Located on a cobblestone street in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood is the eco contemporary Crosby Street Hotel.

In a city that’s one of the most popular tourist destinations in the U.S., as well as home to many eco inventors, we’re excited that there’s an eco-hotel that’s leading the way in the industry. We are, of course, talking about New York City and tucked smack in the middle of SoHo sits the Crosby Street Hotel.

Featuring floor-to-ceiling warehouse style windows to take in the natural light, each of the 86 rooms are individually designed, some with private terraces planted with native plants. But what’s impressive is that the Crosby Street Hotel is one of the first LEED Gold certified hotels in New York City and is one of the most environmentally responsible in the U.S.

In addition to a slew of green features like green power, use of recycled materials during construction, and usage of regional materials, the Crosby Street Hotel also maximizes their open space. A whopping 61% of the hotel’s site is considered as such, “open,” and on the rooftop is a kitchen garden with a seasonal vegetable patch. Managed by head chef Anthony Paris, also in the formerly unused space on the roof is a Tudor style chicken coop in which the Araucana chickens produce eggs used in the kitchen as well.

Guests are encouraged to visit the Sculpture Garden and the Crosby Bar, both of which are outdoor spaces filled with green space and cool décor, perfect for relaxing with friends.

If you go: Check out the state-of-the-art screening room with 99 seats featuring different films every Sunday. Rates start at $525 per night.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces: The Crosby Street Hotel, New York City appeared first on EcoSalon.

Spend your days by the sea in the treetops, and playing with nature at Morgan’s Rock Hacienda & Ecolodge in Nicaragua.

Imagine if you could reset your day to the sunrises and the sunsets without the hassle of agendas, cell phones and meetings. For many of us, this would mean a complete readjustment of our clocks but for the owners of Morgan’s Rock Hacienda & Ecolodge outside of San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua, this is the norm and they invite all of their guests to “play with time” as well.

Located 15 miles north of the Costa Rican border, Morgan’s Rock is located within a 4,400-acre nature preserve and sustainable tree farm, which 1.5 million trees have been planted in over the past 10 years. The resort is said to be one of the country’s oldest high-end eco-resorts, and the land is rich with history as well.

The 15 well-appointed bungalows are set into the hillside of the jungle and outdoor queen-sized hanging beds allow for breathtaking views of the water (13 of which are accessible only by a 100-meter pedestrian suspension bridge). Inside, each of them are open and have fully screened walls so you can hear the sound of the ocean and nature at all times.

If you go: Morgan’s Rock has its own private beach (equipped with hammocks and loungers) and a hatchery for giant sea turtles. Rates start at $322 per night and are all-inclusive.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces: Morgan’s Rock Hacienda & Ecolodge, Nicaragua appeared first on EcoSalon.

The CityFlatsHotel in downtown Holland, Michigan offers guests an eco-friendly experience without compromising style or luxury.

As the first hotel in the Midwest to receive LEED Gold Certification, the CityFlatsHotel in Holland, Michigan boasts sweeping views of downtown and Lake Macatawa, a small body of water that leads to the magnificent beaches of Lake Michigan. No two rooms are alike at CityFlatsHotel, making each of the 56 eco-friendly suites a unique experience.

The CityFlatsHotel was designed and manufactured with carefully selected green materials and technologies. For example, to save energy, curtains are lined with a black-out fabric, the countertops are made from recycled glass and concrete, and instead of carpeting, cork flooring tiles are used. Additionally, large windows throughout the hotel maximize natural lighting, while master switches turn off all lighting when a guest leaves the guestroom. Occupancy sensors power down the heating and cooling system when it is not needed.

CityVū Bistro on the fifth floor keeps it local, as it’s considered among the best among foodies here. Fresh locally-sourced ingredients contribute to a creative and healthy menu (fryers and frozen foods won’t be found anywhere near their kitchen).

If you go: Take note of the locally made CityDrem mattresses as well as the sheets, blankets, towels and duvet covers. They’ve been so popular that guests can now buy them for their own homes. Rates start at $149USD per night.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces: CityFlatsHotel in Holland, Michigan appeared first on EcoSalon.

Surrounded by natural beauty, the Inn by the Sea on Crescent Beach in Cape Elizabeth, Maine offers luxurious accommodations.

Fall in New England marks leaf-peeping season and beautiful sunsets, making it a perfect time to visit and enjoy the cool weather. Located just outside Portland, Maine is Inn by the Sea, a coastal destination where “luxury comes naturally.” Renovated extensively just a few years ago, it’s now nationally recognized for its eco-friendly practices.

