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Spent 2 nights in the Ultimate slide dome with my daughter & grandson. First I want to disclose that I am not a camper. My grandson wanted to sleep under the stars, so this trip was for him! I do feel the owner described the property correctly but I think some things need some clarification, so I have a few suggestions for the owners and future campers. This is camping, so expect bugs, cool nights & hot days. Regarding the Mini Kichenette- no sink, if you need water, you must get it from the bathroom. It would be nice to have an area to sit food down. More counter or an additional stand would be easy to install. What is there is taken up with the microwave and Keurig, so no place to sit food. Bring additional chairs. There was a table & 4 chairs but this unit sleeps 6 people, so are 2 people supposed to stand all the time? In the bathroom, a couple hooks or a stand between the sink & the shower would be nice. I realize there are hooks above the toilet but the location is inconvenient for a hand towel. Probably my biggest concern was the lack of contact by the owners. We never saw or heard from anyone. Be aware that we originally found the dome on ashevilleglamping.com but once you hit book it takes you to glampinginnc.com. My booking confirmation came from "Ultimate Slide Dome" and you are thanked by Patrick & Joanna but there is not a phone number or any contact info. I responded to this email with a few questions but never got a response. I kept looking at glampinginnc.com for a phone number. I forgot about the other site that did have a number on it. I'm dumpfounded that a phone number is not included in the confirmation emails. If we had a major problem (loss power or water) we would have been completely on my own.
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Date of stay: August 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I want to begin this review by highlighting that the location and the dome’s design are absolutely stunning. We enjoyed grilling and having a fire, and our days were quite relaxing. However, our overall experience did not meet our expectations. Although we had booked the dome for two nights, we ended up staying only one.
On the first night, we were forced to sleep in our car due to an overwhelming bug problem. While we understand that bugs are part of camping, this was marketed as a "glamping" experience, which typically suggests a higher level of comfort and protection from pests. Unfortunately, the dome had numerous cracks and crevices that allowed every type of bug to enter. This was unlike any camping experience we've had before, as our regular camping tents are more secure.
After encountering multiple spiders on the first night, we decided it was best to cut our stay short. Given the price of the accommodation, we expected a more secure and bug-proof environment. It would be helpful for future guests to be informed in advance that additional measures, such as bringing extra tents or sleeping bags, might be necessary.
I want to reiterate that the dome is indeed beautiful, but it needs to be better sealed to prevent bugs from getting inside at night. We were willing to tolerate small insects like crickets, but after dealing with three spiders, we chose to leave early. I’m not exaggerating; the issue was significant enough to impact our stay.
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Date of stay: September 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â bring a tent if you are not ok with sleeping with spiders
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were looking forward to getting to Asheville Glamping for a few years. It was on my bucket list and for my 65th birthday I wanted to do something really special and so decided it was time to get there. This was a great decision! My daughter, grandpup, and I had a wonderful, relaxing, fun time. The grounds are so beautiful, the bathroom was immaculate, the fire pit in the evening was so relaxing and beautiful (bring your own logs and matches). The Dome was awesome!!! Plenty of room for us and so very clean too. It had an air conditioner, mini fridge, big comfy bed, heated blankets in case of cold. We did not use them. We got to chat with Patrick and Joanna, the owners. They are so very kind. We will be going back again and I highly recommend Asheville Glamping.
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Date of stay: June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Joanna Cahill, Owner at Asheville Glamping
Responded Jun 23, 2021
We are honored you chose to celebrate your birthday with us at camp! We loved chatting with you and hope to see you again soon!!
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I'm writing this review just so folks have an honest, realistic expectation of what you'll find. We expected a bit more considering the cost. We stayed two nights in late July.
The dome itself (Star Dome in our case) was pretty nice. The interior was tidy and pretty clean for a tent. The hot tub was clean. The composting toilet worked and didn't stink up the tent. The mini-split AC worked well enough to keep the tent comfortable. Luckily we didn't encounter many bugs in this tent. The steps up to the dome platform deck were sunken on one side and need to be releveled. The deck overall needs a serious pressure wash and fresh coat of stain. The mattress was comfortable enough even though it was upside down for some reason. We weren't courageous enough to flip it and find out if there was a reason. There is no way to lock the door on the tent when you leave as keys were not provided despite having lockable knobs.
The "bath house" was probably the worst part about our stay. It wasn't a bath house at all. It's just a 2 room bathroom trailer like you may find at a weekend music festival. The showers were pretty dirty, with lots of bugs flying around. Judging by the pictures here and on other sites, the shower curtains likely haven't been changed in 2 years or more and it shows with the amount of mildew on the bottom. There was a sign in the bathrooms with specific instructions regarding the toilet and it's use because of an issue. It states that they are waiting on parts. The sign in the right side bath had enough mildew on it to make me question how long they've been waiting on those parts. There's no way to control the water temperature in the showers (basic on/off ball valve) and it comes out borderline scalding. We had to wet ourselves quickly, then turn the water down to a trickle while shampooing/conditioning/lathering. By doing so it deactivated the heater for a bit so when you turned the water back on you'd have 20-30 seconds of cool water before it became too hot again.
