LUXURY CAMPING GEO DOMES IN THE DORDOGNE WITH GLISTEN CAMPING

A few weeks ago we made our the way across the Channel and drove down France to the beautiful Dordogne, to spend a week sleeping under the stars in style. We try to camp out at least three times a year at home but we'd never tried our hand at this abroad and I couldn't wait to experience the luxury Geo Domes with Glisten Camping. When I first saw images of the domes we'd call home for a week, I was super excited for our stay!

These cool striking structures are set against a backdrop of wild flowers, rolling hills and small country lanes that wind up to the Domaine des Mathevies where the domes are located. The owners have travelled the length and breadth of the Dordogne to ensure the best location for your stay and they hit the nail on the head. On arriving at the campsite, which houses a mix of tents, chalets, gites and four of the spacious domes, we parked up and unpacked.

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I was immediately taken by the edgy cool design of the domes, with its AstroTurf flooring, king size bed, room dividers, giant bean bags, lounge area, fun hanging cocoon beds which F hopped straight into, as well as the solar fan and interchangeable windows. This was certainly going to be a luxury camping experience. We hung our clothes in the wardrobe – yep it has those too! – and walked out onto our private decking area with its kitchen and giant Fat Boy Hammock. Even writing this down makes me wonder if was all a dream as I didn't realise camping could be so good.

I had taken my mum and dad along for the trip and gave them the King sized bed and considering they haven't been camping since they were in their teens, they took to it like ducks to water and loved the flexibility the dome gave us. I took the sofa bed in the lounge area and F slept in the hanging bed. I was surprised at how spacious it was with us all sharing the space and F loved everyone being under the same roof.

In the mornings we would go on our croissant run across the campsite – another post on this to come – and we would sit together at our table in the morning sun, sipping freshly brewed coffee and tucking into French pastries while F played on the hammock after devouring a pain au chocoate.

The kitchen and decking area is perfect for alfresco dining and a lot of attention to detail has gone into the planning of the space. The walls to your kitchen are interchangeable depending on which view you'd prefer, simply roll up the canvas and tie it up for a different perspective and as night draws in you can flick a switch to light up your decking allowing use of the space all night long.

 The great thing about luxury camping is all your essentials are provided making it asy to travel from home. The kitchen comes with everything you might need, from cutlery to colourful plates, glassware, coffee pot (essential obviously) pots and pans, a mini fridge, microwave, a fab plancha grill which you can cook pretty much anything on and most importantly a bottle opener for those evening glasses of vino. There are also plug sockets for charging phones and plugging in kettles in your kitchen area, which is so handy when camping.

We spent our days exploring the areas and hanging by the pool, taking it all slow and we would drive to the local Carrefour supermarket, located in Sarlat only a 14 minute drive away, and stock up on bites to eat allowing use to create our own culinary delights at the campsite. Who doesn't love eating outside surrounded by beautiful views?!

So here are a few questions I was asked about staying in the domes by other people camping on the site:

"I bet it's like a greenhouse, you must be boiling in there?"

Nope, the dome is designed to be completely flexible. You can pop out windows and change them for netted ones for better air flow or cover them completely to block out the sun, there's also large ventilation strips along the back allwoing you to roll up the canvas and expose more neeted material as well as the solar fan. When temperatures go up to 42 degrees it was very warm inside but still manageable and considering the structure I was very impressed. I found it warm during the night and cool during the day.

"Are you not all a bit squished sharing one together?"

Actually it's really spacious and with the room dividers there is plenty of privacy. Plus the addition of wardrobes, under bed storage and shelves means your clothes aren't all over the floor, creating a neat and tidy space. You also have indivudual portable lights for night time which meant I could read in my bed, while lights out in F's side of the dome.

"Is it expensive?"

We stayed during mid season priced at £595 for seven nights, making it roughly £85 a night for four people, which for us is a very affordable option. For me the unique design, the quality of the campsite and the stunning surroundings makes it worth every penny for such a fun experience abroad. You can find the all the prices here.

"What should you bring?"

Pretty much everything is provided so all you'll need to bring are your clothes, toiletries, towels and a plug adaptor.

"Can an adult fit in the hanging beds?"

Yep, tried and tested. On the first night I was too tired to change the sofa bed and crashed out in the hanging bed. It definitely fits an adult in there and it's comfy too!

"Would you stay in one again"

Without a doubt yes! In fact F loved the experience so much that we are already looking at booking the same site again and returning with Paul so we can explore more of the area.

We loved staying with Glisten Camping and I loved being able to lie on the hammock at night gazing at the stars, watch the fireflies and relaxing. You can find our journey down to the Dordogne here and look out for posts on the campsite and places to explore in the Dordogne coming up.

* We were guests of Glisten Campsite. All words and opinions are my own.