Treetop Living

You must admit there is something very whimsical about tree houses. I am yet to find someone who doesn't respond in an excited, almost childlike way when I bring the subject up. I have been thinking about tree houses a lot lately, even more since my mother has been promising to build one in the garden behind the house for as long as we've had the house, approximately 10 years. As I decided to give into my curiosity and sniff around I came across some pretty cool stuff.

First of all I was delighted to see that there are plenty of options should you decide to stay in a tree house hotel. Don't we all? Below are some lodging examples. Not sure what the comfort level is for adults, but fun is guaranteed for kids (of all ages), it even has a giant zip line!

For more information check out http://www.treehouses.com/treehouse/treesort/prclst.html.

Tree houses have also become restaurants.

This beautiful tree top restaurant in Auckland, New Zealand, was created by Peter Eising and Lucy Gauntlett from Pacific Environments Architects.

And then there is the rest of those crazy creations whose sole purpose is to amuse.

Beach Rock Treehouse, Okinawa, Japan. By Kobayashi Takashi

Germany. By Bauraum Architects

JApan. By Takashi Kobayashi.

Free Spirit Sphere. British Columbia, Canada.

Hotel Concept by Swedish Architects Tham and Videgard Hansson.

Lantern House, Santa Monica, CA. By Roderick Romero

O2 Sustainability Treehouse, by Dustin Feider of O2 Architecture.

Now here's to hoping that one day I'll have my very own treehouse to retire to.

Eco Escape

Having just come back from a sunny getaway I am, of course, in the midst of the winter blues. So what better way to get rid of them than by looking around for more wonderful holiday destinations?
Here are some incredible eco resorts that are begging to be visited.

Alila Villas Uluwatu - Bali. designed by WHOA

This resort aside from being Eco-friendly is also stunningly beautiful, it is a combination of terraces and verandas which blend magnificently with the surrounding areas letting the land do the talking.

Tropical Islands outside Berlin, Germany

This space used to be an airship hangar and is the world's biggest free standing building. Regardless of the cold german weather outside guests can enjoy an ongoing summer temperament in here. It includes 50,000 trees, villages and 5 Olympic sized swimming pools.

Jean -Michel Costeau Fiji Island Resort, Vanua Levu, Fiji

This is a completely energy efficient resort created by the passionate environmentalist and ocean explorer son of the famous Jaques Costeau. The beach activities and recreations give back to the locals through a charity.

Magica Mountain Lodge, Northern Patagonia

In order to reach the entrance of this fantastical hotel, guests board a suspended rope bridge finding themselves looking out at the beautiful land through water cascading in front of the dormer windows. Inside the hotel a sauna, bar and restaurant all add to the magical atmosphere of the resort.

Saffire Resort, built by Circa Architecture. Tasmania, Australia

Inspired by the surrounding waves and beaches of Oyster Bay, the Saffire resort was created by turning a disused caravan park into a manta ray shaped resort. The architects have replenished the eco system restoring the local vegetation for guests to enjoy.

Six Senses Resort, Vietnam

Located on Con Dao island, the Six Senses resort, designed by AW2 Architecture, is built by local sustainable materials including the timber suites and pedestrian bridge which takes guests back to the resort from the beach.

Whitepod, Swiss Alps

The pods are powered by renewable energy. Each pod has a fireplace where guests can relax and warm up after a day of activity on the snow.