I stayed in a luxury tent on an island just outside of New York City and was blown away by the views

Collective Retreats has multiple outdoor resorts, one of which is on Governors Island. The island is just 800 yards away from the lower end of Manhattan.

The resort is home to tents and tiny houses that give visitors one-of-a-kind views of the city, and it's become a popular tourist destination in recent years.

I'm not a fan of camping. I like the ambiance of the outdoors, but bugs and going to the bathroom outside aren't for me. However, I always thought I would enjoy glamping, since it combines the fun of nature with the amenities of a hotel. I decided to book a trip at Collective Retreats to find out if my suspicion was correct.

I booked an overnight stay on the island for a press rate of $150 in the Journey+ tent, a 300-square-foot tent that boasts a king-sized bed. The standard rate of a night in the tent was $279 at the time of writing.

My partner accompanied me on the trip, because even though I would be close to the city, the idea of sleeping alone in a tent freaked me out.

Collective Retreats offers complimentary water taxi services for its guests each day from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.

You can get to the island through a public ferry as well, but we decided to take the taxi to the island.

The boat, which picked us up around 4:30 p.m., had plenty of room for two crew members, my party of two, and a family of three that rode with us.

The boat cruised right by the edge of New York City's financial district, giving us a stunning vantage point from which to check out the city.

I was a bit nervous on the boat since it was small and drove near huge vessels, but the captain was very capable.

The trip took less than ten minutes.

The retreat is on the opposite end of the island than the dock, so Collective Retreats offers an additional complimentary golf cart ride to the retreat itself.

The ride was most welcome, both because we were carrying luggage and because it was really hot outside.

When we arrived at the island, it was 92 degrees Fahrenheit and felt like 100.

The resort sits at the edge of the water, and you walk or drive through a rustic gate to get into the resort.

The gate is closed at night, preventing non-guests from entering the resort.

I was glad to see signposts just past the gate that specified what the different areas of the resort were.

The entrance to the retreat opens to the "great lawn," with three oversized tents at the far end.

We went to the tent on the right to check in, though there wasn't much to physically do at check-in since the tents don't have keys.

A staff member directed us to Journey 15.

Since the resort is on a public island, the wristbands help staff keep track of who is a guest and who is not.

It was around 5 p.m when we arrived at the tent, so the sun was still hitting us directly, which wasn't making me super excited about the prospect of spending an evening outdoors.

But the sight of our Journey tent quelled some of my displeasure at the heat. I liked the look of the porch, which had two chairs on which my partner and I could relax.

As a camping amateur, I was relieved to see the plush, king-sized bed that took up most of the tent. It was comfortable, and the sheets were cool to the touch despite the weather.

The wood floor was an extension of the porch, so I was glad there was a rug to make the space feel cozier.

The tent was also equipped with electricity, including lamps and charging ports for cell phones.

The air conditioner was set up in the front corner of the tent next to a safe located pretty far away from the bed.

The AC was turned on when we arrived, but the tent still felt stiflingly hot, which made me nervous about how the space would feel when we slept.

I sat in front of the small unit for a few minutes to try to cool off before exploring the rest of the tent.

A tray was set up with coffee and tea supplies, as well as two cartons of Just Water. The eco-friendly brand was the only bottled water available at the resort.

The furniture sat in a space between the porch and the interior room.

It was functional, but it was shoved close together because of how the entrance to the tent was set up.

I planned to pull it out onto the porch if I wanted to dine at the tent.

The closest tent was less than 10 yards away, so I could see guests from the windows of our tent.

I could also hear other visitors' conversations easily from Journey 15, whether they were inside of their tents or not.

There were also smaller tents next to some of the Journey structures that kids could sleep in.

I could see all of the lower-city skyline from the porch, and a turn of my head to the left gave way to the Statue of Liberty.

If it had been cooler outside, I probably would have spent the duration of our stay on the porch to take in the views.

