Luxury gone wild: Top treehouse hotels around the world

by Melanie Nayer on

Who said luxury was limited only inside four walls? In the backyard of hotels and resorts we frequent around the world are miles of lush landscapes just waiting to be explored and slept in. Look up the next time you’re walking through the woods and imagine a space in that tall tree, complete with all the amenities you would find at home.

Treehouses are treasures that embrace our childhood and indulge our adventurous side, and they have a lot more to offer than a bird’s nest and an old carpet from your Mom’s garage. Below are some of the most unique treehouse hotels around the world worth exploring… are you game?

Parrot Nest Lodge, Belize: Spend the night under a 100-foot guanacste tree in a thatched treehouse in Parrot Nest Lodge. Surrounded on three sides by the Mopan River, you’ll watch fireflies swarm at eye level and make friends with a few parrots from your hammock on the porch of the tree. Make sure you have plenty of battery life in your camera – the Parrot Nest Lodge is one of the best places to play with the wildlife that inhabits the exotic gardens on the grounds. The best part? It’s only $40 a night for double occupancy and children under 12 stay free. www.parrot-nest.com

Tree Houses of Hana, Maui: These tree-top rooms are pretty basic, but if you’re looking for rustic romance they’re worth the climb. The rooms in these trees lack electricity (read: candles set the mood) and when the sun goes down, tiki torches and candles light the way through the wooded path to your secluded treehouse. Treetops, House of the August Moon and Pavillion all provide guests with ocean views and camp-style in-tree kitchens. This cost of this adventure will cost you $120 per night. hanalani.maui.netThe Aviary, Lenox, Massachusetts: Not your typical treehouse, The Aviary is a two-level suite with a private covered terrace located on 22 acres of parkland in the Berkshire Mountains. The “treehouse” comes complete with a living rooms, antique soaking tub, and a full entertainment system. The circular stairs lead you to the second floor sleeping room ‘in the trees’. The lap of luxury in the woods will cost you $2100 a night, but it’s sure to be the best time you’ve ever had in a treehouse. www.wheatleigh.com

Tranquil Resort, Wayanad, Kerala, India: Imagine waking up to the smells of vanilla wafting through the air and coffee beans roasting in the sun. The 500-square-foot treehouse at Tranquil Resort is set on a private 400-acre estate complete with a working coffee and vanilla plantation, meant to relax and rejuvenate. The treehouse is set 35-feet off the ground and come with king-sized beds, full baths, and a veranda. Insect screens protect you from the outside elements and if you get bored of the panoramic view of the estate, you can turn on the TV or pop in a DVD, conveniently wired in the tree. Nightly rates were unavailable on the website, but you can email the resort directly for information. www.tranquilresort.com/treehouse.html

Tree House Lodge, Limón, Costa Rica: Located on the southern Caribbean coast of Costa Rica lies a small eco-lodge with four treehouses on pristine ocean-front property. A true mesh of nature and harmony, the treehouses are located in the Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge and feature solar heating, two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a shower. To add to the ambiance of these wooden digs, you access your treehome via a hanging steel bridge. Access to the bridge. Rates start at $300 a night. www.costaricatreehouse.com

Visiting the Mangum Rattlesnake Derby

by Gadling Staff on

Each week, Gadling is taking a look at our favorite festivals around the world. From music festivals to cultural showcases to the just plain bizarre, we hope to inspire you to do some festival exploring of your own. Come back each Wednesday for our picks or find them all HERE.

Each Spring, avid rattlesnake hunters and handlers gather in Mangum, Oklahoma for the annual Mangum Rattlesnake Derby. The event began in 1966 when the Shortgrass Rattlesnake Association organized the first weekend-long derby to hunt, measure and cook the reptiles. Each year, a crowd of approximately 30,000 hunters and spectators gathers to take part.

The Mangum Rattlesnake Derby, held near the end of April, includes a wide range of snake-related activities, music, contests and food. Visitors come to watch snake handlers, eat at the “Bite-A-Snake Cafe” or enter the snake pit and try to find the longest “rattler” and win the derby. There’s also carnival rides, one of the largest flea markets in the state, live music by regional musicians and a royalty contest.

Want to know more about this crazy snake shindig in Southern Oklahoma? Keep reading below.

The highlight of each year’s Derby is the Longest Snake Contest. Rattlesnake hunters explore the southwestern Oklahoma hills and countryside seeking the longest and heaviest snakes to win cash awards and trophies. Hunters must register for the guided hunts and attend a safety course. Measuring and weighing of the live snakes often requires four men to hold the dangerous reptiles during the process. Snakes at this Oklahoma event routinely measure in excess of six feet long.

