We've seen a lot of Bubble Hotels that offer amazing views, but Thailand's Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort recently installed a couple that let visitors fall asleep among jungle wildlife, including elephants. The transparent inflatable shelters look comfortable and include a bathroom and air-conditioning.
The shelters are named Jungle Bubbles and were designed by Eye in the Sky. They're made from polyester fabric and have a total floorspace of 22 sq m (236 sq ft) inside.
Situated atop a raised platform and entered via a tunnel-like entrance, each Jungle Bubbles' transparent section hosts a combined bedroom and living area with a king-sized bed and some seating. There are no curtains, but the bathrooms are located within an adjoining non-transparent section, so you don't need to be an exhibitionist to stay in one of these.
The Jungle Bubbles are located in Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort's 160 acre (65 hectare) hilltop site, which overlooks the Mekong and Ruak rivers in northern Thailand. The elephants live in a camp that's connected to the resort.
"Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort is world famous for its elephant camp that, along with the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation (GTAEF), were set up primarily to help elephants that cannot help themselves: for those that find themselves, through abuse or through circumstance, unable to provide and maintain an income for themselves, for their mahouts [owners] and their families," says the company. "To date over 60 elephants have been rescued from Thailand's city streets, of which 22 now live in the jungle environment of Anantara's Elephant Camp, along with their entire mahout families of 50 people, who receive English lessons, education for their children, and 100 percent of the profits from the sale of garments from a traditional silk worm business."
If you'd like to spend a night in a Jungle Bubble, they're an optional extra for guests at the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort. Rates start from THB 17,700 (roughly US$580) per night, which is on top of the cost for the resort itself. A week long stay in the resort costs in the region of $1,200, depending on the length of stay and time of visit, etc.
Sources: Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort, Eye in the Sky
