10 tree house hotels to try at least once

Climbing trees is no longer the preserve of adventure-seeking children. This irresistible urge for vertical escape is less a child's dream than a real thrill in the heart of the canopy. Here's our selection of 10 tree-top addresses.

Christine Robalo Published today at 3:51 PM

You don't go up there by chance. There's a kind of truth in the creak of a branch or the breath of the wind in the leaves, a truth that concrete has finally smothered. Sleeping in the trees means accepting a pact of discretion with the forest. You come for the smell of pine on waking, for the feeling of floating above the world, without sacrificing the softness of a linen sheet or the warmth of a Nordic bath on the terrace.

Whether you head deep into the Occitan countryside, brave the mists of the Jura or escape a stone's throw from the capital, the experience remains the same: a return to the essentials, but in haute couture.

Les Echasses - Eco Lodges in Landes

in Saubion, the horizon is fragmented in the mirror of a pond. Twenty years in the making for Thomas, a passionate surfer and lover of open spaces, this estate breaks away from hotel standards to offer the intimacy of a guest house. Eight eco-lodges on stilts, designed by architect Patrick Arotcharen, create a haven for discerning Robinsons. These suites for two - and a gîte capable of accommodating a tribe of six - invite still observation from terraces with hanging armchairs.

While the hustle and bustle of Hossegor and Capbreton are just minutes away, the estate has a magnetic joie de vivre. Between the swimming pool and the spa, the pace finally slows down. In the "Le Comptoir" restaurant, the table celebrates the South-West through 100% local cuisine. Flavours are sourced from the nearby Pyrenees, from committed producers, but above all from the in-house permaculture orchard and vegetable garden.

Where? 701 Route de la Bruyère, 40230 Saubion
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Les Echasses Eco Lodges © Dr dR

Les Cabanes du Hérisson in the Jura

The name is not a promise of a piquant encounter, but a tribute to the nearby Hérisson waterfalls, a magical place in the heart of the Jura forest. in Bonlieu, this three-hectare estate offers an immersion experience where altitude can be chosen à la carte: on one side, family cottages on the edge of the woods, on the other, "Spa Prestige" cabins hoisted six meters off the ground and extended by large terraces with private Jacuzzis. Between two forays into the lake district, you can order a massage to be given directly in your cabin, or have a candlelit dinner delivered, to be savoured one-on-one with the canopy. It's the ideal address for those seeking to combine the thrill of the forest with the cosy comfort of an upmarket bed & breakfast.

Where? 22 Route des Cascades, 39130 Bonlieu
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Les Cabanes dans les Bois in Aude

Just a few wingbeats from the ramparts of Carcassonne and the forest takes over. Here, the hotel corridors are paths winding through the 112-hectare Fourtou wine estate. Under the canopy of hundred-year-old trees, twenty-nine three-star cabins play a balancing act on stilts. Contemporary architecture blends with wrought iron and antique objects, offering a raw luxury that stretches to the banks of the Canal du Midi. Rope ladders are a thing of the past here: most of these air-conditioned cabins are accessible via walkways on the same level, accommodating both duos and tribes. Special mention must go to the "Cassine" huts, with their octagonal silhouette that seems to watch over the Pyrenees in the distance. In the evening, room service is child's play. You can hoist your own basket, where bottles of wine from the estate are served alongside gratin scallops or homemade tarte Tatin.

Where to find us Domaine de Fourtou, 11600 Villalier Carcassonne
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Les Cabanes Dans Les Bois © Dr © DR

Les Cabanes de la Réserve in Oise

a mere 75-minute drive is all it takes to swap the ring road for 35 hectares of clearings and ponds. At this European Ecolabel-certified estate in the Hauts-de-France region, 26 refuges blend into the landscape. From Robinson cabins with spa, Canadian structures on stilts and family "Observatories", comfort is king. Here, self-sufficiency is a privilege. Settle into a heated Nordic bath on the terrace, enjoy a massage in the intimacy of the woods or wait for breakfast to arrive at the foot of the log. Between two bike rides to Compiègne, you can savour gourmet baskets of seasonal produce in the company of wild ducks, far from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Where? 1 rue Jean Cocteau, 60810 Raray
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Youza Ecolodge in Eure

Conceived by two friends, Augustin and Mathieu, these 18 ecolodges are scattered over 32 hectares of woodland with one obsession: sustainable tourism. Here, luxury is a matter of common sense: recycled cotton insulation, certified wood and energy management certified by the Clé Verte label. You leave your vehicle and walk to your hut, solar lantern in hand, so as not to wake the wildlife. The cabins, whether perched or on one level, abolish the boundary between indoors and outdoors thanks to huge bay windows. They are warmed by a wood-burning stove, the same one used to simmer the vegetarian and local food baskets delivered on site. The highlight? The Nordic bath on the terrace, where water is heated by a wood fire under a starry sky.

