We’re breaking down what glamping really is and share unforgettable luxury camping experiences around the world that we’ve had, from bubble hotels in Mexico’s wine country to safari lodges in Uganda and hill country luxury tents in Texas. We’re inspiring you to go glamping with all the info on what to expect, who glamping is best for, and why it’s the perfect way to experience nature with comfort, style, and incredible views.
- Campera Hotel Bubble – Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico
- Camp Hideaway Retreat, Fredericksburg, TX
- Twiga Safari Lodge – Near Murchison Falls, Uganda
- Topanga Tipi – Topanga, CA
- On the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu with Alpaca Expeditions – Peru
Love cool places to stay as much as we do? Check out these amazing international luxury resorts!
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Glamping Inspiration – Episode Transcript
0:35
Speaker 1
And get ready to embark on a new adventure with us around the globe.
0:40
Speaker 3
Hey squaddies, welcome to this week’s episode of Just the Tip.
Today we’re going to talk to you guys all about one of our favorite travel experiences and that is Glamping.
0:49
Speaker 1
I love a good glamping experience.
It’s basically, if you didn’t know, glamorous camping.
So you get all of the fun of being outdoors, but you don’t have to rough it.
Some of these glamping experiences, you feel like you’re in a hotel.
Actually, some of them have been better than some hotels that I have actually stayed at.
1:08
So so instead of basic tent, you usually stay in some really cool setups like yurts, pods, cabins, safari tents, and they come with real beds.
Sometimes they’re king size beds, sometimes they’re not.
Usually they come with electricity and even bathrooms.
1:24
So it’s it’s like camping in a really cool setting, but it’s a lot more comfortable.
1:28
Speaker 2
Heating an AC 10 times, there’s a hot tub right next to it.
The bathroom is just amazing in and of itself to have in some of these setups and they’re very ascetic.
You want to take pictures there.
It’s it’s not just a hotel, it’s an experience of a stay.
1:46
I’ve seen some really, really cool ones.
Haven’t had the chance to stay in these yet but wine barrels in vineyards that is on my list to stay in and.
1:54
Speaker 3
That’s the whole point of this episode, though, is to really inspire you guys, right, Kim?
Of course, you’ve done glamping.
Now you know the next step of where you want to stay.
You want to stay in those wine barrel experiences.
So we’re going to tell you guys some of our favorite glamping experiences that we’ve had to inspire you to do some glamping if you haven’t yet.
2:12
Stargazing in a Bubble: Mexico’s Vineyard Glamping
The first one we’re going to talk about is I think my first glamping experience and this was called Camperra Hotel Bubble and it’s invited Guadalupe in Mexico.
So it’s about an hour and a half, two hours from the San Diego Tijuana border.
2:28
It’s in the wine region.
And this Bubble hotel is exactly that.
You are in in an inflated bubble and the whole top of the bubble is see through.
And so at night they take off the cover and you can star gaze completely from the bed.
2:45
It’s so beautiful.
It’s just a luxury bubble hotel.
So when you actually enter the bubble, you go in through one room and then you have to zip it up and you’re kind of in this little galleyway space where you like take off your shoes and hang your coat.
3:00
And then you unzip the next area and that leads you into to the full bedroom.
And then towards the back of that bubble, there’s a full bathroom as well.
So we stayed here one night and it’s right on the edge of a vineyard.
3:15
So you have views of the vineyard.
And then when of course, you’re in bed, you’re looking up to the stars.
And we had our own private hot tub here as well.
3:23
Speaker 3
Yeah.
This overall was a great experience.
Kim, you mentioned it to a lot of these glamping experiences have AC.
So even though we’re in an inflatable tube, so to speak, I mean we had our AC also heat, of course, if it happens to be cooler, you want to warm up.
3:38
There’s plush bedding.
We had a full bathroom Now don’t worry, the bathroom area yes, even though it was in the bubble, they do have it in a situation where that portion is not see through.
But let me tell you something for going to the restroom in a bubble.
I mean it had a fully functioning flushable pipe, toilet, shower, hot water, everything.
3:58
So that was a unique experience and then it’s like when you get to the bathroom, I was even wondering like what is this going to look like?
What’s the floor going to be?
This is a bubble, but it had those wooden slates, you know, the really nice sleek style ones that you can imagine that you see in spas and those type of environments.
4:14
That’s just exactly what was on the bathroom.
