Considering the present state of nature, environmental sustainability has become a recent aspiration for many hospitality companies around the world and an everyday priority for a selected few.
Want to make your own contribution to the world's wellbeing and support these very "selected few", but not sure where to start? iPremium compiled a comprehensive list of the best eco hotels that turns luxury into sustainable pleasure:
Nestled on the pristine Koh Kood, Soneva Kiri is truly an upscale hotel that puts nature and guests at the centre of its philosophy. Here, butlers transfer guests over the manicured grounds by electric carts and world-class chefs prepare Thai, Mediterranean, and continental European cuisine from locally sourced fresh produce. Each and every villa on the hotel grounds is constructed from sustainable eucalyptus logs, native bamboo, and treated pine to ensure no harm is dealt to the natural surroundings. Some of the unique hotel's features include the dining experience inside a bamboo "Treepod", where you get served by a waiter on zipline, and an open-air cinema with dinner service – Cinema Paradiso.
Image Credit: Snøhetta Plompmozes Svart, Norway The future of sustainable hospitality was born in the Norwegian Arctic Circle
The groundbreaking 94-room Six Senses Svart, the first ‘net energy-positive’ hotel in the world, takes the form of a ring and appears to float on the waters of the Holandsfjorden fjord. Featuring its own solar energy supply, fantastic waste and water management, recycling, renewable infrastructure, as well as collaboration with existing sustainable fishing and farming operations, the hotel aims to inspire guests and raise awareness of the regenerative travel options and the importance of the pristine polar region. Along with innovative spa-experience, one of the truly mind-blowing features is that each guest room features Svart Touch contactless technology that “adapts the room to the guest’s state of mind and health”.
Encircled by surf breaks, national parks and foliage-fringed temples, this eco hotel situates on a barely-developed wild coastal stretch. The hotel’s commitment to sustainability is in the details: naked timber, dried illuk grass and woven palm are among a few locally sourced materials that bear no impact on spacious natural surroundings. The sustainability, however, is not the only thing the hotel cares about. Many of the staff members were employed through the company’s youth programme, which allows young adults from disadvantaged backgrounds to receive a free training and job opportunities. Although the hotel is part of a hospitality chain, it looks and feels more like an upscale boutique property that features spacious accommodations, first-class amenities, impeccable service, and unmatched dining experience.
Have you ever dreamed of a chance to spend the night right beside your totem animals? If so, the extraordinary Pairi Daiza Resort is your ultimate choice. From polar bears and Siberian tigers to walruses and wild deer, the resort offers its guests a stay in one of its spacious, eco-designed rooms with private views into the habitats at the zoo. Feel-good news is that your stay funds a program for protection and conservation of polar bears as number one victims of climate change issues.
Courtesy of Bambu Indah Bambu Indah, Bali A historic no-pollution property with personal touch and a wide range of cultural activities
The Bambu Indah, beautiful bamboo in English, is an eco-friendly resort that feels like a historic Indonesian village, overlooking beautiful rice paddies. The property features eleven Javanese bridal homes -- constructed over 100 years ago and transferred to the property. The idea of such a unique hotel came across John Hardy Jewellery owners, who live on the adjacent property, a few years ago. The husband-and-wife team raised their children here and felt a personal connection to the land, which then inspired natural designs, sustainable facilities, and eco-friendly operations to the point when guests are given flashlights to get around at night to limit light pollution. The open-air restaurant, Dapoer, boasts an organic menu picked fresh from the resort’s bamboo greenhouse. From Balinese ceremonies and cooking lessons to yoga sessions and massages in a thatched treatment room, one can explore the range of wonderful activities at one of the most eco destinations on the planet.
Courtesy of Mashpi Lodge Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador It’s all about the location and wildlife
Set amid the 3,200-acre Mashpi Reserve and surrounded by the Ecuadorian Choco rainforest, Mashpi Lodge is an ultimate destination for avid nature lovers. Here, hiking trails guide guests past majestic waterfalls, lush greenery and a wide array of wild inhabitants, including over a hundred species of birds, butterflies, jungle frogs and even pumas. An interesting fact is that not a single tree was removed during construction. As a result, guests can enjoy an up-close rainforest view day and nigh, listening to chatty wildlife outside their floor-to-ceiling walls of glass.
This small, intimate and beautiful private island retreat comprised of three islands, sand, sun, and sea has mastered the art of making guests feel at home away from home – a truly rare feeling in the Maldives. Here, you will find bespoke service with private butler and a no-menu, all-day dining concept. Besides a wide range of restaurants, you stay at luxurious living spaces that extend to the nature, where each room has its own swimming pool, a romantic semi-open bathroom and shower. Diving, snorkelling, swimming and spa treatments are just but a few activities that are worth exploring at this eco-friendly hotel that bathes in clear turquoise waters and pristine surroundings.
Courtesy of Azulik / Expedia Azulik, Tulum, Mexico Mayan traditions, romantic ambience and Boho-chic packed in one sustainable stay.
This eco hotel invites guests to reconnect with nature at one of its eco-conscious "treehouses". Only a short ride to some of the area’s most glamorous hotels, beach clubs and central Tulum, Azulik is no more a hotel than it is part of nature. Reside in one of the expertly built around the trees, 48 villas facing the ocean that are barely distinguishable from the jungle. To reduce a light pollution, the entire property is lit almost entirely by candlelight, making an ordinary evening a romantic experience accompanied by a majestic soundtrack of crashing waves and twittering birds. The highlight of your experience will definitely become an on-property spa that features treatments with a focus on Mayan wellness.