The world's greenest hotels, from Switzerland to Sri Lanka

Here are the world's best environmentally friendly hotels, as selected by Travel+Leisure magazine, which partnered with Conservation International to assess properties.


1. Spice Island Beach Resort, Grenada: "Sip your cocktail with a clear conscience, knowing the property's water is solar-heated, the bulbs are energy-saving compact fluorescents and the pool is treated with salt instead of chlorine." Doubles from $800, including meals.


2. Soneva Fushi Resort, Maldives: "A collection of refined, castaway-style villas, Soneva Fushi has pledged to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half by next year and achieve carbon neutrality by 2010." Doubles from $605.

3. Heritance Kandalama, Sri Lanka: "When viewed from afar, Heritance Kandalama resembles an ancient temple grown wild with disuse. In fact, the vegetation and location have nothing to do with neglect (note the handwoven tapestries and stunning floor-to-ceiling windows in each room) and everything to do with ensuring that rainwater flowing from the hills collects in the hotel's reservoir below." Doubles from $114, including breakfast.

4. Voyages Longitude 131, Australia: "The retreat's elevated canopy tents have solar-heated showers, a switch that lets guests control the floor-to-ceiling window blinds from the comfort of their king-size beds, and expansive views of Ayers Rock." Doubles from $1,980, including meals and activities.

5. Tiamo, Bahamas: "This solar-powered, 11-bunglaow hideaway, set alongside a stretch of perfect alabaster sand on the largely undeveloped South Andros Island, uses less electricity per month than one average American household." Doubles from $830 including meals.

6. Whitepod, Switzerland: "Set in the Swiss Alps near Aigle, the nine Buckminster Fuller-inspired geodesic domes ... may be electricity-free, but they keep things cosy with plush organic bedding, sheepskin throws and fireplaces fuelled with sustainably harvested wood." Doubles from $392, including some meals.

7. Devils' Thumb Ranch, Colorado: "Sixteen airy cabins and a soon-to-open lodge are all heated and cooled entirely with fireplaces (the wood is harvested on the property, often from beetle-infested pine trees) and geothermal energy. Best yet, the owners have limited their development to only one per cent of the land, leaving the rest free for guests - and elk, moose, bears and beavers - to roam." Doubles from $195.

8. El Nido Resorts, Philippines: "Guest cottages on stilts are set above the crystalline ocean. The resorts are active in both reef and island conservation." Doubles from $210.

9. Chumbe Island Coral Park, Zanzibar, Tanzania: The sole resort in Tanzania's first managed marine protected area, Chumbe's rooftop rainwater-collection system and solar-powered lights keep the resort in harmony with its surroundings, while its seven open-air bungalows make it a favourite among honeymooners." Doubles from $440, including meals.

10. Adrere Amellal, Egypt: "With its walls built using rock salt and mud, doors and windows placed to catch the desert breeze, and oil lamps and candles lighting the corridors each night, the Adrere Amellal gives guests a taste of life in a traditional Berber community in the Egyptian desert. It also helps to fund and support numerous community projects. Meals are prepared using organic ingredients purchased from farmers at fair market value. Doubles from $448, including meals.

source:http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/story.html?id=eb0b5e97-c5ee-48b8-ae2f-4580ae048721&k=85150