The cooler side of camping

Terrified by the thought of going camping or sleeping out under the stars? Perhaps you were scarred by teenage experiences or memories of Carrying On Camping? Relax, and let Tina Nielsen guide you through the coolest campsites, from spartan eco-lodges to the luxury of a "glamping" holiday

If the thought of going camping brings you out in cold sweats, you're not alone. Dilapidated shower blocks, sodden fields in which to put up your tent, and condensation dripping on your head every night are the stuff of nightmares. But you can wipe the sweat from your brow, because there's no need to rough it anymore. Inconceivable just 10 years ago, it is now possible to enjoy a "luxury camping holiday".

Due, in part, to the popularity of festivals, more people consider camping when planning their holidays. The Camping and Caravanning Club in the UK has added 50,000 members in the last year alone. And with upmarket fashion brands such as Ted Baker and Cath Kidston joining in, the market has become increasingly sophisticated. "People have been going camping all along, but it has definitely had a revival in the last few years," says Jonathan Knight, author of the Cool Camping guides. He thinks city life and long hours make us want the basics. "We are living on this urban treadmill and many of us don't even have a garden," he says. "Camping gives us an opportunity to get away from everyday life".

Best of all, you don't even need a tent to go camping now, as more comfortable alternatives continue to appear. It is relatively easy to find a campsite with tipis and yurts (a dome-like tent traditionally used by Siberian and Mongolian nomads) or you can choose to stay in a luxuriously appointed tented camp more or less anywhere in the world.

Traditional campsites, too, have raised their game. In France, for example, 55 per cent of sites are rated as three- or four-star. At the very top end, people are now spending their holidays "glamping", a term that has sprung up to describe the new world of glamorous camping. So, After Hours went in search of the 10 best sites for location, luxury or simply getting back to nature.

1. Sausage Tree Camp, Zambia
Service is the focus of this chic safari camp located on the Zambezi River. Don't be surprised to see elephants or other animals taking a stroll past your Bedouin-style tent, which is kitted out using locally sourced materials. Set in stunning wilderness, each of the six tents comes complete with a four-poster bed and en-suite, open-air bathroom, including a "loo with a view". You also get a personal muchinda (butler) to look after you. Mealtimes at the Sausage Tree Camp are something to look forward to, as the French-trained chef works his magic in the bush kitchen. Dinner is served under the stars, around the campfire or in the dining tent. Guests benefit from traditional bush activities, including day and night game drives, walking safaris, canoeing, and fishing for tiger fish on the river.

From £233 per night, including all meals and activities.
www.sausagetreecamp.com

2. Four Seasons Golden Triangle, Thailand
In short, the Four Seasons experience under canvas. This tented camp offers ludicrously luxurious facilities for a campsite, right down to the hand-hammered copper bathtubs. Built in an elevated position along a 1km hillside-trail in the Thai jungle,15 tents overlook Burma's Ruak River, the mountains of Laos or the Thai jungle. Three- or four-night stays are available and the all-inclusive prices include round-trip airport transfers, accommodation, full board, elephant trekking, spa treatments and a Golden Triangle excursion. Guests arrive by a traditional long tail boat and, during their stay, can benefit from an array of activities and events including formal campfire meals and riverside dinners in a stilt-top bar.

From £780 per tent per night, inclusive.
www.fourseasons.com/goldentriangle

3. Mille Etoiles, France
Located on top of the Ardèche gorge, the idyllic and secluded Mille Etoiles camp was one of the first sites to offer luxury tented accommodation in Europe and has proved a big hit since it was set up in 2003. The couple behind the concept wanted to provide guests an authentic camping experience, but with added style and comfort. It features accommodation in 12 individually furnished yurts, nine of them designed for young families, plus four communal cooking tents with fully equipped kitchens. Each yurt accommodates two adults and has camp beds for two children. Three of them are set up as a group and are ideal for families or friends holidaying together. Guests can enjoy swimming and sunbathing by the nearby river and the wider area is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts offering activities such as walking, caving and horse riding.

From £515 per tent for seven nights or £255 for three nights, including breakfast.
www.canvaschic.com

4. Cornish Tipi Holidays, Cornwall, UK
Campers familiar with modern tents are often surprised when they stay in one of the tipis at this campsite in rural Cornwall. They come in two sizes: medium, which sleeps 2-3 people, and large, which offers enough space for six. They certainly make an impression: some reach 18ft in height and feature up to 20 sq m of space inside. They are all constructed according to North American traditions and feature unbleached and coloured canvas on locally sourced poles. The site is situated in a former quarry and the tipis are spread across a peaceful valley boasting a freshwater lake, where people can swim, fish for rainbow trout, or take a boat out for a paddle. The campsite is five miles away from the spectacular Cornish coastline and a
10-minute drive form the sandy surfing beach of Polzeath.

