HotelChatter

Eskimos in Europe
Most people associate Europe with palaces and museums, not igloos, but we found two glampsites in the Old World that incorporating these “cool” dwellings to create one-of-a-kind glamping experiences.

The first is the Iglu-Dorf in Davos, Switzerland (though there are five more igloo villages in places like Zermatt, Gstaad, and St. Moritz, which doesn’t actually have a place to sleep, but has a “snow bar” for parties and events at an elevation of over 8,000 feet). The villages open around Christmas day, and stay operational until April.

In Davos, best known as the site of exclusive world economic conferences, there are four different kinds of igloos, ranging from a Standard that fits a family of six for rates starting at $130 per person, to a Romantic Igloo that starts at $220 per person, and is a little more…well, kitsch, with fake candles, heart-shaped pillows, and hearts sculpted into the ice walls, and, apparently, a disco ball. The real glamping hook, however, is the Romantic Igloo Suite, with its own private hot tub whirlpool and WC. It goes for a whopping $410 per person per night. Guests who don’t want to spring for that can also enjoy the public sauna and Jacuzzi at the igloo village.

Iglu-Dorf also has an Igloo Bar that serves up specialty mulled wine for après ski or post-snowshoeing fortification, as well as cheese fondue for a hearty lunch or dinner. While the Swiss igloo villages are a little…Spartan, for our tastes, there’s another option north of the Arctic Circle in Finland’s frigid Lapland.

Northern Lapland Lights
Hotel and Igloo Village Kakslauttanen is home to 32 cabins and 20 glass igloos, and during winter, there are an additional 20 snow igloos, an ice gallery, ice bar, ice chapel (where you can get married!), and a snow restaurant that seats up to 150 people. There’s also a teepee-shaped glass “kota,” a traditional Lappish structure, where guests can have drinks and watch the sky.

The temperature in the snow igloos (which house up to five people) hovers around -6 degrees Celsius (22 degrees Farenheit), so we’ll opt for one of the geodesic glass igloos instead, where you can sleep under the stars and admire the Aurora Borealis (August-April)…at room temperature. Just no letting your towel drop after the shower since, as we mentioned, it’s all glass!

Rates for the snow igloos start at $200 per person per night, and the glass igloos start at $225 per person per night, based on double occupancy, and including an evening sauna (remember, it’s Finland).

Camel Crossing
Ranking high on our list of exotic destinations, Mongolia isn’t exactly the most accessible place in the world, so we were pretty excited to come across a new lodge built (in an environmentally friendly and sustainable way) in the heart of the Gobi Desert.

Three Camel Lodge is a mélange of traditional Mongolian hospitality and modern-day service. The accommodations are classic circular, nomadic herder tents called gers (also called yurts) made by covering a wooden frame with felt and canvas. Each of the lodge’s 20 deluxe gers has a wood stove for heat, hand-painted wood-framed king-size beds and furnishings, private bathrooms with toilets and sinks, and locally produced toiletries like camel-milk moisturizer.

The lodge’s main Dino House contains its small library, and a space for nightly music and dance performances, as well as the Bulgati Restaurant, which uses locally grown organic produce and meat on its menu of regional dishes. There is a bar called the Thirsty Camel Bar in a geothermally cooled room below the restaurant, and a massage therapist on hand.

Three Camel also offers a range of activities including desert wildlife drives and walks, camel and horse rides, 4WD excursions, dinosaur fossil excavation sites, and Mongolian cooking classes. Guests can also do overnight desert “field explorations” arranged and catered by the lodge. Rates start at $160 per night based on double occupancy.

The Golden Triangle’s Riches
This is basically the glamping holy grail: a luxury hotel chain with a tented resort in the Thai jungle. No roughing it here. Welcome to the Four Seasons Tented Camp, Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle, long notorious for the illicit drug trade that flourished here in the border territory of three countries (Thailand, Laos and Burma), is now a naturalist’s paradise with activities like elephant treks, mountain hikes, river excursions on the Mekong, and cultural visits with the local hill tribes.

The resort has just 15 free-standing tented suites fitted with unique touches reminiscent of 19th-century explorer must-haves like hand-hammered copper bathtubs and hand-crafted bamboo furniture, as well as decidedly 21st-century amenities like complimentary internet access, down pillows, multi-line telephones, and twice-daily housekeeping, as well as a free-form pool on the property for relaxing and sunbathing. For some real relaxation, though, guests can choose from a whole range of spa treatments in one of the resort’s two open-air cabanas featuring double treatment rooms, spa beds, and bathing areas.

