Going eco-friendly doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your creature comforts. In fact, as the world rallies around a greener approach to life and luxury, more and more eco-certified resorts are popping up in some of the world’s most picturesque locations. Travel Associates have shared their favourite eco-friendly travel hotspots with us. Prepare to be wowed – and curb your carbon footprint at the same time.
1. Campi Ya Kanzi, Kenya
Not only does this luxury tented retreat focus on sustainable living, it’s also invested in the local Maasai community and protecting its culture. So, as you linger amongst the wildlife in this authentic safari fantasy experience, you’ll dine on delicious cuisine cooked over eco-friendly charcoal, soak in a pool filled with rainwater, and snuggle down in your luxury tented suite by night.
2. Six Sense Con Dao, Vietnam
The five-star Six Senses Con Dao went right to the foundations when including eco-friendly elements in their resort – their beachside suites and villas are made from reclaimed teak and recycled antique panels. They also only use non-toxic cleaning products and organic amenities – bonus! The resort, which is located on an island within Con Dao National Park, is also committed to protecting the bay around the resort. It’s a prime breeding habitat for the endangered dugong, in addition to looking utterly pristine.
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3. Finca Rosa Blanca Coffee Plantation and Inn, Costa Rica
Situated within a three-hectare organic coffee plantation, this unique small hotel is, understandably, one of the best small hotels in the world – in fact, it’s in the top 10 according to Condé Nast Traveler’s readers. Using underground electrical systems, solar panels, recycled coffee pulp as fertiliser and organic produce grown on-site adds to the eco-friendly status of this escape. Here’s the luxury: 1000 thread count bamboo linens and sky-lit Jacuzzi bathtubs. Oh, and coffee. Very good coffee.
4. Whitepod, Switzerland
Looking at this hotel is like glimpsing the future as foretold by some of the best sci-fi writers. White pods are hidden amongst the snow-capped peaks of the Swiss Alps in winter, revealing a green exterior come summer. They’re tucked in the Dents-du-Midi mountain range on their own wooden platforms, each coming equipped with its own wood burning stove and heated bathroom to stave off the cold. It’s low-impact accommodation, decorated with unique antiques and natural wood to lessen waste of precious resources.
5. Longitude 131, Australia
Here’s luxury to long for – on our own back door, no less. The eco-friendly resort has taken glamping to a whole new level in one of our most iconic locales, Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. 15 luxury tents are stilted above the fragile red desert, powered by the ever-beaming sun to give you all the mod cons (air conditioning included). Indigenous-inspired modern cuisine served under the stars, and tours of Australia’s sacred sites, completes this escape.
We think Travel Associates’ David Lovelock says it best: “Whether it’s Kenya, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Switzerland or right here in Australia, going green has never been more luxurious.”
For more information on eco-friendly holidays, contact Travel Associates.