WESTERN TRAVEL | OUTDOORS & ADVENTURE
Luxury camping: California, Molokai & British Columbia
Inside your tent flap: every creature comfort. Outside: all the beauty of nature.
If you still equate tent camping with hard-ground sleeping, tepid-bean dining and grungy (or no) shower, surprise: These places have elevated camping to a luxe art form.
**
El Capitan Canyon
Goleta, Calif.
(866) 352-2729
www.elcapitancanyon.com
Hole up in...One of 30 12-by-14-foot canvas chalets on a wood platform with private fire pit and picnic table, all shaded by huge oaks and sycamores, and a 10-minute walk from El Capitan State Beach.
Cush factor: Queen-size bed with down comforter, electric lights and heat, daily maid service. Separate bathhouse with private hot showers. In-tent massage for $95 an hour.
Mess hall: DIY with a "barbecue kit" from the Canyon Market: $55 for tri-tip and the works, including s'mores.
For a mere... $135 a night plus tax ($115 from November to April). Open all year.
*
Beach Village at Molokai Ranch
Molokai, Hawaii
(888) 627-8082
www.molokairanch.com
Hole up in...One of 40 "tentalows" with two side-by-side canvas rooms connected by a deck. Set in a palm grove facing Kaupoa Beach, with good surf and great diving. Out back: 65,000 private acres to explore.
Cush factor: Hotel-quality beds in each tent, solar-powered ceiling fan, padded lounge chairs, palm-shaded hammocks. Private composting toilet and solar-heated shower.
Mess hall: Three squares a day served in open-air (but covered) dining pavilion
For a mere... $158 a night and up, double occupancy. Add $25 for each additional guest. Open all year.
*
Clayoquot Wilderness Resorts & Spa
Bedwell River Outpost
Tofino, British Columbia, Canada
(888) 333-5405
www.wildretreat.com
Hole up in...One of 20 hyper-luxurious, wood-frame, safari-style tents with private decks, all linked by boardwalks, beneath a canopy of cedars and spruces. Set beside the Bedwell River where it flows into Clayoquot Sound and adjacent to hiking and horseback-riding trails.
Cush factor: Four-poster log-frame bed with down duvet, rugs, dresser and an overstuffed chair. Maid and turn-down service. Private composting toilets; boardwalks lead to the enclosed hot-water showers. A wood-fired sauna is near the spa tents.
Mess hall: In the candlelit dining tent, guests partake of West Coast cuisine by acclaimed chef Timothy May, who emphasizes fresh fish, organic vegetables and British Columbian wines.
For a mere... $4,260 per person for a three-night package with massage, food, activities and plane from Vancouver. Open late May to September.
 This city got its name in the 1860s. The operation shown here has been under the same management since 1987. |
 Video: Avoid having to remove your laptop from your luggage with these approved cases. Protecting your laptop |
Hawaii: more fall flights to, from and around Hawaii
Hawaii's tourism industry has taken some tumbles this year, but if planned flight activity ...
Read more »
Users' Favorites
Taking restless Southern California on vacation
Los Angeles Times e-mail newsletter, delivered every Thursday
wherever it appears.