So I mean, you really felt like you were in a luxury location, even though I’m just sitting here in a bubble, quite literally an inflatable hotel.
4:25
Speaker 1
Yeah.
And so it’s in the wine region of Mexico, so you can go and enjoy some vineyards there.
We brought a bottle back to the bubble and then we got into the hot tub or some wine in some glasses.
We’re looking out at the vineyard.
4:41
Speaker 2
Did they have glasses?
4:42
Speaker 1
For you, they did, yeah.
So it was really, really nice.
I would stay here again.
And I think if you guys are interested in going to Vaide Guadalupe wine region in Mexico, stay here.
Give it a try.
I think you’ll love it.
4:56
Speaker 2
I have a little getaway coming up to Terra Linga Bubbles out near Big Bend National Park.
Very similar type of a setup and I’m very much looking forward forward to.
I just have one quick question about the bathroom.
It’s going to give me a little bit of anxiety.
It’s a bubble.
There’s just a little piece of plastic between you and the other spaces.
5:13
Can you hear things?
Can you smell things?
5:16
Speaker 1
That’s a really good question.
You know, it’s been a few years since we’ve been in the bubble, but I remember the bathroom feeling pretty private, so hopefully that’s not an issue for you.
And if you feel like it’s too thin, just run a sink.
5:31
Speaker 2
All right, when in doubt, just have the courtesy water flowing.
One of my first glamping experiences.
5:38
Luxury Tent Suites: Fredericksburg’s Glamping Retreat
I haven’t really done that many actually, just a couple here.
This is more of a very recent one I just did.
I stayed in a luxury tent suite at Camp Hideaway Retreat in Fredericksburg, TX.
We do have a mini episode out on this whole retreat experience.
This was really cool.
5:53
It was more of a hotel than a tent, but it was equally both.
So let me try to describe this for you.
On this property there were 12 luxury tent suites, all spaced far enough apart where you couldn’t like hear each other talking in the tent next door, but you could easily walk towards each other.
6:12
My luxury tent suite, when you’re looking at it, there’s a big wooden porch.
You walk up a couple of wooden steps to get to that porch.
On that porch there’s two chairs and a table that you can sit out there.
And then part of the structure is tent.
Part of this is actual structure.
6:28
So the front door is 2 double glass doors that you can open beautifully.
You walk in king size bed, beautiful linens look straight out of an interior decorating magazine.
There’s a desk to work on with Wi-Fi in the luxury tent suite.
6:45
On the other side there’s a side table with chairs, and in the back of the bed there’s a big structural wall.
I was already impressed when I walked into this thing, but when you go and look beyond that wall, it opens up into a whole other side of the tent with a massive kitchenette, every dish you could imagine, a knife set, a Keurig machine, mini fridge, microwave, everything you need to make it your little home.
7:08
And then another structural wall where it opened up into the bathroom.
The bathroom had his and her sinks, a flushable toilet, a huge deep tub, a walk in shower, a closet, robes.
Robes.
7:20
Speaker 1
You love a good robe.
7:21
Speaker 2
It was amazing, this truly defined luxury tent suite.
So the outside walls of the tent suite are tent in the wind.
You could hear them blowing all night long.
They’re like ultra thick tarp type of a material.
So you got that rustic feel with the elements and the wind and the rain.
7:40
If it’s raining, you could hear it, but then your doors were glass, so you’re looking out into the Texas Hill Country scenery.
You have your own private porch where I had coffee on and watch the sunrise.
It was amazing.
This is truly a place you could stay a while.
7:55
They also had other ones here where there were two day beds in there, so there were more for families or four people could stay in it.
They had a honeymoon suite, one with hot tubs attached to it.
And then you have access to all the experiences on the resort property, the huge resort pool with day beds, big indoor area, tons of different games like cornhole and foosball, things like that.
8:17
This was a good one.
It was the perfect balance of modern luxury with the elements of the Texas Hill Country and being that Fredericksburg is wine country for Texas, just a mile down the road begins the highway of 60 wineries.
8:33
So just like your little bubble, you can bring a bottle of wine back here and have a little sip with your partner.
8:39
Speaker 1
I was exactly thinking that because we’ve all been to Fredericksburg, but we, Jamal and I have never stayed in Fredericksburg.
And I think this is your first time staying in Fredericksburg.
