- Eco Hotels
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- United Kingdom
- Ireland
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- Europe:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece + Cyprus
- Holland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Portugal
- Norway
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Turkey
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- Africa
- Asia
- Amnericas
- Australasia
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Eco Hotels
It often seems like the hotel
industry simply pays lip service to ethical and environmental
issues. Do hotels really beleive that a note asking you to re-use
your towels constitutes a socio-ethical policy when the heating
or air-conditioning is cranked full on and they employ the cheapest
foreign labour they can get? The origin of food is often indeterminate
and contact with the local economy minimal.
Why not ask them a few questions
to sharpen their performance:
- can you turn the heating/airconditioning
down please?
- where is your food procured?
Is it local/organic?
- can I see your ethical policy
please?
- do you re-cycle?
There are a number of environmental
accreditation organisations working with the hotel industry.
Green Key
Having had our rant, we have
to acknowledge that the world does have a fair number of well-thinking
hotels, so here is where you can find a few of them:
General links:
- Eco
bookers -a directory
of eco hotels and lodges around the world
- Ecotropical resorts
-this site selects some of the best resorts and lodges in the
tropics founded on ecological principles.
- Its
a green, green world
-a database of green lodgings, arranged by country.
- Mr and Mrs Smith -a good article here on how to be a green traveller.
- The Good Travel Company -has a searchable directory of hotels by country,
along with community projects and sustainable tourism information.
- UK:
- Bedruthan
Steps Hotel, Cornwall-http://www.bedruthan.com
Family friendly hotel on the Atlantic Coast,
with a strong environmental policy. Close to Mawgan Porth Beach,
many of the rooms offer sea views. Restaurant and café
offering local produce -special feature is the attention the
give to kids menus. Indoor and outdoor pools, spa treatment,
jacuzzi and beauty treatments.
- Tyf
Eco Hotel and Adventure Sports Centre, Pembrokeshire -http://www.tyf.com
Located
in the tiny Welsh city of St Davids the hotel is set in a converted
12 bedroom windmill. It is the first hotel in Wales certified
by the Welsh Organic Scheme, and has a ethical purchasing policy.
They offer world class coasteering -sea kayaking, surfing and
rock climbing and it is also a perfect location for retreats,
courses and events.
- Ireland
- Lake
Hotel -http://www.lakehotel.com
An eco friendly spa hotel in Killarney -boasts
geothermal heat pump and solar hot water systems as well as being
located in a beautiful lakeside situation with mountain views.
- Brook
Lodge, Macreddin
-http://www.brooklodge.com
Country house spa hotel
in Wicklow with its own micro-brewery and organic restaurant
that also features geothermal heating from an underground spring
supplemented by a biomass boiler
Austria
- Aqua
Dome, Tirol Therme Längenfeld -http://www.aqua-dome.at
A stunning thermal spa and wellness hotel set in
the Tirollean mountains. It features a domed, glass-walled thermal
spring hall with two pools and a huge waterfall -two canal pools
connect to the amazing outdoor area, with the whole complex designed
to blend with the mountain setting.
- Biohotels -http://www.biohotels.info
An association of independant hotels offering holidays based
around natural products. Started in austria, they now offer hotels
in a number of European countries from Ireland to Spain. They
offer an organic guarantee of standards to be met by participating
hotels.
- Das
Park Hotel -http://www.dasparkhotel.net
Probably the most unusual place to stay featured
on this site -rooms are in pods made from concrete drain pipes
with "pay as you wish" system -brilliant!
- Belgium
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- Cyprus
- Vaha
Spa -http://www.vaha-spa.com/
Idyllic spa set in a lemon orchard in northern Cyprus
16 km west of Kyrenia. They offer a comprehensive range of spa
treatments, including hot stones, massages, body wraps, facials,
hip and thigh treatments as well as Qi Yoga, a therapeutic blend
of Hatha Yoga (balancing and restorative Yoga) and Qi Gong (ancient
Chinese healing practice), to create centring, grounding, energy
harnessing, stress relief and healing on a cellular through to
an energetic level.
- Czech Republic
- Adalbert,
Prague -http://www.hoteladalbert.cz
Located in
a restored building on the grounds of the Brevnov monastery,
and close to Prague Castle. It was the first hotel in the Czech
republic to be awarded an Eu Green Flower accreditation. Website
has a good list of their environmental measures, which range
from water saving to energy efficiency.
- Chateau Mcely
-http://www.chateaumcely.com
Renovated chateau
one hour from Prague in the middle of St. George Forest -says
it is the first five-star "green" eco chic hotel in
the Czech Republic -Green Flower accredited. Green features included
heating by woodchip fuel, recycling of waste, use of grey water
for irrigation along with careful selection of suppliers and
staff training on green issues. Not sure how the hunting on offer
squares with all this, though.....