No one will go hungry thanks to the gourmet food in the thatched-roof riverside restaurant, a bar that serves casual food in an informal atmosphere, a wine-tasting room for private dinners (with white-glove service), and formal dinner service near the enclosure at the resort’s elephant camp.

Rates at the Four Seasons Tented Camp, Golden Triangle, begin at $1,550 per tent, and include roundtrip airport transfer from Chiang Rai, full board including house beverages, elephant trekking, a nature excursion and a spa treatment per person.

Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright, Near This Fabulous Campsite
Earlier this week, Time Magazine reported the alarming statistic that in the past 20 years, Asia's population of wild tigers has dwindled from 100,000 to under 3,200. If something is not done, the magnificent creatures might disappear altogether. The only places left to see them on the Asian subcontinent are in national parks, and one of the best places to stay is at Aman-i-Khas, an encampment of ten canopied tents on the edge of Rajasthan’s Ranthambore National Park (the former Maharajah’s hunting ground) that is part of Aman Resorts.

The camp’s Moghul-inspired canvas tents are all air-conditioned and rise to a height of nearly 20 feet, with fine cotton drapes that separate their 1,200 square feet of space into distinct areas for the king-size bedroom; a dressing room; a bathroom with a soaking tub, shower and separate water closet; and a living area with an armchair, dining table and chairs, and daybed.

The camp contains a large dining tent that serves traditional Indian cuisine and western dishes made with vegetables and herbs from the camp’s organic garden. There is also an outdoor fireplace where guests can relax and look at the stars. In the Lounge Tent, there is a small library of books on the region, a selection of novels and magazines, and CD’s, as well as a few small items for purchase. Note: this is the spot to be certain of picking up a WiFi signal.

The Spa Tent has two separate massage treatment areas, but guests can also get henna designs drawn on their skin. Just don’t go for a dip in the pool too soon afterwards. Instead, take one of the twice-daily guided safaris in the national park in custom-built open-topped vehicles. You might catch glimpses of not only tigers, but also leopards, sloth bears, endangered deer, antelopes, gazelle, and even marsh crocodiles. Rates for a stay at Aman-i-Khas are $875 per tent per night.

White Hot Antarctica
And speaking of endangered, we’ve saved the most extreme glamping trip for last: White Desert Camping in Antarctica. That’s right, you can now reenact March of the Penguins, five-star-style.

The 10-day White Desert adventure starts in Cape Town, South Africa, where WD’s staff will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel. The next day, it’s time for safety and orientation presentations, as well as some Antarctic fashion advice, and a champagne reception where the clients can all meet each other. Finally, it’s time to board one of WD’s private jets for the five-hour flight to their camp, called Whichaway.

The heated tents at Whichaway are perched on a 200-foot ice fall, and are powered exclusively by wind and solar energy. They are all dismantled at the end of each summer to leave no trace or environmental impact. There are only five sleeping tents, each shared by two clients.

Two large, dome tents serve as the main living areas with a dining room, library, kitchen and office, and then there is another tent that houses the showers. Chef Jenna Viney prepares all the meals, and guests can unwind in the evenings as they sip Mumm while talking about their adventures that day. Then it’s time for show-and-tell, with presentations from field guides about historic explorers, environmental issues, and scientists from the nearby Indian and Russian base sometimes stop by to talk about their research.

WD tailors the experience for individual client needs, especially since only 12 clients can come on each trip, and often splinter off into smaller groups led by experienced polar explorers for activities like scenic flights across the polar plateau to visit penguin colonies, and ice picnics on the shore of a frozen lake. Thrill-seekers can opt for extreme sports like ice climbing, kite skiing, and ice cave spelunking.

Clearly this adventure is not for everyone, not only because White Desert only operates about four adventures per year in November and December for the Southern Hemisphere summer, but because the cost is prohibitively expensive, starting at 32,500 euros per person not including flights and accommodations in Cape Town, arctic clothing, or insurance. For explorers without quite that much cash, there’s also a two-night “Jet Set” trip that only costs…15,200 euros per person. Still, it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Whether you’re a hardcore camper or a weekend warrior, the worldwide glamping revolution has something for you—from classic safari adventures, to Amazonian tree houses, to Outback cattle ranching. These were just a few of the adventures that caught our eye as we looked around the world for interesting experiences, but there are plenty more out there. Got one we should know about? Tell us about it!

All photos courtesy of hotels listed in this report.