Because Inn by the Sea is adjacent to a wildlife sanctuary, it is a designated wildlife habitat, making it one of the first hotels certified as “Green Lodging” by Maine’s DEP. It seems that the Inn is leading the hospitality industry in Maine through other aspects as well. It was the first to heat with biofuel, the first to be carbon neutral, and the first to have dual flush toilets as well. Other cool eco-features include solar heating for the pool, recycled rubber floors in the fitness room, recycled cork floors in the spa, and the inn even assists eco-conscience couples in planning green weddings.

Perhaps one of the aspects of Inn by the Sea that we love so much is that it goes beyond the corporate level by engaging guests with educational classes that are offered to pass on the environmental messages. Weekly seminars and garden tours are offered on the Inn’s five acres of seaside gardens, teaching guests how to plant for wildlife, while children learn about bug ecosystems during the summer’s “Bug’s Life” series.

If you go: Check out Sea Glass, the Inn by the Sea’s restaurant featuring local ingredients from produce to cheese to sea salt. Rates start at $189USD per night.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces: Inn by the Sea, Cape Elizabeth, Maine appeared first on EcoSalon.

Just 30 miles southwest from downtown Los Angeles, Terreana Resort aims to complement its greatest natural asset – the Pacific Ocean.

Inspired by the Spanish explorers who discovered the Southern California coastline in the 1500s, Terreanea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California sits on 102 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The architecture and design complement the natural asset of its location by seamlessly transitioning between indoor and outdoor spaces to take full advantage of the climate and unobstructed views.

Terreanea Resort is located just 30 miles southwest from downtown LA. It’s owned by Destination Hotels & Resorts, the fourth largest independent hospitality management company in the country. Through the company’s Destination Earth program, they are committed to creating a new benchmark for each hotel and resort through a series of environmental initiatives.

While Terreanea has many eco-friendly features, the landscaping is what really makes an impression. Because the resort sits partially on restored native habitat areas, strict attention has been paid specifically to the planting of native plant species and trees. The resort’s eco friendly golf course also plays a large role in the landscaping. Irrigation water is treated in vegetated channels called Bioswales, created wetlands which “contain plant species known for their ability to remediate polluted water and soil through sedimentation, filtration, absorption, and vegetative uptake.” Not only does this mean that it enhances the water quality, but it also provides habitat for many avian and aquatic species.

It’s been said that every family member will be entertained at Terreanea, including your pooch. With tons of activities, a spa, and its several restaurants, kids and adults alike will not be disappointed.

If you go: Dolphins and whales can be spotted right from your room. Rates start at approximately $350.00USD per night.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces:Terreanea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes, California appeared first on EcoSalon.

Clayoquot Wilderness Resort in Vancouver provides guests with luxurious “tented” accommodations and five-star dining.

Tucked in the middle of nowhere on the west coast of Vancouver Island is an eco-safari retreat called Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, which can only be reached by boat or seaplane. While the accommodations at this resort are comprised of 20 tents, each offers every bit of the luxury you are seeking. This remote Canadian getaway has dining tents that offer five-star cuisine, massage and treatment tents, lounge tents and guest tents with fluffy duvets and antiques, all inspired by late 19th century Great Camps.

But behind the luxury there is a deep and meaningful commitment to restoring the land. Located on the Clayoquot Sound Biosphere Reserve Area on the banks of the remote Bedwell River, Clayoquot Wilderness Resort is committed to running in an environmentally sustainable manner with as low-impact operations as technology allows.

We love that every evening the Activities Director meets with guests personally to design their adventures for the next day, which depends on weather, tidal charts and animal sightings. The resort offers tons of activities so guests will never have a shortage of things to do in the wilderness.

If you go: While Clayoquot Wilderness Resort is only open May through September and guests are encouraged to make reservations in advance. Rates start at $4,650.00USD for three nights, and include return airfare from Vancouver to the Resort, deluxe tented accommodation, all meals, snacks and beverages (including alcohol), massage treatments and a wide array of guided adventure activities including instruction.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces: Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, Vancouver, Canada appeared first on EcoSalon.

Instants d’Absolu in Auvergne, France was designed as an escape for those who want to get away from it all.

Perched high on a 3,760 foot plateau is Instants d’Absolu, an eco-lodge in a preserved sanctuary in Auvergne, France. Nestled in the heart of the Natural Reserve of the Auvergne Volcanoes, it’s wedged between Lac du Pêcher (a lake), the Puy Muy volcano, and the edge of the Pinatelle Forest. In other words, Instants d’Absolu is an “escape” in the truest sense of the word.

Instants d’Absolu (meaning timeless and rare moments), is located on a renovated, eco-friendly lava stone farm. What we like about it is that it can be visited year-round with no shortage of activities. In warmer months, there is fishing, horseback riding, mountain biking, hiking, and even a hot air balloon ride to explore the beautiful landscape from above. In the winter, guests can experience dog-sled rides, snowshoe excursions, cross country skiing, and even skiing on the slopes of volcanoes. But the activity most enjoy is the art of doing nothing. The Nordic inspired spa helps with that, an outdoor hot tub that looks out onto the raw French nature.

