Posted on

Immerse Yourself In Asian Glamping

Four Seasons Glamping

Glamping is seeing rapid and exciting expansion as an industry. The method of vacationing might not be new to places like Africa and Australia, but this travel phenomena is becoming more and more popular. Now Asia is taking part as well.

In Africa the luxury tent has been around ever since travelers have taken to hunting exotic game. For decades lavish canvas tents catered to wealthy Europeans and Americans on Safari. Prize catches were taxidermied and hung on posts or made into fur rugs. The wealthy traveler relaxed with a glass of the finest imported whiskey while being served the best of local cuisine. In Australia, an outback Safari-like mode travel gained popularity. Now the United States has their own version of rugged western camps fine-tuned to please the pickiest traveler.

In Asia it’s a thrill to see the trend catching on. Asia is a serene region that emphasizes a reliance on peace and nature. While yoga might be part of every luxury outdoor resort, few places suit the practice as well as the countries of it’s origins. Imagine glamping in Thailand, Indonesia, India and Myanmar!

In Thailand, Four Seasons has brought glamping to two locations. Along with the expected canvas accommodations and top-notch spa packages, their glamping offers elephant trekking and other excursions. The iconic elephant makes Thailand truly unique. In the morning an elephant excursion takes visitors atop Camp Peak as the sun rises over the Laos Mountains to fill the Burmese Plains. After a leisurely coffee you can splash around with the gentle giants.

India is rich with glamping opportunities. If you choose to stay in Jaisalmer, especially near the Sam Sand Dunes, you’ll be greeted by a landscape that can’t be beat. Riding a camel into the sunset on the sand dunes will make you feel like you’ve been transported to those old arabian nights. Accommodations are very much modern and comfortable. If budget allows, try visiting India’s first five-star jungle camp. Oberoi Vanyavilas. You’ll find it in Rajasthan along with plenty of local tigers, deer, birds, crocs, bears and leo­pards. There is no roughing it here. Everything is exquisite.

For those seeking a ‘one with nature’ experience, try Tiger Tops in Nepal. Their sustainable jungle tours get as close to nature as safety permits. The entire camp runs mainly on solar power and every effort is made to make it’s carbon footprint as light as possible. Plus, within the Chitwan and Bardia national parks the touring methods have the taste of authenticity. Boat tours are done in hand crafted vessels that silently carry through Nepal’s impressive wilderness. Elephant tours are also an option. Sightings of tigers, rhinos, elephants, crocodiles, leopards and deer (oh my!) are common. This is a bird watchers heaven with all sorts of undisturbed feathery species.

Wherever you choose to spend your glamping hiatus, trying the local cuisine is a must! Approach everything with an open mind – the crazier the better. When the atmosphere, immersion of sounds, sights and tastes combine together it’s sure to create an unforgettable experience.

Posted on

Spicers Canopy Scenic Rim Trail: Nature By Day Luxury By Night

I pulled up in my rental car and was greeted by Hanna and James, our guides from Spicers Canopy. James took my bag and whisked it away informing me it would be waiting for me at my tent when we finished our hike. Hanna took me to a truck where she introduced me to my fellow hikers and glampers – 3 women who, like me, were also traveling solo. When you think about luxury lodging, you seldom think about experiencing it solo. You normally save luxury experiences like glamping to be shared with someone. However, you don’t have to save ‘special’ experiences to be shared with someone, if I did, then I’d probably never travel! My time at Spicers Canopy was a great way to experience glamping solo because it wasn’t solely about the resort and luxury, it was about how you got there and the people you were with.

Our hiking guide, Hanna, handed us day backpacks already packed with rain gear, a hat, lunch, snacks, and a camel back water system. This wasn’t just luxury camping, it was luxury hiking too. I wasn’t used to getting this type of pampering when I hiked, but I think I could get used to it! We started up the Scenic Rim Trailhead towards the summit of Mt. Mitchell. Spicers Scenic Rim Trail is located in the Great Dividing Range of Southern Queensland Australia. A region rich in exploration and history, which is a perfect distance from Brisbane for a weekend getaway. We started with a gradual climb through cartoonish looking trees and plants I had never seen before native to Australia. We arrived at the summit in time to eat our packed lunches of wraps and fruit; needed nourishment after the climb.

Spicers Canopy 6

As we hiked up Mt. Mitchell you could see the big picture of the day’s hike. James pointed out white dots down in the distant valley, the tents of Spicers Canopy, which would be our camp for the evening. He also pointed out the Spicers Peak Lodge perched on top of a hill across from Spicer’s Peak which would be our end destination on our last day of hiking. As I looked at the Spicers Canopy tents in way off in the distance I was excited at the prospect of a glamping experience after challenging hiking day. After all, the last thing I wanted to do after a challenging 8 mile hike was pitch my own tent, start a fire, and cook myself crappy camp food.

Spicers Canopy 5

Seeing the camp gave me the energy to get through the 2nd half of the hike which veered off the nice park maintained trail and into proper bush walking. We followed Hanna and James as they led us through the tall grass and down the steep embankment – we were blazing our own trail now! We passed the time by getting to know each other better swapping stories and personal information making us forget about the miles we were logging. After a few more hours we came up over the ridge and saw our first look at the campsite, which had 10 perfectly placed safari style canvas tents with porches all looking out on Mt. Mitchell. The sun was startingto get low and the camp had a golden glow. Or maybe I was blinded by the golden bubbles handed to me as I arrived at the communal lodge building. Ryan and Finley, the Spicers Canopy chefs, handed me a glass of champagne, welcomed me to the camp, and invited us in to enjoy homemade scones, jam, and cream by the fire. I’m an avid hiker, but this was the most memorable way I have ever finished a day hike. It felt great to take off my boots and daypack and sink into the big couch cushions enjoying the smell of a roaring fire with a glass of bubbly. “I earned this”, I thought to myself!