So if you’re looking for a wine, we can get away with your partner, with a group of friends.
This is a really cool place to do it.
8:56
And I believe what you said in the mini episode, Kim is like, you could do kind of like retreats here, right?
You can have a group and everyone gets their own tent and that would be such a fun experience.
9:05
Speaker 2
Yeah, you can have actual organized retreats where there’s a yoga that comes, there’s catered meals, or you could do something like a birthday party.
So it’s your 40th birthday and you have a group of 10 people.
You rent out five of the luxury 10 suites.
You can kind of really customize it for your size and need.
9:22
Wild Luxury: Glamping Amidst Uganda’s Safari Nature
Another amazing glamping experience that we have done was in Uganda.
It was actually at the Twiga Safari Lodge and this was near Murchison Falls National Park.
And what made this really unique, as if this is a glamping experience in the raw nature of Africa.
9:40
What do I mean by that?
Let me tell you, this is so exciting just even talking about it because it’s bringing back memories for me.
I really loved it.
Like when we first checked in here, I was just so stoked and excited.
We are staying in tents, but these tents are built up on actual stilts, so to speak.
9:57
So the reason for that is twofold.
We are right at the start of the Nile River, so of course it can flood that you don’t want your tend to flood.
So it needs to be built up on the stilts.
But more importantly, there are hippos and predators in this region and the steps are to prevent the hippos from being able to climb because they are actually quite deadly animals when they are around humans and aggravated.
10:21
But you’re just here in the raw nature of Africa, in the elements with wildlife all around.
And then again, this is an actual tent.
But don’t think, oh, it’s just a tent.
It’s really done up.
Well, inside the zipper that you go into, of course, is like full standing.
10:38
So you don’t have to duck to get in.
You have your big king size bed, a throw rug that’s on the floor that just fits the entire theme.
Everything that you could want just done up.
Really, really nice.
But what I really appreciated too is at the back end of the tent, you had the bathroom, but the bathroom was not actually in the tent.
10:58
They had another concrete wall, all that was built up on the stilts, and that was your own little domed area.
But the bathroom itself was even just straight luxury.
Just the tile for the shower, the devil sinks for two people in there.
I mean, this was an experience All in all, simply of course just the style in which it was, but more importantly the location that made it really cool.
11:22
Speaker 1
Yeah, we could literally see the Nile River from our deck.
And if you get lucky, you might be able to see some wildlife.
We didn’t see any hippos roaming around our tent.
But at night, you can hear them around your tent.
And you’re, like, kind of nervous about it.
11:37
And in fact, you are not allowed to go to your tent at night by yourself.
They have people that from the main lobby lodge area who will walk you down to your tent when you’re ready to go to bed.
And they bring a flashlight.
And one night, Jamal and I stayed in the lobby and lodge for a little bit after dinner.
11:57
And the guy that brought us back to our tent, he had a flashlight and we flashed on a Mama hippo and her baby, which is super dangerous.
And so he actually had to crawl up someone else’s little landing area and steps so that they wouldn’t attack us.
12:13
And we had to wait for them to go by before we could go down to our room.
And so also if you’re leaving in the morning and it’s before sunrise, you also have to tell them the time you want to be escorted from your tent in the morning to the lodge for breakfast.
Really fun.
12:28
Speaker 3
I know that sounds slightly dangerous in the sense that there are wild animals around.
I mean, the hippos are the most common ones.
Of course, after sunset, that’s when they come out on land and they are again, very dangerous, very territorial.
So you want to avoid that.
But again, you’re in the thick of it.
Lions could be here too, leopards, crocodiles, you name it.
12:48
So of course, like they said, you’re just really in a unique glamping luxury style experience, tents, accommodations, really cool.
But in the midst of all of this raw nature was an experience that I’ll never forget.
13:01
Speaker 1
I think they even gave us African style pajamas to wear or a robe.
13:06
Speaker 2
What does that look like?
13:08
Speaker 1
You know, I feel like the one that I was wearing was like a bright purple, almost like tribal looking robe or pajama.
It was really comfortable and cool, cute.
13:17
Speaker 2
This luxury glamping comes with robes.
Love it.
13:22
Rustic Charm: Teepee Glamping in Malibu Canyon
Another glamping that I’ve done is in California in the Malibu, CA area.
It is called Topanga Teepee, technically located in the Topanga Canyon.
