Choosing sustainable doesn’t have to feel like a sacrifice – there’s never been a wider variety of cool hotels committing to earth-friendly practices and conservation. From Nambia to Norway ecotourism is a buzz word but it’s far from a fad, this is the way we want to holiday, now and in the future. 

STORY Seychelles

Greener than Kermit, this tropical Indian Ocean hideaway was crowned the World Travel Awards’ ‘Seychelles’ Leading Green Resort 2022’ – a title it has won for five years in a row, congrats! Situated on ‘it can’t really be that perfect?’ Beau Vallon Beach on main island Mahé, STORY encourages sustainability across the board, including recycling, protecting wildlife, reducing water consumption, energy conservation and supporting local. We’d be lying if said we weren’t also in love with the super luxe villas and suites with private pools and seven restaurants. From £363pn.

Coulibri Ridge, Dominica 

Hillside happiness guaranteed at the Caribbean’s latest sustainable resort which opened in October. Off-grid and powered by solar and wind, the 14-suite boutique retreat is surrounded by 200 acres of tropical grounds including two infinity pools, yoga pavilion, spa and orchard. From £553pn.

Chay Lap Farmstay, Vietnam

Set beneath the majestic limestone cliffs of Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Chay Lap blends perfectly into the surrounding landscape and is a dab hand at sustainability, for example the panels in the domed wooden farm rooms are all made from pallets of recycled pine wood. Want to get involved? Try your hand at sustainable farming during your stay, along with kayaking, hiking, cycling, fishing and swimming. From £63 per room, per night. 

Talaia Plaza EcoResort, Spain 

Get cosy under canvas on the Catalonian coast (try saying that after too many sangrias). Talaia opened in July and is such a special spot, surrounded by pine forest and a stroll from the crystal-clear waters of Sa Riera Cove. It scores plenty of green points for things like luxurious tents, investing in renewable energy and growing its own veg on site, but we’re also awarding it relaxation points for the beautiful spa with yoga and meditation terrace. From £48pn.

Sani Resort, Greece

Sani is the green dream resort-wise, cleaning up at this year’s World Travel Awards with three gongs including the World’s Leading Luxury Green Resort. Set in a 1000-acre eco reserve on the Kassandra Peninsula, it runs on 100 per cent renewable energy, with promises of zero waste and zero plastic by 2024. We love its bee camp, to protect bees and pollinators important to the local ecosystem, but we also heart its sexy hotels, like Sani Dunes, amazing restaurants and Rafa Nadal Tennis Centre. Sani Dunes from £175 per night.

Kolarbyn EcoLodge, Sweden

If your idea of immersing yourself in nature is lying in a hammock beneath a palm tree with a cocktail in your hand, then Kolarbyn probably isn’t for you. This back-to-basics retreat in the forests of central Sweden is very ‘real’, comprising of traditional moss-covered wooden charcoal huts, each with their own fire and beds with sheepskin rugs. And that’s about it. Once you’ve got over the shock of not being surrounded by ‘stuff’, you’ll start to relax, put your phone away and spend days picking blueberries off your roof, relaxing in the floating sauna, joining woodland walks to spot beavers and moose, or canoeing on the lake. From £141pn.

Castara Retreats, Tobago

Who wouldn’t want to be sitting on that balcony right now? We’ve long had a crush on this gorgeous Caribbean escape with treehouse-style villas tucked into a forested hillside overlooking Castara Beach. Responsible Travel told us, “It’s a shining star in community-focused tourism with great eco-credentials too”. Sold. From £111 per night.

Kon Tiki, Tahiti

No green-washing at this just-opened hideaway, just honest, nature-loving ideas and a super relaxed vibe. There’s a sense of place, from the rooftop lounge with views across to Moorea Island to the Polynesian-inspired cabins and restaurant serving delicious local dishes, like poisson cru in a coconut shell. And its eco credentials? Decor incorporating a lot of Miconia, an invasive plant stopping native foliage thriving, toiletries containing Polynesian Monoi oil, food sourced from local producers, a plastic waste reduction programme and eco-friendly LED lighting throughout. From £107pn. 

WHERE TO BOOK 

Our current eco porn is Beyond Green, a portfolio of the coolest (yet also green and sustainable) hotels on the planet. Scrolling through the 50-plus properties around the world (like Sossusvlei Lodge in Namibia, above), which align with the United Nations Sustainable Development goals, is our favourite new hobby. 

Muddy’s long been a fan of Responsible Travel which offers holidays that support local communities, protect nature and minimise impact. We also salute booking.com for introducing a Travel Sustainable Programme, with things like search filters for electric cars, carbon emissions data for accommodation bookings and three levels showing how much effort individual properties are putting in to operate more sustainably. 

And for inspiration browse Bouteco for a selection of hotels with a heart, combining luxury with sustainability in the most wonderful way. 

TO FLY OR NOT TO FLY? 

Let’s address the elephant in the room – it’s all very well booking a green hotel but if you’re flying half way around the world to reach it, it’s hardly environmentally friendly. So what to do? 

You could carbon off-set by contributing to tree-planting campaigns such as Forests Without Frontiers or TreeSisters. Other sites like carbon footprint quickly and easily work out the emissions from your journey then suggest projects for off-setting, such as renewable wind power. This solution isn’t exactly waving a magic wand over the flight conundrum, but it’s better than doing nothing, right?

Another option is to make the journey part of your holiday. For example, rather than hopping on a plane to Catalonia in Spain, take the train instead, perhaps stopping off for a night at Hidden Hotel in Paris along the way – fun, eco-friendly and no airport security queues or turbulence, result. Check out routes around the continent at Rail Europe. 

And if you’re going to go far-flung, the best advice seems to be: make it count. Fly less, holiday for longer. 

Still sweating it? Henrik Kniberg, at goclimate, says, “Fortunately, aviation accounts for only about 2% of global carbon emissions (source). Cars and energy production (coal & oil power plants) account for almost half of global carbon emissions, so that’s where the big change needs to happen.”