Spicers Canopy 1

The hiking was done and the pampering had just begun. We were shown to our tents where our bags awaited us as well as a big queen bed full of pillows making it look like a marshmallow to sink into. The tents were powered by solar so each had two bedside lamps and one overhead lamp. The bed as well as a lounge chair looked out on Mt. Mitchell. It felt wonderful to think that we had been way up there at the peak earlier in the day. I put on my fluffy white robe and walked to the bathrooms in the communal building that was also home to 3 sleek, modern bathrooms with showers. The hot shower felt wonderful on the chilly evening. (Image – Spicers Canopy 2.jpg)

Soon it was time for canapés and wine served around the fire as the lodge was filling with aromas from Ryan and Finley’s cooking. The kitchen was open which allowed and encouraged everyone to interact. After a day of hiking I had gotten to know my fellow hikers pretty well. This glamping experience was more of a group experience instead of a romantic weekend with privacy. And personally I preferred this as a solo traveler who loves hiking. Part of the fun for me was getting to know my fellow hikers.

Spicers Canopy 4

The best part about glamping after a hike is you get to enjoy guilt-free eating! A feast was delivered to the communal table; onion brie tart with balsamic vinegar, coq au vin, and sticky date pudding with ice cream for dessert. Not the typical camping food I am used to. The fire was dying down, my belly was full, and the wine had taken hold, it was time to retire to my tent. The air was crisp outside which quickened my step, however as I stepped up on my porch I glanced up and was stopped in my tracks. The luminous Milky Way was staring back at me with such sharpness I was mesmerized and the chilly night air became an afterthought.

I finally pulled myself away from stargazing and unzipped my tent to fall into my marshmallow bed, exhausted. When I turned down the duvet I found a hot water bottle nestled in my bed – the perfect sleeping companion for this solo glamper on a cold autumn night. In this environment it was easy to get a good night’s sleep so that I could get up and do this all over again with my fellow hikers tomorrow!

Spicers Canopy 7

More Information: Spicers Scenic Rim Trail is a new inventive 3 day hike and glamping experience covering approximately 19 miles around the Great Dividing Range Mountains in Southeast Queensland Australia. You glamp for 2 nights at Spicers Canoy and the third night your hike ends at the luxurious Spicers Peak Lodge where the pampering continues surrounded by real walls.

Posted on

What Oprah.com Thinks About Glamping

Glamping

It’s summer time and the outdoors are looking more and more inviting. For avid glampers, that means chasing unique glamping experiences across the globe, especially in the US.

Oprah.com took a look into glamping and found the high-class camping in states from Maine to California. Like a $35 per night four-person tepee in Gunnison, Colorado. Or a $1000 per night for a two-person, hardwood-floor tepee at Mustang Monument Wild Horse Eco-Resort in Wells, Nevada. The quality of living goes up with the price tag, but both provide the one-with-nature feel that has made glamping a huge trend and perhaps permanent method of vacationing.

You know that you’re glamping when there’s no tent to pitch, no sleeping bag to unroll, and no fire to build. Whether in a tent, yurt, airstream, hut, villa or treehouse – glamping is a way to experience the great outdoors without sacrificing luxury. It’s tailored for travelers who want to experience the positive aspects of camping without the “uncomfortable” negatives.

There’s no official definition of what glamping is (yet), but these are the universal elements you’ll see at a glamping site.

  1. No lobby in sight. Nature is literally right outside your door.
  2. A unique structure.
  3. The (basic) comforts of a hotel.

“If you like the idea of spending the night in the great outdoors but aren’t so wild about sleeping on the ground and wearing the same clothes for days, you may be ready for glamping”, says Lindsay Funston, a contributing writer for Oprah.com.

It was 2007 when the keyword “glamping” started to gain traction, according to Google Trends. While the celebrities have popularized it in our era, it was royalty who first began our glamping tradition. Tracing all the way back to the Ottoman Empire. That was 200 AD. The sultan traveled with silk fabrics, embroidery, expensive rugs and furnishings while hosting royal ceremonies or other gatherings. Some of the glamping today might even surpass the extravagance of those days… minus the crowds… modern glamping is a private experience for couples or families.

Except for when it is a ceremony. Take for example Matthew McConaughey who transformed his Texas ranch wedding into a glampground extravaganza in 2012. Perhaps not luxury standard, but each tent had it’s own air conditioning unit!

Check our list for glamping in the USA here. Some locations that offer glamor camping, right here in the states, include places like Yellowstone in Montana and Moab in Utah. Also in Montana there’s the premier luxury dude ranch glamping at Paws Up. Try staying at cottages in Maine at Bay Leaf Cottages or the motor homes at Santa Barbara Auto Camp in California.

Oprah.com points out that, “Despite its name, the activity doesn’t have to be super chichi; at its heart, glamping is about getting close to nature with a little more comfort and a lot less lugging of stuff.” At the end of the day, whether you pitch your own tent or use a permanent canvas king-tent with built-in plumbing, it’s all about getting out of the city and into the wilderness. Both will find you enjoying the fresh air and the heat of a night-time campfire. Glamping adds the option of guided activities and unique excursions. At the end of the day, we’re all roasting marshmallows under the same sky. Get out there and enjoy the outdoors this summer!