But because of the temperature, I found myself wandering back to the air conditioner whenever we were at the tent. It felt like a waste to miss out on the views, but it was just too hot to be outside.

A huge draw of Collective Retreats for me was the promise of a fully flushable toilet, as the prospect of squatting or having to use a port-a-potty is one of the reasons I don't like to camp.

The bathrooms were set up next to the main green area, which was about a two-minute walk from our tent.

They, too, were in tents, which you zipped to create privacy while you went to the bathroom. But much like the sleeping tents, they offered no auditory privacy.

The bathrooms featured a real toilet and a rain shower, both of which were well kept each time I visited during my stay.

Because we arrived at Collective Retreats in the early evening, we didn't have much time to explore Governors Island.

All guests have to be back at the retreat by 5:45 p.m., as it gets gated at 6:00 p.m. to prevent non-visitors from coming into the space.

I wandered around the main green space, which wasn't huge. But it offered great views of the city.

The space had hammocks and corn hole, which I saw families playing with throughout the evening.

The other side of the resort was also visible from the great lawn. It featured more tents and pricier tiny homes that guests can rent. My colleague Frank Olito stayed in one of Collective Retreats' tiny homes last year.

The retreat has multiple firepits, which are the site of complimentary s'mores each evening.

It felt like an essential aspect of the glamping experience, but as the sun beat down on me, I couldn't fathom wanting to go near a fire — even for chocolate.

The Sunset Terrace is situated on the main patio, with bar stools and additional couch furniture available for guests.

The Sunset Terrace and the retreat's restaurant, Three Peaks, are both available for dining reservations even if you aren't staying at the resort.

The bar's menu includes wines, cocktails, and beers, and you can continue ordering from it when you sit down for dinner.

My partner and I both opted for the unlimited rosé option, which gave us as many glasses of the wine as we could drink in two hours for $28. The price was comparable to all-you-can-drink packages I'm familiar with in the city.

After I ordered my first beverage, I headed to a patio couch.

A live musician played the guitar as we sipped our beverages.

The couches were comfortable, and it felt like we were at the heart of the resort. It seemed like everyone who was staying the night that evening had gathered on the great lawn as dinner approached.

The sun started setting during happy hour, turning the New York City skyline a soft pink.

The resort isn't big, so it only has one restaurant available for dinner. Plus, the rest of Governors Island closes at night, so Three Peaks is truly your only dinner option at the resort.

The menu isn't huge, but it does have vegetarian and gluten-free options, so it should have something for everyone.

Dinner is served from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Three Peaks each evening.

In addition, Collective Retreats offers culinary experiences for overnight guests, like oyster shucking and lobster poaching for an additional fee. Classes ranged from $60 to $80 per person at the time of writing.

The restaurant was mostly full when we dined, which surprised me for a Tuesday night.

The kitchen sat at the right, separated from the restaurant with its own canvas.

We were seated at a table that faced the water, and it came with complimentary hand sanitizer.

I was glad to have a view of the sunset as I dined, but because I was seated in the sun, I was really warm throughout the meal.

The sun set as we ate, and I had a perfect view of the Statue of Liberty throughout the meal.

The $21 salad was made up of arugula, strawberries, stracciatella, almonds, cilantro, and a lemon vinaigrette.

It was refreshing and crisp, and it seemed like it tasted extra delicious in the hot weather.

The $28 half chicken was marinated with spicy yogurt and came with more arugula. It was tasty, but I found myself hungry for sides, which are sold separately.

I paired the chicken with $10 fingerling potatoes and $10 sauteed local greens. Both were good, though I preferred my salad to the cooked veggies.

My meal cost $76.21 in full. Collective Retreats is a no-tipping resort, so a 20% surcharge was automatically added to my bill for my servers.

We finished our meal around 8 p.m., so the lights in the city had come on by the time we made our way back to the tent.

Even as it got darker, the city lit up the island from a distance.

A cart full of s'mores supplies, including marshmallows, chocolate, graham crackers, and skewers, was set up on the porch.

