A trio of eco hotels for your planet-friendly holiday planning
To make the search for sustainable luxury hotels easier for forward-thinking travellers, we’ve added three environmentally conscious, community minded stays to our Considerate Collection – from jungle-inspired Balinese villas to a renewably powered farming estate in Puglia.
Desa Hay, Bali – Indonesia
Beautifully blending into the verdant forests of southern Bali, there is a hushed, dream-like quality to Desa Hay – an exclusive collection of villas dotted among tropical gardens which have been carefully cultivated by a local landscape architect to promote Indonesian greenery. An impressive 40% of the resort’s land has purposefully been left as green space to let nature take its course, which means you’ll feel completely immersed and in tune with the wilderness here.
Thoughtful touches like bamboo combs and biodegradable slippers made from coconut husks can be found in the six Jabu villas which have been sensitively constructed using natural materials, while rose petals and scented oils await in your outdoor stone bathtub. The solar powered resort features Indonesian-inspired architectural details at every turn, from the North Sumatran-style villa roofs to the traditional Javanese ‘Joglo’ restaurant, which serves delicious dishes made with locally sourced produce.
Cascioni Eco Retreat, Sardinia – Italy
Huddled in the embrace of a private natural park with the sparkling Sardinian coastline in the distance and jagged mountain peaks behind, Cascioni Eco Retreat is a vision of slow luxury. Once a family farming estate, the intimate property has been reinvented as an understated back-to-nature escape, where the healing power of the landscape meets delicious homegrown food and gentle relaxation.
Guests are invited to adopt an olive tree in Cascioni’s grove, join the olive harvest which contributes towards the Ecolabel certified retreat’s olive oil-based, chemical-free beauty line, and learn about Sardinian plants at turn-down service when a sprig from the garden is placed on the bedside table each evening, firmly rooting each experience in the earth. Nature lovers can take part in ‘garden to pot’ cooking classes making use of the on-site aromatic herb garden, stroll around the specially created wildlife walking trail, and discover the Saloni wetlands on complimentary kayaks – simply download the Cascioni app for an array of locally run activities which will help you take a ‘tread lightly’ approach to your holiday.
Naturalis Bio Resort & Spa, Puglia – Italy
Once an ancient farming hamlet, Naturalis Bio Resort & Spa has been transformed into a bucolic retreat nuzzled into the countryside of southern Italy. True to its roots, the estate’s fields are still tended organically, bathing the masseria in uplifting scents of the Mediterranean scrub, including lavender, lemon, rosemary and thyme.
Natural beauty abounds here, and the Naturalis experience is all about encouraging guests to slow down and savour the moment – whether you’re taking a holistic walk among the crops of Tenuta Naturalis, discovering the healing powers of plants on a guided tour of the resort’s aloe vera greenhouses and plantation, or hopping on an e-bicycle to explore nearby Martano, which has become known as the ‘City of Aloe’ thanks to the donation of over 3,000 aloe plants from the Naturalis estate and its B-Corp mother company, N&B Natural Is Better. For an insight into the Puglian artistry which you’ll find on your bedroom walls, local artisans are on hand to share their craft – from basket-making workshops with a master weaver using homegrown rush and reeds, to painting tiles with a local mosaicist in Salento colours and patterns.
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