Posted on

Remote Glamping at 4 Rivers Floating Lodge

To say that 4 Rivers Floating Lodge is remote does not quite accurately describe the complete peace and tranquility that guests will experience at this luxury lodge, which can only be reached by boat.  After a short boat ride, guests will round the bend of Southwest Cambodia’s Taitai River to see the twelve floating tents of 4 Rivers Lodge.  There are no roads or neighbors nearby to detract from the experience of being completely immersed in the serene wilderness of the Cardamom Mountains and surrounding lush, tropical rainforest.

The well-appointed luxury tents of 4 Rivers are spacious and handsomely furnished.  Each tent is decorated in neutral tones with red accents and features a flat-screen television, Wi-Fi, and a mini bar.  The sides of the tents can be rolled up to provide a panoramic view of the sparkling water of the Taitai River right outside. Each accommodation has a private patio which features large lounging chairs, perfect for sunbathing or sipping a cocktail while enjoying the natural entertainment of a colorful sunset. There are steps from every tent straight into the clear, cool water of the river below.  Each tent has its own spacious en suite bathroom with a round wooden tub and rainfall shower.

 

The activities at 4 Rivers Floating Lodge all center around the unspoiled jungle landscape.  Excursions to the nearby waterfall provide guests with an opportunity to bathe in its cool pools and receive a natural water massage. Guided tours are available which will take guests into the thick of the mountains where they will meet friendly locals ready to share their customs. In the evening, guides are available to escort guests via boat to the perfect vantage point to watch the sun set over the river or watch the fireflies which are in such abundance, they make the night sky twinkle like Christmas lights.  Guests can also choose to explore the Taitai river solo in a kayak or canoe and to try to fish for their supper.  If you catch something, the resort’s kitchen staff will cook it up for you!  Wildlife are in abundance in the Cardamoms and guests should keep an eye out for any of the many species that reside here, including over 550 species of birdlife, rhinoceroses, tigers, gibbons, and elephants.

Dining at 4 Rivers is a special treat, featuring dishes that showcase international cuisine with a Cambodian flair.  Lunch and dinner are prix fixe, with lunch consisting of three courses, and dinner consisting of four.  A separate vegetarian menu is also available and the friendly staff are happy to accommodate any special dietary needs.

The 4 Rivers Floating Lodge is the type of resort that you will feel good about staying at.  The owners, Anna and Valentin, emphasize social responsibility and ecologically-friendly concepts.  They employ individuals from the local village and teach them English and how to use computers, but also ways to preserve and conserve in this developing nation full of natural wonders.  The lodge also utilizes many eco-friendly elements such as modern composite materials instead of wood and a waste water treatment system.  The owners have plans to implement even more eco-friendly elements to the resort soon.

Posted on

The Airstream Glamping Trend

Do luxury hotels and caravans seem to be irreconcilable concepts? Well, that’s not the case at all, especially if we delve into the welcome and fascinating meanderings of glamping.

The fusion of these two opposites is both possible and intriguing, and goes by the name Airstream hotel. As the name suggests, these are hotels and guest houses that don’t offer hospitality in traditional buildings and rooms, but rather are equipped with a fleet of Airstream trailers that have been ultra-accessorised and customised to accommodate the most disparate range of ideas and needs (from rustic country to super-technological, by way of the 1950s).

The Airstream hotel phenomenon is experiencing a sharp increase, and in fact this type of tourism is increasing in popularity practically throughout the whole world, from the USA to Europe and South Africa, with an increasingly varied selection suitable for every budget.

 

One of the most chic options, for example, is the Grand Daddy Hotel in Cape Town: here you can choose between seven completely vintage Airstreams that have been meticulously reconstructed, each furnished and laid out according to a completely different theme. The names of the Airstreams are Duck (with characteristic furniture covered completely in polka dots), Afro Funk (with an African theme), The Ballad of John and Yoko (in honour of the famous couple Lennon-Ono), Earthcote Moontides (with a magical and bizarre atmosphere), Love of Lace (in boudoir style), Goldilocks and the Three Bears (with a fairy-tale theme) and finally Pleasantville (furnished like a classic Fifties home). All this costs around 120 dollars a night.

 

Conversely, the more rustic choice, Vintage Vacations in England has 13 Airstreams and the prices for weekly stays range from £350 to £680 depending on the season. Their caravans are truly exceptional and you can choose to stay in a highly spartan Airstream from 1946, for example, or a futuristic one from 1954 or a classic version from 1962.

Posted on

Huvafen Fushi: Serene. Visionary. Naturally Modern.

Huvafen Fushi, located on the islands of Maldives, is a true glamping resort in a tropical paradise.  On this little atoll, you are completely surrounded by the serene blue water of the Indian Ocean.  At Huvafen Fushi, which means “Dream Island” in Dihvehi (the native language of Maldives), guests are pampered with immaculate accommodations, creative gourmet dining, and an abundance of outdoor activities that take advantage of the vast playground this pristine beach offers.

Accommodations at Huvafen Fushi range from luxurious to “over-the-top” lavish.  The bungalows at this posh resort may look traditional from the outside with their thatched roofs, but on the inside they are full of modern technology, sleek design, and extreme relaxation.  Bungalows may either be situated on the beach or on a pier perched over the water, with the ones on the pier featuring areas of the floor made of glass so that guests can view the water below.  Gadgets abound in these modern bungalows, which feature a Bose indoor/outdoor music system, plasma televisions, and Bang & Olufsen phones.  Each bungalow boasts a large ensuite bathroom, and a private plunge pool, but perhaps the most impressive amenity of all is the view of the clear, blue water of the Indian Ocean.

 

For guests looking for supreme extravagance, Huvafen Fushi offers the Ocean or Beach Pavilion.  The Ocean Pavilion is built out 200 meters over the Indian Ocean for complete privacy.  This luxury home features its own freshwater infinity pool that blends with the ocean horizon that serves as the backdrop.  The Beach Pavilion, which is approximately 800 sqm, has its own private beach.  The upstairs master bedroom of this two-bedroom luxury home, has a glass floor to provide views of the fiber-optic lit, infinity pool below.  Each pavilion offers access to your own Thakuru, or personal butler, 24 hours a day.

 

Dining at Huvafen Fushi is an experience like none other.  For a laid back experience, indoors or outdoors on a white sand covered deck built over the lagoon, guests can dine at Celsius, which features a selection of global cuisine and fresh ingredients.  For a unique dining opportunity, guests can enjoy fare at RAW, where all food is freshly prepared and served, you guessed it, raw.  You’ll never believe that food could taste so good uncooked.  For a more upscale dining experience, there is Salt, which prides itself in serving seafood freshly caught from the Indian Ocean as well as an extensive wine list.

Activities abound in this tropical paradise.  Days can be filled with snorkeling where guests can view a coral reef alive with marine creatures and colors so bright, they appear to be out of a painting.  Big-game fishing provides a unique opportunity to yield a bounty of barracuda, Mahi-Mahi, or tuna.  For a bird’s eye view of the Maldivian atolls, guests can ride in a seaplane, perfect for taking photos.  Guests can also take a ride on a luxury Dhoni (a traditional sailboat of the Maldives) to view the sun as it sets over the water. For an unparalleled experience in relaxation, guests can indulge themselves in a spa treatment at Huvafen Fushi’s exclusive underwater spa. That’s right, it’s underwater – with windows which allow guests to view schools of fish just on the other side of the glass.  This sanctuary of requiescence is lavished with delicate fabrics that mimic the ocean life just on the other side of the glass.