The s'mores are free for guests each night at 8:30.

The s'mores kit was cute, and it was nice not to have to touch communal glassware to put my s'more together.

The box came with enough supplies for two s'mores.

It had cooled down enough that I felt comfortable roasting a marshmallow, but I definitely didn't want to linger by the fire.

But the s'more was delicious. The treats are always tasty, but the flavor brought me back to camping trips I'd taken with my dad as a kid.

Although my glamping experience was really different than those vacations, it was nice to feel connected to a simpler phase of my life.

We retired to the tent after we ate our s'mores, and the tent felt a bit cooler than it had when we had left because we had zipped it in our absence, allowing the air conditioner to fill the space with cold air.

I still slept without the comforter on top of me because of the heat, which helped me fall asleep soundly. I did wake up to go to the bathroom around 3 a.m., and it was annoying to have to trek across the resort, as I anticipated. But it was still better than peeing in a bush, and I fell back to sleep quickly.

By the time I woke up, the tent felt cool and comfortable thanks to being zipped all night.

I was awoken by the sounds of helicopters at 6 a.m. I poked my head outside, as did all of my tent neighbors, and I saw a shipping boat on fire on the river.

A fireboat managed to contain the flames, and it didn't look like anyone was hurt, but the helicopters stayed put for about an hour, keeping me awake.

It seemed like early wake-up calls would be a frequent issue on the resort, since there's always so much activity on the Hudson.

I decided to accept that I was awake, and I settled into a porch chair to watch the sun finish rising.

I had never had such an expansive view of the sun coming up over the city before. It felt like a once-in-a-lifetime way to see the city.

Plus, at the early morning hour, the island really felt natural instead of like an extension of New York City.

The resort offers a complimentary, hour-long yoga class for visitors each morning at 8 a.m. I decided to give the class a shot even though I'm a yoga novice, along with five other guests.

All we had to do was show up, as the instructor provided us with mats and water bottles.

The yoga tent was set up next to The Sunset Terrace bar. It felt a bit strange that visitors who weren't participating in the class could ogle at us as they walked by, but it was easy to forget we had an audience as the class got started.

Guests are treated to a complimentary breakfast basket each morning of their stay at the resort.

Our basket for two came with a plate of pastries, meats and cheeses, two apples, a granola parfait, and orange juice with two glasses.

The charcuterie plate and granola parfait were OK, but the pastries were absolutely delicious. I was particularly partial to the croissant offerings.

We checked out around 9:30 a.m. before hopping on the 10 a.m. ferry.

Once again, a Collective Retreats staff member transported us to the ferry via golf cart so we didn't have to walk with our luggage.

As we were leaving, we got another fantastic view of the Manhattan skyline.

The tent was comfortable, and I felt like I got to experience glamping without having to truly be in the thick of nature, which I enjoyed.

I loved my dinner at Three Peaks, and the experience of eating a s'more while looking at the New York City skyline is hard to beat.

Plus, the yoga class was a truly unique experience because of the views. The trip was a perfect, mini-respite from the hustle and bustle of New York City, though I wished I had come earlier in the day so I could have actually explored Governors Island.

Although I had a great time at Collective Retreats, the 90-degree weather overshadowed the rest of the trip. It's a glamping resort, so it's not set up with the air conditioning I'm used to having access to when it's sweltering outside.

Because it can get so hot in Manhattan in the summer, I'd advise booking a stay at Collective Retreats in the early or later part of the Governors Island season, rather than in the peak of summer.

Also, keep in mind that a stay at Collective Retreats won't feel like camping in the woods. Because you're just 800 yards from Manhattan, the sounds of the city continue to reach you, which is a cool experience in and of itself. But if you're looking for a peaceful experience with nature, I might check out one of Collective Retreats' other glamping resorts, or rent an RV through the company's collaboration with Outdoorsy.

You can learn more about Collective Retreats here.