4 minute read
Moonlight Canopy
Forget camping, it’s time for Glamping!
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Local Entrepreneurs Target Campers Who Want The Comforts Of Home
BY GEOFF KIRBYSON
If you’re not the camping type, you’d be hardpressed to fi nd anything glamorous about heading into the great outdoors and praying that mosquitoes won’t fi nd the gaping hole you ripped in your tent while putt ing it up. Or using your last three matches to start a fi re after your mini-barbecue suddenly ran out of propane a minute after you put your burgers on. Cassandra Jamieson would like to change all that. She and her husband, Turner, run McPhail Travel in Brandon but when the bott om fell out of the travel business after the global pandemic fi rst hit, they needed a way to keep the doors open.
They decided to get into the glamping business. The what? It’s a thing. Glamping — that’s glamorous camping — a way for people to enjoy nature without giving up the comforts of home. You can do some of the things you love about camping, such as telling stories around the fire, watching for shooting stars and unplugging from the daily grind. But instead of a fitful night on bumpy ground in a sleeping bag with a broken zipper, you can drift off to sleep in a king-size bed nestled in sheets with a 1,000-thread count. The Jamiesons started Moonlit Canopy, set to open this summer. It will have three geodesic domes at the Cassandra Jamieson and family
Pleasant Valley Golf Course, one hour drive southeast of Brandon. Set in the picturesque Pembina Valley at the south end of Pelican Lake, the domes will be tucked into the tree-lined fairways with unobstructed views of the greens and a winding creek. The clubhouse is just a short walk away and features a restaurant with beverages of all kinds and hot meals. Anticipating what the year ahead would look like for her business, Cassandra wondered “How am I going to keep the lights on and at least some of my staff working? My first thought was a staycation. My staff and I spent most of last fall putting together boxes with Manitoba-made products and a travel guide with links to websites and videos on various locations around the world. We wanted to simulate what you might be doing while on vacation. Some of our featured destinations included Iceland, Switzerland, Paris and Mexico.” Pelican Lake is a year-round playground. In the summer, the lake is ideal for sailing, boating and birdwatching. In the winter, ice fishing, snow shoeing and snowmobiling are common activities taking place on the lake. She thought as soon as the economy reopened that the travel business would pick up but she worried about the people who were nervous about leaving the country or sitting on a full plane beside a complete stranger. “We’re seeing that consumers are looking for a level of quality, uniqueness, sustainability and architecture. Experiential travelers are increasingly searching for experiences that reconnect them with the great outdoors in comfort and style. Our goal for Moonlit Canopy is to create a space where you can escape, recharge, reconnect and then go home and take on the world.” The word “glamping” first appeared in the United Kingdom in 2005 and if there was any question about
its staying power, that was erased when it was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2016. Glamping — the activity, not the word —subsequently caught on in North America and has been growing across the U.S. and Canada for the past five years. Moonlit’s glamping domes boast king- and queen-sized beds in the mezzanine, a modern kitchenette, a full bathroom and a panoramic bay window. The luxurious accommodations include a pellet stove, lamps, rugs and elegant décor. They’ve been built on wooden platforms and feature private hot tubs. Jamieson is confident glamping will appeal to couples and families alike. While most people like to camp — or glamp — in the summer, she is expecting to be busy in the winter, too. “With snowshoe and snowmobiling trails nearby, and a cozy pellet stove keeping the dome warm, it will be the perfect place for a romantic getaway.” Imagine sitting in your hot tub with your toque on as the snow is gently falling, or on a clear night watching the northern lights dance across the sky,” she says.
McPhail Travel – Moonlit Canopy 435 Rosser Ave, Suite K Brandon MB 204-727-2305 cassandra@mcphailtravel.net