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