Lonely Planet Highlights Copal Tree Lodge – as a top eco-luxury resort worth the hype.
Responsible travel isn’t just for backpackers pitching a tent in remote locales. With the uptick of quality lodging at the intersection of environmental and social sustainability, it’s easier than ever to stay in eco-conscious luxury resorts around the globe without sacrificing comfortable amenities.
Eco- luxury resorts in Indonesia, Costa Rica, Papua New Guinea and Belize make the list! These green stays are worth the hype and they’re truly making a difference; these are the best resorts in the world that are offering luxury for guests as well as the environment.
Copal Tree Lodge, Punta Gorda, Belize
Surrounded by 22,000 acres of preserved rainforest in the Maa Mountains is Copal Tree Lodge and its 3,000-acre USDA-certified organic farm – the first of its kind in Belize. 70% of the food served at the Copal Tree’s open-air restaurant is produced on the farm while other ingredients, such as line-caught fish, are sourced from local purveyors. The resort offers guests hands-on learning about organic chocolate and sustainable farming.
The on-site Copalli Rum distillery produces estate rum made from organic sugar cane, canopy water and yeast from the farm. Sustainable regenerative biomass power the stills, supporting the full-circle conversion of waste and allowing the distillery to minimize its negative environmental impact. Excess water is used for liquid fertilizer on the farm.
To help guests reduce waste, the resort provides aluminum water bottles and containers of potable water in guest rooms and throughout the property. Biodegradable garbage bags, takeaway containers and straws are used throughout. Guest rooms are adorned with sustainably harvested wood furniture handcrafted in-house from trees that fell naturally in the wild and the eco-lodge plants thousands of trees annually through its agroforestry program.
