5 eco-friendly holiday experiences

 

Of course there are plenty of day-to-day changes we can all make that, collectively, will go a long way in supporting the challenges the earth faces. But did you know there are also ways to get involved when you’re on holiday too? 

 

Here at Travel Seen we took a look at five ways some of our favourite hotels are supporting their guests to add eco-conscious activities to their stay… 

 

Sister luxury resorts on the Caribbean island of St Lucia – Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain – have come up with a creative way of keeping the numbers of lionfish in the surrounding seas at bay… put them on the menu! 

 

The fish is said to be one of the most destructive, with no natural predators in the Caribbean and an appetite for almost anything it comes across in the region’s delicate coral reefs. This makes their numbers hard to control and environmentalists are concerned at the rate at which they are growing.  

 

So the resorts have come up with ‘conservation cuisine’; a degustation menu featuring the unique fish cooked multiple ways – like ceviche and sashimi - and paired with new world wines.  

 

Or for those that fancy a real environmental adventure there’s the “Invasive Lionfish Tracker Specialty Course” at the resort’s dive centre. 

 

Hillside Beach Club in Turkey boasts a setting of stunning proportions. Think deep green pine forests scattered across the hills leading to sandy coves lapped by impossibly blue, clear waters.  

 

The resort has made considerable efforts to improve its carbon footprint, with a mission to help each guest give back to the area during their stay in Fethiye too. 

 

One such green activity guests can take part in is the running club, with the resort pledging to plant a tree for every kilometre each guest runs. This latest eco activity follows the 20-year-long relationship Hillside has enjoyed with Turkey’s Ministry of Forestry, planting a tree for every first-time guest and one for every honeymooning couple staying at the resort.  

 

Recently Been & Seen by Ronan Keating and his family, Penha Longa Resort in Portugal is set in the heart of the stunning Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, an area known for its biodiversity.  

 

Guests who want to go one step further than just exploring the forests, rivers, coastline and mountain range for themselves can venture to the Interpretative Centre for a ‘Connect with Nature’ guided tour. Deeping the development of ecological-cultural awareness of this unique area, the guide will educate on the surrounds of the resort, its history, environment and heritage on this fascinating tour.  

 

While it might be better known for its links with James Bond and Ian Fleming, GoldenEye on the Caribbean island of Jamaica is also making every effort to play its part in its own environmental story.  

 

One way it’s doing so is by encouraging visitors to the luxury beach resort to meet with ‘Jamaica’s Turtle Man’, Mel Tennant, who has gone to great efforts to protect the local sea turtles since retiring to Oracabessa’s Gilbraltar Beach in 2003.  

 

To leave their own legacy, GoldenEye guests can follow in the footsteps of Michael Caine and Kate Moss and plant a tree, alongside a donation to the Oracabessa Foundation which supports sustainable local development.  

 

No corner of the earth has been left untouched by the effects of climate change, but parts of the Indian Ocean are feeling the results acutely.  

 

In a bid to protect this exceptional natural landscape many of the 5-star Maldives resorts, such as Lux* South Ari Atoll, are doing as much as they can to play their part in altering the course.   

 

Here the resort’s own marine biologist has planted coral, there has been a banning of single use plastic and they’ve even created the world’s largest floating solar platform at sea. There are plenty of ways for guests to get involved too, including a beach cleanup.  

 

 

If you feel inspired to go green on your next holiday, why not take a closer look at those hotels we’ve mentioned here?