After staying at Bubbletent Australia, we immediately came home and looked up where all of the bubble tents were in New South Wales. Yes, we loved it that much.
Surrounded by nature yet in the comfort of a temperature-controlled tent with a real bed, these unique tents allow you to sleep under the stars without getting rained on, bitten by bugs or shiver through the night.
We found four of them across the state. (Well, five if you include one that doesn’t allow you to see the stars above, so we didn’t include it.) They’re scattered across different locations too, offering totally different experiences depending on where you stay. With choices like the beautiful countryside of the Central Ranges to rugged landscapes near Warrumbungle National Park, you’ll probably want to try them all now, too.
All the bubble tents you can book in NSW
Bubbletent Australia
Where is it? Capertee, New South Wales
How much is it? From $595 per night
Minimum stay: 1 night midweek, 2 nights during peak times and if your stay includes a Friday or Saturday
Just three hours from Sydney, these bubble tents offer cliffside seclusion at the edge of Capertee National Park. The five tents are scattered around a farm and can’t be seen from one another. Each one features similar facilities, but with unique special twists. The one we stayed in, Virgo, had a lovely swinging bench hanging from a tree with incredible views of the Capertee Valley.
Aside from the tent, you’ll get a cooking area, firepit, outdoor shower, private bathroom and a wood-fired bathtub.
🗓️ Book directly with Bubbletent Australia
✅ We’ve stayed here!
Read our review of Bubbletent Australia
Bubble Hotel Coonabarabran
Where is it? Coonabarabran, New South Wales
How much is it? From $322 per night
Minimum stay: 1 night
Near a designated Dark Sky Reserve, Coonabarabran is one of the best places in Australia to go stargazing. So it’s the perfect place to stay in a clear tent and stargaze from the comfort of a bed. The bubbles sit on a 265-acre property with easy access to Warrumbungle National Park and Siding Spring Observatory. Each comes with a heated outdoor bath and shower, firepit, portable kitchen and an off-grid battery so you can charge your devices.
🗓️ Book directly with the hotel or with Agoda | Booking.com | Stayz
🔜 We haven’t stayed here yet, but it’s on our list.
Mirumuru Bubbletent
Where is it? Tenterfield, New South Wales
How much is it? From $420 per night
Minimum stay: 2 night
Designed to be the perfect couples’ getaway, these bubble tents offer an adults-only retreat with bathtubs, fire pits and an outdoor seating area on your very own stargazing deck. While the bubbles are adults-only, there is also a family friendly option where a nearby tiny bubble tent in the trees are set up just for the kids.
🗓️ Book directly with the property
🔜 We haven’t stayed here yet, but it’s on our list.
Star Gazing Bubble Hotel
Where is it? Mount Vincent, Hunter Valley
How much is it? From $436 per night
Minimum stay: 1 night
A half-hour’s drive from the heart of the Hunter Valley’s wineries and close to Watagan’s National Park, this bubble is the closest one to Sydney, at just a 90-minute drive from the CBD. Unlike the others, this bubble is made of glass with a proper door rather than being a pressurised tent with zippers.
🗓️ Book with Booking.com | Stayz
🔜 We haven’t stayed here yet, but it’s on our list.
What to know before booking a bubble tent
You may beed to bring water
Not being permanent structures, the bubble tents aren’t hooked up to drinking water systems. Each one offers slightly different access, varying from rainwater only to unlimited access to water. Here’s what to expect:
- Bubbbletent Australia: Limited drinking water supplied, rainwater for washing
- Bubble Hotel: Rainwater only, bring your own drinking water
- Mirumuru Bubbletent: Potable water available
- Star Gazing Bubble Hotel: Potable water available
There are toilets, but they may not flush
Like drinking water, some tents don’t have hook-ups to a water system and don’t have traditional toilets. While you won’t be needing to squat behind a tree, you will need to give up some comforts.
- Bubbbletent Australia: Varies by tent, some flush and some are compost (ours was compost, and it was just fine to use)
- Bubble Hotel: Elemental Bush Dunny (Dry, no-flush toilet)
- Mirumuru Bubbletent: Dry flush toilet
- Star Gazing Bubble Hotel: Flush toilet
While it’s not camping, it’s not a 5-star hotel
Although stays are pretty pricey, you will need to go into your bubble tent stay with an open mind. Your toilets may not flush, it may be a bit warmer or cooler than you’d like, you may not be able to drink the water (if there is any!) and there’s not going to be room service.
The staff at Bubbletent Australia were very helpful. We had a slight issue with our fridge (thanks to a cheeky wombat), and the staff were able to come to our tent and fix the issue within about 15 minutes. We imagine it would be a similar situation at other spots, too.
Frequently asked questions about staying in bubble tents
Yes. Some of them do offer air conditioning or fans, but not all of them do. Our stay at Bubbletent Australia’s Virgo did have air conditioning, which we were asked to keep at 18°C. If staying during winter, while plenty of blankets were provided, we do recommend bringing warm pyjamas. The tent does act quite similarly to a greenhouse, so on a sunny day it heats up quickly. Opaque covers do help keep it cool, and can avoid items inside from bleaching in the sun.
If staying in a soft, inflatable tent, the bubbles stay up with an air pump system. Our stay had a pump running 24 hours a day, but the sound was a soft hum and not bothersome. With these ones, you’ll have a two-door system that you’ll need to be careful with so the tend doesn’t deflate. Working in a similar way to an airlock, you need to make sure both zipper doors are not open at the same time. Others, like the one at Star Gazing Bubble Hotel, are solid structures that don’t require pumps.
Just as safe, if not safer, than traditional tents. These structures are pretty solid and can’t be easily blown over like a tent can be in a gust. Of course, in very bad weather, heavy hail or strong winds, it’s probably best not to stay inside.