Young women who attend high school in Greer County also compete for the coveted title of “Miss Derby Princess” winning not only gifts and cash awards, but also a college scholarship. The winner must be brave enough to pose for a photo with the winner of the “Longest Snake” contest

Meanwhile at the Snake Pit, two handlers stand inside a ring with over a hundred rattlesnakes slithering around their feet. While one handler entertains the crowd by actively working with the Western Diamondback Rattlesnakes, the other educates the crowds about the art of “charming” snakes and facts about the elusive and deadly creatures.

Another highlight of the weekend is the “Butcher Shop Show” where spectators not only watch a snake being prepared for the fryer, but also learn about the delicacy of serpentine meat. The show may be a bit too gory for children and those who flinch at the sight of blood, but it is as entertaining as it is educational. Even in death, a rattlesnake is still deadly and must be handled with extreme caution. After skinning the rattlesnake and removing the head, the butcher demonstrates how the deadly jaws have one final bite left by using a hat or scarf from an audience member.

While some spectators believe that snake tastes a lot like chicken, patrons at the “Bite-A-Snake Cafe” can cast their own vote as to the flavor of serpentine cuisine. Volunteers from the Mangum Mounties Association batter slices of rattlesnake from the butcher shop and fry the meat for anxiously awaiting customers.

Some have decried the butchering practices as inhumane towards the snakes. The Derby Association addresses these questions on its website, indicating that the snakes are “dispatched according to acceptable commercial practices” and that by holding the festival, they hope to “correct modern misconceptions about the rattlesnake.”

Whether you’re watching rattlesnakes get measured, learning about them at the snake pit, or eating one after its been deep fried, visitors to the Mangum Rattlesnake Derby are sure to come away with a unique understanding of these amazing creatures.

Customs arrests man for flying with postage stamps

by Sean McLachlan on

Customs officers are generally our friends. They keep people from boarding the plane with stolen antiquities or live reptiles, but occasionally innocent people get caught in their net.

Stamp collector Markand Dave of India seems to be one of those people.

Mr. Dave tried to board a flight from Sardar Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, to Frankfurt, Germany, on his way to attend a stamp collecting exhibition in London. In his luggage he had a collection of rare, early Indian stamps. While Mr. Dave is a well-known philatelist and had an invitation to participate in the exhibition, he had forgotten to ask permission from the government to take the stamps out of India and ran afoul of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, which considers rare stamps to be antiquities. He’s due to appear in court on charges of antiquities smuggling.

Mr. Dave is probably not an antiquities smuggler, but as a leading philatelist he should have known better. Collectors should understand the laws that cover their collections and fill out the proper paperwork before they travel.

Besides, he should be thankful he didn’t have his rare stamps stolen by a baggage thief.
%Gallery-13474%

%Gallery-7858%

Annual “DOTTY” awards honor traveling fools

by Laurel Miller on

Those crazy kids at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) have released the winners of their annual DOTTY awards. Since 2008, the government travel industry watchdog has exhibited a most uncharacteristic sense of humor for a federal agency. Honorees are those travelers who have displayed the most moronic behavior. This year, the awards were issued just as DOT put new regulations into effect to provide increased security for travelers. Unfortunately, they can’t provide increased IQ, as well.

msnbc.com contributor Rob Lovitt breaks it down, pot cookie overdose, bomb scare ploy, monkey-disguised-as-pregnancy, tighty-whitey amphibian smuggling, and all.

Ryanair wants its winnings: One journalist’s apartment

by Melanie Nayer on

What happens when one UK journalist casually bets her apartment on the assumption that no one likes Ryanair? Ryanair comes through with a customer satisfaction letter, and demands possession of her apartment.

The Telegraph journalist Bryony Gordon wagered her London flat against anyone who could prove that Ryanair passengers enjoyed their flights. In the article (dated April 7) in the UK daily, Bryony said, “you never hear anybody casually mention that they have just flown with Ryanair, and that they really enjoyed it. I am willing to bet my flat and its contents that nobody has ever said the words “Ryanair”, “marvellous” and “service” in the same sentence.”

Well, you might not have heard those words, Bryony, but Ryanair has, and they want their winnings! Ryanair produced a small selection of customer satisfaction letters and even went to so far as to publish the letters on their website. Now, the airline is seeking its reward.

“Ryanair has provided Bryony with the details of these web-pages and is now seeking the keys to her apartment.” Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said. McNamara went on to say that Ryanair is the world’s “favorite airline” and “provides the best on-time, baggage and flight completion performance of any major European airline, while also offering Europe’s guaranteed lowest fares.”

We’re not sure exactly how this one is going to play out, but the smart move would be for Bryony to bet double-or-nothing her next flight with Ryanair is a good one. Moral of this story: If you’re going to place bets, be absolutely certain you’re going to win.

[via Times of Malta]