Maybe now since the lockdown, you might be thinking of a staycation instead of jet-setting around the globe. Even if you are environmentally aware, you might not realise that there are lots of luxury hotels for eco-conscious travellers right here in the UK.
For travellers who want to minimise their carbon footprint, going on holiday can be a bit tricky. Transport emissions — which primarily involve road, rail, air and marine transportation — accounted for over 24% of global CO2 emissions in 2016. Those kinds of statistics just don’t sit well with a lot of people, especially those who are switched on to what’s happening with the planet and the environmental challenges it faces.
So, we’ve put together a list of 5 luxury hotels for environment-conscious travellers, who not only want an amazing travel experience but also want to support hotels that put environmental sustainability at the forefront of what they do.
1. The Zetter, London
The Zetter was created from a repurposed warehouse in 2004, but no traces of its roots remain. Rather, it has become a boutique luxury destination for many travellers who want a sustainable place to stay while taking a honeymoon or holiday in the heart of London.
Seven rooftop bedrooms are treated to their own expansive, private terrace with incredible panoramic views across London. The rooftop rooms make perfect wedding night hotel rooms while the ample boutique accommodation both at The Zetter Hotel and The Zetter Townhouse are perfect for wedding guests.
One feature we really love is their “swap housekeeping for cocktails” initiative. They offer guests staying two nights or more the opportunity to help reduce the hotel’s consumption of power, water and cleaning chemicals by forgoing housekeeping. If you choose to do so you will be rewarded with £10 to spend on food and drink, for each day you choose to forgo.
Water for flushing the toilets and cooling the building is pumped from the hotel’s own 1500-foot bore-hole beneath the building which helps make the building self-sustaining.
Motion detectors in the rooms, paraben-free products in the bathrooms, air conditioning that cuts out immediately when a window is opened, locally sourced products in the rooms from blankets to toiletries and a member of the Sustainable Restaurant Association makes this hotel one of our favourites.
Read more: 5 Sustainable Travel Tips
2. Heckfield Place, Hampshire
The next on our list of hotels for eco-conscious travellers is Heckfield Place. It is located in a secluded corner of Hampshire and is a gentle Georgian home at the heart of 438 acres of a forever-evolving landscape. From the Upper and Lower Walled Gardens, an arboretum and sweeping pleasure grounds to the meandering River Whitewater and Upper and Lower Lakes, it’s a 45-room hotel that’s absolutely rooted in nature.
Centred on sustainability, Heckfield’s biomass centre powers water and central heating. An anaerobic digester that processes all recyclable waste provides compost for the garden.
The hotel harvests rainwater and uses LED lamps throughout all of the bedrooms and public areas. They are aiming to be free of all single-use plastic and moving away from using the material in any part of the running of the hotel, including bottling their own water.
The hotel has additionally used the incredible amount of land that it owns to create a biodynamic farm that works well in all seasons. Using a pared-back style of cooking, you will experience the excitement and immediacy of food served straight from the earth.
3. Atlantic View Lodges, Widemouth Bay
Atlantic View Lodges is nestled into the sloping landscape of the Cornish coastline. The lodges offer a peaceful and secluded setting with less than a minute’s stroll to the beach. The town of Bude is a short distance away and Padstow is only a 30-mile drive.
The six lodges at Atlantic View have been specifically designed to provide a relaxing and refreshing holiday during any season. Whether you love an early morning surf followed by breakfast on the balcony or prefer to curl with a mug of hot chocolate in front of the wood burner, Atlantic View lodges won’t disappoint.
The breathtaking views of the ocean, the long stretch of unspoilt coastline and the blend of contemporary design and renewable technology make these lodges the perfect getaway.
And they take environmental sustainability seriously. There’s no oil or gas on site. Renewable technologies such as solar panels create electricity and solar thermal heats the water. Air source heat pumps power the underfloor heating. What’s more, insulation has been achieved by the green roofs. They use local and sustainable wood for the log burners and environmentally friendly cleaning products ensure they continue to have a positive effect on the environment.
We love that they donate a percentage of their profits to ‘Surfers against Sewage’ to support the fight against marine litter, water quality and climate change.
4. The Scarlet Hotel, Cornwall
The Scarlet is a ‘grown-ups only’ hotel in Cornwall. An escape for adults and your chance to get away and recharge your batteries. You’ll discover a restorative, calm and warm atmosphere. Sustainability is not just something that they feel is right, it has become a way of life. They strive to redefine what luxury can be, a richness of experience without over-consumption.
In fact, The Scarlet has 111 ways in which they are sustainable. As you’d expect, there’s LED lights, organic towels and 100% recycled toilet roll. Pencils are made from recycled newspaper, dog treats and bath salts are made in Cornwall and taps have sensors to make sure that water isn’t wasted. What’s more, they upcycle towels, sarongs and throws to make eye pillow covers and scrub mitts.
Along with sustainability, luxury is embedded here with a clifftop hot tub, an outdoor pool that’s natural and reed filtered, an indoor pool with floor to ceiling windows connecting you to the outside, a spa with tented treatment rooms, relaxation rooms and all sorts of different spaces for you to relax and unwind.
5. Organig Parc, Carnguwch
The 5-star holiday cottages of Organig Parc is certainly one of those hotels for eco-conscious travellers which sit on the beautiful Llyn Peninsula in North Wales. In a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it lies in a superb elevated and secluded position ideally placed for exploring the spectacular mountains of Snowdonia.
Carnguwch farm is surrounded by natural beauty with its own mountainside spring. So it is only right that holiday cottages on the farm should be developed in such a way that would respect the environment.
At the luxury cottages, you’ll get organic cotton towels and sheets and environmentally-friendly. soap. The farm uses high-efficiency appliances and recycling facilities are provided for the collection of tins, paper, glass and appropriate food waste which is composted to make fertiliser for use on the farm. Even fallen trees from around the farm site are not wasted as they are cut into logs for the wood-burning stoves in the cottages.
There are four cottages, but it’s the award-winning Tre’r Ceiri Cottage with its unique combination of character, comfort and elegance that will delight those looking for an extra bit of luxury. Let the stress melt away in the unique, tucked-away beamed and marble en-suite with spa-whirlpool bath. Wake up in Snowdonia wool carpeted bedrooms furnished with original bedsteads. Relax on stylish leather designer chairs with a good book and a glass of wine in hand.
Book an Eco-Retreat Today
Now that you know some of the best eco-retreat destinations in the UK, you can plan your next adventure. Contact us with any questions that you may have about any of these destinations and more. We look forward to helping you fulfill all of your travel needs and ensure that you have a fun, relaxing, and eco-friendly journey.
