An unforgettable luxury Thai experience that’s worth the splurge

The hotel

Jungle Bubble Lodge, Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort, Thailand

Check-in

Jungle Bubble Lodge is a new ultra-modern add-on accommodation experience at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort in northern Thailand. The five-star classic safari-style resort is well-known and respected for its resident elephants rescued from camps throughout Thailand. Resort guests now have the option to book a night in the luxurious one-bedroom Jungle Bubble or two-bedroom Jungle Bubble Lodge (where I stayed) to experience an immersive night observing these gentle giants in their tangled and leafy natural surrounds.

This is prime northern Thailand terrain, a 65-hectare grassy woodland on the banks of the Ruak River near the Golden Triangle meeting point of Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. The resort’s hillside rooms and suites have superb views over the property and beyond to the confluence of the Ruak and Mekong rivers and to Myanmar, which glints with stupas in the morning light. Jungle Bubbles Lodge is on lower flat ground in the thick of the jungle, with protective forested hills on three sides and a long view in front, across the valley of roaming elephants.

The look

The lodge is perched on a stylish raised 150-square-metre wooden deck edged by manicured tropical garden and a protective railing. A sun umbrella, hot tub and outdoor lounge and dining area ham up the modern luxe factor. “Bubbles” is an accurate description for the accommodation. Five adjoining bubble rooms have been custom-designed using a high-tech polyester fabric. Three of them are completely transparent and as shiny and perfect as glass baubles. From the inside, it really does feel like Willy Wonka has conjured his wildest jungle dreams into being.

Access to the bubble lodges is through a climate controlled air-lock entry that keeps the lodge cool and, presumably, the bubbles inflated. The biggest bubble is a central living room where guests can pull a Chiang Mai pale ale from the minibar, slump in a lounge chair and watch the elephants swinging their trunks not more than 15 metres away. Either side, two bedrooms have king beds, high-thread-count linen and feather pillows. Sinking into them with the full starry night sky view above is very special indeed.