Travel around the world to nine gorgeous ecotourism destinations.

After two weeks of indulgent ecotourism destinations, my appetite for travel is fierce. The exotic locations, natural luxury, pure relaxation, pristine beaches, handsome forests, rugged adventure, and everything from simple canvas tents to opulent organic sheets have been inspirational. Here’s a quick recap of our two week series.

Alina Villas Uluwatu (Indonesia)

Paperbark Camp (Australia)

Juvet Landscape Hotel (Norway)

Canvas Hotel (Norway)

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay (Vietnam)

Eco Beach (Australia)

In case you are craving something with rustic charm, urban edge, or beautiful snow, check out these sustainable destinations from the EcoSalon archives.

Hotel Basico (Mexico)

Waterhouse Hotel (China)

White Pod Resort (Switzerland)

There’s only one thing left to do – decide where to visit first. Of course we did all the research for our featured destinations, but this piece by Kim Derby will help you ensure any hotel you choose is sustainable.

So, have you made reservations yet?

This is the final installment in our seven-part series, Places & Spaces at EcoSalon, a travel guide to 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: Final Globetrot appeared first on EcoSalon.

Soak in the warm sand and fresh Australian air at Eco Beach.

Eco Beach is an oasis of earthen colors adjacent to tropical blue waters in northwestern Australia. The resort has an impressive history of destruction and construction. After a tropical cyclone delivered extensive ruin, Eco Beach was renovated and rebuilt with strict sustainability decisions to set a new “global benchmark for ecologically sustainable tourism.”

The Eco Credentials are extensive – this is a destination that completely embraces the definition of ecotourism without compromising the adventure and comfort of travelers.

“Eco Beach oozes comfort, class and perfectly balances the luxury and convenience of a beach resort with the simplicity and sophistication of a truly unique eco retreat.”

Slumber softly in an Eco Tent or Eco Villa, then share the sunshine with whales, turtles, birds, dolphins, dugongs, sea snakes, wallabies, kangaroos, dingoes, frogs, goannas, and lizards; it’s a natural zoo of fascinating variety. The combination of a close connection to nature and minimal impact on the surroundings is inspiring.

Rates start at $165/night – Australian bush, complimentary yoga, and uncompromising environmental morals included.

This is the sixth in our seven-part series, Places & Spaces at EcoSalon, 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: Eco Beach appeared first on EcoSalon.

Ninh Van Bay is a resort that balances luxury and sustainability.

The vivid imagery of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay caught my eye, but the casual atmosphere held my attention.

“You will not need to wear shoes at any time during your visit…”

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay in Nha Trang, Vietnam is anchored in a quiet bay, accessible only by boat. The destination is framed by grains of white sand beaches delicately sandwiched between protective mountains and inviting turquoise waters. Balmy weather is nearly guaranteed, the resort is graced with sunshine 250 days a year.

Traditional Vietnamese architecture is nestled into dramatic rock formations to offer seclusion and privacy from other guests, while allowing expansive views and intimate interaction with nature. The resort’s spa is indulgent, holistic, and an imperative part of your stay. Between your healing appointments of acupuncture and massage, fill your days with magical nature excursions (snorkeling, kayaking, swimming, sunning, etc.). Dining on fusion cuisine coupled with traditional clay pot cooking will fill your nights.

Ninh Van Bay is managed by Six Senses, a company with exotic destinations speckled across the globe. The company’s core purpose is, “To create innovative and enlightening experiences that rejuvenate our guests’ love of Slow Life.” Slow is an acronym for sustainable, local, organic, and wholesome. Six Senses destinations are known for their environmental responsibility from conception through development and daily operations. The company’s resorts are regularly awarded with green and sustainable design awards for their efforts in managing energy, water, waste, chemicals, biodiversity, and community enrichment. Peruse all sixteen locations Six Senses manages to make choosing a luxurious eco-destination an effortless endeavor.

Rates start at $700/night – private villa, endless views of islands in the South China Sea, and organic meals included.

This is the fifth in our seven-part series, Places & Spaces at EcoSalon, 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: Ninh Van Bay appeared first on EcoSalon.

Canvas Hotel is a playground for adults (and bicycles).

Southern Norway is home to the enviable Canvas Hotel, sited on an island in a small lake, surrounded by big adventure. The Canvas Hotel is no ordinary hotel, the simple yurts take a backseat to a passion for peddles. This destination is about bicycles, offering courses, riding, trails, and training that ranges from beginners to skilled experts.

The adventure starts the moment you arrive. You will be picked up at the nearest train station or airport; your luggage will be transported for you while you jump on a bike and savor your first spin into camp.

After you conquer the granite trails on two wheels, head back to the yurts and plunge into the lake for a refreshing cool down. Then soak in the healing powers of a sauna (disguised as a yurt) or saturate your tired muscles in a designer hot tubs. The bathtubs are portable, so you can relax and soak anywhere you like (I would go for the floating platform suspended above the lake).