Our travel partners stayed in the Mountain Dome which was stated to have it's own private bath house (toilet & shower). Unfortunately on day two of our stay, the company who provides the gas tanks for the heater for the shower in this private bath came and removed them. We saw them being removed from more than one private bathhouse on the property that morning but didn't think much of it at the time. When asked later that day, management directed our travel partners to use the aforementioned public bath house (trailer).
Upkeep on the entire property seems a bit lax and looks nothing like the professional pictures on their website. The whole place needs some cleaning/upkeep as it's really showing its age/use. We would not stay here again based on our experience with this visit.
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Date of stay: July 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rented the “mega dome” that supposedly showed the beautiful sunrise and sunset while providing a great space to glamp and it was a nightmare.
The road you have to travel is a very lumpy gravel road, so be prepared if you don’t have 4WD. The porta potty that is beside the dome for “personal” use is flushed out once a week, so if you come before that then you are stuck with other peoples messes. The bath house is just two stalls in a small trailer and the toilets were clogged and overflown with literal feces in the floor so we didn’t even use that. The dome itself is infested with ants and a whole family of spiders. The beds are very uncomfortable, the top bed is very hot while the pull out couches cave in. The outside area has no room to sit and enjoy and the view is nothing but a grown up farm. You think they’d make sure this dome has lots of outside space for a large group to enjoy instead of the smaller ones. The AC did not work (not even close to what is described in their posts) so plan to stay gone anytime the sun is out. There are no exterior lights, so you won’t be able to see at night and the location has some creepy neighbors who were running around making wolf noises then being at the end of the road and trying to get us to stop and talk to them. Really the only nice thing about this place is the one bedroom they must have put all their money into.
Just read the negative reviews and how they respond- very unprofessional and never take accountability. There are much better glamping sites available and you’ll actually get your monies worth. Don’t waste your time, money or ruin your trip just because they have some photo shoots here to market and only post their positive reviews. Best of luck to you all.
Side note: the “sunrise picture from the dome” is actually not even take on that property, just another example of dishonesty.
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Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Joanna Cahill, Owner at Asheville Glamping
Responded Sep 9, 2021
We always aim to deliver a 5 star experience, and we are gutted when we don’t meet expectations. Thanks for taking the time to bring this to our attention. If we had been notified during your stay of any problems you were having we would have done our absolute best to rectify any issues and to turn your experience around. While I can’t speak to all the issues you had- I can tell you that the AC remote needs to be pointed at the right side of the unit in order to change the temp. You may have missed the laminated directions in the guest book inside the Dome. To avoid this in the future we’ll make a sign and post it directly under the unit. We are also transparent in our what to expect section that since tents are not insulated like homes the split can only raise or lower the temp 15-20 degrees and the tents will still be hot during peak sun hours. The drive is currently very bumpy from the wash out we experienced during tropical storm Fred, we have grading scheduled to smooth everything back out and apologize for the less than smooth ride as it’s not the norm. I am also sorry that you did not experience an identical sunrise to one you saw in the photo gallery for that Dome, sunrises vary and there’s unfortunately nothing we can do about that. However, we would never post fake photos and claim they were taken from a certain site. Being deceitful would not be in our best interest. Our goal of transparency is also why we have such a candid and detailed what to expect section. There are a few things in your review we have questions about - if you are willing to discuss with us you can reach us at any time at fun@ashevilleglamping.com or 828-450-9745 - thank you again for sharing your feedback!
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This treehouse is as romantic and charming as it looks in the photo, however my expectation of this being a luxury treehouse fell way short. I am posting this so you have a realistic expectation of what you’re paying for. It was extremely bare bones. Styrofoam, coffee cups, no luxury details in the cabin at all. They definitely could have added things like shelving, for Bathroom storage of your personal items, towel hooks. Etc . It is a tiny space, but it definitely could’ve been utilized better to make your stay a little more comfortable. Luggage stand that is foldable should be added. Your kitchen sink, is your bathroom sink. Bring cards, or a book, as this was not stocked with any thing of that nature (all small complaints so far- it gets worse ). Also, note, you cannot walk the property, so you are kind of stuck inside that cabin. There is an outdoor patio, however, with how many spiders and bugs there were, we did not feel comfortable sitting out there . In fact, we did expect some bugs because it has a treehouse (outside) , but the sizable spiders (as big as my hand ) and bugs in the bedding and inside shower were enough to make us leave after one night and unfortunately, lose our money on the second night. Also, the smoke detector inside the tree house was also removed which to me is a safety hazard (especially with air handler being right below you in a wooden box) . Another issue is you do not get a hold of the owners, it’s a management company that handles the response to the emails which they basically have in the small print anything to cover ever having to give you a refund. Even if spiders in your bed . I am leaving this review, because these are things I wish I would’ve known before I booked the treehouse. I’m happy to have experienced it and I did get a nice photo from it, but I would not book it again. Just expect basic camping in a treehouse, I would not expect a luxury glamping experience by any means! The property is overgrown and not maintained and this tree house is not well sealed for the amount of bugs and spiders you will encounter .
