Chewton Glen’s Treehouse Suites

For many, treehouses entail fond memories of whiling away hours in a childhood backyard haven. Chewton Glen’s Treehouse suites, which sit amid branches on the edge of the mystical-feeling New Forest in Hampshire, England, recall that nostalgic delight, allowing guests the chance to revel in the novelty of life in the trees.

Three serene suite models are available, as well as entire treehouses ideal for families. From any, guests net breathtaking views of the valley stretching for acres, without any trace of civilization. The arboreal additions are also easy on the environment that supports them; in 2012, Chewton Glen enlisted the help of Blue Forest, a luxe treehouse crafting company specializing in low environmental impact designs, to build its suites, primarily with natural, locally-sourced materials. No trees were cut down in the process, and, though nestled in the trees’ canopies between five and 10 metres high, the suites are supported on stilts—thus leaving the trunks unharmed. Their westerly floor-to-ceiling windows provide a charming dual benefit: natural heat from the sun during the day and a prime view of the sunset over the New Forest in the evening.

Yet rustic Chewton Glen’s Treehouses are not. Rather, hot tubs sit atop their wood-panelled terraces, and on-site massage treatments are available to book. Breakfast hampers of fresh pastries and fruit, homemade jam, local honey, and smoked salmon with cream cheese arrive discreetly each morning by way of a secret hatch. For those who wish to cook, fresh produce can be ordered to make use of the suite’s kitchen—where coffee, tea, and hot chocolate (complete with mini marshmallows) are at the ready. Otherwise, one may order up a pizza hamper with a crate of craft beer.

With such decadent amenities at one’s fingertips, it might be difficult to pry guests away from their cozy canopies. If the golf course, croquet lawn, nearby beach, and tennis courts aren’t temptation enough, perhaps the less conventional activities of falconry and duck herding will do the trick. Those longing to venture further into the outdoors can explore the expansive New Forest national park by mountain bike, or else stroll aimlessly down the forested paths until their feet carry them back to the idyllic atmosphere of their woodland abodes.