[gifted experience from Portobello Tents]
We all know that arriving at a festival can be stressful, tiring, and can give you a bad back from carrying so much stuff from car to campsite. Tents are heavy, airbeds are uncomfortable, and sleeping bags are sweaty. For most of us, all of this is a pretty standard part of a festival. However, if like me you can no longer honestly say you’re in your “early twenties”, you may have considered glamping options when booking a festival. Usually called ’boutique camping’, most festivals provide a luxury service where you can simply rock up with your clothes, booze and food for the weekend, and everything else is ready and waiting for you.
It’s something I’d always looked at, but considering how many festivals I do a year, glamping at every one could soon easily bankrupt me, so I’ve always ended up loading myself up like a packhorse, walking for miles, and then put up my own tent in the sweaty sunshine or pouring rain. The one time and only time I had glamped was when I won tickets to Camp Wildfire for myself and 3 friends in 2017, and included in the prize was a tipi tent. This came unfurnished however so we still bought our own bedding.
I’ve been following Portobello Tents for a few years and always admired how gorgeous their boutique camping set ups looked. Imagine my excitement when I got a message from them a few days before Noisily Festival this year that someone had dropped out last minute, and would I like to stay and write a review? Over the moon is an understatement! Of course I said yes! I was heading to Noisily with my two friends; one called Laurie, and also Dulcie of That Festival Life who you should all know by now if you read my blog regularly! When I told the girls we were staying in luxury they too were so excited!
Laurie and I were driving up to Noisily after work on Thursday July 11th. It felt so weird to only have to pack clothes into the car, not the usual multitude of camping gear! We arrived on site just after 9pm, only had to carry in our backpacks and a bag of alcohol and snacks, and headed towards the boutique camping area.
We were greeted at the boutique camping reception, “checked in”, and were given our wristbands. Boutique has fencing all the way around and requires a wristband for entry through the one gate which is manned 24hrs a day, which really makes you and your belongings feel safe.
It was whilst we were being checked in that we first met Laura, the founder of Portobello Tents. She said hi and wanted to personally walk us to our tent, which was so lovely! She explained about all the facilities (including lovely showers and toilets!) and pointed out where things were as we walked to our new temporary home. Laurie and I had seen some pictures, but when we first laid eyes on our Lotus Belle, (even in the dark!) it was more amazing then we could have imagined!
So, what’s inside a Lotus Belle when you stay with Portobello Tents?
The first thing that struck us was the amount of space inside! These things are huge, you could host yoga classes in there! It was so nice to be able to stand up and walk around your tent without having to duck (except to go through the door).
Laura had messaged me to ask how we wanted the beds (doubles/singles etc) so we had ours set up with 3 single beds. They fit up to 4 people in most combinations, so you could have had up to 2 doubles or 4 singles. The beds themselves are proper wooden frames, with memory foam mattresses, and real duvets & pillows! A real bed in a field! And honestly, I think mine was comfier than my own bed at home 😂 They even provide eye masks and eco earplugs, one of the nights I slept right through to almost midday, which is almost unheard of at a festival!
Also inside the tent was a clothes rail (we could unpack and hang up our outfits!), table and chairs, bedside tables with lamps, a mirror, a bin, blankets, towels, a floral chandelier, and inside the trunk was even fresh robes and slippers! The cherry on the magnificent cake was… we had power! There was a proper electrical outlet we could plug things in to charge.
One of the many little touches that made our stay super special was the eco toiletry bag we were given, that contained bamboo toothbrushes, toothpaste, and Beauty Kubes – shampoo and body wash. Here’s Laurie and I looking very excited for our first shower of the festival in our robes!
Laura had also left us two magazines which was so sweet of her! One was Transform – an editorial magazine showcasing transformative festivals around the world, and also the latest edition of Blogosphere. I really enjoyed flicking through these in the mornings!
Overall, I was so impressed with the comfort and attention to detail provided by Portobello Tents . They really did blow any expectations I had out of the water! I’m now very concerned that I will never be able to do a festival in a “normal” tent ever again!
Read on to hear my interview with the lovely Laura who started it all…
Interview with Laura, founder of Portobello Tents
- When did you launch Portobello Tents and how have you grown since then? I locked myself in my parent’s dining room in November 2015 and Portobello Tents was born (well, the website was… then I had to sell non existent tents and then buy them!). We started with 60 bells and 15 Lotus Belles if I remember correctly – we now have 75 bells, 50 Lotus Belles, the only Lotus Mahal for hire in the UK and a Geodome… I don’t really want many more tents though – hard to stop if people demand them?!
- What makes Portobello different? We only have proper hardwood beds and memory foam mattresses – no airbeds or ‘z-beds’. I spend all summer sleeping on one and can still do a cartwheel at 35… just.
- What’s your favourite festival to have your tents at and why? Noisily – it’s family (literally, my brother is one of the boys who set it up) – it’s small, sooo friendly and I know so many wonderful people that go. Our guests return year after year and Green Yurts are the other supplier and we have great fun on reception with them – it feels like the last day at school! It’s just a totally inclusive haven in the woods.
- I’ve not done many ‘glamping’ options before, but I must say, your beds are unreal! I’ve never slept better at a festival. Was this one of the most important things for you? Totally – the whole point of luxury camping is to sleep well, I mean, it’s great having nice loos and showers, somewhere to hang your clothes and a chandelier of flowers (!) but a decent bed… that’s the one! The beds are actually made by another of the Noisily director’s father in Scotland – we try to use small UK companies where we can, like ourselves. It’s nice to chat to the people that bring it all together. Oh, and thanks for the compliment – the beds are unreal, aren’t they! Especailly after a good stomp.
- All the little touches also made our stay super special. I loved the eco toiletries in the canvas bag, the eco earplugs too… Is sustainability a big part of your core values? Hugely – we made a crew plastic pledge last season not to buy or use any single use plastic water bottles, and the crew all got a RAW Foundation stainless steel bottle to refill (there are always drinking water taps across festival sites so why not use them?). We were also a sponsor of the RAW Foundation trip to South America to track pointless plastic – you can find out more on our website here. Nikki and I went and joined them for 10 days over New Year which was incredible. We also spent a long time sourcing plastic free toiletry hampers… guests love them and take away the lovely jute bags afterwards too.
- Have you had any famous people stay with you? Any names you can drop? Lots of artists… one of the crew thought they saw the Dalai Lama emerge from the Lotus Mahal at Glastonbury but it was a looong set up!! 😉
- What’s next for Portobello Tents? Where can we find you? This summer… Camp Bestival, Wilderness, Houghton, PX+ Festival, Lost Village, Great Dorset Steam Fair, Camp Wildfire and Burghley Horse Trials. Then a holiday!
- What is your favourite/funniest festival story? One of our crew (mentioning no names) went into a portaloo at Wilderness by the main stage when it was mid-headliner and sunny, and came out and everyone had gone and it was dark… Derren Brown stuff! 😮
Huge thank you to Laura and Portobello Tents!
I can’t wait to sleep in one of these again! Going to have to persuade my Glastonbury gang to go glamping!
Make sure you check out Portobello’s website, and give them a follow on Instagram!
Hey guys, I read your article regularly. But this one was an amazing one. you share your own experience, hope you all enjoy this campaign. Your tent looks like an awesome. Where are you from buying it? I exist curios for this.