This wasn't a scientific experiment. It was a week in Provence where I'd booked three different glamping sites on consecutive nights because the first two were only available for one night each and I'd filled the gap with a third. But it turned into the most useful comparison I've done, because all three were in the same region, the same week, the same budget tier, and the cheapest one was unambiguously the best. Here's the breakdown.
The Three Sites
Site 1: Geodesic dome, €90/night. A 4-meter dome on a wooden deck at a small glamping site near Forcalquier. Shared bathroom in a separate building, 30 meters away. No heating (it was June, so this was fine). Breakfast included — bread, jam, coffee. The dome had a double bed, a small table, and a glass roof panel.
Site 2: Wooden cabin, €180/night. A small A-frame cabin at a site near Manosque. Private bathroom with hot shower, a kitchenette, WiFi, air conditioning. No breakfast. The cabin had a double bed in the loft and a sofa bed downstairs. Solid walls, real windows, a small terrace.
Site 3: Safari tent, €220/night. A large canvas safari tent on a wooden platform at a luxury glamping site near Lourmarin. Private bathroom en-suite (a separate canvas cubicle inside the tent with a toilet and shower). Breakfast included. The tent had a king bed, a sitting area, a wood floor, and a private deck with loungers.
What I Actually Got for Each Price
Here's the honest comparison, category by category:
Comfort of the bed: The safari tent had the best bed — a real king with hotel-quality linens. The cabin had a decent double. The dome had a foam mattress that was fine for one night but would have been uncomfortable for three. Winner: safari tent.
Bathroom experience: The cabin's private bathroom was the best — clean, hot water, good pressure, no walk. The safari tent's en-suite was good but the canvas walls meant I heard everything happening in the bathroom, and so did my partner. The dome's shared bathroom was 30 meters away in June heat, which was acceptable. In October it would not have been. Winner: cabin.
View and location: The dome sat on a hillside overlooking a lavender field and the Luberon ridge. The safari tent was in a grove of olive trees with a view of the village. The cabin was in a wooded valley with no view. Winner: dome, by a wide margin.
Silence and privacy: The dome site had four domes spread across a large hillside — I couldn't see or hear the other guests. The safari tent site had eight tents in a row, and I could hear the neighbors' conversation and their baby. The cabin was private but near a road with occasional traffic. Winner: dome.
Value for money: The dome at €90 gave me a view, silence, breakfast, and a comfortable enough bed. The safari tent at €220 gave me a better bed and an en-suite but less privacy and a worse view. The cabin at €180 gave me solid walls and a kitchen but no view. Winner: dome, unambiguously.
Why the Cheapest One Won
The dome won not because it was the most comfortable — it wasn't — but because it delivered the thing I actually go glamping for: a sense of being in a place, not just near it. Lying in the dome at night with the glass roof above me and the Luberon ridge silhouetted against the stars, I felt like I was sleeping outside without the discomfort of actually sleeping outside. That's the promise of glamping, and the dome fulfilled it at €90.
The safari tent was more comfortable in the traditional hotel sense, but it felt like a hotel room with canvas walls. I could have been anywhere. The view was of olive trees, which was nice, but I could see the next tent's outdoor light and hear their kid. At €220, I was paying for luxury and getting less of the thing that makes glamping different from a hotel.
The cabin was the most practical — I could have stayed there for a week, cooked meals, worked, been comfortable. But it was essentially a small cabin in the woods. There was nothing about it that was specifically glamping. It was a budget hotel room with a view of trees. At €180, it was fine, but it wasn't memorable.
The Pattern I've Noticed After 50+ Glamping Stays
This wasn't my first comparison — I've stayed at glamping sites across 15 countries over three years, and the pattern is consistent. The best experiences are almost never the most expensive. They're the ones where the site gets three things right:
1. A view that justifies the structure. A dome with a glass roof and a view of a lavender field is worth €90. A dome with a glass roof and a view of a parking lot is worth €30. The structure is only as good as what it lets you see.
2. Enough space between sites that you feel alone. The dome site had maybe 50 meters between domes. The safari tent site had 10. The difference in how private each felt was enormous, and the cheaper site had more of it. Luxury sites often pack more tents into the same land to maximize revenue, which defeats the purpose.
3. Honesty about what's included. The dome site said "shared bathroom, 30 meters, breakfast included" and that's exactly what I got. The safari tent site said "luxury en-suite" and didn't mention that the en-suite was a canvas cubicle where you could hear everything. The cabin site said "kitchenette" and the kitchenette was a hot plate and a sink. The cheapest site was the most honest, and honesty is what lets you make a good decision.
What flights LON to MRS actually cost
Prices below are live fares from Aviasales. We may earn a commission if you book through these links, at no extra cost to you.
The cheapest return found right now is €64 with Ryanair, departing 20 Sept 2026 (2h each way). See current fares.
Cheapest dates to fly
| Departure | Price | Airline | Stops | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Sept 2026 | €64 | Ryanair | Direct | Check |
| 19 Sept 2026 | €65 | Ryanair | Direct | Check |
| 23 Oct 2026 | €87 | easyJet | Direct | Check |
| 16 Sept 2026 | €92 | Ryanair | 1 stop | Check |
| 6 Sept 2026 | €99 | Ryanair | Direct | Check |
Live fares, checked 23 Aug 2026. Prices change daily.
Booking in Marseille: where to look
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- QEEQ — Car hire comparison with price drop alerts
- Auto Europe — Car hire across Europe and the UK
- Airalo — eSIM data the moment you land, no SIM swap
- Saily — Travel eSIM with per-country plans
What I'd Book Next Time in Provence
If I went back to Provence in June, I'd book the dome again, for three nights, and I'd bring a mattress topper. The view and the silence were worth the foam mattress. If I went in October, I'd book the cabin, because a dome without heating in October in Provence is cold, and a solid cabin with a kitchenette and a hot shower is the right tool for the season. I would not book the safari tent again at €220, not because it was bad but because it was €130 more than the dome for a worse view and less privacy.
The lesson, if there is one: don't assume price correlates with experience in glamping. The most expensive site is often the one that has invested in marketing rather than land. The cheapest site is often the one that has land but hasn't figured out how to charge for it yet. Book the one with the view and the space, and bring your own mattress topper. You'll sleep better and spend less.
