Blog 15: Tree Hotels

With more and more people escaping high-rises and main-stream stays in need of a more rustic and natural setting, tree hotels are trending. Travellers are flying to their nests to experience the world from up top. Some might call it adventurous while others are simply reliving their childhood dreams!

Ranging from uber luxe to au naturel, these tree hotels are helping their guests create memories of a lifetime. Below are my top picks of some of the best tree hotels in the world.

1- A 4-star boutique hotel that has welcomed Prince Charles and Bill Gates in the past, the brain-child of eco-visionary Dr. Francisco Ritta Bernardino, the Ariau Towers Amazon was a perfect ecological retreat. Sadly, the hotel closed down in 2016 after successfully welcoming guests for 30 years. The hotel’s location, the architecture, the proximity of accommodation to the forest canopy (and therefore the wildlife), luxurious suites and celebrity guests helped cement the reputation as 'one of the 1,000 places to see before you die'. The Tarzan suite was built almost 110 feet high up on a mahogany tree and deemed the hotel's most prized possession. Even though one cannot stay here, it is good to know about the pioneer of the trending hotels right now!

The Ariau Towers Amazon

2- Staying a night (or more) in the pine forests of Sweden has never been easier. Book an unforgettable stay at the Treehotel and stay at the Mirrorcube, UFO, Bird's Nest or The Cabin to watch the Northern Lights illuminate the sky above you and your snowmobile, or take a family fishing trip and learn all about the berries you pick up along the way. The seven rooms at the hotel are suspended 12-13 feet above the ground with spectacular views of the Lule River valley, miles of forest and a powerful river. The Mirrorcube is the hotel’s most exciting accommodation, camouflaged by mirrored walls that reflect the Northern Lights and the surrounding boreal forest.

The Mirrorcube

3- Inspired by Thoreau's Walden Pond, the Bangkok Tree House warns guests that it is 'not suitable for everyone'. Guests who enjoy the outdoors, don't mind sleeping under the stars without an air conditioner in the 'View with a Room' and would love a retreat in solitude and wilderness are more than welcome here. The tree hotel not only provides the absolute treehouse life, but it also helps in preserving nature by going green. Check the green-alphabet list on their website that outlines their sustainability plan A-Z. I would suggest book a night here on your next Thailand trip!

The View with a Room or The Room with a View!

4- The Hawaiian Treehouse Company have recently constructed three new treehouses in China’s tropical resort in Sanya Nanshan. Situated by miles of pristine coastline, these treehouses are shaped like bird’s nests and located high in very old tamarind Trees. The largest of the houses can accommodate up to 20 people on three levels and most are accessible by a suspension bridge. Apart from the sparkling tropical sea, the houses are next to a 5000 acre Buddhist ecological theme park where traditional pagodas and temples are preserved in the manner of a 19th Century butterfly collection. Oh, they also have a treehouse spa.

The entrance to the treehouse via a suspension bridge

5- Situated 90 feet off the floor, in the canopy of the Costa Rican rainforest, Finca Bellavista, is a first-of-its-kind sustainable community treehouse. The founders of this community built the accommodation on a 62-acre land that was being readied to become a timber harvesting site but they thought that the land deserved much more. Activities at the community's 600-acre retreat include ziplining, hiking, river swimming and lessons on co-inhabiting with animals. With 8 treehouses and a few cabins, this retreat looks like an adventure seeker's paradise.

Finca Bellavista

6- Here comes a luxury bamboo treehouse where you can experience treehouse living in comfort and style. The Green Village, Bali is a community project developed by John Hardy and hosts 12 unique and sustainable bamboo houses and villas, hand-constructed by the IBUKU architectural team playfully engineering elements like open walls and layouts mimicking lotus flowers and palm leaves into the bamboo tree-mansion (I cannot call this one just a treehouse!). Guests can tour the bamboo factory, join workshops on bamboo home building, investigate secret uses of the coconut tree and play a bamboo xylophone called the Jegog at the resort amongst other luxurious activities.

One of the bamboo suites

7- The TreeBones Resort, Big Sur is delighting campers with unusual wood art created and built by artist Jayson Fann. The Human Nest is the most accoladed of them all and is an open campsite allowing campers to bring their own gear and sleep a night feeling like a baby bird! Obviously, no open fires are allowed at the camp and campers can only cook on a small stove nearby. The other masterpiece is the two-storey handwoven Twig Hut nearby. This getaway is sure to please those who want an aesthetic camping experience.

The Human Nest

What do you think of this trending hotel concept? Would you book a tree hotel on your next trip? Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to share, like and subscribe!

Stay tuned and until then,

Anubhuti