For the past few years rustic holidays have become all the rage as more people seek to get close to nature and experience the great outdoors. If you are bored of the usual bed and breakfast accommodation and are not quite ready to rough it under canvas, a holiday in a tree house can offer the best of both worlds. The idea is for comfortable accommodation with modern conveniences in a magical, woodland setting. You couldn’t get any closer to nature if you tried!
It’s every child’s and many adults’ fantasy to live in a tree house and a holiday in one will take you a step closer to that dream. Tree houses are eco-friendly, crafted from sustainable wood with many offering biodegradable waste facilities. Staying in a tree house is definitely not roughing it and many are the height of luxury, equipped to the highest standards.
Tree houses are springing up everywhere and not just in the UK, though don’t be put off by the thought having to buy air tickets – make sure to look online first to find cheap airlines fares. Whether you fancy a tree top retreat in a forest close to home or would sooner sleep under the stars in a tropical rain forest, there is a tree top abode to suit all. Here are five of the best:
Nottinghamshire
Robin Hood’s men would have been very merry had their Sherwood Forest included the new four-bed roomed tree house at Centre Parcs. A luxurious hideaway fit for Maid Marion, a wooden walkway built on stilts joins the three main buildings. There is a balcony to each bedroom. The visitor can play pool in the games room, take a soak in the hot tub or just relax in front of an open fire, with the lounge boasting a slate fireplace.
West Sussex
Castle Cottage is situated near Fittleworth in west Sussex. A sweet chestnut tree houses the new tree house room, a sizeable luxurious cabin. It has a generous balcony with swing seats for visitors to relax. To give you a jungle feel the bedspread boasts a leopard print and the soft furnishings are furry. To complete the rustic theme, tree trunks extend into the bedchamber. The bedroom door is glass as is the bathroom ceiling.
France
If you have a head for heights and have no fear of ladders, six Keycamp resorts, including Brittany and the Loire, offer tree houses. At up to five metres above the ground two huts sit between two trees on wide platforms. A fairytale look is achieved with wooden floors, a crooked roof and heart-shaped cutouts in the doors. They have eco-toilets with composting sawdust. If you don’t fancy coming down for breakfast, it can be brought up to your perch. Each tree house can sleep six, with one double bed and four singles.
Turkey
For those looking to combine adventure sports with lively nightlife, a wide range of tree houses are to be found on the Mediterranean coast at Olympos. Kadir’s Top Tree Resort near the beach is popular with backpackers looking for trekking, diving, rock climbing, paragliding and white-water rafting.
Costa Rica
The Tree House Lodge offers four houses with the bathroom constructed around the trunk of a 100-year-old tree. The verdant tropical garden is on the southern Caribbean coast in the heart of the Gandoca-Manzanillo wildlife refuge. Sleeping up to six people, it also offers plenty of space to relax in the large lounge with rocking chairs and a hammock.
Lloyd is currently working as a freelance travel writer as well as contributing to his own websites.