Dunya Camp — Hotel in Summerville

After a rough 18-months of ‘life’ - my wife and I decided to get away from it all for a moment to decompress, refocus, and just ‘be’. I selected Dunya Camp based on location (just over 2-hour trip), advertised ‘uniqueness’ of the experience and being somewhat isolated from cities, towns and ‘neighbors.’ An important point for us was the definition of ‘Dunya’ and it appealed to both my wife and I - it’s a name for the camp that befits its purpose and set up. IMPORTANT NOTE - if you’re looking for a location near fine dining, theaters, and night life - this is NOT the place. Don’t think ‘resort’ - think ‘retreat.’ The nearby towns of Summerville, Ga., Menlo Al., and Mentone, Al., are shall we say ‘somewhat depressed’ economically and culturally. There’s a nearby Super WalMart and Ingles to shop for food or emergency supplies, but there’s no ‘night at the opera’ available. Most of the restaurants are only open Thursdays-Sundays at the time of year we were there (late September). The owners of Dunya Camp provide an online Guidebook. It is valuable and contains everything you need - download it - read it - you’ll need it because the owners HAVE SPARED NO EXPENSE in constructing these accommodations and want you to enjoy everything available to you at your site/tent. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND the purchase of the ‘breakfast basket’ and the ‘lunch basket.’ There were excellent foods and snacks of an outstanding quality that lasted us for days and was a treat well beyond the purchase price. The ‘extra’ for purchase of the bath treatment was, according to my wife, an ‘exquisite experience’ worth the time in the tub, next to the view of the mountains, and the sound of nature and the smell of a fresh mountain rain. The online photos are exactly what you’ll see but what you cannot ‘see’ is the aromatic scents of “Dunya Rose” mixed with ‘fresh mountain air’. It rained at one point of the day or another every day we were there and it didn’t bother us a bit. There’s ample overhang on one side of the tent by a potted plant garden and grill to sit and stay dry, or you can go inside the tent and listen to the rain. There WERE two rather strong rain storms that blew through and we just laid in bed, with the wall to wall glass doors closed and watched the night time show of lightning and rain. No televisions! GREAT!! But they do have fairly good cell reception and each unit has solid WiFi capability. My wife and I called the kids to let them know we arrived safely - then turned off the phones from Monday evening until we left Friday morning. We’re going back - when it cools off - so we can open the tent flaps and experience being closer to the surrounding mountains and away from the ‘life’ that is our...

Nice, but not quite the secluded magical getaway you see (expect) from social media. The interiors of the tents themselves are nice! unique, nicely decorated, cozy. Being inside was probably the best part. Our main disappointment was the lack of privacy and seclusion. Unexpectedly - The neighboring tents are quite close and in mostly clear view of your deck/hottub. Sure, they have a couple of tri fold privacy screens set up on your deck here and there - but it’s by no means totally private. You do see your neighbors - and they do see you. ||||Overall it was just ok, particularly for the high price tag. The grounds/property are very basic, and there’s no amenities of any sort. We did drive to a grocery store about 15 minutes away and bring back some steaks back to grill - but you don’t have a full kitchen, only a small wet bar in your tent, making any “real” cooking difficult. |||| I think their marketing is very good - but might lead you to believe it’s more of a private luxury experience than...

This was my third visit to Dunya Camp and it was every bit as magical as the first. I stayed in Cabin 5 this time, complete with a hammock that has become my favorite place to unwind, and I finally got to enjoy the fireplace. I brought a few records with me and spent the evening listening to them by the fire with the hills in the background. It does not get more relaxing than that.||Every detail at Dunya is so thoughtfully designed, from the decor to the textures to the scent of the hand soap, which I truly hope they start selling one day. I spoke with the owner and learned it is actually a custom scent, which says a lot about the care that goes into every part of the experience.||Even visiting the small town of Summerville is enjoyable. Everyone is so kind and the owners recommendation for food at Dos Magueys Mexican Restaurant was a real treat.||Dunya Camp is my go to place to reset and recharge. I am already excited for...