Treehouse Living in Olympia

The text message read “You will find the key in the mailbox under the deck.” Sounds like a treasure hunt, was my first thought. Will the key hold other clues to lead me on my adventure? Well, no, but it was fun to think about it, all the same. My gracious host regretfully could not greet me when I arrived as she had prior commitments, but that was okay with me. This weekend was going to be a solo getaway that I was savoring ever since I found this glorious nugget of a treehouse on AirBnB.

But what a treasure it was. Tucked away on the far outskirts of Olympia, WA, my tree house was located in my hosts’ backyard, in a wooded area across a creek in the back of their property. It was within sight of the main house, but just secluded enough behind the tree branches that I wasn’t at all concerned that I could be constantly spied upon.

Tree house guests had a separate tree-lined gravel driveway, where a pull-cart was waiting for me to take my belongings to my humble abode for the night. But I only had an overnight tote and a bag of food, so I left the lonely pull-cart and tread up the pathway to my forested oasis.

The only thing missing from the tree house itself was a million-dollar chandelier. That’s how fabulous it is. As I ascended the steps and walked in the front door to the tiny two-floor abode, I was hit with that lovely new-house-smell.  To my left, a 4-tier wicker shelf, complete with reading material, dishes, instant oatmeal, granola bars and wine glasses. And double doors that opened up to the small gulch below. To my right, a portable electric fireplace, a fold-out chair, an ottoman housing extra bedding, and a lamp. A simple fluffy air mattress beckoned to me up the ladder to the second level.

But that’s not all…at the foot of the air mattress was a small-screen TV complete with DVD player and small library of movies. On three sides the tree house had lookout windows, and a wrap-around deck  with patio table/umbrella , wash-up bowl/water/soap/towels/lotion… and a proper hammock at ground level below it all.

Running water? Who needs that?!? I certainly did NOT miss that little detail, since my mind was blown by all of the other features. Yes, there was also a very clean porta-potty, at the base of the tree on the way to the picnic table and gas grill. Oh, and did I mention the fire pit and Adirondack chairs?

To put it simply, I was completely and utterly charmed by this treehouse; you could call it “glamping” at its best.  Perhaps we as a society should consider this back-to-basics-style living?

Much to my delight, it appears that tree house accommodations are fairly common. After a quick Google search, I realized this ingenious concept has been around for a few years now, with an endless variety of tree house lodging available all over the world. And I’m ready to explorer them all.

Have YOU stayed in a tree house? What was it like? What was you favorite part? Leave a comment below!