IDEAL GETAWAY
Go green with these four eco-friendly properties that offer a luxe stay in the essence of nature and are committed to environment conservation
Eco-friendly international resorts
Standing proud in the midst of native trees, tall grasses, birds and butterflies, Hix Island House offers best of luxury, serenity and nature. Innovative and spacious, 19 loft apartments offer matchless views of the Caribbean and palm lined beaches. Open terraces and outdoor showers take you through an ecstatic conversation with nature. The rooms are designed to pamper the guests with beautiful linens and robes from Frette and exclusive Neeva Gayle’s cotton shirts. As far as your taste buds are concerned, you will open your kitchen door to cereals, juices, Puerto Rican coffee, tea, milk, fruits, and homemade bread. At Hix Island House, the outdoors become indoors with your days lit with ample sunlight and your nights filled with a starry sky and blooming jasmine fragrance. The properties feature solar panels to produce electricity and the water is heated in the sun. The grey water collected from showers and basins is used for trees and plants around. This approach has earned Hix Island House the first Sustainable Tourism Facility certification from Puerto Rico Tourism.
Overlooking the peaceful water of Savusavu Bay and located on 17 acres of a former coconut plantation on the island of Vanua Levu, Jean-Michel Cousteau resort takes you to an exclusive tropical escape. Showcasing azure water, white sand beaches and pristine mountain scenery, this eco-luxury property ensures a naturally enriching and comforting stay. Reminiscing an authentic Fijian village, the resort offers to accommodate its guests in traditional Fijian bures (wood and straw huts) with high temple ceilings. Features like sustainable timber and thatching, and low tropical gardens minimise the absorption of tropical heat and allows gentle breezes in. The zero use of glass throughout the property has been replaced by bamboo screening and wall-to-wall timber louvered screened windows. The resort maintains an organic garden that provides more than 20 per cent of the fruit, vegetables and herbs; reducing the amount of food that needs to be transported to the resort and to the island. The property promises to imprint your mind with unforgettable experiences.
Atrue extension of natural environment, Marataba Safari Lodge welcomes the guests with five eco-suite and ten tented camps that are located within the Marakele National Park, Marataba, and is three and half hours drive from Johannesburg. Each of the luxurious eco-suites boasts of a king size bed, a private shaded viewing deck, a fireplace and an en-suite bathroom with rain shower. Showcasing a contemporary and tasteful decor, the suites will offer a relaxed and soulful stay. Commence your morning with a bush walk followed by breakfast and spend your afternoon on a cruise sailing on the Matlabas river relishing canapes. The nights are inky dark and let you fall asleep with the sound of animals all around. Ensuring a quality stay, the patently magnificent property will push you to visit again!
Marataba Safari Lodge, Marakele National Park
Adream come true for Luca Belpietro and his wife Antonella, it all started with Luca’s childhood desire to spend the rest of his life in Africa. The couple’s dedication towards the land and its wildlife heritage took shape into Campi Ya Kenzi, which means ‘The Camp of the Hidden Treasure’. This boutique eco-lodge is the only safari lodge on a Maasai owned reserve spanning 2,83,000 acres of wilderness and also managed by the community people. The Maasai Mara has rooms for 5,000 tourists, while Campi ya Kanzi hosts 16 guests at a time. The entire camp has been planned and built with the goal of having the lowest impact on the environment. Most of the lodge has been built by community people with local building materials like lava rocks, thatch and lumber from a reforestation program. All water needs are covered through rain cropping; the black and grey waters are purified through natural filtration and recycled into a pond for wildlife. Interestingly, the kitchen at Campi Ya Kenzi tastes Italian, but the hosting boasts Kenyan grace. The ideal blend of luxury and natural living will surely make your visit ‘perfetto’.
Campi Ya Kanzi, Kenya