- Denmark
Look out for 'Green Key' certified
hotels (http://www.green-key.org) that have to follow 55
criteria ranging from saving water to environmentally friendly
cleaning materials. Also look out for the Flower and the Swan
(www.ecolabel.dk) independently certified eco-labels.
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- CPH
Living -http://www.cphliving.com
Denmarks first floating hotel offers the best in Scandinavian
design and perhaps the future of a world with sea level changes.
Finland
- Kakslautten
-http://www.kakslauttanen.fi
A stunning hotel,
igloo village and cabins complex in Lapland. Especially notable
are their stunning glass igloos from which you can watch the
Aurora Borealis -they say they use specially insulated glass.
Snow restaurant, smoke saunas and wilderness exploration completes
the experience.
- France
- Chateau Gauthie,
Bergerac -http://www.chateaugauthie.com
Relive
your childhood and stay in a treehouse B&B built in a magnificent
oak tree in the grounds of a restored chateau in Perigord. You
can also stay in the chateau for more sumptuous accommodation.
- La Clairière, Alsace -http://www.la-clairiere.com
The
first bio-hotel in France offering 100% organic food and well-being
spa in a forest glade setting. They offer walking, mountain biking
in the beautiful surrounding forests of St Pierre.
- Villa
Rosa, Alsace
-http://www.villarosa.fr
Small nature hotel restored with natural paints, oiled floors
and wax. It has achieved 'Hotel au naturel' classification
meeting of criteria on the preservation of the environment such
as use of renewable energy, waste recycling, water preservation,
and reduction of noise and light pollution.
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- Germany
- Flachshaus,
Wachtendonk -http://www.hotel-flachshaus.de
Biohotel
and restaurant offering organic food and wine in the Niederrhein
region. Excellent cycling.
- Kenners Landlust -http://www.kenners-landlust.de
Organic
hotel and guest house in northern Germany. You can enjoy the
nearby Göhrde forests and wetlands of the Elbe or relax
with natural spa treatments such as massages, a Shiatsu pressure
point massage or a Craniosacral therapy. The meals are certified
organic ("Biosiegel") and they are members of the Organic
Hotel Association (Bio Hotels).
- Ökotel, Hamburg, Germany -http://www.oekotel.de
Comfortable modern ecological hotel in built using natural materials
to a low-energy building standard, including highly insulated,
photovoltaics for energy, waste recycling, greywater flush system,
and environmentally friendly cleaning products.
- Greece
- Guest
Inn -http://www.guestinn.com
Selected Ecotourist traditional accomodation in Greece.
The philosophy of Guest Inn, the first Greek Network of Rural
Accommodation is to display and promote small tourist accommodation
via the Internet, as well as to suggest and provide the traveller
with accommodation which is particular to its location and complies
with specific common quality standards.
- Italy
- Lana
Hotel -http://www.esserhof.com
Ultra
modern boutique hotel built from straw bale construction in the
mountains of north east Italy. Relax with an active massage
or enjoy the pool.
- Panorama,
South Tyrol -http://www.hotel-panorama-mals.it
Bio-hotel
offering panoramic views of the Ortler Mountains and food produced
on their own organic farm. Enjoy beautiful hiking country or
relax in their sauna.
- Villa Casanova,
Venice http://www.casanovavenice.com
A villa
on the Venice Lido that has been refurbished in line with Feng
Sui principles using natural materials and offering an organic
breakfast buffet.
- Netherlands
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- Norway
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- Scandic Hotels,
Oslo -http://www.scandichotels.com
This Scandinavian hotel chain has a strong Responsible Living
agenda -it introduced the concept of its 97 percent recyclable
hotel room in 1995 and has opened two eco-hotels in Oslo -the
Oslo Sjolyst- and the newer Byporten Oslo. A particular feature
is the ability of guests to electronically override the temperature
settings. They are retrofitting all their hotels rooms to reduce
the amount of plastic and metal used, replacing them with natural
materials. They aim to be zero CO2 by 2025.
- Portugal
- Quinta Rio Touro, near Cascais
-http://www.quinta-riotouro.com
A certified organic farm, that is part of Sintra/Cascais Natural
Park World Heritage Site. Enjoy an organic breakfast made from
their own produce and pick your own oranges straight from the
trees.
- Spain
- Cerro de Hijar,
Malaga -http://www.cerrodehijar.com
This three star hotel enjoys a stunning mountain location, silence
and fantastic views -you can do trekking, biking and horseback
riding or retire to the hotel for a spa and gastronomic meal.
