Sitting here I’m tempted to keep this little slice of Heaven to myself so that I can keep going back without it being booked up but this is what a travel blog is all about; sharing supreme travel experiences so that others can have them too. Here goes: My husband and I have been itching to camp now that it’s summertime in New England. He finally had a free couple of days last weekend, but the forecast looked rough: rain all weekend with the potential for tornadoes in the exact area we were looking to camp (in New England you ask?! I know, crazy). Now don’t get me wrong I like to camp but not enough to do it in the rain, so we decided on a compromise: glamping. I found the most incredible campsite in the heart of the White Mountains, just 2 hours from Boston, that had various accommodation options including Nordic Cabins that were perfect for riding out the storm. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect or how much of a different feel this would have than authentic, pitch-a-tent, eat-around-the-fire camping but I was surprised to find that it wasn’t that different at all. Lumen Nature Retreat gives you everything you love about camping (comradery, nature, quiet, campfires, etc.) and none of the bad (cold nights, no shelter in bad weather, dirty or no bathrooms, etc.). I really can’t recommend this place enough, even to those who don’t think they’d like camping.
Accommodation Options
First, let’s talk about the accommodations Lumen offers. You can choose between their A-Frame Tents, Safari Tents, Hygge Cabins (which we chose), and Lykke Cabins. All options include smokeless firepits, premium linens and towels, Adirondack chairs, access to the public bath house, and access to the saunas. The A-Frame Tents are equipped with a queen bed and outdoor hammock. The Safari Tent accommodates 2-4 people (some with a king bed, others with 1 queen + 2 bunk beds, and others with 1 queen + 1 twin bed) and has an outdoor hammock and private deck. The Cabin Lykke (queen bed) and Cabin Hygge (queen bed + loft bed) boast full-wall windows, electricity, Marshall speaker, dishes, drip coffee, a mini fridge, pots/pans, air conditioning & heat, and more. The campground is also pet-friendly!
As pleasantly surprised as I was about how clean and fully stocked the cabin was, I was even more surprised by the cleanliness of the bathrooms! You really felt like you were in a hotel, not a campground. Each sink in the women’s bathroom had soap, lotion, and a hair dryer while the showers were stocked with shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. We definitely ended up overpacking!
Hygge Living
We didn’t know what to expect weather-wise, but we were prepared for the worst, luckily it didn’t turn out to be too bad, so we spent most of our time outside. Prior to arriving at Lumen, you are able to book your time slot for one of two private saunas and are texted your self-check-in code. You are also able to buy a fire starter, firewood, and biofuel for the indoor fireplace if staying in the Cabin Hygge. If you don’t buy in advance, you can always do it when you get there! We checked in at 4 pm and the rain hadn’t started yet so we made a fire and cooked some hot dogs after unpacking in our cabin. Once it started raining, we moved indoors and sat by the fireplace playing Hive, having drinks, and looking out at the stream from the full-wall window. If you’re like me and are curious about the names of the cabins, Lumen has you covered. There was a bookshelf that housed a book called “The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living” that explained it really well! Hygge (pronounced Hooga), is explained as an atmosphere, feeling, or experience, not so much a definable word or thing. In the words of this book, “Hygge has been called everything from “the art of creating intimacy”, “coziness of the soul”, and “the absence of annoyance” to “taking pleasure from the presence of soothing things”, “cozy togetherness”, and my personal favorite, “cocoa by candlelight”.” Lumen Nature Retreat absolutely nailed this feeling. Sitting by the warm fireplace with the sound of the stream and the rain pattering down, looking out the window into nature with the absence of cell phones, and the hustle and bustle it couldn’t get any more hygge.
Our Night Under the Stars
Once the rain slowed down, we took our newly acquired fishing pole down to the lake and tried our hand at fishing. It didn’t go well. We were convinced that the pond MUST have no fish in it and that had to be why we weren’t catching any. That is until we met someone who lives in the area and he told us there are plenty of fish, they even have fishing competitions in that very pond so it must have been a user error. We still had fun though! We also saw some white-tailed deer in the airfield behind the pond while we watched the sunset. It was beautiful, pictures don’t do it justice.
After our failed fishing attempt, we started another fire and sat around it in the Adirondack chairs for hours before getting an amazing night’s sleep in the comfort of our cabin. It was everything we hoped it would be and more. The next morning, we woke up early and, shocker, made another fire (can you tell this is my husband’s favorite part of camping) to heat our pre-prepared breakfast burritos. Check-out was at 10 am so it gave us enough time to wash our dishes at the dishwashing station by the bathrooms, take a walk on the grounds, and have our coffee and breakfast over the fire.
I can’t state enough how great of an experience this was. Even if you don’t see yourself as a camping person you really should give this a shot; you get a comfortable bed, temperature-controlled cabin, and mini fridge with a stove, all while being in the peace and quiet of nature with loved ones. The campground is also situated right near Franconia Notch State Park so there is plenty to do. We are already looking into going back during the winter; picturing sitting by the fireplace with the snow falling outside the window just gives that Hygge feeling all over again. We highly recommend it!
