Eco-Travel for the 1 Percent: The 7 Most Luxe, Sustainability-Focused Resorts Around the World

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Gone are the days of eco-lodges where guests are forced to be friends with bugs and rough it for the sake of leaving a lighter footprint on Mother Earth. Now, meaningful sustainability practices are baked into more and more high-end properties, and it’s not all that difficult to find ones that are chic and have commendable green initiatives.

However, a couple handfuls of hotels in idyllic environments around the world have taken their commitments to saving the planet to the next level, even while delivering opulent, aesthetically stunning and engaging experiences.

Here, our seven favorite resorts, both pioneering and new, that support sustainability in meaningful ways while offering the holiday of a lifetime.

Naviva, A Four Seasons Resort, Punta Mita, Mexico  

With only 15 sumptuous tents, each outfitted with its own plunge pool, Four Seasons’ adults-only retreat Naviva on a 48-acre peninsula beside the brand’s resort in Punta Mita is its most exclusive in the Americas. New in December 2022, it is also impressively Earth-friendly, with its own water bottling plant that uses hydro-panel technology to draw pollutant-free water from the atmosphere, plus low-impact construction, limited light pollution to protect animal life, and design features handmade of salvaged timber and natural stone found on-site. Well-being activities include guided hikes to learn about the surrounding environment and customized Mexican Temazcal ceremonies. fourseasons.com, from $3,950/night all-inclusive, double occupancy.

Kona Village, a Rosewood Resort, Hawaii 

When Rosewood’s wildly sustainable Kona Village debuted in 2023, it set a new bar for luxurious regenerative hospitality. The Hawaii Island property sits on 81 acres of preserved and renewed Kahuwai Bay, 2 acres of which hold 8,000 solar panels for one of the largest private microgrids in the state, and boasting reverse osmosis and wastewater treatment plants, too. Kona Village‘s 150 accommodations are divine in every imaginable way, with handmade beds in the shape of boats to honor what was originally a fishing village. A respectful connection to the ocean is at the core of the resort, which is supporting the Ka’ūpūlehu Marine Life Advisory Committee on its coral restoration project, and creating educational guest experiences around coral conservation, too. Furthermore, a partnership with the neighboring Ke Kai Ola Monk Seal Rehabilitation Center allows guests to fish for invasive tilapia at the resort’s fishpond, then feed them to recovering seals. rosewoodhotels.com, from $1,800/night; rooms also available through Expedia and Booking.com.

Forestis, Dolomites, Italy

The roots of Forestis reach back to the 1910s, when the Austro-Hungarian monarchy began building a healing sanatorium amid the thick, virginal forest and mountain views of the Dolomites in northeastern Italy, now a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site. Fast-forward to 2020, when a South Tyrolean couple opened the peaceful Forestis retreat as a five-star refuge with three tree-like towers built carbon neutrally from regional materials — for every tree felled, two were planted. Wide green panoramas, oxygen-rich air, the scent of spruce and a mild climate mark the experience, which includes the option of sleeping under the stars in the Tower Suites during summer. The alpine spa, at 21,500 square feet, draws from indigenous tree species, Plose spring water and the seasons for powerfully regenerative treatments. Curative regional ingredients and the hotel’s garden harvest show up in meals at the restaurant and cocktails from the bar, too. forestis.it, from $863/night; rooms also available through Booking.com.  

Kisawa Sanctuary, Mozambique

Curvaceous biophilic design harnessing materials including sand and seawater is only the start of what makes this hyper-natural resort on Benguerra Island’s southern tip so special — and responsible. Opened in late 2021 on 741 acres across multiple ecosystems in Mozambique, Kisawa Sanctuary is a true bucket list destination for wildlife fanatics: think humpback whales (one of the “Big Ocean Five” that can be seen), dugongs, flamingos, sea turtles and far more. Marine biology enthusiasts can indulge their curiosity with the associated “Bazaruto Center for Scientific Studies’ Scientist for a Day” offering, which involves participating in live research work such as 3D seabed mapping, water sampling, recording whale songs or tracking migrating turtles. kisawasanctuary.com, from $2,493/night.

Loapi at Tswalu Kalahari, South Africa  

On South Africa’s largest private game reserve, this conservation-minded, new-in-2023 escape puts an ultra-exclusive spin on the safari experience. Not only are guests privileged to have private guides and trackers for excursions to view rare species through the otherworldly southern Kalahari, but each accommodation is essentially a self-contained micro safari camp. Instead of canvas tents with shared dining and communal spaces, Loapi comprises six canvas-topped steel and glass homes from 3,200 to 4,600 square feet that tread lightly on the Earth; each has a fully stocked kitchen and bar, plunge pool, daybeds and fire pit. There’s a dedicated conservation room, too, where guests can learn about active research happening in the field and take opportunities to shadow researchers as they work. tswalu.com, from $2,510/night all-inclusive, double occupancy. (Also check out THR‘s 2022 guide to the most beautiful Hollywood-loved safari camps in Africa.)

Velaa Private Island Maldives, Maldives

Since 2013, the lavish Velaa Private Island resort with a world-class spa has been pairing ultra exclusive island experiences with significant sustainability efforts that positively affect the entire Noonu Atoll in the Maldives. The Velaa Coral Restoration Project, launched in 2016 after a devastating bleaching event, established three new nurseries and transplanted 2,000 corals last year. The Coral Adoption Program allows guests to get involved by attaching fragments onto a rope, naming them, then snorkeling to witness marine biologists attaching it. With a plastic-free goal, the resort uses Best Water Technology purification and has machinery using an aerobic microbial process to convert 100 percent of the resort’s fine dining waste to compost. velaaprivateisland.com, from $3,150/night; rooms also available through Trip.com. (For other ideas of where to stay in the Maldives, check out THR‘s guide to the best resorts in the islands.)

Potato Head Suites & Studios, Bali, Indonesia  

A more affordable stay, this B Corp-certified resort and beach club on Bali’s Petitenget Beach is a regenerative playground where the slogan “good times, do good” reigns. The ethos is essentially “fun but make it sustainable” and the two-hotel property exudes both through captivating monumental artworks and world-class design at every scale by talented international collaborators who make use of repurposed refuse. Impressively, the Potato Head Suites & Studios resort sends just 3 percent of waste to landfill — typical for a hotel is 50 percent. In the guest-facing Waste Lab, visitors can create candles from used cooking oil and wine bottles, while at Ijen, one of half a dozen restaurants, responsibly caught seafood is prepared with a nothing-left-over approach. seminyak.potatohead.co, from $200/night; rooms also available through Booking.com and Trip.com. (Also, check out THR‘s 2023 guide to the best new resorts in Indonesia.)

This story first appeared in the June 2024 Sustainability issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to see the rest of the issue.