Treehouse rooms are helping luxury resorts go green

Buzzwords like “glamping,” “eco retreats,” and “biophilic design” dominate today’s travel market — but before green everything was “in,” there were treehouses. From “Swiss Family Robinson”-style passion projects to hippie homes, hand-built treehouses have always sparked a sense of childlike joy.

Now, there’s fresh growth in the number of stunning treehouse hotels thanks to big brands and hospitality nabobs who hope to make a night in the trees a luxury experience. They’re ditching rickety ladders and shaky platforms for all the bells and whistles — like high-speed internet, heated floors and clawfoot copper tubs.

“Treehouses are like magical time machines, and they can transport you to simpler times like childhood,” the founder of Bolt Farm Treehouse, Seth Bolt told The Post.

Set in the Sequatchie Valley of Whitwell, Tenn., Bolt Farm opened in 2021 and was the culmination of Bolt’s childhood dream of owning a treehouse.

“I always wanted a treehouse as a kid, but coming from humble beginnings, it wasn’t in the cards for us,” Bolt said. He added his father, who is a builder by trade, helped him construct the first treehouse by hand and, along with his wife Tori, the “treesort” is expanding to include 11 additional treehouses as well as an on-site spa called the Wellness Haven , complete with outdoor pools and unobstructed views over three states later this year.

“We pour a lot of intentionality into each treehouse, filling them with timeless treasures and simple pleasures that help you disconnect from the busy world: a record player, vintage board games, therapeutic coloring books for adults, outdoor showers and a pizza oven. Little things that bring out your inner child,” Bolt said.

From the valley of Whitwell to the peaks of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Auberge Resorts’ Primland jumped on the treehouse trend with the opening of two new Mountain Top Tree Houses this year.

Perched above the Dan River Gorge, the resort stretches across 12,000 acres, where black bears roam freely, and the treehouses are connected via wooden footbridges and have been built into the trees featuring sprawling views courtesy of Appalachia’s striking vistas.

“We are delighted to offer our guests an elevated experience inspired by Virginia’s rich heritage,” Will Rentschler, general manager of Primland, said. “Paying homage to the beauty and culture of our region, these captivating designs and locally rooted culinary experiences allow us to continue offering unparalleled luxury among the Southern Appalachian Mountains.”

The property-wide refresh also includes a new farm-to-table culinary concept at Leatherflower and newly imagined public spaces, including the main lodge.

Guests come for golf, hundreds of miles of hiking and ATV trails, fly fishing, clay shooting and tomahawk throwing — but the real star of the show here is the onsite observatory.

Offered at Primland year-round and set at the top of a sleek silver silo that looks like it was plucked straight out of “A Space Odyssey”, and planted in the middle of rural Meadows of Dan, Va., the stargazing program is led by a rotating team of passionate local astronomers who operate high-tech telescopes providing spectacular views of the solar system in all of its celestial glory.

Back on Earth, and set amid a lush jungle overlooking the Caribbean Sea, Lovango Resort & Beach Club opened in the US Virgin Islands in the midst of the pandemic. Blending nature and luxury semi-private island living, it’s as close to cosplaying as a member of the Swiss fam as it gets.

Envisioned by husband and team Mark and Gwenn Snider, Lovango is not only the USVI’s most stylish resort to have opened in recent years, but from supped-up glamping tents to fully tricked-out treehouses and a brand-new, three-bedroom villa, you can expect all of the modern luxuries you could ask for in a modern-day private island tree sort.

“We knew from the very first moment that we had heard about this place that we had found something truly special,” said Gwenn Snider.

The owners of the Massachusetts-based Little Gem Resorts — which counts the Nantucket Hotel and Winnetu Oceanside Resort on Martha’s Vineyard as its small collection of boutique properties — has been a “labor of love” for the family. Home to an oceanfront infinity pool, a full-service beach club and a private beach only accessible to guests, if you’re craving some social interaction in the way of local nightlife, the resort is just a short ferry ride away to both St. John’s and St. Thomas.

Whatever you do, don’t leave without trying the pan-seared lobster schnitzel al fresco at Lovango’s waterfront restaurant.

“Creating that sense of place while connecting deeper with nature has always been something that’s important to us and our guests, and that is definitely the case at Lovango,” Snider said.

This winter, Lovango launched a new Stay & Sail package that includes three days of island hopping around to some of the Virgin Island’s most beautiful beaches and coral reefs via a luxurious charter boat for the ultimate tree-to-beach adventure. Pirates and shipwreck not included.