A lot of people aren’t familiar with Topanga, but Malibu, CA is that same area.
So it’s a super cool area.
You’re tucked away in this big forested Canyon and these teepees are actually in someone’s backyard.
13:43
They have a very big backyard, of course, but it’s almost like AB and B situation because of what’s included.
So there’s two teepees right next to each other.
The other one is 18 foot tall, the other is 30 foot tall.
The 18 foot teepee can sleep 5 guests, The 30 foot teepee can sleep 8 guests.
14:01
And these teepees are decorated in Native American style.
The bedding and the teepee colorations on the outside of the teepee are all within that style.
All of the interior tables and beds and things, they look like that.
So it’s a pretty cool experience in that sense.
14:17
When you go into these teepees, they’re just massive.
There’s rug type flooring, the teepees and then there’s actual beds in there.
Some of the teepees have like one or two queen size beds, Others are just the futon style day beds, but they’re huge.
14:32
They’re not little teepees.
You kind of crawl in and then you’re in these massive teepees.
It’s pretty cool.
And then on the property they have a big table that everyone can sit out.
When I went here, it was with the birthday celebration.
I think there was eight of us, eight or ten of us, and so we all sat at this big long table and we ate there, we played cards, we drank.
14:52
There’s outhouse style bathroom there.
And the owners of these teepees in the House of the property that’s on, we’re the nicest people.
I hope it’s still them because I went here probably like 2018-2019.
So it’s been quite a while, but I still see it listed on venue report and it looks to be the same property.
15:10
The owners were the nicest people.
They brought wine for us.
They opened their home to us so you could go in and use the bathroom.
We kind of didn’t do that because we didn’t want to disturb the people that were inside, so they tried to use the outhouse as much as possible.
But in the morning they also make you breakfast.
15:27
And the mom of the family that lived there made the best little pancakes.
They were so good.
15:33
Speaker 3
Overall, it sounds like a fun, unique experience and I’m excited to try it.
I mean, obviously LA and Malibu regions not too far off.
So this would be a fun, unique experience.
So we’ll have to check it out.
15:44
Speaker 2
I did notice too they also added a hot tub.
Since I’ve been they now have a hot tub in the listing.
15:50
Speaker 3
Makes it even more exciting when you have the hot tub.
15:52
Speaker 2
I wouldn’t say so.
That’s much glamping.
Like the teepees are glamping when you go inside.
There’s beds, there’s, you know, side tables and there’s plenty of room and all of that.
But it’s not like there’s no kitchen in there.
It’s not fully furnished with heat and air.
There’s fans.
There’s a little electric campfire stove that you could use on colder nights.
16:09
So it’s slightly more roughing it, but you’re literally in someone’s backyard, so you’re not really out in the wilderness either.
It kind of is a good balance.
16:18
Trekking in Style: Glamping on the Inca Trail
So the last experience that we’re going to talk about is more roughing it, but it’s more about the experience that makes it glamping.
And we did this all together.
And this was our camping experience on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
We did it with Alpaca Expeditions.
16:35
They were our Outfitters and the tents were basic.
They were two person tents, but the service and the food on this trip was top notch.
16:44
Speaker 2
They set up our tents for us each night on this four night trek.
Was it 3 nights or four nights, Three nights, four days?
They set up our tent for us every day.
So when we got in, the porters had beat us there.
They set up our tents, they had our sleeping bags inside the tent, they had our stuff in there.
17:00
That alone, just not having to set up your own tent, is a glamping experience in my book.
17:05
Speaker 3
Well, not even just setting it up, taking it down, because we would start hiking in the morning, the tent would still be up.
They break it down, they bypass us on the trail, and they have enough time to spare to have it already so that when we get to base camp for the day, it’s already ready to go, right?
17:21
So again, the tent itself is basic, but you don’t have to do any of the setup.
You’re out here in beautiful Peru on the Inca trail, seeing all sorts of historic sites and things like that as you are getting excited to actually see and get to Machu Picchu.
17:38
But even in the morning, like when you would wake up, they would wake you up with either hot coffee to start or coca tea.
And then breakfast was always prepared, lunch, dinner, bathroom situation, definitely glamping because you’re not going behind some tree or some Bush or anything like that.
17:56
At least while you’re at camp.
They have a portable toilet that was set up fully enclosed off in a tent, so you had your own little privacy there and didn’t have to go behind a Bush.
