Ten best luxury responsible holidays
The luxury resort on Fregate Island in the Seychelles has funded an extensive reforestation programme
Here are ten of the best luxury responsible holidays, from staying at an eco-friendly reserve in Scotland to living in the lap of luxury at a green hotel in South Africa.
Strattons Hotel and Restaurant, Norfolk, England*
A grade-two listed building in the market town of Swaffham, which has been transformed into a stylish eco-chic boutique hotel. There are ten lavish, themed rooms, such as a ‘Boudoir' with wallpaper splashed with renaissance art print and a theatrical ‘Red Room’ with a four-poster bed and cosy fireplace. Most of the food in its award-winning restaurant is organic, seasonal and sourced from local suppliers in Norfolk. The bathrooms are fitted with water-saving devices and have refillable soap dispensers rather than miniature plastic bottles, and almost all the waste in the hotel and restaurant is recycled. See the full listing for Strattons Hotel.
Alladale, Scotland*
Experience the wilds of Scotland from the lap of luxury at this 93-square kilometre reserve an hour and a half from Inverness. The reserve’s ambition is to recreate the ancient Caledonian forests by re-introducing mammals that were hunted to extinction in Britain. www.alladale.com, 01863 755 338.
Luxury camping in Andalucia at the Hoopoe Yurt HotelHoopoe Yurt Hotel, Spain*
Camp out in style at this luxury yurt hotel in Andalucía. The circular yurts each have a large double bed and an outdoor bamboo bathroom (including a solar-powered hot shower), and are pitched among cork and olive trees with spectacular views of the Grazalema mountains. There's a swimming pool on site, yoga, massage and aromatherapy up in the local village, and a large mountain rock pool nearby at Cuevo del Gato. It’s two hours from Malaga by car, or take the train from London via Paris and Madrid to Ronda (return fares in May cost about £245 - see Train from London to Malaga) then a local train to Cortes de la Frontera where the owners will collect you. See the full listing for Hoopoe Yurt Hotel.
Nihiwatu, Indonesia*
Game-fishing, horse-riding and surfing based at this small resort that overlooks its own private beach on the remote island of Sumba. Its Nihiwatu Foundation has helped to fund the building of many schools and clinics, developed organic agriculture projects and helped to protect them from less sensitive tourist developments. www.nihiwatu.com + 62 361 757 149
Six Senses Evason Phuket, Thailand*
A five-star hotel in tropical parkland overlooking the Andaman Sea. Aiming to be carbon neutral by 2020, the Evason has installed a range of energy saving initiatives, including, it claims, the world’s first commercial biomass reactor, which powers the air-conditioning. www.sixsenses.com,+66 (0) 76 381 010
Staying in the lap of luxury at Anjajavy Hotel, MadagascarAnjajavy Hotel, Madagascar
25 thatched villas, made out of rosewood and roofed with satrana leaves, line a long, white sandy beach. It's a luxury Relais and Chateux hotel, but what sets Anjajavy apart from other five-star hotels is its close connection with the local community. The hotel employs 75 staff from the village and buys much of its fresh produce from the local fishermen and farmers. In collaboration with an NGO, Ecoles du Monde, the hotel has helped to build and supply equipment for the village school and runs workshops to show how to fish more sustainably. www.anjajavy.com
Wolvedans Safari Camp, Namibia*
Follow in the footsteps of Brad and Angelina at the luxurious Wolwedans safari camp in the Namibian desert. There are large, comfortable tents built on wooden platforms, rustic-luxurious chalets on a crest of dunes, an exclusive ‘Private Camp’ with views of the nearby mountains, or the new ‘Boulders Camp’ tucked away among granite rocks. Ten percent of the camp’s profits are given to the Wolwedans Foundation, which supports conservation and social development in the NamibRand Nature Reserve, established to help protect and conserve the ecology and wildlife of the south-west Namib Desert.www.wolwedans-namibia.com
Djuma Bush Lodge, South Africa
A small intimate lodge in the game-rich Sabi Sand Wildlife Reserve on the border with the Kruger National Park in South Africa. The upmarket thatched-roof chalets and spa are owned by an ecologist who employs local guides to take you on game drives to see many of Africa’s iconic animals, such lion, elephant, giraffe, and zebra. The lodge has been awarded the respected ‘Fair Trade in Tourism South Africa’ eco-label for its commitment to local communities, particularly for the work it has done to help build two local primary schools and a local media training centre. www.djuma.com
Grootbos, South Africa*
Fit for a king (King Hussein of Jordan once stayed here), Grootbos is part hotel, part nature reserve. The five-star luxurious resort helps support over 6,000 endemic plant species and has set up an organic gardening college for the youth of nearby townships. www.grootbos.com, +27 28 384 8000
Fregate Island, Seychelles*
One of the world’s most exclusive island hideaways, over the last decade resident ecologists have been planted over 100,000 native trees on the island (a former coconut plantation), which has helped re-establish the endangered magpie robin. www.fregate.com, +27 21 556 99 84.
See The Responsible Traveller Column - Responsible Luxury Holidays.
Clean Breaks won the Planeta International Book of the Year Award* These responsible holidays are featured in Clean Breaks - 500 new ways to see the world (published by Rough Guides, £18.99)
