A transparent bubble to fall asleep under the stars, a treehouse ten metres off the ground, a gypsy caravan at ground level, a fully equipped ecolodge or a yurt with a crackling stove: the phrase unusual accommodation covers nights that have almost nothing in common. The hard part is finding the one that fits your trip, the season and the people sleeping beside you, and that choice is trickier than it looks. After nearly twenty years welcoming travellers into our trees, we know what turns a night into a memory and what spoils a morning. Here is how to decide with your eyes open.
Before you choose, what really sets these stays apart
In the photos, everything looks alike, yet the difference comes down to four very down-to-earth points, one of which almost always decides between a great night and a disappointing morning. The level of comfort opens the list: some so-called basic, “Robinson Crusoe” treehouses are lived without water or electricity, with dry toilets and breakfast hauled up on a pulley, while other stays offer a bathroom, heating and a private hot tub.
A cabin ten metres up is reached by a ladder or a walkway, which rules it out for a toddler or reduced mobility, whereas a caravan and an ecolodge meet you at ground level.
Privacy and the view then tip the balance, since a transparent bubble hands you the sky but exposes you to the neighbours if the ground is poorly screened, while a cabin deep in the trees keeps its secret.
The treehouse, a childhood dream up among the leaves
Climbing up in the evening, closing the trapdoor behind you and waking to birdsong at canopy height: this is unusual accommodation in its purest form, the one that started the trend in France. Its magic lies in its plainness. The authentic models do without running water and electricity, rely on dry toilets and a large raised terrace, and reconnect you to the essentials in a single night.
That plainness also has a very practical upside, since flushing the toilet accounts for roughly 20% of a household’s water use, about 30 litres per person per day according to ADEME, France’s environment agency, a cost a cabin with no plumbing wipes out at a stroke. At the other end of the range, spa cabins add a heated bathroom and a private hot tub without leaving the canopy.
A semi-rigid ladder for the highest cabins, a gentler staircase for the others, to check against your own ease.
Many treehouses set a minimum of six to twelve years for safety reasons. This format speaks to lovers of adventure and to families with older children, ready to trade a little comfort for a lot of poetry.
If the idea of crossing the terrace barefoot to reach dry toilets puts you off, lean instead towards a spa cabin or an ecolodge. Browse all our tree houses before you decide.
The transparent bubble, a night under the open sky without pitching a tent
Lying in a real bed, you follow the drifting clouds, the first star, the rain turned into a show. The bubble, that inflatable or geodesic dome, offers the face-to-face with the sky that nothing else provides, which makes it the queen of romantic nights. Its transparency is also its constraint.
A bubble drowned in street lamps loses its starry sky, while a dark country sky gives it back all its power. The phenomenon goes beyond one night’s comfort, since in France a large share of the population can no longer see the Milky Way with the naked eye, and nearly 90% of the stars vanish under the glow of towns. So the setting makes the night, and it pays to move away from built-up areas and choose a spot where the stars over the Morbihan still put on a real show.
On comfort, the bubble is not air-conditioned, worth knowing before you book. It heats up for cool nights and airs out on fine days, but a heatwave afternoon or a December night are felt inside, so aim for the shoulder seasons if you dread the extremes. Also check the real privacy of the place and whether a bathroom sits right beside it, two points that make all the difference between the postcard and the morning after. To enjoy it in good company, a night in a starry dome with a private spa remains the safe bet for two.
The gypsy caravan, nomadic charm you reach at ground level
Weathered wood, bohemian curves, a bench that turns into a bed: the caravan holds a whole atmosphere of travel standing still in just a few square metres.
That charm comes from far back, since the wooden caravan, the verdine of the travelling people (from the Romani word vardo), appeared in the 19th century, built by wheelwrights in a frame barely 2.5 metres wide where everything was designed to live snug without going short. Its real strength is one the photos forget: sitting on the ground, it opens at ground level, with no ladder or awkward steps, which makes it precious for families with young children or for anyone wary of the sporty access of high cabins. You tuck the little ones in without acrobatics, and you wake up with your feet in the grass.
You will not seat a large table inside a caravan. For two, or for a small family after a photogenic cocoon that is easy to live in, it is a smart choice, often gentler on the budget than the spa formats. Our gypsy caravan gives a fine taste of it.
