- Forget Colorado or Montana: Glamping – or glamorous camping – has gone urban.
- Travel company Collective Retreats opened a glamping retreat on Governors Island in New York City in July 2018.
- Guests pay between $150 and $1,200 per night to sleep in luxe tents or climate-controlled cabins with king-size beds and 1,500-thread count sheets, en-suite bathrooms, electricity, and WiFi.
- In the new Outlook Shelters, guests can sleep in air-conditioned luxury and bathe in a soaking tub with a view of the Statue of Liberty.
- While I found the tents and more upscale lodging options to be beautiful, they are decidedly not private or isolated – they’re right on top of the island’s main street.
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Glamping, or “glamorous camping,” is a luxurious alternative to camping that can come in many forms, from sleeping in a heated domed pod on the salt flats of Bolivia to staying in a luxurious “canvas cabin” with a soaking tub in the woods of Montana.
But glamping isn’t just relegated to remote locations – you can even go glamping in New York City.
Travel company Collective Retreats opened a luxury campground on Governors Island in New York Harbor, an eight-minute ferry ride from Manhattan, in July 2018 – and they just added an even more luxe type of accommodation.
On a recent summer afternoon, I took the ferry out to the island to get a look at what it’s like to go glamping in New York City.
The glamping retreat is on Governors Island, a car-free, 172-acre island in New York Harbor that once housed a US Army post.
Source: Governors Island
The island is only an eight-minute ferry ride from lower Manhattan.
Source: Collective Retreats
The Collective Retreats Governors Island campground is a short walk from the ferry, but I was picked up by a staffer in a golf cart, which brought me to the front entrance in about a minute.
Source: Collective Retreats
Opened in July 2018, the campground offers a clear view of the Statue of Liberty in one direction ...
Source: Collective Retreats
... and picturesque views of the Manhattan skyline in the other. The camp offers two types of canvas tents: Journey Tents or Summit Tents.
Source: Collective Retreats
In the Journey Tent, guests have the choice of a queen bed or two single beds, which come with 1,000-thread count linens and down comforters.
Source: Collective Retreats
The shared bathrooms for Journey Tent guests are a short walk from the tents. They have hot running water and full-flush toilets, as well as towels and environmentally friendly spa bath products.
The Journey Tents cost between $150 and $300 per night.
The tents have electricity and outlets where guests can charge their electronics, and coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and a hot water kettle are provided in each tent.
Source: Collective Retreats
The Summit Tent is the more upscale version of the Journey Tent.
Source: Collective Retreats
In the more spacious tent, guests sleep on 1,500-thread count sheets with a down comforter and blanket.
Source: Collective Retreats
Each Summit Tent has a private, en-suite bathroom with a rain-style shower and Turkish robes "for optimal lounging."
Source: Collective Retreats
Guests can drink their morning coffee on their private deck.
Source: Collective Retreats
At each of Collective Retreats camps, no two luxury tents are exactly the same. Staying in a Summit Tent will cost you $500 to $800 per night.
Source: Collective Retreats
Just in time for Labor Day weekend 2019, Collective Retreats added a new type of accommodation to the Governors Island camp: the Outlook Shelter.
Source: Collective Retreats
Custom made by Land Ark RV, the Outlook Shelters are the priciest accommodations at the campground, starting at $595 per night and going up to $1,200. Each comes with two private decks.
Source: Collective Retreats
Described on the website as a "transformational hotel room," the Outlook Shelter is a 300-square-foot, climate-controlled cabin.
Source: Collective Retreats
On my tour, I found that despite its compact size, the cabin didn't feel cramped thanks to its large windows, whitewashed pine walls, and smart design.
Source: Collective Retreats
At one end is a soaking tub where guests can take a bath with a view of the Statue of Liberty.
Source: Collective Retreats
The bathroom comes with Malin + Goetz bath products, Parachute towels, and custom spa bath robes.
Source: Collective Retreats
And the mini fridge is stocked with both still and sparkling water.
Source: Collective Retreats
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served at the nearby Three Peaks Lodge ...
Source: Collective Retreats
... or at outdoor tables overlooking the harbor. The dinner menu includes a poached shrimp salad for $23, an Atlantic Cod main dish for $36 or roasted chicken with heirloom tomato salad for $35, and three dessert options for $13 each.
Breakfast is $25 per adult and $12 per child and includes items like pancakes, yogurt and granola, a breakfast scramble, and French Toast.
Source: Collective Retreats
The adjacent Three Peaks Sunset Bar, which is open from noon to 9 p.m., sells beer, wine, and liquor, as well as small bites like charcuterie and hummus with vegetables and pita.
Source: Collective Retreats
Guests can also purchase a "BBQ-in-a-box" to enjoy on the grass, which includes table settings, drinks, all ingredients, and help with cleanup and grilling.
Guests can also order from a takeaway menu of sandwiches, salads, and snacks.
The camp has plenty of open space where kids can run around or adults can relax in the grass.
Source: Collective Retreats
If guests want to venture out of the camp, they can head over to Island Oyster for cocktails, lobster rolls, fish tacos, and of course, oysters.
Source: Island Oyster
Other activities on the island include renting bicycles, playing mini golf, checking out art installations, and catching an outdoor movie.
Source: NYG Go
Once Governors Island closes — at 6 p.m. on weekdays, 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 7 p.m. on Sundays, guests must stay on the six-acre campground. Collective Retreats Governors Island closes for the season on October 31, when the island closes to the public.
Source: Collective Retreats
While I found that each individual tent was nicely arranged, and the interior of the Shelter Outlook, in particular, was very aesthetically pleasing, what really stuck out to me was how close the tents were to each other — and to the island's main street, which was full of onlookers.
If you're looking for true privacy, this is not the place you're going to find it. Then again, privacy in a city as busy as New York is admittedly difficult to find.
While being inside the tents might offer a sense of isolation, stepping outside of them immediately puts you in direct view of other guests - and of curious spectators' gazes. Drinking coffee on a rustic porch with a view of downtown Manhattan seems like a romantic notion, but it's considerably less so when you're also part of what the sightseers are ogling.
Source: Collective Retreats