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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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