I have never been a camper. Putting up a tent in the woods and cooking meals over a campfire is just not for me. But since camping has had a surge in “glamping,” I’ve become a little more intrigued. Staying in luxury accommodations in the outdoors is a lot more appealing than trying to put together a cheap tent from Dick’s Sporting Goods.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved camping in tents on remote islands in the Philippines. I enjoyed the experience so much that it inspired me to try staying in an Airstream at one of the new “glamping” experiences popping up across the country called AutoCamp.
AutoCamp offers a luxury camping experience in an original AirStream or canvas tent. These aren’t just trailers and tents though. These things were made for Instagram! The Airstream I stayed in was even nicer than my New York apartment.
I chose to stay at the AutoCamp Russian River about 90 minutes north of San Francisco near Sonoma. In what I lack in camping enthusiasm, I make up for in wine tasting enthusiasm. I was excited that there would be activities close by to the property rather than being stuck in the woods for too long. I told you I’m not a camper! AutoCamp also has locations in Santa Barbara, Yosemite and Cape Cod (as of February 2020).
AutoCamp Russian River is like a hotel where you check in at a lobby with a front desk. AutoCamp’s stated mission is “to connect people to the environment and each other.” And you definitely feel this throughout the property. There are communal fire pits both in the lobby and on the grass in the center of the Airstreams. You walk through a beautiful wooded trail to get to your designated accommodations and everything surrounding it feels very rustic.
My first thought when entering the Airstream was that it feels like a luxury hotel! From the inside you would never know that you’re basically in a glorified trailer. It looks more like one of those completely gutted tiny homes featured on HGTV.
Inside you’ll find a small bathroom, kitchen, futon, cabinets and a separate bedroom. I told you this thing was bigger than my New York City apartment! There is also Wi-Fi available throughout the property.
If you want more of the true “glamping” experience, you can also stay in a luxury tent. These tents look like what Fyre Festival was meant to look Iike! These tents were more expensive than the AirStream! Which surprised me since they don’t even have their own bathrooms. You have to use the shower and toilets at the main lobby.
I stayed at AutoCamp Russian River with one of my best guy friends so he took the futon and I grabbed the bedroom. Both were super comfortable. Our only complaint was that the air conditioning worked a little too well for the end of August! We turned on the AC before going to sleep and my friend on the futon almost froze to death. We learned for night two!
Each Airstream at AutoCamp Russian River has its own fire pit and comes with one complimentary bag of kindling wood. Almost immediately upon arrival, we opened a bottle of wine and started a fire. It was really easy to get the bag lit, especially for two camping newbies.
The problem came when we tried to cook food! We made a Trader Joe’s run in San Francisco before driving up to AutoCamp Russian River so we were prepared with some snacks, veggies, and chicken for dinner. Once we had the fire going, we placed the raw chicken on top.
All I can say is thank god AutoCamp Russian River has a convenience store in the lobby! After about an hour and a half on the open flame, the chicken was still raw. The convenience store in the lobby had pre-cooked chicken that we popped in the microwave inside our Airstream. You can also find local beer and wine, snacks, and camping essentials in the shop.
There isn’t a restaurant on site at AutoCamp Russian River. You are truly meant to have the camping experience of cooking over a campfire. But they do offer the most delicious biscuits I’ve ever had FOR FREE in the morning with coffee! We had two both days we were there with jam and fresh squeezed orange juice. Delish!
Getting to AutoCamp Russian River
Coming from New York, I flew into San Francisco and rented a Getaround car to drive up to AutoCamp Russian River roughly two hours north of the city. If you’re not familiar with Getaround, it’s basically a car share program. Someone who isn’t planning to use their car for the weekend can “rent it out” to you. I’ve used it three times in the San Fran area and have had no issues with it. It’s usually cheaper than a rental car and A LOT more convenient because you can rent one almost immediately, anywhere in the city.
There was plenty of parking available at the hotel and it was safe behind a password protected gate.
I highly recommend visiting AutoCamp with a car if you plan to leave the property. It is a bit off the beaten path from town and Ubers are almost non-existent so it can take awhile to get one. You can walk to town but it takes more than 30 minutes.
What to Do
If you’re a fan of wine, I recommend choosing AutoCamp Russian River. There are a ton of wineries in the region and it’s not too long of a drive to Napa or Sonoma. One of my favorite wineries we visited was Landmark Winery. Not only did it have great wine but beautiful grounds as well!
Some other vineyards we visited included Matrix Winery which has a nice patio for a lunch stop and Thomas George Estates which has a wine cave! But make sure to make a reservation ahead of time as we were not able to go inside without one when we arrived.
If you’re more of the adventure type, grab one of the bikes available at reception and head to the River for kayaking and paddle boarding. If you have a car, take the short drive to see the impressive redwood trees or head to the Pacific Ocean for a beach walk.
I truly cannot believe that I did two camping trips in only four months. Even though AutoCamp Russian River is a luxury, “glamping” experience, it still was out of the norm of the travel that I normally do. The Airstreams were unlike anything I had stayed in before and it was a great escape from the craziness that is New York City.
I highly recommend a stay at AutoCamp and I’m already researching which location I can stay at next! See you soon Yosemite? Hopefully!