Where? 49 route de Nonancourt, 27750 La Couture-Boussay
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Youza Ecolodge © Charly Derouet © Charly Derouet

The Sound of Water in the Somme

at the edge of the Parc du Marquenterre, we leave the beaten path and head into four hectares of pines and clearings. Thibault Dhermy, a photographer accustomed to distant horizons, has imagined his six lodges as photo frames opening onto wildlife. Here, bioclimatic architecture blends into the scenery, with green roofs and natural materials that seem to have always been there. The experience is lived from the inside out, in an atmosphere of silent retreat. Choose your stopover: the radical purity of the "Naoshima" suite, or the "Étoile" lodge for those who like to fall asleep watching the celestial mechanics through an entirely glazed ceiling. Guests come here to recharge their batteries, enjoy massages by MAA Essentials, take part in a meditation session or soak in the forest. A true spiritual retreat...

Where? 1 chemin des Matelots, 80120 Saint-Quentin-en-Tourmont
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The cabin at Château d'Audrieu, Calvados

There's a certain vertigo in observing the classic lines of a historic monument from the branch of a maple tree. In the 25-hectare park of Château d'Audrieu, a 65 m² wooden structure plays the role of architectural troublemaker. We climb here to rediscover our childhood reflexes, with the added bonus of palace logistics. The 25 m² interior offers all modern comforts, but it's on the panoramic terrace that you spend most of your time, suspended in front of the peaks. The essence of the experience lies in this great temporal gap. You wake up in the shade of the leaves, coffee in hand, before descending to the gardens designed by Louis Benech, just a stone's throw from the D-Day beaches. Dine at the "Séran" table under the gilding, then return to the darkness of the forest for a high night: this contrast is undoubtedly one of the tastiest in the region.

Where to stay? Château d'Audrieu, 14250 Audrieu
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Loire Valley Lodges in Indre-et-Loire

You have to go a good two kilometers beyond the main road to come across a four-meter-high bronze pit bull, planted there in the middle of brambles and pines. The tone is set: at Anne-Caroline and Bertrand Frey's, you don't come for the folklore of a trapper's cabin, but for an immersion where contemporary art challenges the forest. On 300 hectares of private woodland, eighteen eco-designed lodges rise four meters above the ground. inside, no wi-fi, but works by Charlélie Couture or JonOne transform the room into a perched gallery. Luxury here nestles in the comfort of a top-of-the-range mattress and the steam of a private Jacuzzi heated to 37°C. We live to the rhythm of the pulley that winds up the breakfast basket every morning, before reaching the twenty-meter pool where Philippe Pasqua's sculptures watch over the bathers.

Where? 1 allée de la Duporterie, 37320 Esvres
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The cabins at Château Léognan, Gironde

Here, immersion in the Pessac-Léognan terroir takes on new heights, thanks to wooden shelters suspended three meters above the ground, offering a unique view of the estate's six hectares of vines. Far from being makeshift cabins, these 25 to 35 m² cocoons welcome romantic duos or tribes of four, with a sure sense of comfort. The experience is one of slow travel. In the morning, you can watch the mist fade over the rows of vines from your private terrace, waiting for breakfast to arrive in your gourmet basket. Between the peaceful pond below and the forest encircling the estate, the silence is broken only by the whisper of the wind. It's a place where you can finally take the time to walk in the woods or enjoy a glass of château wine against the green horizon. A more intimate and conscious way to rediscover the Bordeaux vineyards, between heaven and earth.

Where? 88 chemin du Barp, 33850 Léognan
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The cabins at Domaine de Haslach, Haut-Rhin, France

Rising from the ashes after seven years of renovation to offer a balcony overlooking the Vosges peaks: this is the tour de force of Domaine de Haslach. This former health resort, built in 1912 at an altitude of 800 meters, has swapped its medical past for radical hotel elegance. While the historic building imposes its allure, it's the five local wooden cabins, veritable lookouts nestling on the edge of the forest, that attract those seeking the solitude of the peaks. In these 40 m² shelters, space has been designed with tribes in mind. There are two real bedrooms and a fully-equipped kitchen, allowing you to live in total autonomy overlooking the Munster valley. The show is everywhere, but it culminates on the panoramic terrace overlooking the massif. Here, you can enjoy the shade of the fir trees, or prepare for an incursion on the GR531, just a few steps away. This distinctive address, a member of The Originals Collection network, has succeeded in rehabilitating the local heritage while offering contemporary comfort, far, far from the hustle and bustle of the Alsace plain.