Looking to take a low-carbon holiday this year? Or how about a stay in a resort that combines gorgeous scenery with eco-friendly credentials? To mark Earth Day on 22 April, we’ve raided our little green book to present our pick of those establishments that strive to limit their impact on the environment whilst still offering guests the ultimate in luxury.
Resort Valle dell’Erica Thalasso & SPA, Sardinia
2024 saw the World Travel Awards give their top prize for Europe’s Leading Green Resort to this Sardinian gem. Here protection of the local environment was a priority right from the planning stage, with the resort designed to integrate harmoniously into the environment. It also prides itself on serving local food, is plastic-free, uses 100% green energy, has its own organic vegetable garden and aviary and stocks its spa with eco-bio products made with locally sourced ingredients. Meanwhile regular excursions, led by locals, allow guests to appreciate and understand the nature and traditions of the island’s communities.
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, New York
Hailed as the Big Apple’s greenest hotel, this stylish boutique establishment combines eco-friendly credentials with killer views of Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan. More than half of the materials used to build the property were reclaimed, including pine floors from an old Kentucky distillery and beams from a former Brooklyn sugar factory. The hotel uses wind power and is also equipped with state-of-the-art energy-efficient heating and cooling systems. A 25-foot green wall adorns the lobby lounge whilst 25% of the roof is dedicated green space with garden beds overflowing with trees and shrubs, working diligently to produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Soneva Kiri, Koh Kood, Thailand
It’s comforting to know that whilst you are lounging in the lap of luxury on Thailand’s fourth largest – but least populated – island, you are doing so in a resort that places maximum importance on sustainability. Among the many laudable initiatives you will find here are villas linked by timber decks that allow the surrounding vegetation to thrive, one of the world’s largest coral nurseries and drinking water supplied in reusable bottles through its own water plant. Soneva Kiri’s Treepod Dining Experience meanwhile will truly make you feel at one with nature.
Recently awarded a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating – a methodology used to assess the sustainability and environmental performance of buildings – the stunning Ham Yard Hotel was judged to exceed standards by more than 40% thanks to its use of CHP units and solar panels to generate electricity. The roof terrace garden boasts its own beehives and vegetable garden, with the produce used in the restaurant’s daily special dishes; all waste is incinerated to make energy and even old menus are recycled into waiters’ pads.
Nestled within the Shungimbili Island Marine Reserve, just off the coast of Tanzania, Thanda has repeatedly been voted by the World Travel Awards as the World’s Leading Exclusive Private Island. The only exclusive-use island in a marine reserve, it is dedicated to safeguarding the surrounding environment by protecting the vulnerable coral reefs and local marine wildlife. A recently installed solar plant is large enough to cater for almost all of Thanda’s power needs, grey water is recycled to irrigate the island’s expanding garden, new coconut trees are planted to preserve the vegetation and wherever possible, food is sourced locally.
