Chumbe Island Coral Park, Tanzania
This spectacular
eco-lodge on Chumbe, a coral-island ecosystem about 12km south of
Zanzibar
Town, features seven bungalows that overhang the sea. The Coral Park is
pretty damn close to paradise with its 3km sandbar, pristine ocean
swells, baobab trees and giant coconut crabs. The bungalows are
solar-powered, the toilets are composting and the cuisine is a mix of
African, Indian and Middle Eastern. Solitude is guaranteed, given that
the island is privately managed and only 14 guests are allowed on at a
time.
Turtle island eco-lodge, Fiji
This eco-lodge is consistently ranked among the world’s best, not
least for its pampered service: there are around 150 staff members for
14 couples maximum. Some say this equates to ‘ecohedonism’ but many more
don’t care, as long as the environment gets some tender loving care.
The island itself is just 500 acres, with natural springs that provide
water for the lodge’s organic garden, and you can trek among black
volcanic cliffs or frolic along the picture-perfect coral reefs. The
latter may look familiar: Brooke Shields herself (or rather, her body
double) frolicked naked here in The Blue Lagoon (1980).
Alandaluz Hosteria, Ecuador
If this place were any more self-sufficient it could operate as a base station on Mars. Sitting pretty on the beach,
Alandaluz Hosteria
is a model for green building practices. It’s mainly constructed from
replenishable materials such astagua-palm leaves, and it features a host
of organic gardens from which much of the guests’ food requirements are
sourced. Compost bogs and treated waste mean that Alandaluz recovers a
staggering 90%of all water used; treated water goes on to be used for
irrigation.
Basata means ‘simplicity’, and
Basata is simplicity itself. Located on the
Red Sea, near
Nuweiba,
Basata is also clean, green and beautiful, surrounded by the Sinai
mountains. Littering is strictly forbidden, everything is recycled, and
public displays of affection are frowned upon in favour of a
community-based family atmosphere. And the accommodation? Bamboo huts
and villas on the beach hold a maximum of 250 guests and face perfect
coral reefs and blue waters.
Located smack bang in the middle of
Lake Baikal is Olkhon, the world’s second-largest freshwater island. And smack bang in the middle (or thereabouts) of Olkhon is
Nikita’s,
a homestead consisting of wooden houses heated by wood fires and
accompanied by lovely old banya (steam baths). Nikita’s hosts will tell
you all about Olkhon’s fragile environment and how it’s important to not
collect wild flowers, kill butterflies or drive cars all over the shop.
They’ll also guide you on ecotours around the island.
Daintree eco-lodge, Australia
This
eco-lodge
has won awards mainly for its wonderful location, surrounded by
tropical rainforest more than a million years old. It also has 15 rustic
villas, interesting culinary offerings (bush tucker blended with
upmarket modern Australian stylings), and a vigorous range of activities
(such as snorkelling and diving around the Great Barrier Reef ). The
trickles and splashes of the waterfalls provide a pleasing soundtrack.
Costa Rica Arenal Hotel, Costa Rica
Costa Rica is becoming synonymous with the concept of ecotourism and the
Arenal Hotel
upholds the standard. Its location is a doozy: in the Northern Pacific
mountains, with a much-vaunted view across to Volcán Arenal, Lago Coter
and Laguna de Arenal. The hotel touts its ‘policy of interaction’ with
the local Maleku people as an attraction, and certainly the chance to
learn and understand an indigenous culture from the people who actually
live it is a special bonus.
Blumau Hot Springs Village, Austria
The late ‘organic architect’ and environmentalist Friedensreich
Hundertwasser designed this hot-springs village in Styria, Austria, with
ecological imperatives firmly at the forefront. The village’s
composting toilets feed waste to its roof gardens, a process illuminated
by Hundertwasser himself. ‘Shit turns into earth,’ he wrote, ‘which is
put on the roof/it becomes lawn, forest, garden/shit becomes gold. The
circle is closed, there is no more waste. Shit is our soul’. In the end
no one pooh-poohed Hundertwasser’s idea, allowing the
Blumau Hot Springs Village to open to an enthusiastic reception.
Tree House, India
Part of the
Green Magic Nature Resort in
Kerala,
this ecofriendly accommodation is not for acrophobes: it’s 27m above
the earth and access is by a bamboo lift counterbalanced by water. The
rooms are open plan, of course, and airy and light, naturally. There are
two levels, hosting one couple to each, so it’s a fairly low-key scene.
The views are awesome each way you turn.
Chalalan Lodge, Bolivia
This
eco-lodge in
Madidi National Park
is fully operated and owned by the Quechua people, who lead tours of
discovery, teaching tourists the rich heritage of indigenous culture as
well as the secrets of the surrounding rainforest and its multitude of
inhabitants. As for the lodge itself, it was constructed using
traditional methods; waste water is treated and solar power is a
feature.