From £375 for a medium tipi for seven nights and £435 for a large tipi.
www.cornish-tipi-holidays.co.uk

5. Huttopia, Various locations, France
The three sites run by Huttopia in Versailles, Rillé and Rambouillet follow eco-tourism guidelines and aim to fit into existing nature rather than invade it. The wooden huts are therefore mounted on stilts in order to preserve the natural slope of the ground. In addition to regular tent pitches, campers can rent different types of accommodation including huts, "gypsy style" mobile homes and ridge tents. All  are built with untreated wood and come fully equipped, some with more comforts than others. The Huttopia sites are all light and peaceful and offer various activities depending on the location. The one in Versailles has particular appeal, as visitors can nip into Paris in 20 minutes, combining a city break with an eco-holiday.

From £67 per night for a 4-person hut at the Versailles site.
www.huttopia.com

6. Hoopoe Yurt Hotel, Cortes de La Frontera, Spain
Why not wile away some time in the peaceful settings of three hectares of olive groves overlooking the Grazalema mountains in Andalucía in southern Spain? The three yurts at the Hoopoe Yurt Hotel offer guests a chance to get back to nature while staying in stylish, comfortable accommodation. The yurts are set up as double bedrooms styled with traditional Mongolian furniture. Each comes with an acre of private meadow with a seating area and hammocks available. Treatments such as reflexology and massages are available, and guests can enjoy the chlorine-free swimming pool. The camp is a short walk from the "white village" of Cortes de La Frontera and within an easy drive of towns such as Jerez (the home of sherry) and Malaga.

£80 per yurt per night, breakfast included.
www.yurthotel.com

7. Side Farm, Lake District, UK
The Cool Camping England guide declared this site "one of the most scenically situated campsites on the planet" while one visitor said "if you don't love it here, you are probably dead". Nestled between the slopes of Place Fell and Ullswater, Side Farm is a campsite in the traditional sense and is a paradise for walkers, who benefit from the Howtown to Patterdale walk, reportedly the most beautiful in the Lake District. Ullswater, the second largest lake in the Lake District, is ideal for water sports and many people bring their own canoes to Side Farm. The site has flat pitching and adequate facilities, but the real luxury is its location. No advance bookings.

£4.50 per person per night, £2 per tent.
01768 482 337

8. Otter Creek Tents, Goa
Accessed by a 60-metre bamboo bridge, this tented camp is not for the fainthearted. But once there, guests are guaranteed privacy and peace. The tents are located on a secluded beach and face the river running parallel to the camp. All accommodation features private outside space and a bamboo jetty over the river. The tents sleep two people and boast four-poster beds and en-suite bathrooms with running water and hot showers. Perfect for beach-lovers, who can pass the time spotting dolphins and turtles. A car with a driver is available for those wishing to sample restaurants and shopping around North Goa. An in-house chef cooks for guests-breakfast is included while other meals are prepared on request.

In peak times, prices start at £546 per tent per week.
www.i-escape.com/ottercreektents.php

9. Costanoa Lodge and Camp, Pescadero, California
Active travellers could do worse than the Costanoa eco-resort. Located one hour south of San Francisco on the famous Highway 1, the surrounding area offers an amazing array of outdoor and indoor activities including hiking, kayaking, horse riding, winetasting, surfing, rock climbing and whale watching. While getting to Costanoa from the UK won't do much towards saving the planet, at least you'll be staying in a camp that continuously strives to reduce its impact on the environment. Guests stay in wooden lodges or cabins, or in a tented bungalow. The latter are basic wood or metal frames covered with waterproof canvas tent walls but come with electricity, sliding windows and heated mattress pads. Wireless internet access is also available. The bungalows share "comfort stations" with toilets, hot showers, heated floors, a sauna and an outdoor fireplace. If you want a more authentic camping experience you can bring your own tent along-pitches accommodate up to four people and one car.

From £72 per night for a double cabin.
www.costanoa.com

10. Featherdown Farms, Various locations, UK
One for the kids and their stressed parents. Get away from it all in a farm tent at one of nine, small-scale working farms across the UK. Featherdown Farms offer ready-made tented accommodation in an authentic recreation of how life used to be. This means guests find themselves cooking on wood-fired stoves and baking in old-fashioned wood-fired ovens. The tents are fully equipped, spacious and can accommodate up to six people. There is no hot water or electricity in the tents, but candles and oil lamps are provided and hot showers are available. The properties are located in beautiful farmland and all have a farm shop with locally sourced produce, a henhouse providing fresh eggs, a paddock and bike rentals. Children are free to roam and acquaint themselves with nature and the farm's animals. And with no television or computers, Featherdown Farm is the perfect place to spend precious quality time with the family—especially if you are brave enough to leave your Blackberry at home.

From £345 per week.
www.featherdown.co.uk