Just in case your definition of vacation includes indulging your palate, you’ll be relieved to hear the food at the Canvas Hotel is local, delicious, and hearty. The aim of the chef is to delight your appetite and fuel your rides, so there is no shortage of taste or quantity.

The playful atmosphere of the hotel is evident in this phrase from their website, “You don’t stop playing because you get old, you get old because you stop playing.” Who wouldn’t want to play here?

Rates start at $900/day – indulgent food, scintillating adventure, two wheels, pedals, and a generous guide included.

This is the fourth in our seven-part series, Places & Spaces at EcoSalon, 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: Canvas Hotel appeared first on EcoSalon.

The Juvet Landscape Hotel is a combination of unique rooms amid stunning Norwegian topography.

The Juvet Landscape Hotel consists of a handful of independent structures sprinkled around the site in Alstad, Norway. Bold architectural cubes nestled in a spectacular natural location offer an intimate setting with geography.

This destination is a series of simple rooms in the forest to nurture your relationship with nature, designed by the talented Jensen & Skodvin Architecture. The wild topography boasts seven unique individual rooms with a single glass wall, inviting the admiration of scenery.

“On a sheer river bank, amongst birch, aspen, pine and Nature-sculpted boulders, lies Juvet, Europe’s first landscape hotel. At first glance, the seven detached guest rooms seem modest and unassuming. But when you open the door and go in, it’s as if Nature rushes in to greet you through the massive panoramic windows. You can almost feel the trees brushing against you, and the snow-white drops of spray from the river Valldøla on your face.”

The surroundings are ripe for adventure, offering skiing, camping, hiking, fjord exploration, rafting, the opportunity to blaze your own trail and gorgeous scenery all around. The hotel itself is stunning, and it’s adjacent to the National Tourist Route, 18 miles of breathtaking scenery stretching from the coast to the mountainous core of Norway.

Rates start at $225/night (per person) – wilderness adventure, natural inspiration, and dramatic architecture included.

This is the third in our seven-part series, Places & Spaces at EcoSalon, 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: Juvet Landscape Hotel appeared first on EcoSalon.

Paperbark Camp is a glamping destination where you can truly bond with nature.

Paperbark Camp is the tangible fantasy of Irena and Jeremy Hutchings. The couple has a long history of traveling, camping, and dreaming. After experiencing the enchantment of an African safari, they couldn’t stop imagining a safari experience in their own Australian backyard. Years later, the gorgeous Jervis Bay of Australia was graced with the sustainably developed Paperbark Camp. The “100 acre site of untouched bushland with creek frontage,” is adjacent to the bay, a National Marine Park.

Paperbark Camp is a rare combination of natural beauty with luxurious amenities. Packages range from bed and breakfast options to adventure itineraries (sail cruise anyone?). The whimsy of a treetop dining room (“a tree house for possums and foodies”), provides candle-lit dinners under a gum tree canopy. The camp allows an escape into nature where you can, “Do it all…or nothing at all.”

Rates start at $300/night – soaring eucalyptus forest, starry nights, untouched nature, and intriguing paperback trees included.

This is the second in our seven-part series, Places & Spaces at EcoSalon, 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: Paperbark Camp appeared first on EcoSalon.

Alila Villas Uluwatu is an opulent resort where travelers can indulge and relax.

Alila Villas Uluwatu is delicately perched above the Indian Ocean on a clifftop plateau on the Bukit Peninsula of southern Bali. The resort is fragrant with opulence and indulgence. Each villa (there are 84 total) boasts flat lava rock roofs, bamboo ceilings, and unobstructed outdoor views.

Sea breezes flow gently through the accommodations and each villa is embellished with a private pool. The architecture and interior design is a combination of contemporary influences balanced with accents of Bali.

This excerpt from Richard Hassell of WOHA, an architectural firm in Singapore, details some of the sustainability efforts:

“We are very pleased that Alila Hotels has embraced the Environmentally Sustainable Design (ESD) principles, and we are using many ESD measures including local materials, water conservation with soaks and rain gardens and recycling with grey water systems, using local plants from the special Bali Savannah ecosystem on the Bukit, which are being raised in a nursery on site to encourage local bird and animal life, heat pumps for water heating, salt water pools – among many others. The resort is registered for Green Globe certification, and will be the first hotel in Bali to get the highest level of certification for ESD. As it is built into the resort from the beginning, there will be a strong combination of the built fabric and on-going operations side working together to reduce the long-term ecological footprint of the resort.”

Rates start at $520/night – breathtaking views, private sanctuary, and endless (responsible) opulence included.

This is the first in our seven-part series, Places & Spaces at EcoSalon, 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: Alila Villas Uluwatu appeared first on EcoSalon.