Posted on

Glamping Ahoy! – UK Shipbuilders Bring Glamping Pods Ashore

Landlubbers need not fear the tumultuous seas to enjoy a night aboard a ship now that English boat builder John Knight has employed his craftsmen to build glamping pods. A recent downturn in traditional boatbuilding got Knight, who directs a campground Waveney River Centre near Lowestoft, United Kingdom, thinking of a new way to use his boatbuilding skills.

pod interior

Great care is taken in the crafting of his cabins, using authentic boatbuilding materials like sustainable larch and pine right down to the wool insulation, which ensures a warm and pleasant slumber. The boat shaped cabins are so popular that Knight plans to add more of these ship-shape pods to create a cluster at the River Centre.

lodge deck

He notes that unlike other pods that don’t take advantage of a boat’s true design, his glamping pods make “the most of the available space, raising the level of the double bed and creating storage space.” The 14ft x 10ft pods are furnished with a full size double bed above two single beds (4″ mattresses linens not included), FreeView TV, LED lights, a double socket and loads of storage space, certainly providing a level of comfort that Ernest Shackleton would approve of.

bf00a08eea02ba72d6e1536c47f16f412[1]

As well as marketing the pods to other resorts, he believes the public at large will be interested in buying the “boat houses” for other purposes such as garden studios, unique sheds or guest accommodation, and so is offering them for sale online at myescapepod.co.uk for £11,500 including VAT (value added tax). It’s believed that should the demand for traditional boatbuilding continue to wane, crafting these glamping pods will help preserve the art.

lodge interior

Tourists can find these pods at Waveney River Center at Burgh St Peter, near Beccles, just over 100 miles northeast of London, near the city of Lowestoft on the North Sea, which is the most easterly point in the United Kingdom.

lodge

If the glamping pods are booked, guests can choose to stay in one of their luxury lodges. The marina has a fleet of boats from which to choose to rent, and the Knights are expanding their on-site pub and adding a new menu with locally-sourced food.

Posted on

Glamping Gone Overland

The word “safari” conjures images of adventurous sun-drenched days on the African savanna followed by warm evenings spent telling tall tales over fine food and wine by torchlight. It’s the original glamping, and a safari at its imagined best is an expedition that advances to a new location each evening, making the journey and destination one. Today the discerning glamper can take advantage of this style of travel in Africa and beyond, all part of a growing trend commonly referred to as overlanding.

Ciquibul Forest BZE

One company that offers the overlanding travel experience is No Limit Expeditions. Operated by James and Angela Brown of Colorado (now based in Guatemala), No Limit offers several exotic glamping expeditions that employ the classic safari vehicle, the Land Rover Defender, taking glampers to far flung destinations otherwise unreachable, and spare no effort in providing all the trappings of glamorous camping.

CAMP UAX 2

Expeditions typically begin in a luxury lodge (such as one of Coppola’s fine Central American resorts like La Lancha, Blancaneaux, or Turtle Inn), then take clients deep into the jungle on trips such as “Rainforests & Ruins,” where No Limit sets the scene at a gloriously secluded Maya ruin, where travelers imbibe on exquisite wines and dine on gourmet victuals. James is both a trained chef and sommelier, and after clients enjoy their feast amid the ruins, they may play the role of raconteur while enjoying a hand rolled cigar (personally blended by James himself). “It’s fantastic to sit in the jungle drinking this really nice aged rum while smoking a premium hand rolled cigar,” Angela relates. When slumber calls, travelers retire to a South African safari tent replete with the comforts afforded a British nobleman gone far afield.

Campmore tent

The Browns have seen their business expand with the outfitting of additional Land Rovers, and the addition of Lesotho-native Graham Jackson as a guide.  They’ve branched out to include new destinations (Baja California and Expedition Africa), and a new excursion to stretch the imagination of the glamper- an amazing island-hopping sailing voyage, “Rainforest and Reef,” blending land and sea exploration. “Glamping goes with our travel philosophy,” says Angela. “We like to go to these far, out of the way places, but we want to be able to do it in a nice style. Not roughing it- we want to bring the finer aspects with us along the journey.”

Deck @ La Lancha 2

Its expedition companies like this that get you to places that you could otherwise not reach, and treat you like royalty when you get there. Having an amazing Maya ruin or Caribbean island all to yourself? Now that’s adventure and luxury. Now that’s glamping.

PHOTO CREDITS: All photos courtesy of Ben Edmonson except  “Deck @ La Lancha” photo, courtesy Kerry Devine.

Posted on

Luxury Submarines Are No Longer Just for Super-Villains

To set the record straight, Glamping is literally defined as a fusion of glamour and camping – a way to experience the great outdoors without sacrificing luxury.

Over the last few years, the term has taken on different meanings to different people.  For a property to be listed on Glamping.com, for example, we stipulate that it must somehow bring its guests closer to the natural environment in which it is located.  African safari tents and tree houses in California are two obvious cases in point.

To distinguish between the wide variety of glamping styles being offered today, we classify accommodations into separate categories.  This includes Tents, Villas & Huts, Cubes & Eco Pods, Yurts & Teepees, Tree Houses & Airstreams, Eco & Safari Lodges, and Cabineering.  In their own distinct way, each of these uniquely different options help travelers experience destinations in a much more “up close and personal” way.

So when we discovered that a holiday home-rental company called Oliver’s Travels is offering its customers the chance to spend the night in a specially adapted leisure submarine called “Lovers Deep”, we wondered just how far the boundaries of glamping could go.

loversdeep5

The underwater marine hotel called “Lovers Deep” takes its guests (mostly couples) to the bottom of the ocean floor in places like the Red Sea and the Caribbean.

For about $292,800 per night, guests can spend the night at the bottom of the Red Sea or cruising the reefs of the Caribbean.  They also get a captain, a private chef and butler, speedboat transfers and optional add-ons that include helicopter transfers, beach landing, two-person shower, and champagne-soaked breakfast.

Guests who book the submarine accommodations as part of a honeymoon package are also offered a free lovers’ dinner menu that includes oysters, caviar and chocolate fondant with essence of pomegranate.

According to a February 16, 2014 report in Malay Mail Online, Lovers Deep is the latest in a new travel trend rising to the surface. In response to the banality of skyscraping properties, more and more hoteliers are plumbing the depths of the ocean for new and innovative lodging experiences.

The Manta Resort, for instance, offers a striking underwater room off the coast of Tanzania that includes a suite built four meters below the surface of the Indian Ocean, backlit by underwater spotlights.

photo from rusava.me Ithaa

Another example includes the Ithaa Undersea Restaurant at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island hotel.  Set five meters below the surface, the fine dining restaurant features 180-degree views of the coral gardens. And the blueprints for a futuristic-looking luxury hotel in the Maldives reveal plans to build a spaceship-like edifice seven metres above water on five pillars. The lower deck, meanwhile, will be built up to 30 meters below the surface.

themantaresort

So now we want to ask you, our readers.  What does glamping mean to you and should these unusual accommodations be classified as glamping?