Glamping: Instagram inspired travel

The social networking giant Instagram has played a noteworthy role in the development of our society. What started as an app for quickly editing and sharing pictures has changed the way that we look at the world and the places we see. One image can make a hidden secret into a tourist destination. In many respects, Instagram has made travel better for people. Hotels now invest more time and money into how their rooms look, knowing that pictures from the chamber will surely land on the social platform. I have even visited a restaurant that had its location outfitted with special lighting for food photography. Glamping is a travel trend that surely has the Facebook-owned, photo-sharing company to thank.

Lotus Belle tents at the TCS Glamping Dorf - Alp Plaun, Laax, Graunünden, Switzerland

Though the idea of luxurious tent stays is not new, the idea of them being easily accessible and a business is quite modern. The word glamping, a portmanteau of glamorous and camping has only been around since 2005 and in the Oxford English Dictionary since 2016. With pictures of deluxe yurts, lotus tents and treehouses from Bali to Bristol, from lakeshores to desert oases flooding Instagram, it's easy to see why entrepreneurial people and established firms would invest in building glamping locations.

Glamping in the Alps

We've recently stayed at two glamping locations and tested them. The first is the TCS Glamping Dorf at Alp Plaun near Laax, Switzerland. The other is the Tourist Green Resort Garden Village Bled, Slovenia. While these two sites are separated by some 500 kilometres and in different countries they offer a similar experience on the one hand, and thanks to their setting something unique on the other.

A Pop-up Glamping Village

As specified above, the TCS Glamping Dorf (Village) is a pop-up. The concept is to have the location just until the end of September, after which the site will be dismantled and restored to its natural state. With over 600'000 overnight stays at their other camping sites in Switzerland, TCS (Touring Club Switzerland) is an expert in running this type of business. Nonetheless, it is incredible to think that the Glamping Village is a project that took form in just three months. This tight schedule shows the fantastic collaboration between property owners, municipality, TCS and their design firm Zone B.

A U-shaped site with twenty Lotus Belle tents for up to four, but comfortably two guests make up the basis of the TCS Glamping Village. There is also a large communal tent with board games and bar, and on the edge of the site, you'll find showers. In the centre on the U, there are plenty of picnic tables and places to relax as well as fire pits for roasting marshmallows and telling stories.

Each tent has its own Kompotoi (composting toilet) and is built on a wooden platform. Inside the double-walled tent, you'll find two beds, nightstands, chair, couch, rugs, lamps, power outlets including USB plugs, coffee machine and additional bedding. Breakfast is delivered fresh each morning outside the tent. There are mosquito nets to keep the bugs outside, and the tents can withstand heavy rains and near gale-force winds.

Dinner is included in your say and had in a giant tipi about a ten-minute walk from the site. The food is local and traditional with a broad wine menu. The bar in the communal tent has local specialities like beers and baked goods from former Mr Switzerland Renzo Blumenthal, who is also a native of Graubünden.

Escape the summer heat glamping in Laax

The village is on an alpine meadow at an elevation of about 1600 meters meaning that the nights cool off nicely and offer an escape from the oppressive summer heat found in the flatlands. Furthermore, it's the perfect place from which to set forth on hikes and mountain biking. Those wanting to swim can either take a bus or hike down to Caumasee or Crestasee.

Get inspired for activities to pursue while you stay at the TCS Pop-up Glamping Village

The TCS Glamping village offers a unique location for a limited time to couples looking for a micro-adventure in the Swiss Alps.

Established glamping in Slovenia

The Tourist Green Resort Garden Village is a beautiful permanent glamping village on the outskirts of Bled. Approaching the site, it's unassuming. There is a large wooden wall separating it from the residential area where it is located. A towering greenhouse structure peaks above the fence and there is a two-story reception building. Inside the compound, it is very lush with varying structures from wood treehouses to family tents and couples tents along a fish-filled stream in a gorge. In total, the entire compound is less than three acres in size, yet the way the structures are arranged with plenty of trees in between, one does not feel crowded.

Impressions from the Green Resort Garden Village Bled

Near the reception is the restaurant where breakfast is had, and other meals can be purchased. We had dinner there, and the meal was fantastic. There is also a natural swimming pool that uses water plants to clean the water and eliminates the need for chemicals. There is also a large fireplace under a roof, where, in the evening, guests can congregate and watch the flames as they flicker or talk with each other.

Get a deep sleep in the Pier Tent

We had a Pier Tent in the gorge, and the flowing of the water created a calming ambient noise that helped us sleep deeply. The tents are quite small with a bed for two people, a heater and bedside tables and lamps and a safe. There is also WiFi throughout the compound. Outside the tent is a lockable, weather-proof chest for storing baggage as well as a mini-fridge two chairs and a table. You can sit outside your tent and read or talk. The bathroom and showers are shared between all of the Pier tents.

The Pier Tent in the Green Resort Garden Village

From the site, guests are about a ten-minute walk from Lake Bled, which has a circumference of about 7.5km. The water is crystal clear, and one can jump in at many locations for a swim, or rent a canoe or SUP or take a Pletna to the island and visit the church.

Both the TCS Glamping Village and the Tourist Green Resort Garden Village Bled offer a high level of comfort in clean and modern tents. The beds are comfortable and the surroundings stunning. Because it provides more variety in accommodation - large treehouses and tents - the Tourist Green Resort Garden Village Bled attracts more families. The isolated nature of the TCS Glamping Village makes it more of a destination for young urban couples looking for an adventure in the mountains. Unlike a resort hotel, neither location offers enough amenities to be a place to stay all day; you will want to explore the areas.

What does glamping cost?

Regarding pricing, the TCS Glamping Village starts at CHF 490 for two people for two nights, including Apéro, dinner and breakfast. Our stay at the Tourist Green Resort Garden Village Bled for two nights, including breakfast and one dinner cost Euro 400. You can see here that comfort has its cost. However, we found both to be excellent value when one considers the unique experience and the environmental sustainability with which both have been designed.