Real-estate developer Dawn Aprile came up with the name for her new venture, Naturluxe & Stars, blending luxury with an outdoor experience.
“This is just such a great spot for star gazing,” Aprile said.
Beds, coffee makers and battery packs in tents at Schuyler County glamping site (video)
It’s a glamping site located off County Road 16 in Watkins Glen.
“I think you can feel it there’s an immediate relaxing,” Aprile said. “Especially when you first say, ‘oh wow,’ and then our mantra is inhale nature and exhale peace.”
It’s located on 48 acres, surrounded by trees, hiking trails and creeks.
Visitors stay in tents or safari houses
Visitors have several different options when it comes to accommodations. Those include a safari hut, with their own shower and bathroom, or different forms of tents.
“This is our platform tent with a queen bed,” Aprile said. “In these tents we provide a battery pack and that powers a lamp and your cell phone.”
Aprile says her love for nature and property development made glamping an interesting idea for her. When she went back to school to get her graduate degree, she made sure to learn more.
“While I was there I did an independent-study course on glamping,” Aprile said. “So I did market analysis, site analysis, and financial analysis. And I thought maybe there’s something to this.”
More: New camping opportunity coming to Oak Island in Waterloo
Transforming a field to a destination
She found this site, and with her experience in land development, made Naturluxe & Stars what it is now. But she says it wasn’t easy.
“We’ve got a well with our own private distribution system and chlorination system and wastewater system so from a land-development standpoint it was a challenging project,” Aprile said.
“This was a vision,” she added. “As they say, no guts no glory. It was a lot of risk. A lot of risk, it’s a huge investment and to embark on something like that, get stopped while I was in the midst of permitting with covid. So that took some tenacity to see that through so that makes this all the more gratifying.”
According to Booking.com, prices range from $265-$385 a night before taxes.
Rebecca is a veteran multimedia journalist serving as one of our core reporters in the Finger Lakes region. She is responsible for telling stories that matter to every day Upstate New Yorkers. Have a question or lead? Send it to [email protected].
