We've carefully selected a range of hotels to suit all travellers and most budgets. Located in some of the most beautiful and unusual corners of the world, these hotels are unique, filled with character and they all practice responsible tourism.

We have thoroughly researched all of our hotels and we rate each one according to three main criteria: environmental footprint, community connection and architectural conservation. Some hotels will score well on all three while others might excel in one particular field.

We've included a selection of city hotels for you as well. Although these might not rate as highly as some of our other accommodation options, we think it's important to encourage eco and sustainable initiatives in major cities. We also think that you should be able to 'go green' even when travelling on business.

Every hotel is given a mark out of five and each one of our reviews details the strengths and weaknesses of the hotel. This way, you can make an informed decision about where you choose to stay.

We consider factors such as type and amount of energy usage, recycling policies, the use of local products and labour, and all-round carbon emissions when assessing hotels. Paperbark Camp, a luxury tented eco-camp in New South Wales, Australia, is an excellent example of eco-friendly accommodation. The landscape was carefully cleared by hand so as not to disturb the natural environment, all toilet waste and waste water is pumped off the site and lighting for the tents is provided by individual solar panels on each tent.

A hotel such as Chalalan Ecolodge in Bolivia, South America scores highly here. The lodge and the land it's built on are owned and operated by the indigenous Quechua-Tacana people. Employment is rotated among community members, who receive health and education support through the lodge and a share of the profits reverts to all of the families in the community.

We support architectural conservation and we like to acknowledge tourism entrepreneurs who restore buildings of architectural importance or significance for locals and visitors to enjoy. A number of our hotels are UNESCO listed, such as the Shigar Fort in Pakistan which has been brought back to life following an intensive six-year restoration process. Others, such as the 16th century Palazzo Magnani in Florence, Italy, have been carefully renovated with the support of Italy's heritage authority.

Holidays

Sometimes you know where you want to go you just don't know what to do when you get there. Have a look at our holiday section and be inspired. We've come up with a range of ideas on how to get the most out of a place. Experiencing Italy's less-travelled southern gems by train or indulging in ‘Riad-hopping’ in Morocco are just two examples.

Transport

When travelling, the journey is often part of the adventure. Unfortunately, however, the journey can do untold damage to our environment. This is particularly true with air travel which, while cheap and easy, is also one of the most polluting forms of transport around.

What we want to do is provide you with travel options, ideas and facts. Although there are some places which are nearly impossible to get to without flying, other destinations can be reached by alternative transport. And if you're travelling internally, we think you can often get a lot more out of a country if you choose rail over air travel.

We have a range of options that we believe will help you decide how you want to travel. We can purchase rail tickets, hire hybrid cars and book flights pretty much anywhere in the world; it's just up to you to decide where you want to go and how you want to get there.

Carbon Offsetting

We run a carbon offsetting scheme where you can offset the carbon emissions produced from your trip whether that be a flight between London and Barcelona or a train journey from Moscow to Ulan Bator. Unlike most other carbon-offset companies who decide how to spend your money, we let you decide which project you would like your hard-earned cash to go to. We support a number of projects - all of which are UN or Kyoto certified - that work in the areas of renewable energy, energy reduction and forestry. Most importantly, we don’t make any profit from offsetting your trips – so all your money goes to the right place.