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Holiday in sustainable style – seven eco-friendly hotels

Can you balance luxury with saving the planet?

01 May 2023

3 minute read

Seven eco-friendly hotels that let you relax on holiday, safe in the knowledge that you’re helping preserve the planet.

As you plan your next holiday, how can you balance luxury with the needs of the planet?

Responsible tourism is now big business, as hoteliers recognise the importance of sustainability. Here are seven luxury holiday destinations where you can holiday with a clean conscience.

The Scarlet, Cornwall

Winner of gold in the Green Tourism awards, The Scarlett has a chemical-free pool that’s cleaned by reeds.

Holidaymakers don’t have to sacrifice luxury and the hotel has spectacular views over Mawgan Porth Beach and five-star facilities throughout.

There’s a cliff-top hot tub for watching storms across the Atlantic and you can curl up in a relaxation ‘pod’ when you’re done.

Tivoli Evora Ecoresort, Portugal

The Ecoresort is an hour's drive from Lisbon in the World Heritage city of Évora. Buildings are built using cork, a natural thermal and sound insulator, and the resort is heated by geothermal energy and part-powered by solar energy.

The 56 suites are surrounded by old cork, oak and olive trees, and the outdoor pool has views of the Alentejo mountain range.

Whitepod, Valais, Switzerland

Whitepod is a luxury camping resort on a Swiss hillside, 90 minutes outside Geneva. In winter, the accommodation pods are heated by wood burning stoves, but in summer, they shed their coats to blend effortlessly into the green hills of the Swiss countryside.

Holidaymakers need to be prepared to walk – it's a 20-minute hike from the reception to the accommodation. The pods have a spectacular view of the Alps, and tennis, badminton, giant chess and a sauna are also available.

Borgo Pignano, Tuscany, Italy

Nestling amid 750-acres of olive groves and vineyards, this 18th century villa and farmhouse was restored using local craftsman with organic plasters and eco-paints.

Heat is generated by solar panels and woodchip-fired boilers, the gardens are fed by filtered rainwater, and the in-house herbalist sources fennel and rare herbs for spa treatments at their new spa.

At the heart of Borgo Pignano is an organic farm producing olives, cereals and grains, along with free-range eggs, fruits, nuts, seeds and cold pressed Tuscan olive oil.

Hoshinoya Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, Japan

Sitting at the foot of Mount Asama, ceiling-high windows and neutral colours help the Hoshinoya Karuizawa resort really blend with the landscape.

A short drive from Tokyo, its verdant greenery is sustained by the rivers trickling down the mountain, which also provide energy through hydroelectricity.

The Tombo-no-yu (communal bathhouse) provides naturally sourced low-alkaline waters in the indoor stone bath, sauna and open-air bath.

Blue Apple, Cartagena, Columbia

Set on the southern shore of the Colombian island Tierra Bomba, this ten-bedroom hotel serves up locally-sourced fish and laid-back hedonism.

The owner has set up a sustainable initiative called Green Apple, diverting 17,000kg of waste from landfill, alongside building a compost facility. The hotel also has 10 kitchen gardens.

Fogo Island Inn, Newfoundland, Canada

Owner/founder Zita Cobb received the Order of Canada in 2017 for her dedication for rural development – all the building materials for this unique hotel were locally sourced and are sustainable.

Recycling, composting, renewable solar and wood-burning energy sources are designed to put the hotel in harmony with the natural world. It has also prioritised ethical, local suppliers.

Flying to these destinations means you may wish to offset your carbon footprint, but at least you may be treading lightly on the environment once you’re there.

Having paid attention to your environmental footprint when planning your holiday, why not apply the same criteria to your investment strategy?

We can help you put together an investment portfolio that’ll help you reach your financial objectives while making a positive contribution to the world.

Things to consider

Investments can fall in value as well as rise. You may get back less than you invest.

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