- La Correa,
Canary Islands -http://www.ecohotelcorrea.com
An
oasis of peace and tranquillity in the heart of a native vegetation
estate situated in Altavista de Arona (South of Tenerife). This
small rustic hotel of only 6 double rooms offers a variety of
activities from hillwalking to paragliding. They serve organic
food, organise therapeutic services and talks on wellbeing and
try to bring respect for the environment into everything they
do.
- Sweden
- Kolarbyn -http://www.kolarbyn.se
Describes
itself as Sweden's most primitive hotel -stay in a forest hut
-you are provided with firewood, matches, sheepskin blanks and
primitive cooking facilities. Bring warm clothing!
- Switzerland
- Balance,
Les Grange -http://www.vegetarisches-hotel.ch
Organic
vegetarian cooking plus well-being treatments using the La Grange
natural spring water -sauna, pool, shiatsu or simply relax in
the garden with a herbal tea.
- Style
Hotel, Zermatt -http://www.stylehotel.ch
Wellness hotel near the Matterhorn, offering
pool, jacuzzi, caldarium, sauna and massage, along with certified
organic food
Africa
South Africa
- Valley of the Rainbow -http://www.rainbowvalley.co.za
Fly
fishing estate and nature reserve is an exclusive retreat located
in a mountain valley near the picturesque town of Dullstroom,
Mpumalanga, just two hours from Johannesburg or Pretoria. There
are over 1000 acres to experience prolific birdlife including
5 kingfisher species, the fish eagle and endangered blue crane,
variety of game including buck, vevet monkey, bush pig, cerval
cat and the clawless otter. There is accommodation in hotel,
lakeside or forest studios designed by Australian Architect,
Glenn Murcott or in tented chalets with lake views.
The Americas
North America
- Canada
- Tundra
Buggy Lodge, Churchill
-http://www.tundrabuggy.com
Watch and photograph
polar bears from your mobile hotel on the west of Hudson Bay.
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USA
Central America
- Mexico
- Boca
de Iguanas -http://www.bocadeiguanas.com
Beach hotel and spa on the Pacific coast at Jalisco.
Each house has solar power, grey water is collected for re-use
and sewage recycled on site. The centre also carries out conservation
work on the mangrove coast and runs turtle protection patrols.
- Eco
Paraiso Xixim http://ecoparaiso.com
Small hotel designed and constructed with care to
meet ecological standards, Situated directly on a pristine natural
beach, embedded in a vast plantation of malayan dwarf coconut
palm trees at Celestun in the Yucatan Peninsula.
Nicaragua
- La Mariposa
(the Butterfly) -http://www.spanishschoolnica.com
Spanish
School and eco hotel in .Solar panels provide the power and all
the construction materials were locally sourced. Rainwater is
collected for re-use. They try to grow as much of their own food
as possible and buy their supplies from local cooperatives. We
particularly love their recommendation suggesting which clients
should stay with them and
South America
Asia
India
- Dune, Tamil Nadu -http://thedune.in
An eco friendly beach-hotel designed to offer soul and comfort,
with 700m of idyllic sea frontage. The beach bungalows are
spaciously spread over 30 acres, and are designed to reduce
the impact on the environment, using reclaimed building material
and equipped with Solar hot water system. The restaurant
offers healthy gourmet fusion food, prepared using organically
farmed vegetables, including rare exotic varieties from the garden
of the French King Louis XIV. It is also the base for an
Artists In Residence programme, which provides work
studios for Artists from all around the world. In the past, Holy
Men from the nearby temples of Mahabalipuram used the scenic
beach reserve as a place of pilgrimage and meditation.
- Green Hotel, Karnataka
http://www.greenhotelindia.com
The Chittaranjan Palace has been lovingly restored as a small
hotel using traditional Indian crafts. In extensive gardens,
with formal lawns, shaded pergolas, and majestic trees, it is
an oasis of calm. The Green Hotel has been set up as a model
of sustainable tourism, by a UK charity. All profits are distributed
to charitable and environmental projects in India. Their business
model aims to incorporate energy saving and environmentally
aware practices and to use local Indian craft items.
Philippines
Australasia
- Australia:
- Cloudlands -http://www.cloudlands.com.au
an
historic self contained mountain lodge near the Three Sisters
and Leura attractions.
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- Featured books:
- Green Places to Stay: Eco-lodges
and Other Green Places to Stay
- (Alastair Sawday's Special Places
to Stay)
- Paperback
by Richard Hammond
- Price in UK pounds
- Price in US dollars
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