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Date of stay: July 2024
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Joanna Cahill, Owner at Asheville Glamping
Responded Aug 11, 2024
I wanted to clarify again that we are a small, family-run business, not managed by a management company. Though there is nothing wrong with having a management company, I am not sure where you got this impression since my husband responded to your email directly, and I also called and left a voicemail. We never heard back from you regarding our invitation to discuss this further. From your initial email, you expressed that you had a lovely time overall but encountered a few small bugs (which you kindly sent pictures of). You mentioned you’d be willing to leave happy if a refund for the second night could be provided. We explained that having a live tree in the treehouse means the occasional bug might make its way in, and we’re unable to offer a refund for that. We strive to be transparent about this which is why it is listed in our website description, and the treehouse is not marketed or described anywhere as a luxury accommodation. Having said that, we are sorry that there was a mismatch between your expectations and what we offer. Our website includes a full gallery of accurate photos showing everything that is in the treehouse, which matches what one would find in a hotel room (including the 4 towel hooks you mention us not having- you might have just missed seeing them in the bathroom ) All of the amenities in the treehouse are shown in the photos and listed in the description. We also have several video tours online. We appreciate your suggestions of other things that would make the stay more comfortable like more books than the two we have and some additional shelving. We also explained in our email response that guests are of course free to walk the property and we apologized that you misinterpreted our written ask that guests not approach other rentals for the privacy of other guests as meaning you could not walk the road through the property. We’re always here to discuss any concerns you may have, so please feel free to return our call. Wishing you all the best.
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I’ve followed Asheville Glamping on Instagram for 4 years, dreaming of visiting their sight; which is where my failure came in. I usually do my homework and had I for this trip, I would have thought twice about spending the money on this experience. The advertisement does not match the experience. We were traveling with our furry companion, so we had limited options between the two dog friendly domes offered. We stayed in dog friendly dome 2, for only one out of the two nights we paid for. From the very start I questioned the stay, as I received no email from them with check in instructions other than the very first email when I booked. I wondered, “where are my instructions to enter the dome?” But to my surprise… You don’t need any! Just walk right in, because these domes don’t have a key pad or a key for you to access it. A little unsettling when you’re traveling 8 hours to visit a place which you’ll get to in the dead of the night. So we arrive, NO LIGHTS! I understand trying to eliminate light pollution for those who are coming to view the stars, but the path to our dome was wildly uneven due to an attempt on their part to make a patio for their firepit. Good luck, don’t break an ankle if you do choose to give this place a chance! After we got our items into the dome, I looked around and decided we should close the curtains.. which turned out to be old, stained shower curtains that half covered the windowed portion of the dome. Lack of privacy much? Not only did we lack privacy with the “curtains”, we unleashed the spiders. I understand, you can’t keep out all the bugs but they don’t even try. Now on to the dome itself. The dome has wood around the bottom part of it, but there are huge gaps between the dome fabric and the ground. The electric cords are completely exposed. It feels like they didn’t even try in this dome. They laid the pavement, put up the dome, tossed a bed, AC unit, mini fridge, and a door together. It completely lacked any sort of “glamorous” camping feel. For the $560 I paid to glamp, I expected more than this. It felt like staying in a tent someone put up three years ago by the amount of bugs and mildew in the dome. I would have rather spent the money to buy a brand new tent, book a campsite, and camp out. The bathrooms at campgrounds are better than what they’ve got here, which is a trailer with two sides, the smallest sink you’ll ever experience and a whole new fear of bugs, while you’re looking around trying to pee without being ambushed!
All I’m saying is, we happily spent the additional money on a room in Asheville for Saturday night so we didn’t have to spend another night in that dome. Had they advertised “camping, but we provide the tent” rather than “glamping” then I would have had completely different expectations and definitely wouldn’t have spent the ridiculous amount of money they charge for the limited accommodations.
The concept is there, but the execution is beyond poor.
