Well, of course, the hotel itself and the views from the territory :) But! There is an important point here — it is necessary to select a hotel not only and sometimes not so much by the level of its service, but by its uniqueness, its territory and the views that open from it. Sometimes for this you can sacrifice some familiar amenities (and even save a little money).
Here are some photos that I took at Atacama Loft & Glamp, in San Pedro de Atacama, Chile. It is located at a distance from the town center, and there is more nature around it than other buildings. This is already a plus — it means that there can be interesting views and at dawn, if you wish, you can not go far to take pictures of the beautiful landscape.
This place offers two types of accommodation: a tent and a bungalow. We chose a tent, as in the photo above (and in the depths a couple more are visible under the awnings), the bungalows are visible in the distance in the photo below. And we made the right decision — it was an interesting experience that gave an additional flavor to our stay in the town.
I have a good attitude to spending the night in tents — since my youth I have been hiking, but usually sleeping in a tent is still not very comfortable: it is quite cramped, you sleep on a tourist mat, on which you put a sleeping bag, you can sit in a tent at most. Glamping, as accommodation in large, stationary tents is called, is a completely different experience. It is usually very spacious, there is electricity, there is a normal large bed or two or three small beds, there is furniture — tables, bedside tables, sometimes wardrobes, often there is some kind of heating possibility. You can stand tall, walk, sit and do whatever, almost like a small hotel room. The only important difference and inconvenience is that there is usually no bathroom inside, usually bathrooms, washbasins and toilets are located in detached buildings, like in campsites.
But these common amenities and common area: a kitchen, recreation areas such as a pool or a beach with sun loungers, places for fires and barbecues and other entertainments are very good, at the level of good budget hotels. After all, this is not just camping, but glamping — a glamorous camping, for those who choose to sleep on a bed, not on the ground :))
Look, what a nice view opened directly from our pool there! By the way, we didn’t walk around the area a lot — the program for 3 days of our stay in San Pedro de Atacama was too busy, a lot of interesting and beautiful places turned out to be in Atacama. But still, I managed to make a couple of shots that I like and that immediately evoke pleasant memories of being there.
And colorful and interesting details, a well-groomed and green area around makes it possible to shoot cute stories. Yes, volcanoes, of course, greatly contribute to the interestingness of the pictures, and they are far from everywhere — but you get the idea, right? :) As a rule, if there are beautiful views from the territory, then the accommodation adds them to the photos, in addition to the photos of the rooms themselves, so you can get some idea of what you can see from there in advance.
The cost of a night in this glamping was, of course, not the cheapest in the town and the surrounding area, hostels in this regard are generally difficult to beat, but, frankly, not the most expensive. Rather, I would rate it as the upper limit of the budget sector, sometimes more expensive, but certainly far from the price level of bungalows and really good full service hotels, which also stand in beautiful remote places, with beautiful territory and interesting views.
Among other things, the tents, huts, bungalows and other things that can be lived in such places themselves can be very photogenic and cute. Isn't it romantic to look at such a shining tent in the night, sitting in front of a large fire and admiring the starry sky? In addition, you know that you will come there, close the entrance, put your phone and camera on charge and go to sleep on a nice comfortable bed. And in the morning you can find breakfast or food for it on a table nearby and eat, sitting not on the ground, but on a chair, at a table, and you can make delicious and aromatic coffee on the stove. Sounds great, doesn't it?
Of course, this option is not suitable if you come to a large city for the sake of the sights of the city itself: it is unlikely that Rome or New York can offer something like that, and even if there is something like that, it is still located in nature in the suburbs, from where getting to the city center is long and pointless. But if the trip is to a small town or village mainly for the sake of natural attractions, then such options are worth looking for and considering, right?
Have you ever been to glamping? If yes, tell me how you feel :)
It's better to watch the photo in high resolution.
OLYMPUS E-M1 Mark II
Exposure time: 50 sec
Aperture: F 8
Sensitivity: ISO 400
Focal length: 12 mm
35 mm equivalent: 24 mm
You can also see my photos in my blog LJ and in my profile on NatGeo. You can read a short interview with me here.