Restored with love and care, the land that Instants d’Absolu sits on is considered “sensitive natural space,” which means the owners have gone to great lengths to keep the property as natural as possible. Instants d’Absolu is a world in itself, to relax and get away from it all.

If you go: Expect to fall asleep listening to an evening concert of frogs and stag belling. Rates start at $180USD per night.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces: Instants d’Absolu, Auvergne, France appeared first on EcoSalon.

San Francisco’s Hotel Triton has been a pioneer in eco lodging since the early 1990s.

Kimpton Hotels have been leaders in the industry when it comes to eco-friendly accommodations. The company’s Hotel Triton in downtown San Francisco is no different and actually started it all with an “eco-floor” back in the 1990s, which spread to the rest of the hotel in 2003. Because of its environmental efforts, the Hotel Triton inspired the current company-wide eco-program for all Kimpton Hotels.

Each property owned by Kimpton has a theme and the one for Hotel Triton is pop culture. It was inspired by the imaginations of San Franciscan artisans and the décor is whimsy and fun with personal touches from celebrities that have stayed there, such as artwork, quotes, concert memorabilia, photographs, and personally selected amenities. The hotel is also a supporter of the local arts community by serving as a showcase for emerging artists with a rotating gallery of art.

The Hotel Triton has been called “The best hotel in San Francisco,” and we love the fact that it’s right smack downtown, across from the Chinatown gates. And it’s pet-friendly too!

If you go: Stay in the “Eco Premier King Rooms” which feature different eco design elements a guest can experience first-hand and consider in their own home environments. They each have a special theme like the Trust for Public Land, Happy Planet, the Collage Foundation and the Eco-Chic Room.

Rates start at $180.00USD per night.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces: The Hotel Triton, San Francisco appeared first on EcoSalon.

Sadie Cove Wilderness Lodge in Alaska is a unique off the grid vacation just miles from the bear viewing capital of the world.

Tucked inside Alaska’s Kachemak Bay State Park, Sadie Cove Wilderness Lodge is located on a privately owned, remote beach that is only accessible by boat, float plane, or helicopter. The lodge was built from driftwood that was salvaged from the beaches of Kachemak Bay and milled by hand, piece by piece, into lumber and constructed without preservatives, chemicals, or oils of any kind.

Sadie Cove is completely off the grid and runs on hydro-electric power which is supplied from a mountain stream and a wind power generator. Wild, ocean-run seafood is served along with fresh, organic produce, some of which is grown in the garden on the grounds. What’s also unique is that the early Alaskans camped on the property of Sadie Cove seasonally to make stone tools and gather berries, clams, mussels, seals, and sea birds for their subsistence. Old paintings can still be found in caves along the grounds.

Sadie Cove accommodates just eight lucky guests at a time and has spectacular views with plenty of activities to enjoy such as hiking, sea kayaking, sailing, fishing, and whale and wildlife viewing. Awarded and recognized extensively by the media, this unique property is a great way to get away from the chaos of everyday life.

If you go: Sadie Cove Wilderness Lodge is just 10 miles from the bear viewing capital of the world. Rates start at $450USD per night and are all-inclusive.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces: Sadie Cove Wilderness Lodge, Alaska appeared first on EcoSalon.

Merging perfectly with the environment, Adrere Amellal in Cairo, Egypt is a magical place for those seeking a quiet sanctuary.

To say that Adrère Amellal is “absolutely fascinating” seems, to us, a bit of an understatement. The truth is we were in complete awe when we came across this sandcastle-looking eco-lodge in Cairo, Egypt. It’s like stepping back in time, replete with breathtaking open views of a shimmering and pristine Siwa Lake and the Sahara Desert. Electricity has been banned, so guests must use oil lamps, candles, and the moonlight to guide them.

Each of the 40 hand-built rooms are unique, constructed with traditional techniques using palm roofing, mud, and rock salt, while the doors and furniture are made of olivewood. The spring-fed Roman pool is one of just a few found in the world. The food, which is mostly organic, is sourced locally and while lunch is served at the pool each day, dinner is served somewhere different every night, lit by the stars and beeswax candles.

Clearly, Adrère Amellal is not your traditional hotel. Relying completely on solar energy, it’s a magical place for those seeking a quiet (yet luxurious) sanctuary, while also being in a flexible environment. It’s been said that the night is so peaceful you can almost hear the stars.

If you go: Make sure to explore the community, which is full of ancient ruins and spectacular natural landscapes.  The local “Siwan” craftsmanship is celebrated for its exquisitely embroidered garments and stunning silver jewelry. Rates start at $605.00 USD.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

The post Places & Spaces: Adrère Amellal, Cairo, Egypt appeared first on EcoSalon.