So again, it wasn’t like full blown glamping, but definitely was with the place that we were at and the service and experience that we got.
18:14
Speaker 1
You can even rent mats to sleep on.
You can rent a sleeping bag.
They’re carrying all of that for you.
And so while you’re hiking every day, all you have to carry is your own personal day bag with your water, your snacks, your camera, things that you need along the trail.
18:30
But the porters are there carrying the tent, the food, the portable bathroom, your bag full of belongings that you brought along, all of the other things.
So it really felt like it was glamping experience, even though it’s more on like the roughing it side of things, we didn’t feel like we were roughing it.
18:47
Speaker 2
It was an amazing experience.
Thank God for Alpaca expeditions, the Outfitters, the porters, the chefs.
It made an already beautiful place to be and thing to experience.
Just 10 times more amazing.
And they also set up this big tent where we would sit around a table as a group.
19:06
There was what like 12 of us that were hiking together as travelers and we would also around this table and eat the meal that the chef prepared for us every morning and night and that was very special.
That’s kind of a glamping experience to have a full on table set up with family style meal plates, drinks, conversation, bonding, human connection.
19:29
Speaker 3
All that camaraderie that goes with it.
19:31
Speaker 1
And the food was so good too.
And on the last night, they even were able to make us a cake.
19:37
Speaker 2
That we I tried to make a cake when we went backpacking and Havasupai falls without an outfitter and I can tell you it’s not as easy as they made it look.
19:46
Speaker 1
We did do this hike quite a while ago.
We did this in 2016 and I know there’s a ton of different Outfitters and there’s a lot of really cool experiences.
And there’s other trails to Machu Picchu.
I’ve seen some of the other trails that lead to Machu Picchu that have some real glamping experience with the see through domes or spheres and things like that.
20:05
But being on the Inca trail or a similar trail to get you to Machu Picchu in a glamping type situation is the best type because you really feel like you’re immersed in the environment and you get to see a lot of really cool.
Ruins, cloud forests and other things along the way.
20:20
Dream Destinations: Upcoming & Desired Glamping Trips
There’s a lot more glamping out there that we want to do.
We have one that we’re planning to do in 2026, a glamping type experience on the schooner J&E Riggan for the four night fall foliage cruise.
This is kind of glamping, but actually on a historic sailboat.
20:36
Speaker 1
Yeah, the boats, just about 100 years old.
You get a two person cabin, so if you go alone they will actually pair you and you get to make a friend.
And your cabin has a sink that works.
But there is 2 bathrooms aboard.
One of them’s fitted with a freshwater shower.
20:53
So some people do treat it like a glamping situation.
Bring wipes and things or you can shower of course.
But Kim and I can’t wait.
We’re super excited to go.
21:01
Speaker 3
Yeah, this one’s going to be a unique one because it’s not actually out in nature, so to speak.
Yes, you are because you’re out on the water.
But that’s the uniqueness of this experience to the historic boat.
You’re out on the water versus being somewhere on bland.
So that will be really cool.
21:17
Speaker 2
In Maine, I don’t think we mentioned that in Maine of the USA.
21:20
Speaker 3
Yeah, going to be really cool for you ladies.
And then you mentioned this already, Kim, but I want to say it again.
You said you want to do it, but I think we all want to do it, which is staying on a vineyard in the wine barrels, the giant wine barrels, and having a glamping experience that way.
21:35
Speaker 1
Similar to that in Tequila, Mexico, they actually have tequila barrels you can stay in and I would love to stay there as well.
21:42
Speaker 2
Do you think they smell like tequila still?
21:44
Speaker 1
I hope so, Tequila is my drink of choice.
21:47
Speaker 2
And then I’ve always seen these covered log cabins in Yosemite, California.
I thought they looked so cool.
They don’t have bathrooms in the log cabin.
It’s a shared kind of outhouse bathroom situation, so camping in that sense.
But they just looked really cool, yeah.
22:03
Speaker 3
And there’s many more places that we are interested in, but those are just a couple of the glamping things that we either have planned or want to do.
But if you guys know other cool glamping spots that we don’t, be sure to DM us, let us know, e-mail, tell us in the comments.
22:19
But yeah, definitely interested in what you squaties know too about the glamping game.
22:23
Speaker 2
Squaddies, thank you so much for tuning into just the tip.
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