Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel
Prefer trees to traffic? Is a campfire your kind of culinary tool and the sound of crickets your favorite symphony? Do you prefer cabins and a treetop canopy to a high-rise hotel? Read on for some back-to-nature military offers.
You’ll sleep in the sky and look exotic birds in the eye at Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel , built among the treetops of the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest, at the confluence of the Rio Negro and the Anavilhanas Archipelago. You’ll feel like you’re walking in the clouds at this unique lodge, with its more than 6 miles of treetop canopy walkways. Active duty and retired servicemembers are offered a 20-percent discount off all-inclusive packages. For example, the three-night Ariau package includes round-trip transfers from Manaus, buffet-style meals, bilingual guides, excursions (such as guided jungle hikes and canoe rides to local native villages), and suite accommodations. Normally priced at $2,599 for two guests sharing a room, the military price with the discount is $2,079 for two. For information, call (888) 462-7428 or email jill@ariauamazontowers.com.
No Taste Like Home, a wild-food foraging adventure tour company in Asheville, N.C., wants to take you to “out to eat” — literally. You’ll hit local trails and woodland areas to gather mushrooms, plants, and other wild edibles. “After our woodland shopping spree, we cook up a sampling for a wild food ‘pick-nic.’ You could call it ‘Survivor meets Iron Chef.’ We call it "find dining,” says CEO Alan Muskat. “Wild food is the truly natural food. Ideal for people and the planet, wild food is healthier, fresher, and more flavorful than its garden-variety descendants. It's what we evolved to eat.” Regular tour prices are $75. But through June 1, active duty and retired servicemembers and anyone over age 60 get a 20-percent discount. Use discount code “SENMIL.” Call (828) 209-8599 for more information.
Active duty and retired servicemembers and veterans get 50 percent off Sunday-Thursday daily rates at RV sites at all 57 Carefree RV resorts, typically scenically situated along lakes, under trees, in the mountains, or at the seashore in California, Florida, Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina, Texas, and Ontario, Canada. Rates vary by site. Be prepared to show proof of service upon check-in. Visit the website to find RV resorts, which must be contacted individually.
Plan ahead: Opossum Creek Retreat in Fayetteville, W.Va., offers two-night stays free to veterans and active duty servicemembers on Veterans Day. Tucked into the woods of the New River Gorge, Opossum Creek — which describes itself as being “in the middle of nowhere” — has eight cabins that can accommodate families of all sizes and include hot tubs, Wi-Fi, cable, full kitchens, and gas fireplaces. Call (888) 488-4836 for more information.
Want more back-to-nature getaways? In previously posted articles, we told you about military deals at Colorado mountain lodges and other mountain retreats, as well as several lakeside vacations, all with military discounts.