The ecolodge, the unusual without giving up comfort
When adventure must not mean discomfort, the ecolodge bridges the gap. This little eco-designed house, often perched on stilts in the meadow, brings together a fitted kitchen, a proper bathroom and beds for the whole family. You keep the change of scene and the nature at the window, but you cook your own dinner and shower the children without crossing the estate.
This format allows longer stays, where a basic treehouse is savoured for a night or two. A week in an ecolodge goes by without tiring, at the rhythm of a little holiday home. Larger families, comfort lovers and travellers staying several days find here the best compromise between the unusual and everyday ease. Our ecolodges in Brittany show this balance between stilts and full comfort.
So, which one should you choose for your stay?
The right stay answers, above all, to who you are that weekend. For two, the bubble and its starry vault or a spa cabin with a hot tub create the intimacy you look for on an anniversary or a marriage proposal. As a family, it all comes down to age: with toddlers, a caravan, an ecolodge or a ground-level cabin spare you the ladder headache, while older children dream of climbing up to sleep in the trees. Among friends, for a hen weekend, the pairing of a sociable yurt and a private spa ticks the unusual and the photogenic in one move.
The season sharpens the choice. The bubble and the single-skin yurt are at their best from spring to the mild nights of an Indian summer, while a heated spa cabin or an ecolodge suit the whole year, under Breton rain as much as in the sun.
- As a couple for a special occasion: a bubble under the stars or a treehouse with a private hot tub.
- As a family with young children: a gypsy caravan, an ecolodge or a cabin reached at ground level.
- For a stay of several days or in uncertain weather: a fully equipped ecolodge or a heated spa cabin, at ease all year round.
One last reflex before you confirm: read the listing right to the end, because the line about toilets, heating and access tells you more about your night than the finest photo.
At Dihan, five worlds gathered in one Breton setting
Choosing gets easier when everything sits in one place. Across our 25 hectares of woods and meadows at Ploemel, in southern Brittany, treehouses, a starry dome, ecolodges on stilts, a caravan and even a Lapland chalet share a car-free estate, ten minutes from the beaches of Carnac. As pioneers of the treehouse in France, we have let them grow at the pace of the century-old trees, between an LPO bird sanctuary and a permaculture garden.
Breakfast rises on a pulley at the foot of the perched cabins, the spa waits in the old cowshed, and the silence does the rest. If the idea still feels vague, our overview of Dihan’s unusual accommodation in Brittany lays the groundwork before you book.
A final word
There is no best unusual accommodation in the absolute, only the one that matches your mood of the moment, your tribe and the season. Trust the four markers, comfort, access, privacy, weather, and the doubt clears on its own. The rest, the first star glimpsed from the bed or the coffee sipped on a raised terrace, cannot be told. It has to be lived, for the space of a pause.
Frequently asked questions
Which unusual accommodation should you choose for a couple’s weekend?
For two, two safe bets stand out: the transparent bubble, to fall asleep under the stars, and the treehouse with a private hot tub, for the intimacy and the soak in the middle of nature. Both suit anniversaries, Valentine’s Day or a marriage proposal. Check that a bathroom sits right beside the unit and that heating is provided for a night without a hitch.
Can you sleep in a bubble in winter?
Yes, provided it is well heated, because a bubble is not air-conditioned and follows the outside temperature. In the depths of winter it stays comfortable with a good heating system and a warm duvet, but the milder nights of spring and late season offer the best balance between the sky’s spectacle and thermal comfort.
Are treehouses suitable for children?
It depends on their age and on the cabin. Many treehouses set a minimum age, often from six to twelve years, because of access by ladder or walkway. For younger children, it is better to choose a ground-level cabin, a caravan or a secure ecolodge. Once the trapdoor is closed, a well-designed cabin is a play area that is both thrilling and safe.
What is the difference between a treehouse and an ecolodge?
The treehouse is built on adventure and plainness, sometimes without water or electricity, with access up high. The ecolodge, set at ground level or on stilts, brings together a fitted kitchen, a bathroom and family beds: you keep the change of scene while gaining comfort. The treehouse is savoured for a night or two, the ecolodge lends itself to longer stays.
Do you always have to accept dry toilets?
No. Dry toilets mainly concern the basic treehouses and some yurts that play the authenticity card. Spa cabins, ecolodges and waterside chalets have proper bathrooms. It is the first thing to check on the listing if sanitary comfort matters to you.