5 of the finest eco-hotels in Asia

5 of the finest eco-hotels in Asia

Is eco the next luxury? These five fantastic hotels certainly seem to think so.

BATU BATU

Chances are you will have already heard of the Malaysia paradise that is Batu Batu. Just a short car journey and subsequent boat trip away from Singapore lies the glorious beaches and passionately put together resort of Batu Batu.

A small but perfectly formed 22 villa private island, each villa has been designed with the ultimate in style and sustainability in mind. Not only does the resort use recyclable materials wherever they can, but they are committed to reducing their footprint on the small island they call home.

Passionate about collecting and reducing plastic, the onsite marine specialists are also committed to helping the local turtle population by helping them to breed on the island, keeping them safe until hatching, and then carefully and considerably releasing them into the sea - encouraging guests to help wherever possible.

ALILA HOTELS & RESORTS

When it comes to putting the environment first, the whole Alila group is committed to reducing our ecological footprint.

Having been advocates for sustainable tourism since 2002, each individual hotel has their own initiatives such as beach cleaning, organic gardens, helping the local community, implementing bamboo straws or planting trees to help guarantee a better environment for future generations.

AMANPULO

Imagine this, a perfectly secluded private island surrounded by 6.5 km of pristine white sand, solely accessible by private propeller plane and ringed by a pristine coral reef. Well that's exactly what Amanpulo, known as the peaceful island, is.

The so-called jewel in the Philippines crown, the island has taken an active interest in the lives and workings of the locals from the neighbouring village of Manamoc. With 85 per cent of their staff sourced from the island, the hotel has managed to foster community learning programmes, scholarship funds and educational and medical support to the Manamoc villagers - helping to improve their environment in many, and unique, ways.

NIHI SUMBA ISLAND

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Responsible luxury is the name of the game for Nihi Sumba. Taking an eco-friendly approach, the concept of sustainability runs through everything they do, from the restaurants produce being grown in the resort's organic garden, water recycling and compost system to the community outreach programme.

The aim at The Sumba Foundation is to reduce the level of poverty on the island of Sumba. The resort works on this by providing local health care, establishing access to clean water, providing education for the village and also helping to tackle the issue of Malaria on the island. The foundation is unique in many ways, but one of the most surprising and unique facts about it is that thanks to the owner of Nihi Sumba, Chris Burch, all admin costs of the foundation are absorbed, allowing 100 per cent of donations to go directly to the projects.

SHINTA MANI

Not only is Shinta Mani one of Cambodia's most luxurious resorts, but they are also hugely committed to helping the local community in as many ways as possible, thanks to their very own, Shinta Mani Foundation. The foundation seeks to help the local villagers overcome the constraints of poverty by providing them with healthcare, education and information.

This article was first published in BLLNR

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