Five Keys to a Luxury Treehouse

Josiah Finley

If you’re starting to plan your next adventure, a stay in a luxury treehouse has to be on the list. Treehouses are a rising phenomenon around the country as more and more adventurers look to experience life from a different perspective. However, not all treehouses are the same. To help guide your search for the perfect luxury treehouse, check out these five criteria.

Five Criteria to Consider

All treehouses are not created equally. In safety, style, and setting, the thousands of luxury treehouses across America differ widely. To ensure that your stay meets and surpasses all your hopes and dreams, it’s important to know what you’re looking for. There’s not a more important place to start than safety.

1. Safety

This goes without saying, but safety comes first! We want you to enjoy your luxury treehouse without worrying about whether it will topple over in the middle of the night. In any lodging you may inhabit it is essential to consider safety aspects. This is even more vital when that lodging is situated high in a tree. Treehouses have many distinct features that offer unique challenges to their construction. Is the tree itself sturdy and healthy? How is the structure itself fixed to the tree? How is the treehouse affected by weather events? What are your host’s emergency protocols if something goes wrong?

Ideally, your potential luxury treehouse will have several layers of safety. First, they will be in-line with governmental regulations and codes. These codes cover things such as electricity and water usage, building permits, and even fire codes. However, they are often broad and not be specific to treehouses. That is what industry standards are for. 

Industry standards are the second level of safety standards. They exist within a more specific niche to hold the practitioners accountable to a high standard. Be sure to ask what industry standards the treehouse operators observe, and what organizations they are accountable to. Essentially, what third-party comes in and checks the safety of the treehouses?

Lastly, the treehouse hosts should have their own layer of safety that is specific to their particular needs, construction, and environment. Every treehouse is different and a safety feature on one might not be relevant to another. What’s important is that the operators are aware of the potential risks and have emergency action plans to address everything from a thunderstorm to a rusting through-bolt. 

2: Treehouse Style

The next thing to consider is the type of treehouse you’re interested in. Luxury treehouses come in many shapes and sizes and you will want to find one that suits your needs.

What you’re looking for depends on the size of your group, the length of your stay, the price you’re willing to pay, and even the level of luxury you may be interested in. Building a structure in a tree presents unique challenges that affect the size, the building material, and the house layout. Simply put, there is only so much weight a single tree can handle making a treehouse large enough to house more than five people difficult to build. Treehouse engineers have developed many creative solutions through the years including lightweight construction materials, use of multiple trees, use of multiple structures, anchoring it against a cliffside, or even using stilts to support the tree. 

Additionally, being situated high above the earth impacts amenities we take for granted in our ground-bound homes like running water, plumbing, and Wi-Fi. Based on local ordinances it may even be impossible to string electrical wires into the trees leaving you dependent on flashlights.

All of those constraints effect what your potential luxury treehouse will look like, so knowing ahead of time what you’re needs, desires, and restraints are will make it easier to make a decision when you start looking for your luxury treehouse vacation.

3: Setting

The location matters. You are not interested in a treehouse just for a nice lodging experience. If you just want a good bed and a nice rest, there are probably a dozen hotels and resorts within a thirty-minute drive. People choose treehouses to escape and become a part of something bigger, something that we lose sight of in the mundane praxis of our everyday lives. When you stay in a treehouse, you are a part of a forest or ecosystem in a deeply intimate way. Your lodging isn’t just made of dried and treated wood. It is sustained by a living tree that provides oxygen, protection, and resources to countless other organisms. 

Your luxury treehouse should be situated somewhere stunning that helps you reflect and escape from whatever you are taking a vacation from. What kind of beauty do you want outside your window? 

4: Culinary Offerings

The beauty of the environment around you matters, but let’s be honest, so does the beauty of the food you consume during your stay. Different treehouse operations have different styles of food offerings. Some provide no meals but offer access to a kitchen. Others will provide one big meal a day and then snacks on the side, and some offer a comprehensive experience that provides every single hand-prepared gourmet meal. Another thing to consider is that some places are more capable than others of adjusting for dietary needs and preferences.

Decide before you go just what you’re cooking abilities and culinary desires are. If you are looking for a decadent meal made by professional chefs with locally sourced ingredients, don’t be afraid to ask. This is your dream luxury treehouse vacation.

5: Add-ons

You’ve checked for safety, selected a treehouse that accommodates your group size and aesthetic desires, have a beautiful ecosystem right outside your window to explore, and delicious food to nourish you, the last thing to inquire about is any additional add-ons. Many treehouses offer an all-inclusive experience, not just a place to rest your head for a night. Whether it’s a guided tour of a historical landmark or a high adrenaline zip line tour of a redwood forest, find out what other activities the treehouse hosts can offer.

Add-ons can be complementary or an additional monetary investment. Find out ahead of time just what exactly is included in your luxury treehouse stay so you won’t be surprised when the bill comes due. Lastly, many treehouse hosts are experts in the local offerings too. Don’t be afraid to ask what they recommend – make your luxury treehouse vacation, a memorable one!

Sonoma Treehouse Adventure

Here at Sonoma Zipline Adventures we have been guiding guests through the tallest trees on earth for over a decade. Opening people’s eyes to the wonder and the wildness of the coastal redwoods is our passion and our purpose. For over a decade we have led guided zip line tours through our magnificent, second-growth forest, and just this past year we completed our latest project: Sonoma Treehouse Adventures.

Built with your comfort and safety in mind, our luxury treehouses allow you to experience life high in the trees. Your comprehensive stay includes a zip line tour of both of our courses, a guided naturalist hike through the forest floor, and a gourmet dinner and breakfast. To find out more or to schedule your stay, click on the link or call this number 1-888-494-7868.