Scale: Eco-mod resort, verging more on deluxe retreat than glamping, aided and abetted by a pool carved into the landscape and on-site, artisan restaurant.

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Glamping & Luxury Safaris in Kenya | Kichwa Tembo Tented Camps

JustLuxe | Affluent Lifestyle Guide

Photo Courtesy of & Beyond

Glamping has become one of the hottest luxury travel trends over the past few years—up-scale tents nestled into the natural surroundings; eating meals under the stars; getting acquainted with the great outdoors and its indigenous wildlife. Thrill-seekers, families, couples and solo travelers alike have all gotten on board with this new fad. These types of resorts are located on nearly every continent, but if a trip to Africa (and a real safari that doesn’t take place at an amusement park) is still on your bucket list, the tented camps of Kichwa Tembo, Kenya are a great place to cross it off.

The world renowned Masai Mara National Reserve in the heart of Kenya sets the stage for encounters with the Big Five (lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino and elephant), over 450 birds, six primate species, and a chance to experience the annual Great Migration. But before you get to the lions, tigers and bears, you have to settle into your luxury camping accommodations. There are two intimate options: Bateleur Camp and Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp.

Each camp contains nine suites that do their best to blend into the wilderness while still offering all the comforts of home. The Bateleur Camp is a little more high-end, with brass, silver and leather accents on the interior, along with private butlers, laundry service, and soda, wine, spirits and beer on hand. Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp can be found in a slightly more remote location (if that’s possible) in the north western section of the reserve, and feature private verandas with views of the savanna and forest. Stays at either camp include scheduled safari activities that could have you taking night game drives or bush walks to explore your new surroundings and its inhabitants.

After you’ve become acclimated with your well-appointed tent, what exactly can you expect? An average day at the camps starts out at dawn. Sip a warm cup of tea and enjoy a light breakfast while watching the sun rise over the vast African landscape. An open 4×4 will arrive soon after to take you on a daytime safari where you could see wildebeest and zebra cross the Mara River, a pride of lion stretched out in the shade, or a herd of buffalo sniffing out their prey.

Amidst the excitement, you’ll stop for a snack to marvel at the natural beauty before heading back for lunch and perhaps a refreshing dip in the camp’s pool. Don’t get too comfortable though, because another drive or bush walk is right around the corner. Later, an alfresco dinner will be served as fellow glampers gather to exchange stories of the day’s exhilarating exploits.

If you want to take your African adventure up a notch, there are plenty of additional activities on offer. Soar high in a hot air balloon and see the Masai Mara from a different angle; go on a walking safari with a specialist guide to see more of Kenya’s many creatures; visit a Masaai village with an English speaking Maasai to learn more about the local community; arrange a private breakfast or dinner deep into the bush among the sights and sounds of Kenya; or view a traditional dance performed by Maasai warrior men as they chant melodies in authentic dress; or take a photographic safari with an experienced guide to forever capture the memories of your trip.
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I’m Not a Camper, but I am a Glamper

JustLuxe | Affluent Lifestyle Guide

Katherine Bond

I don’t like to camp, but I love to glamp. That is, I don’t want to sleep in a soggy sleeping bag or spend 3 hours propping up a dingy tent while doused in bug spray. But put me in a King size bed called the “Last Best Bed,” pre-heat my tent’s bathrooms’ tile floors, and throw in a camp butler and then yes, I am a glamper or “Glamorous” camper. “Glamping” allegedly originated in the 1900s as well-heeled Brits desired to see the savannahs of Africa without missing afternoon tea and hot British cuisine, cooked nightly but a private chef. Nowadays, glamping has swept the luxury travel market most aggressively in the last five years, offering discerning luxury travelers a way to connect with nature without forgoing plush amenities, such as five course meals and copper hot tubs.

My most recent glamping experience was at The Resort at Paws Up, one of Montana’s very best luxury ranches, self-dubbed “the Last Best Place.” It is. I covered the property last year, from the view of a cabin guest. Leaving the property for the first time last summer, I felt like that kid at summer camp in a fit of tears on the last day of camp. There I was, being dragged away, frantically waving, “I’ll be back! I’ll be back!” Paws Up has that effect on its adult guests. This second visit was my first time at a “Paws Up” camp, and I was certainly sad to depart. Here are a few reasons why:

The Tent: Paws Up offers four campgrounds, each distinctly snuggled into nooks within the 37,000 acres of Paws Up forest. Our camp, Creekside Camp, lines the idyllic Elk Creek, heard faintly from the deck of our 830 square foot tent. A Paws Up “tent” is hardly a few flaps of canvas. Each tent is the mansion Mother Nature would stay in, complete with hardwood and carpeted floors, a stunning heated tile bathroom with Kolher fixtures, seating areas of plush leather chairs, and rustic décor. If it weren’t for the chirps of birds or rustles of pines, I would have never guessed I was “outside.” That’s the best part, too. One night, a thunder and lightening shower rumbled around our tent, filling the cool mountain air with the light hiss of rain while I read a good book under the ultra cozy pile of my pine King-size bed.

The Cuisine: One of my favorite aspects of our camp was the welcoming dining pavilion, a half-outdoor, half-indoor plaza for daily meals. A roaring fire usually welcomed us in the morning, flanked by a wall of stonework and imbedded standard refrigerator, always stocked with refreshments. Leather couches, a bar area, and sturdy coffee table made this a great gathering area. This, in turn, led to the dining tables and an outdoor fire pit rimmed with timber seating. Our on-site chef, a sweet Montanan, could whip up anything in his full-size kitchen. My favorite dishes were the grilled elk loin salad with local mushrooms, thepan roasted quail legs with black truffle sauce, and the country buttermilk panna cotta. It dawned on me that I don’t eat this well even at “indoor” resorts, let alone ones next to a sleepy creek and a carpet of pinecones.

The Fun: A friend of mine asked me, once I returned, “So what do you do all day in the forest?” Ah, this friend is not a glamper, nor a guest of Paws Up. The resort has a list of rustic activities so exhaustive that guests sometimes stay over a week just to cover a significant chunk. Yoga classes, horseshoes, croquet, disc golf, gym access, and pony rides are a few of the included activities with any stay. I particularly like the “geocaching” adventure, a little nature scavenger hunt rewarded with resort goodies for successful uncoverings. For those desiring a body bounce, the new “Bone Rattler Raceway” is now open. Learn the off-road skills needed to sail, swerve, and crush along a challenging off-roading course, while in the resort’s custom built Jeep.  Personally, I’ll be back for the Spa Town’s new services, including a huckleberry body scrub and barbed wire body wrap. Also new for next year:  Blackfoot Camp, which Paws Up claims will be its largest and most luxurious campsite yet. I suppose the sweet owners of Paws Up, a nice husband and wife in love with Montana, just like the fun of making the Last Best Place even better every passing year.