Winter camping isn’t for everyone. But even those turned off by pitching a tent in freezing-cold temperatures or building a quinzee with snow will want to try Prince Edward Island’s latest accommodations.
A new business on the island is giving visitors the chance to comfortably sleep among the trees this winter. Treetop Haven offers five geodesic domes, known as TreePODs, which are mounted on raised decks about three-and-a-half metres off the ground.
Each dome will be equipped with a bathroom, small kitchen, bedroom, a barbecue on the large wrap-around deck, and windows that overlook owner Sheila Arsenault’s 20-hectare property.
It’s the perfect example of glamping, which is exactly what Arsenault is trying to emulate.
“You know, people want the outdoors, but don’t want to go too extreme,” she told CBC News.
Arsenault also told reporters that she was inspired to create the domes after staying in interesting accommodations around the world. With the emergence of websites like Airbnb, which gives travellers the option to stay in everything from tree houses to train cars, travel accommodations have become more than just a place to sleep—they’re part of the experience.
Still, there will be more to do than just hang out in the pod, or even in the hot tubs that Arsenault is planning to include on each pod’s deck. The accommodations are located in Mount Tyron, P.E.I., just three kilometres from the Confederation Trail and 10 minutes away from Chelton Provincial Beach.
Although she’s still working on the interiors, Arsenault’s hoping to have two of the five pods available to rent by the end of February. The other three will only be open seasonally, available from April to October.
For more accommodations like this across Canada, see “10 yurts you can camp in year-round.”