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Luckily for the luxury lovers among us, camping has been transformed in the last decade or so.
Long gone are the days of sleeping bags on hard ground. With proper beds in everything from a tent to a tipi, not to mention yurts, Airstream caravans and floating cabins, there are plenty of opportunities to experience nature in comfort. According to camping and glamping online platform Pitchup.com, pods remain the most popular glamping accommodation, though treehouses saw an 83 per cent growth in bookings last month. But you’d better get your skates on – good weather will herald a surge in bookings.
French floating cabins
Ditch the canvas and opt instead for a floating thatched cabin reached by private boat in a vast area of lakes and forests 45 minutes from France’s Besancon.
Cabanes des Grands Lacs has floating cabins for couples or families as well as treehouses and cabins on stilts. They have Nordic baths, showers and dry toilets, and you can book massages and evening meals.
Pitch up: Cabin for six from £251 a night, with breakfast (cabanesdesgrandslacs.com). EasyJet (easyjet.com) flies to Basel from £73 return.
On the farm in Belgium
If you get bored of the bucolic bliss offered by Hoeve Brugge farm, it’s only a 20-minute drive to Bruges for a day of culture and chocolate. Back at the farm, there are pony rides, boating on the lake, a corn maze and a ‘cuddle barn’ where you can take the family to meet some of the animals.
A member of Feather Down Farms, Hoeve Brugge’s off-grid canvas tents with proper furniture inside are scattered across the meadow.
Pitch up: Tents for six with hot outdoor showers from £87 a night (featherdown.co.uk). P&O Ferries (poferries.com) has returns from Dover to Calais from £119 in a car.
Yurts in Lanzarote
You’re just 350 yards from the beach at Finca de Arrieta, set within landscaped grounds in the rugged north of this Canary island. The eco retreat is powered by the sun and wind.
Send the children to collect eggs from the hens for breakfast, then take a dip in the shared solar-powered pool, or let the hosts arrange everything from cycling to kite surfing.
Boxes of farm produce are available to buy and there’s wine in the honesty shop.
Pitch up: Yurts for three from £143 a night (responsibletravel.com). Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies to Lanzarote from £62 return.
Italian idyll
Just inland from Venice, in an area where the doges and nobility had their summer homes, Glamping Canonici di San Marco has six beautifully decorated tents.
With antique furniture and chandeliers, they sleep up to five people. One comes in African safari style, with zebra-striped rugs, hand-carved trunks and a round double bed, while another has a fake tree in the bedroom and a wooden fossilised sink that is more than 10,000 years old in the bathroom. Activities include guided tours, floral workshops and wine tasting.
Pitch up: Tents for two from £201 a night, including welcome drink, breakfast and bike use (glamping.com). Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies to Venice from £36 return.
Camping in Croatia
The look is rustic but the feel is luxurious at House Plage Cachee on the Croatian island of Hvar. Each of the five tents has a king-size bed and a private bathroom. They share a kitchen area, covered dining space by the water and a private pebble beach, with shaded sunbeds. There’s even a boat berth should you wish to hire a motor boat during your stay and explore the Pakleni Islands. The camp is solar powered, with compost toilets.
Pitch up: Tents for two from £163 a night (coolstays.com). EasyJet (easyjet.com) flies to Split from £78 return; from there, take the ferry.
Greek treats
Close to the beaches of the Kassandra peninsula in Halkidiki, the swish tents at iCamps have the feel of a boutique hotel room about them, capped by canvas.
The tents, for two to four people, each have a spacious shower room – although there’s no kitchen. Instead, each tent has a fridge and a kettle, and guests can use the shared BBQ or visit one of the local tavernas. Mavrobara Turtle Lake is a five-minute drive away though you can also rent bikes. Return to sit on the balcony and appreciate the view over the pine forest while you sip a glass or two of Greek wine.
Pitch up: A night for two from £70 (coolstays.com). Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies to Thessaloniki from £69 return.
Swiss pods
You could stare at the view from these mountain pods in Valais near Monthey all day – but you won’t be able to as there’s too much to do there, with everything from mountain biking to paragliding.
