Glamour + Camping = Glamping
OK, I don’t like to consider myself high maintenance, my husband will be laughing at that, but for reals, I wear $7 sneakers every day. But when it comes to traveling, I would say my standards are pretty high. I feel like if I’m going to spend my hard-earned money on a trip, I want to find a great deal obviously, but I also want to feel like my name starts with Her Royal Highness, ya know?
But being the awesome wife that I am, I feel the need to plan a trip that my husband will like, and he likes the outdoors. Don’t get me wrong; I like being outside too, but toes in the sand, drink in my hand, then coming back to my luxury condo to take a long bath is a little more my speed. And that is where a brilliant compromise comes in… it’s called glamping.
The first thing that pops into my mind when I hear the word/word mashup glamping is the movies, with kings on the battlefield eating grapes off of gold platters while everyone else does all the heavy lifting. Yes, this kind of camping with luxury tents sounds perfect for me.
I wanted to look into this a little further and get an idea of what kind of trip I can plan for my family. First is the location. I think I’m going to stick with my original idea, the beach. One beach comes to mind, Big Sur. I’ve never been there but so many celebrities get married there, so I’m guessing it’s pretty nice.
Glamping in Big Sur sounds good so far. Next, I need to figure out accommodations, as I see it there are two options, buy or rent everything I need, or I need to find an outfitter/hotel of sorts. Both options are out there; one camping style resort boasts 16 yurts ranging from $300 to $400 per night. They even have something called a “human nest” which to me seems fit for a small pterodactyl rather than an actual human, but hey, if that’s what you’re into… cool.
On the flip side, I could buy a cabin style tent and cover it with twinkle lights, throw down some area rugs and an air mattress with my feather pillow. Glamping tents don’t come cheap, so if I were to do it myself, which doesn’t sound good, it would cost the same. So far, glamping in California seemed like more work and money than it was worth.
I’m not a woman without weakness; I did have a gander at my favorite booking engine, just to see what I could be missing. And that’s when I found this… Bernadus Lodge and Spa - ok this place is in a beautiful mountain setting, all 57 rooms have private balconies or patios, Egyptian cotton sheets, down comforters and pillows, and deep soaking tubs. They have an on-site restaurant with ingredients sourced from their organic garden and a full-on spa. And I found this for 20% off at around $330 per night!
Now I’m in a real pickle, to glamp or not to glamp, to spa or not to spa. Sorry hubby, these pictures kinda made the choice for me. Sitting on a patio with a cozy fire and a glass of wine, staring at the night sky, sounds pretty outdoorsy to me. Glamping California will have to wait for now.