You want a vacation that feels like a vacation鈥攁 pool, a comfy bed, good food, plenty of things to do (or not). But you also don鈥檛 want a holiday that puts the environment second fiddle to your comforts. Now more than ever, properties听in听dreamy locales are making environmental protections part of the experience, either through听design, like making the most of听alternative energy sources, green building protocols, energy-efficient heating and cooling, and waste-reduction practices, or by inviting you to participate in conservation efforts. Here are seven notable outposts doing just that.
Wilderness Safaris Jao Camp
Okavango Delta, Botswana
础迟听, which closed for a top-down renovation in 2018 and reopened this summer, you鈥檒l stay in one of five villas built into the tree canopy, with your own private plunge pool, outdoor shower, butler, and chef. This entirely solar-powered safari camp was reconstructed with an intentionally low footprint to minimize impact on the Okavango Delta. Electricity and hot water are听powered by on-site solar panels,听rooms are chilled听with a silent evaporative cooler,听which consumes less energy than normal air-conditioning,听and single-use plastics have been replaced with reusable, organic amenities. When you鈥檙e not relaxing in your villa, paddle the delta in a traditional dugout canoe, search for听buffalo and elephants, or stargaze on an outdoor deck.听From $1,262 per person, all-inclusive
The Nines Hotel
Portland, Oregon
The silver LEED-certified听, located in a historic downtown Portland building that once housed a department store, gets creative听with its sustainability efforts. All 331 guest rooms have energy-saving thermostats, low-flush toilets, and LED lights. But this property听goes beyond听the typical requirements, with a听rooftop herb garden and rainwater collection system, an听on-site beehive that supplies all of the hotel鈥檚听honey, and discounted rates on valet parking if you drop off a hybrid car. Close to 80 percent of its waste is diverted from landfills, thanks to a full-proof recycling system and biodegradable products. Take the MAX light-rail around town, run through Waterfront Park, or dine on vegan sushi and dim sum on the hotel鈥檚 rooftop terrace.听From $235
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort
Vancouver Island, British Columbia
础迟听, sleep in one of 25 well-appointed waterfront or rainforest tents set along a seven-mile-long deep-water听fjord. No roads lead here, so arrive via a 40-minute boat ride from nearby Tofino听(you can also get there by a听45-minute floatplane听ride from Vancouver, but it won鈥檛 fit the eco theme quite as well). Meals are served in a log cookhouse, yoga takes place daily in the studio or on its deck, and you can paddleboard or enjoy听guided hikes throughout the area鈥檚 estuary. If you feel inspired to give back,听join the hotel鈥檚 wildlife-habitat rehabilitation听efforts on the Clayoquot Sound听by signing up to听remove marine debris or replenish salmon-spawning environs. Since 2001, the resort, in concert with Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Ahousaht First Nation, has been working to repair environmental damage left from the mining and logging industries of the 1800s.听From $3,531 per person for a three-night package
Kasiiya Papagayo
Guanacaste, Costa Rica
There are just five tented suites built on timber platforms at听, which opened in January, and each comes with supreme privacy on the resort鈥檚 123-acre waterfront property. This solar-powered wilderness retreat was built without cutting down any trees and by using natural, low-impact materials. An electric car delivers guests to nearby sights, tents come听stocked with drinks in a cooler instead of a fridge, and there鈥檚 an empty, white-sand beach steps from your deck. Surfing at Tamarindo is an hour away, or you can climb a tree, sea kayak to islands, or take a hike through the jungle right from your tent. Spot monkeys, crocodiles, and butterflies in the animal sanctuary at the nearby Diamante Eco 国产吃瓜黑料 Park.听From $490, including meals, activities, and airport transfer
The Blake Hotel
Taos, New Mexico
The upscale, slopeside听 opened at the base of Taos Ski Valley in 2017. This 80-room silver LEED-certified property is part of a revamp of the ski area鈥檚 base village, continuing听the听resort鈥檚 ongoing commitment to environmental practices. The hotel鈥檚 geothermal heating and cooling system and its water efficiency will contribute to Taos Ski Valley鈥檚 goal of reducing its greenhouse-gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020. (Taos Ski Valley is the first and only ski resort in the world to become a Certified B Corporation, a designation for businesses that exhibit high standards of social and environmental impact.)听As a guest, you鈥檒l appreciate the spa鈥檚 skier-specific massage treatments, overnight ski storage with boot dryers, and apr猫s-ski cocktails at the hotel bar.听From $259
Oxford Hotel
Bend, Oregon
Borrow a free cruiser bike from the 59-room听 to explore downtown Bend, or park your Tesla out front in one of the electric-vehicle charging stations (electric cars also get free valet parking). This boutique property听has comfortable suites with views of the Cascade Mountains, loaner guitars for impromptu jam sessions, and organic breakfast delivered to your room. Powered entirely by renewable energy, the Oxford is equipped with low-energy heating and cooling systems, recycled materials in the design听build,听low-flow bathroom faucets, and all-natural mattresses.听From $409
High Lonesome Ranch
De Beque, Colorado
Less than an hour north of听Grand Junction,听 is a conservation-minded organization disguised as a guest ranch. Stay in private cabins, shared homes, or canvas tents along a tumbling creek on the ranch鈥檚 sprawling 250,000 acres. Miles of hiking and mountain-biking trails surround the property, and horseback riding and fly-fishing for brown and brook trout are a must. While it doesn鈥檛 have many听eco-lodge elements in its design, the听ranch works to protect and preserve biodiversity听through an on-site听research group听that studies everything from stream restoration and听migratory animals to听aspen-grove replenishing. It also has a team听dedicated to preserving and restoring degraded wildlife habitat听in an effort to promote mixed use of the land, from ranching and farming to recreation.听From $1,245 for two nights of double occupancy, meals and some activities included