Here’s our handpicked list of eight sustainable hotels around the world for your next mindful trip.

Treat yourself stupidly and sustainably at Château Saint-Martin & Spa | France

Spread over 14 hectares, Château Saint-Martin & Spa offers a range of tantalizing experiences, including art exhibitions, food and wine tastings and award-winning spa services, in addition to panoramic views of the Côte d’Azur from the heights of Vence. It is a partner of the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO) and works to protect local endangered species and to safeguard the shrike, the region’s emblematic bird.

Nesting boxes find their place here, just like an insect hotel in its garden where the bees take refuge while producing fragrant honey. Château Saint-Martin & Spa minimizes waste, ensuring responsible recovery and reduction of waste. The hotel also provides a donation bag for its guests, in which they can donate their unwanted clothes to charity.

Admire the starry sky at VIVOOD Landscape Hotel | Spain

An adults-only establishment, VIVOOD Landscape Hotel features 25 self-contained rooms and 10 exclusive villas that combine views of the Guadalest Valley with a private heated pool. Its architecture is designed to blend in subtly with the mountainous terrain, rather than disrupt it. The sustainable hotel can boast of conserving and restoring the environment, while ensuring guest privacy, having an eco-friendly base and being free from light pollution. In fact, Spain as a whole prides itself on minimizing light pollution, with starry skies to behold in the Sierra Sur district, Sierra Morena mountains and Montsec, to name a few. . Spain is also home to 16 national parks, four of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites; 15 geoparks; 30 natural spaces labeled by the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism; and more than 53 areas with abundant biodiversity.

Learn conservation with a zoologist at the InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort | Vietnam

Located in the Son Tra Mountain Nature Reserve, home to several critically endangered species such as the red-tailed douc langur, this resort claims to be one of the few resorts on the planet to have a full-time zoologist, Anthony Barker. . In addition to overseeing the resort’s green initiatives — pollutant removal, poaching prevention, invasive species management, endangered species conservation — Barker also offers free workshops for guests. With over 6,200 acres of forest home to over 1,000 plant species, hundreds of birds, butterflies, and dozens of reptiles and mammals, Barker’s workshops take a deep dive into the natural world. The Banyan Tree hike winds through a coastline to end with a majestic 800-year-old banyan tree; Basket Boating delves into the art of making traditional Vietnamese basket boats; and the Wildlife Workshop uncovers the world of native flora and fauna, especially the illustrious red-legged douc langur.

Experience Eco-living at Baluchon Eco-resort | Canada

The aptly named Le Baluchon Éco-villégiature (French for eco-station) in Saint-Paulin, Canada, takes eco-awareness very seriously. Take its recycling center, for example, which gives new life to scrap glass, metal, cardboard and paper in the form of reusable pads, towels and bags. Not only has the smoke-free property ditched the burners for the induction stoves at Au Bout Du Monde organic eco-café, but it has also installed gas fireplaces in all rooms. Amenities boast of being Energy Star appliances; the SPA houses eco-friendly ingredients for treatments; and all cosmetics are organic and locally produced. Since Le Baluchon is located on a former sawmill, major reforestation activities are also underway, including a pilot project to replant hardwoods in collaboration with Laval University. Similar investments were also made for a reed scrubber for Rivière du Loup and an energy manager to save electricity.

Enjoy Barefoot Luxury at Soneva Fushi | Maldives

A pioneer of sustainable luxury hotels in the Maldives, Soneva operates two impressive properties – Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani – and a luxurious 23-meter yacht, Soneva in Aqua, in the archipelago. They are proponents of barefoot luxury and slow living, so guests are encouraged to forgo their shoes upon arrival. It’s called the “no news, no shoes” philosophy.

Soneva Fushi’s villas are built and designed in a sustainable way to adapt to the vegetation of the island and integrate it into the stay. But the use of rainforest wood was consciously avoided. In 2008, Soneva started measuring its carbon footprint and took drastic measures: from banning all branded water on the island to establishing the first solar farm in the Maldives and an ecocentre with a manager waste management, charging a small carbon tax on all stays – which funded a wind turbine in India, five lakh tress in Thailand and cooking stoves that reduced firewood consumption by 50% and 60 % CO2 emissions in Darfur and Myanmar. The Eco Center recycles 90% of the island’s waste, from all parts of coconut shells to some plastic and aluminum cans. In 2021, Soneva Fushi imagined an ingenious solution against mosquitoes by replacing toxic sprays with natural traps exploiting the behavior of insects.

The Soneva Art and Glass studio recycles all the glass waste on the island not only into utilitarian glass items like decanters and drinking glasses, but also into beautiful pieces of glass art. World famous artists visit this center and glass blowing workshops are held for the guests. Soneva Fushi’s organic gardens not only produce an abundance of green vegetables, which are used in the kitchens, but also provide customers with unique dining experiences. The resort also sources seafood responsibly with a prohibited list that includes Caspian Sea caviar and bluefin tuna. The hotel has reduced its consumption of beef and dairy products, major sources of greenhouse gas emissions, and is gradually making its menus healthier and more sustainable. The best part: None of this comes at the expense of luxury.

Give Back to Kisawa Shrine | mozambique

Located at the southern tip of Benguerra Island and spanning 300 hectares, Kisawa is a sanctuary of forests, beaches and sand dunes on the eastern coast of Africa. The nearby WWF National Marine Park is home to a rich and lesser-known subtropical ecosystem. Marrying tradition and innovation, the station used local craftsmen and patented 3D printing technology for its construction. Local weavers interwoven grass into sliding door panels and baskets, artisans carved chairs and tables using local jambir and sambiri woods, and debris from the construction of the shrine were used to make statues. Guest experiences range from scuba diving, conservation and community building, to bespoke dune glamping and picnicking.

Immerse yourself in island life at Amanpulo | Philippines

Located on Pamalican Island in the Cuyo Archipelago in northern Palawan, Amanpulo is a private island fringed with white sand beaches and pristine reefs. It offers guests a nature-focused experience with modern conveniences and privacy, but it does so much more than that for the destination. To counter the increase in the population of crown-of-thorns starfish that feed on hard corals, Amanpulo has set up weekly reef monitoring to record sightings. Outbreaks are brought under control by a team that dives and recovers starfish from reefs, then relocates them, in partnership with dive center concessionaire Crestamar. Green sea turtles and hawksbill sea turtles have always been welcome, but a 2021 sighting of an olive ridley sea turtle nest led the team to support the endangered species’ full life cycle. This includes ongoing monitoring, contributing to global data, and providing information on behavioral patterns. Amanpulo has also contributed to the construction of laboratories in the areas of engineering, catering and housekeeping to technical and vocational education in Manamoc.

Take advantage of LUX * South Ari Atoll’s vegan offers | Maldives

The first resort in the tropical country to be labeled a “vegan hotel” by Vegan Welcome, LUX* South Ari Atoll offers a Keen on Green menu available at all of its eight restaurants. Each of the sustainable specialties served at this hotel is sprinkled with organic goodness. Home to the world’s largest offshore floating solar platform, the resort has also banned all forms of single-use plastic from its premises. He planted corals with the in-house marine biologist; organized bicycles, island cruisers, and solar-powered shuttles to get around; and created a patch of herbs and vegetables to help the kitchens. The resort on the island has also set up its own water plant, which has saved around 8,10,000 plastic water bottles so far. As the island is in a Marine Protected Area and located near 50 dive sites, you can take part in underwater excursions to snorkel alongside manta rays, explore wrecks, or participate in data collection. on whale sharks!

This story first appeared on Travel + Leisure India.