Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Eco Eco Everywhere


Kermit sang that it wasn't easy being green, but boy is the media is out to prove him wrong.

We hadn't intended that today would all about eco, but we're finding ourselves bombarded with terms like "eco" and "green" everywhere we look. A recent visit to the newsstand showed several magazines with one of those terms on the cover, and we're not talking the usual suspects like Real Simple or Dwell, but reads like Town & Country, and Robb Report Vacation Homes. Green is definitely "in".

In the field of travel, the eco-friendly thing isn't exactly new, but now it's gone luxury too. Which is great, because it feels so brazenly wrong to be all Seventh Generation and Caldrea in your house, only to have housekeeping throw away a twice-used bar of soap when you're on vacation. On the other hand, in the past we weren't so keen on what was perceived as "eco-friendly" in the tourism realm: visions of rustic ill-lit cabins with hard bunks, no amenities, bad food and activities that all ran to "hiking" made us cringe. The only question was, would we die of sheer boredom or would the kids kill us first? We'll admit: when forced to pick, we've gone lux every time.

Thankfully, more and more options are cropping up, that are allowing us to have our cake and eat it too. Over at Forbestraveler.com, editors have identified the top 10 green hotels in America. Our previous post also noted an eco-friendly resort opening in Antigua. If you have any picks of your own, let us know about them...

Eco-Friendly Luxury in Antigua


Rendering of The Verandah of Elite Island Resorts


Elite Island Resorts will be opening their latest resort, The Verandah, in June of 2007. The eco-friendly and family-friendly luxury resort covers 30 acres, and will boast 200 rooms. With the smallest at 700 square feet, rooms will accommodate 4 people and will king-sized bed, pullout sofa bed, both tubs and showers and kitchenette facilities. Ah - room to spread out...

Stay tuned for more information on the specifics of the eco-friendly aspects of the resort. We do know that it's located adjacent to a National Park, and the beachfront resort will include nature trails as well a reef-protected bay that is perfect for swimming.

Promotion: Book by July 31st for stays through December 20th and get one night free for each paid night. All-Inclusive Rates are $485 for a bayview double and $525 for an oceanview double. Children 2-11 are an additional $60 a night, with children under 2 staying free of charge.

Elite Island Resorts
800-858-4618