While water recreation creates another kind of enjoyment during a camping trip, visitors to land-locked Serbia can be swimming in the many outdoor rec opportunities at Lala Vineyard Glamping Resort, the country’s first-ever vineyard glamping destination.
For one, the property is teeming with greenery sprawled across 1.1 hectares (just over two acres) of land.
Only an hour away from the nation’s capital Belgrade, city folks can find respite at the park where they can relax and then refuel with a glass of wine.
Lala Vineyard Glamping Resort is also only five kilometers from the Fruška Gora National Park, making it an ideal location for glampers who want to unwind in nature while still being near the city.
Serbia’s First-Ever Vineyard Glamping Resort
Olja Nicholl, the developer and operator of Lala Vineyard Glamping Resort, told Modern Campground that glamping is only in its infancy in Serbia.
“So it’s a brand new market for glamping development, which makes it really interesting,” Nicholl said. “…for now, we are the only [glamping resort], and we are hoping not to be the only ones for much longer because, really, the opportunity is there,” she added.
The idea for Serbia’s first-ever glamping resort came about when Dubai-based Nicholl saw luxury camping developments thriving in the deserts of the Middle East and imagined how glamping would flourish in Serbia where picturesque views are abundant.
Serbia is home to a number of national parks and beautiful countryside areas where outdoor hospitality can really kind of take off, the businesswoman said.
A plot of land—a vineyard, to be exact—overlooking the River Danube and close to the country’s second-largest city soon completed the puzzle for Nicholl when she returned home in 2019.
However, somewhere in between the extensive research and connecting the dots with her experience in tourism and hospitality, the COVID-19 pandemic struck and paused Nicholl and her husband’s project.
Restrictions were lifted later on, and Lala Vineyard Glamping Resort, the first-ever glamping resort in Serbia, opened its doors to the public in July 2021, welcoming its first guest ten days later.
Currently, glampers can book any of the four luxury safari tents on the property.
There is also a heated saltwater pool overlooking the River Danube where glampers can soak off their stresses away as well as a bar where they can grab a drink.
The Lala Story
Asked about the things they considered before developing the country’s first-ever glamping resort, Nicholl said one of the keys was location, location, location.
Going rural yet accessible was the plan, per Nicholl. The town called “Sremski Karlovci” ticked just about everything on the list.
“It’s actually quite a significant town. It’s a small historical town, very picturesque, and in the northern part of Serbia. Now, the northern part of the country used to be a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, so it’s quite interesting in terms of architecture and the mountain and the national park,” Nichols told MC during the Zoom interview.
Nicholl also aims to foster wine tourism and experiences through Lala Vineyard Glamping Resort, “not only because we love wine and we love drinking,” she joked, but also because of a sentimental family story.
Paying homage to her upbringing, Nicholl named the resort after the Serbian term for tulips (“lala”), which she said her grandparents grew while also running a wine business.
Looking Ahead
As the glamping industry in Serbia is still growing, the Nicholls aim to expand their offerings to three additional glamping units that will be operational year-round.
Moreover, the owners are considering adding a small house that will serve as a hub for holding yoga classes during the colder months over the winter.
Painting a bigger picture, the businesswoman said that Serbia may not be the top choice when it comes to tourism, but she’s beginning to see some changes.
“Ever since we’ve developed Lala, I see a lot of interest. We definitely generated buzz in the country, and more people are trying to get this sustainability and glamping. And at first, they didn’t know what it was and now they want to know all about it,” she shared.
“So I’m really hoping that this little spark that we’ve started is going to carry on from there and it’s going to be just the starting point for much bigger projects to come by,” she added.
Click here to learn more about Lala Vineyard Glamping Resort.
Featured image courtesy of Lala Vineyard Glamping Resort.
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