Eco retreats
green peace
Big hotels usually have a yeti-size carbon footprint to match. Next time you want to get away without the guilt, head for one of these small yet beautiful eco-friendly hideaways
words by Suzy Bennett
Norway_Westerås
Wake up to one of the world’s most awesome sights: a bird’s-eye view of the deep blue waters of Geiranger fjord, which was recently added to UNESCO’s world heritage list. Westerås is an historic working farm surrounded by snow-covered mountain peaks and lushly forested slopes. It has been in the same family since 1603, but the new generation is diversifying into tourism and has built five self-catering wood cabins, each with a double room, bunk beds and a basic kitchenette. The owners say tourist cash could become crucial to sustaining a living in such a remote area. It is close to walking trails, old abandoned farms and Storseterfossen, a 30-metre high waterfall where you can stand behind the spray without getting wet. There are also trails to Løsta, with its superb view to the Geiranger fjord, and Vesteråsfjellet, an easy walk with stunning vistas of the village and the harbour. A cabin costs from £55 a night.
FLY TO Oslo
GETTING THERE
From Oslo, take the E18 and then the E16. The journey is about six-and-a-half hours
MORE INFORMATION
www.geiranger.no/westeras
+47 7026 3214
Wales_Eco Retreats
Spain_The Hoopoe Yurt Hotel If you can’t face a 9,000-mile roundtrip to outer Mongolia to experience life in a traditional yurt, head for the mountains of Grazalema in southern Spain, where you can stay in your very own luxury version. Set in three hectares of olive groves and cork oak forest, the fairground-pretty carousel tents come with dark wooden floorboards, sheepskin rugs, an en suite bathroom and exotic bedspreads. Each yurt comes with an acre of space, a feast for botanists and birdwatchers – a hoopoe, incidentally, is the black, white and pink bird indiginous to the region. The camp is eco to the core. All energy is provided by a state-ofthe- art solar installation, organic waste is composted and most of the food has been organically grown, flavoured with herbs fresh from the garden. Even the swimming pool is eco-friendly – the water comes from a local spring and is left unchlorinated. The owners are committed to environmental conservation and maintaining the natural beauty of the locale. There’s yoga, Reiki, massages and aromatherapy available in the local village and hill-walking and riding to the nearby Cuevo del Gato, where you can swim in mountain rock pools. A double yurt costs £80 per night.
FLY TO London Gatwick
GETTING THERE
Take junction 10a off the M6 to join the M54. Then follow the A5
MORE INFORMATION
+44 (0)1654 781 375
www.ecoretreats.co.uk
Spain_The Hoopoe Yurt Hotel
If you can’t face a 9,000-mile roundtrip to outer Mongolia to experience life in a traditional yurt, head for the mountains of Grazalema in southern Spain, where you can stay in your very own luxury version. Set in three hectares of olive groves and cork oak forest, the fairground-pretty carousel tents come with dark wooden floorboards, sheepskin rugs, an en suite bathroom and exotic bedspreads. Each yurt comes with an acre of space, a feast for botanists and birdwatchers – a hoopoe, incidentally, is the black, white and pink bird indiginous to the region. The camp is eco to the core. All energy is provided by a state-ofthe- art solar installation, organic waste is composted and most of the food has been organically grown, flavoured with herbs fresh from the garden. Even the swimming pool is eco-friendly – the water comes from a local spring and is left unchlorinated. The owners are committed to environmental conservation and maintaining the natural beauty of the locale. There’s yoga, Reiki, massages and aromatherapy available in the local village and hill-walking and riding to the nearby Cuevo del Gato, where you can swim in mountain rock pools. A double yurt costs £80 per night
FLY TO Málaga
GETTING THERE
A two-hour drive along the A7- E15 towards Algeciras or take the train from Ronda to Algeciras and get off at Cortes de la Frontera where the owners can pick you up
MORE INFORMATION
+34 9521 17055
www.yurthotel.com
Mallorca_Son Gener
With its understated chic, Son Gener proves that ecologically sound living and style are not incompatible. Refurbished by a Mallorcan architect, this 18th-century finca (farm) on the north-east of the island, between the villages of Arta and Son Servera, is decorated in cool caramels and creams and strewn with beautiful artworks, coffee-table books and contemporary cloth-wrapped lighting. Rooms have open-air bathrooms, Bvlgari cosmetics and private terraces with sun loungers. Detox in the hotel’s new spa or with a yoga lesson; retox in the private wine cellar. Dinner is cooked by a local lady and all the produce (apart from the fish) comes from the finca’s organic gardens. Charter boats and water-skiing can be arranged at the hotel. Golflovers will enjoy the four courses nearby; you can even hire clubs there. Beach bunnies, set your compass for Platja Es Ribell at Cala Torta or the bays of Alcudia and Pollença. Double rooms from ¤260 per night.
FLY TO Palma
GETTING THERE
Follow the MA-15 to Manacor, then take the MA-4030
MORE INFORMATION
+34 9711 83612
www.songener.com
Italy_Locanda della Valle Nuova
This small country house with views of the UNESCO World Heritage town of Urbino, some 12km north, lies in a 185-acre organically run farm surrounded by gentle hills and ancient oaks. Following a “tread lightly” policy, water is purified and heating is solar or from wood stoves supplied by prunings from the farm’s woods. Fruit and veg are grown organically; cattle, pigs and poultry are fed with 100% natural produce; breads, pastas and jams are home-made; and truffles come from the nearby woods in autumn. A modern conversion has given the place the feel of a discreet modern hotel, where perfectly turned sheets lie on perfectly crisp and clean beds. There is also a pool and stables. From ¤52 per person per night with a minimum stay of three nights. Two-night stays may possibly be accommodated. No children under the age of 12 are allowed.
FLY TO Bologna
GETTING THERE
A two-hour drive along the E-55
MORE INFORMATION
+39 0722 330 303
www.vallenuova.it
Crete_Milia Mountain Retreat
This stone house in the fold of the White Mountains was abandoned after a cholera outbreak, briefly sheltered resistance fighters in the Second World War, and then was rebuilt by two local lads in the 1980s. The guesthouses have been built from the foundations of the old village houses with local materials – chestnut wood and stone – keeping to the architecture characteristic of the area, and are furnished with restored furniture collected from the surrounding villages. Fourteen cottages now dot the shaded valley. All are pure rusticity: iron beds, wood-burning stoves (logs supplied), flagged floors, and tiny windows in crude walls. Bathrooms are basic, but the greatest luxuries – fine air, food and company – are in endless supply. Everything is designed to have a low impact on the environment, from candlelight, minimal use of electricity with solar panels and heating via stoves and fireplaces. As for the food, beautifully cooked dishes are made from produce cultivated organically on the farm year-round. Everything that can be is recycled, and Milia’s owners try to find alternative uses for everything else. All edible fruit and vegetables end up in the kitchen, while their remnants and other plants feed the animals, who in turn provide milk and cheese, meat, leather, wool and manure. Lessons in traditional Cretan cooking and wine-tasting sessions take place periodically, as well as seminars on local flora. Doubles from ¤60 per night.
FLY TO Crete Chania
GETTING THERE
Milia is about 60km from Chania along the National Road towards Elafonissi
MORE INFORMATION
+30 28210 46774, www.milia.gr
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