Some of Whitepod’s 15 units are suitable for families, with a mezzanine for children. There are also romantic suites, which might feature a circular bed and hot tub or have the look of Japanese minimalism within. There’s a restaurant on site as well as a spa and sauna.
Pitch up: Family pod for four from £372 (i-escape.com). Swiss (swiss.com) flies to Geneva from £99 return.
Safari in Spain
Africa meets Andalusia at La Dehesa Experiences, with six safari-style tents on platforms constructed from local wood.
They are snuggled into the oak and pine trees of the rugged Sierra Morena, a Unesco Reserve 40 minutes from Cordoba.
Each has its own plunge pool, shower room and kitchenette with fully-stocked wine fridge; you can also order meals to your tent.
Head out into nature and go riding, hiking or kayaking. There are also six cylindrical glass ‘tubbos’ where you can stay, which are perfect for stargazing.
Pitch up: Tent for four from £254 a night, with breakfast (i-escape.com). Ryanair (ryanair.com) flies to Seville from £53 return.
Alentejo Airstream
Whether you stay in the Airstream caravan, a tipi or a yurt at A Terra in Alentejo, Portugal, you’ll feel a distinct Asian vibe – owners Francisco and Claudia Talone de Brion travelled widely in the area.
On a working farm with its own freshwater lake and beach, the ten units are tucked into wooded gardens a short drive from the coast. Regular yoga, dance and meditation workshops are held, and there’s kayaking on the lake. All meals are available on site or you can cook in the communal kitchen.
Pitch up: Two nights for two in a tent from £167 with breakfast, or £251 in the Airstream (hostunusual.com). Wizz Air (wizzair.com) flies to Faro from £54 return.
Corsican cocoons
Go one step up from a tent pitched on the ground and book one of three round pods suspended on the rocky walls in Corsica’s Ospedale forest.
The Cocoon Village also has a transparent dome atop a high platform for mountainous views and stargazing. Or get the ultimate high by climbing a via ferrata (iron path) for 25 minutes to stay in the Cocoon Altreu Celu with transparent roof, sweeping views and descent by zipwire.
There is no running water or electricity but there are dry toilets and breakfast is served on your private terrace.
Pitch up: Cocoons for two from £234, with breakfast (glampingcorsica.com). British Airways (ba.com) flies to Figari-Sud Corse from £176 return.
Finland’s finest
Fringed by the forest and down by the sea, Living Archipelago’s Brannskar Glamping in south-west Finland is the perfect place to get away from it all.
Spend time kayaking, paddle boarding or swimming, hit the sauna, or go island hopping in the archipelago. The six tents on Brannskar Island have proper beds and share outdoor toilets and showers, a BBQ and dishwashing point.
Pitch up: Tents for two from £122. Breakfast costs extra (en.livingarchipelago.fi). Finnair (finnair.com) flies to Savonlinna with a connecting flight in Helsinki from £227 return.
Cut-price Kos
You don’t need deep pockets to stay at Sails On Kos glamping village in Greece, where a two-person tent starts from just £35 a night, including breakfast; if you want a private bathroom it’ll cost a fiver more.
The 20 different-sized tents amid gardens and lemon groves share an outdoor pool, fitness area and restaurant. The beach at Marmari is nearby and there are plenty of activities from walking and wine tasting to treasure hunts for the kids.
Pitch up: Tent for two with breakfast from £35 (hostunusual.com). EasyJet (easyjet.com) flies to Kos from £185 return.
Treehouse tranquillity
Looking like pine cones dotted through the forest, the treehouses at Cap’Cabane south of Bordeaux let you feel like you’re living in the heart of nature.
Simply decorated, they come with a compost toilet and shared showers and cooking facilities; a breakfast hamper is delivered each morning.
There’s a natural pool to swim in and plenty of walks in the woods. In the holidays, activities are laid on for the children.
Pitch up: Treehouse for a family of five from £105 (canopyandstars.co.uk). EasyJet (easyjet.com) flies to Bordeaux from £87 return.
- Unless otherwise stated, flights are for the lowest prices in May.
