Utopia doesn’t begin to describe Negril’s aptly named Rockhouse Hotel. Carved out of the side of a limestone cliff, each villa has a lush green garden on one side and deep blue Caribbean Sea on the other. Forget the Joneses – your nearest neighbours will be parrotfish and Nemos.
These stone-floor quarters have played host to some serious celebrities over the years, such as Bob Marley, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones to name but a few. And it’s not hard to see why: with its charmingly simple rooms and wildly beautiful views Rockhouse could almost have coined the term ‘barefoot luxury’.
Kick back in the spa, then order a coconut cream pie to your room (just because you can). More restless visitors can partake in painting classes, daily hatha yoga, African drumming lessons and tours of the property’s organic farm.
Best of all, you can indulge in everything this resort has to offer, safe in the knowledge that the local community comes first: the hotel’s foundation has invested almost US$4 million into nearby schools and libraries.
We’ve scoured the globe to find some of the most alluring eco-friendly properties; the hidden hotspots where you can rest your head safe in the knowledge that you’re treading lightly on foreign terrain, whether luxury or totally back to basics. From thatched tree houses in Nicaragua to a locally owned eco-lodge in the Solomons, here’s our top seven.
Forget sleeping upright in a shoe-box sized space. This meticulously detailed 1965 Boeing 727 has two bedrooms, two baths, a flat screen TV, a kitchenette, a dining area and an ocean view terrace with 360-degrees of surrounding tropical gardens. The plane, which once flew for South Africa Air and Avianca Airlines, now takes centre stage on a 50-foot pedestal in the national park of the Costa Verde Hotel. This could be the closest you’ll come to joining the mile high club.
A towel laid out on an icing sugar stretch of sand, the sweet juice of a tender green coconut, an aquamarine sea gently lapping the shore, fresh seafood on the menu every evening – Port Salut in Haiti’s south ticks the boxes of the perfect Caribbean holiday destination. But despite its picture postcard nature, there’s only a handful of other tourists in sight.
Recent years have seen tourism to Haiti flounder as a result of 2010’s devastating earthquake and a wave of political instability. But now the country has its sights firmly set on rebuilding the local tourism industry, with Port Salut a major focus. A major new all-inclusive resort just opened in the north – could the south be next? Either way, we’d strongly advise you get here sooner rather than later. With waterfalls, caves and historic ruins all within easy reach of the low-key hotels and guesthouses peppered around Port Salut, this tropical secret is bound to catch the attention of the world in the not too distant future.
Get the best of both worlds at Isleta El Espino. This off-grid island eco-lodge feels far from civilisation but is, in fact, just a 10-minute boat ride from the historic city of Granada. With only three boho-luxe rooms – two in thatched tree houses, the other in a bungalow – dotting the island, staying here is all about blissful exclusivity.
Wake to birdsong, welcome the day on the yoga deck with monkeys watching from the trees above, and keep your eyes peeled for the chef in the garden gathering mangoes for your breakfast. Once you’ve fuelled up, take your pick of adventures: head out with a local fisherman, go to the artisan markets in Masaya, or take a cocoa plantation tour on horseback. Or you could while away the day prostrate on a deck chair overlooking Lake Nicaragua and the dormant Mombacho volcano.
You’ll feel like you’re part of the family of chattering monkeys that live in the surrounding trees in this beautiful home perched over the jungle and facing the Pacific Ocean. Shortlisted for House of the Year by World Architecture News, the residence designed by local architect Benjamin Garcia Saxe is constructed in three individual sections, each linked by walkways. It’s made from teak and bamboo and utilises solar panelling and UV water systems to minimise the environmental impact. Three bedrooms sleep up to seven people, plus there’s a pool positioned below the house for soaking while the sun sets. There are some spectacular surf beaches just down the road too, and the town of Santa Teresa is a 10-minute drive away for when you need to restock your supplies.
It speaks volumes that on its FAQ website page the number one suggestion for what to bring to this resort is a good book. With private terraces perched over the water at each of Punta Caracol’s bungalows – there are just nine in all, each spread across two levels – there’s plenty of temptation to just sit and stare at the Caribbean Sea’s frolicking dolphins. You’re in one of the most environmentally pristine parts of Central America though, so grab a mask and flop off the balcony onto the reef. There is superb snorkelling all around here, as well as the chance to go on boat expeditions to local Indian communities, hikes in the rainforest and tours by motorised canoe to spot sloths and white-face monkeys.
Wellness and nature come together at Playa Viva. Set on 80 hectares of beachfront land, the resort has 12 beachfront eco-luxury rooms, from casitas to suites, but the Treehouse is our kind of adventure. This tubular bamboo structure, surrounded by palm trees, features a king bed, private bathroom and lounge area, and stares directly at the Pacific Ocean.
Salute the sun at a morning yoga class, devour organic meals, go horse riding along the beach, take a snorkelling or surfing excursion or get up close to nesting turtles at La Tortuga Viva, a protective sanctuary. There’s so much to explore, you might never want to leave.
Explore one of the most unique archipelagos in the world on a sailing tour through the Ecuadorian Galapagos. Board your vessel in Baltra and begin by learning about evolutionary discoveries on Santa Cruz Island, home to the Charles Darwin Research Centre. Wander flora-filled trails on Santa Fe Island, then cruise to North Seymour Island to see one of the largest sea lion colonies.
On Bartomelé Island, watch lava spew from Pinnacle Rock and ooze into Sullivan Bay, before jumping in for a snorkel with reef sharks and colourful fish. Glimpse pink flamingos, pin-tailed ducks and the endemic Floreana mockingbird while walking the emerald sands of Cormorant Point on Floreana Island, then ascend a four-million-year-old volcano to glimpse a 30,000-strong colony of albatross on Española Island. Finish your epic journey in San Cristobal, Darwin’s landing point in 1835.
Backed by palm trees on a white-sand beach, just metres from the crystal turquoise waters of the Caribbean, you will find the wondrously ramshackle Dune Preserve. A beach bar-slash-music-club, cobbled together with driftwood, sailboats, fishing skiffs and coconut trees. Founded by Anguilla’s legendary folk son, Bankie Banx, this laid-back venue on Rendezvous Bay is the perfect place to kick back and enjoy a meal as the ocean laps at the shore. Or why not pop in and try their signature drink ‘Duneshine’, a liquor made from fermented ginger?
Just about every night of the week you can enjoy live music from local acts, sometimes even from the king of Anguilla’s music scene Bankie Banx himself. The beach bar has also played permanent host to the annual Moonsplash festival since 1995, held during the full moon in either late February or early March. The Caribbean’s best music festival is connected to the cultural core of Anguilla, and woven into the national identity so tightly it’s nearly impossible to separate one from the other.
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