It’s 2020, and the bubble hotel business is bursting.
The novelty of sleeping under the stars from within the climate-controlled comforts of your own curved-roofed retreat shows no signs of waning.
Standard hotel amenities — including ensuite bathrooms, comfy beds and Wi-Fi, too — have more or less become the norm.
And though it’s a niche category in the world of glamorous camping (aka “glamping”), some of the newest domed retreats are upping the ante further, providing fully-stocked minibars, your choice of pillows and, yes, even the option for a floating breakfast served bubble-side in a private plunge pool.
Lough Erne, Northern Ireland
With such thoughtful touches as soaking tubs with forest views, plush robes and slippers, heated floors and telescopes for stargazing, the bubble domes at Finn Lough are all about checking in to check out — hello, digital detox. While somewhat off the grid, the resort has no shortage of activities on-site, including a day spa, marina and water sports, full-service restaurant and bar, a library and lounge, tennis courts and lakefront fire pits, too.
Rates from $322/night
Wadi Rum, Jordan
This otherworldly red sand desert has had its fair share of big screen cameos, including standing in for planet Mars in The Martian with Matt Damon. It’s also become a trendy destination for bubble hotels: Bedouin-inspired glamping accommodations at Sun City Camp include 20 “Martian Domes” — complete with AC, private bathroom facilities and 24-hour electricity. Meanwhile, the bubble suites at Wadi Rum Bubble Luxotel are actually double bubbles featuring star-gazing living room and bedroom areas.
Rates from $174/night at Sun City and $280/night at Wadi Rum Bubble Luxotel
Nosara, Costa Rica
A short stroll from the gently rolling sets at Playa Pelada, one of a couple popular surf spots around laid-back Nosara, Satori Bubble Experience Lodge is all about good vibes. Featuring just four lush bubble stays named after the elements — water, fire, earth and air — each room has a private saltwater pool inlaid with Balinese tile, plus locally-made furnishings and organic bathroom amenities, too. Breakfast, also included, can optionally be delivered on a floating tray for the pool.
Rates from $270/night
Golden Triangle, Thailand
Wake up to the sound of elephants trumpeting their morning greetings in nearby paddocks during the new jungle bubble sleepover experience at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort. Set on an elevated platform adjacent to where the elephants roam, these two new custom bubbles bring a safari feel to the jungles of Northern Thailand; the adventure kicks off the night before with sundowners, elephant oohing and ahhing and a picnic-style dinner basket.
Rates from $585/night
Iceland
Featuring two sites — one in the Golden Circle and one on the south coast — with nine bubble tents each, Buubble Iceland’s accommodations are definitely more rustic. Each cluster of domes share bathroom and kitchen facilities located in a small service house nearby. But the pros far outweigh the cons: Bookings include roundtrip transportation from Reykjavik, an area sightseeing tour, plus one night under the stars searching for the aurora borealis (or, depending on the season, marveling at the endless twilight of the midnight sun).
Rates from $482/night per person, based on double occupancy
Tudela, Spain
A starry night sky experience that also serves as an ideal departure point for day trips and hiking excursions into Spain’s Bardenas Reales National Park — a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that features some stunning desert landscapes—the bubble rooms at Hotel Aire de Bardenas come with more than a few hotel perks, including mini bars, bathrobes and slippers, even eye masks for sleeping. Did we mention the hotel also has a pool, restaurant and concierge to help you book local experiences? Yep.
Rates from $292/night
Bubble Lodge, Mauritius
Booking a stay at the Bubble Lodge on this tropical Indian Ocean island is as close to an all-inclusive bubble resort as it gets. Depending on whether you’re staying at the tea plantation or island golf resort — and really, you can’t go wrong to be surrounded by Banyan trees or to be steps from the beach — the Bubble Lodge offers perks like comped green fees and water sports, in addition to several meals daily. Spacious bubble suites feature open sky showers and there are family-friendly double-bedroom options, too.
Rates from $373/night
Valle de Guadeloupe, Mexico
Of course one of North America’s most intriguing up-and-coming (and dare we say it, sorta hipster) wine regions already has its own bubble hotel, Campera Hotel Burbuja. Located in Baja California’s Valle de Guadeloupe — which is a half hour’s drive from Ensenada or about a two-hour drive south from San Diego — the vineyard-facing property is composed of a dozen bubble rooms, most of which have private restroom facilities and two that come with outdoor Jacuzzis.
Rates from $165/night
Sacré-Coeur, Quebec
Located downriver from Saguenay Fjords National Park within sight of the mighty Saint Lawrence River, Canopée Lit offers an eclectic mix of treetop cabins and bubble rooms that are surrounded by river, sky and boreal forest views. Nature thrives during the summer months here; Canadian moose, whales, black bears and salmon making their annual pilgrimage upstream are just a few of the draws. Bubble rooms do come with an outhouse-style bathroom — albeit a fancy one, with electricity and hot water.
Rates from $136/night
Medellin, Colombia
Set within the Andes mountains at a base elevation of nearly 5,000 feet — so, just shy of Denver’s “mile high” status — Colombia’s capital city and surrounding environs are a nature-lover’s paradise. Not far from the international airport, and less than an hour from the city center, Bubble Sky Glamping features eight bubble abodes with some fantastic extras, including private Jacuzzis, outdoor grill stations and built-in hammock nets that hang suspended over the forest canopy below.
Rates from $192/night