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Date of stay: September 2023
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Â Read multiple reviews before making a decision
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I desperately wish I had read reviews before booking this place over a year ago. I have no doubt that it took hard work to build this unique site(s), but it is no where near worth the price for what you get. After an 8 hour drive we arrived at Dome 2 and had nothing but disappointment. Their website states there is a bathroom, not an outhouse. It's just a wooden box with a toilet and shower, not inside the dome. The AC did not get cool enough inside the dome. There is poor insulation and dead/alive bugs everywhere inside. Since bug spray supposedly isn't good for the inside, the least they could do is clean the walls after each use. Also the only outlet appeared to be with the mini fridge, so you can either charge your phone, or keep your food and drinks cold. After 20 minutes my husband and I decided to save our sanity and spend hundreds more on a hotel. I feel terrible for writing such a poor review, but I think the owners should feel more guilt for an overpriced and inaccurately advertised place. I am brought to tears by how much money we wasted after an entire year of being excited to visit.
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Date of stay: May 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Joanna Cahill, Owner at Asheville Glamping
Responded May 10, 2021
Thank you for your feedback Kelsie. We are sorry you felt there was any false advertising. We include a full gallery of photos, including a dozen that show the entire interior of the dome so we were surprised to read you thought the bathroom was inside when the pictures clearly show it's a detached structure. We'll take your feedback to make this even more clear in the listing. The private bathhouse is a rustic 3 season structure pictured with a real (normally plumbed) porcelain toilet and an outdoor shower with hot water- it has decking floors and a clear roof. This site also has access to the shared bathhouse. There are actually two power strips, each with 6 outlets with 9 free outlets not being used by the fridge, coffee machine or lights (3 things plugged vs just the fridge- definatley no need to unplug anything to charge your phone :-) what a pain that would be). We also note on the website that the tents and domes are not insulated like normal homes. There are full instructions for the use of the AC in the handbook inside the dome- we found you had it set on fan which might explain why it was not very cool. Megan will also be following up with you for any additional feedback on how we could have given you more realistic expectations. Again, we appreciate your feedback and that this experience was not for you.
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We stayed in the bell tent, so I can not speak to the domes, but this was not worth the money. This was a splurge for my birthday, and was not worth the money. We had a great time, because the hiking was great and we enjoy camping but this was not the "glamping" experience we were sold. The tent AC stopped working, and when we contacted management they never responded. There is no shade at all at this site, so even in June it we were baking. It was much more primitive then we expected and the amenities were very poor. Three is no running water at the tent which they tell you, but there also is not other location on the grounds you can get water other than the bathroom. The shared restrooms is a portable trailer that was dirty and smelled. My husband and I opted to rinse off with a jug and use the portajohn by the tent rather than use it. Just disappointed, because it did not meet what was being sold on the website. Also found several ticks inside the tent. You are paying hundreds a night for a pre-set up tent on a platform that has a real bed and an extension cord
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Date of stay: June 2020
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Room Tip:Â try the domes, maybe you'll have better luck than the tent
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Joanna Cahill, Owner at Asheville Glamping
Responded Jun 6, 2021
Thank you for your review. We are sorry that you did not enjoy your experience with us. We do advertise that the AC units in the bell tents are meant more to take the edge off- during the peak of the mid day sun they can not cool the tent down to 70 or below as it is not insulated. I am not sure if you called or emailed, but we do apologize for missing the communication as this is not the norm. Thank you for mentioning that we do ask guests to bring their own water. Since this review was left we have also started providing some starter water bottles so please know that we use feedback to be continually improving the experience we offer :)
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Booked the dome for 8, went with 6 friends. Went on July 2020. It was extremely hot inside, we were woken up by the heat as soon as the sun came out. 2 AC units and 1 standing fan did not make the trick. At night the first floor was cold but our friends on the top bed were sweating. Also, not a single water access inside or nearby, we had to walk down and up the hill to get water. Having a porta potty for the price of the dome.... Not quite what I would call glamping. We had fun at night as other friends were in the Safari tent, which has a bigger outdoor gathering space so spent our nights grilling, eating and hanging out there. Maybe going in the fall would be a better time with nicer temperatures, but having water access and a clean private toilet should be part of any glamping site.... Otherwise is just camping inside a dome.
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Date of stay: August 2020Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Joanna Cahill, Owner at Asheville Glamping
Responded Aug 3, 2021
We are always working on improving and since your stay over a year ago this dome has had roof insulation installed and thermal curtains to help with heat. However, as noted on our website, domes are not like normal homes and the AC takes the edge off- temps during peak sun hours will be warmer. Everything you mentioned is outlined in our what to expect section on our website as well as in the listing description itself. While we regret you did not take the time to read through this, we do list it as required reading in each of our listings as accurate expectations are important to us. We hope future guests familiarize themselves with what we are advertising prior to booking with us. Half of our sites have private bathrooms, also noted in their listing descriptions, which it sounds like you would have preferred. Thank you for your review, and we are glad to hear you did enjoy spending time with your friends!
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There are more places to choose from in the Asheville area.
LOCATION
United StatesNorth CarolinaNorth Carolina MountainsAsheville
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
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