Pack your bags for 'green' escapade

THE buzz around eco travel has never been stronger but now you can combine sustainability with style, off-set your carbon footprint without sacrificing luxury, and enjoy a wilderness break without having to rough it.

Boutique hotel specialists Mr & Mrs Smith (www.mrandmrssmith.com) has come up with 10 green getaways from eco-smart designer dens to hotels with a heart. This list is not endorsed by Reuters:

1. Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa, Blue Mountains, Australia

Set in the Blue Mountains, less than three hours' drive from Sydney, the 40-suite Wolgan Valley Resort & Spa prides itself on being Australia's first conservation-based luxury resort, accredited by international group carboNZero.

2. Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

On southern Bali's rugged Bukit Peninsula, Alila Villas Uluwatu is a cool, contemporary clifftop resort which delivers panoramic Indian Ocean views from 61 minimalist white pool villas.

3. Masseria Torre Maizza, Puglia, Italy

The 16th-century Masseria Torre Maizza perched on the coast of Italy's shapely heel in Puglia is a 28-room boutique hotel where everything possible is recycled — including water for the golf course — and most of the food served at its restaurant Delle Palme is grown on site.

4. Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa, Chiang Rai, Thailand

The 77-room Anantara has magical views of the Mekong River, Myanmar and Laos, and funds an ethical elephant camp on its doorstep.

5. Hotel de la Paix, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Hotel de la Paix in Siem Reap, home to the famed Angkor Wat temple complex, has 107 rooms, a ground-floor courtyard set around a Boddhi tree, Khmer cuisine and dining swings at in-house restaurant Meric, and a must-visit spa.

6. Verana, Jalisco, Mexico

Off the beaten track with access only by boat then mule, Verana is a Yelapa boutique hotel on the shores of the Pacific.

7. The Farm at Cape Kidnappers, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

Combine a 6,000-acre working sheep and cattle farm with Pacific Ocean views, gourmet food, a golf course and a spa to produce the Farm at Cape Kidnappers on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island.

8. Bay of Fires Lodge & Walk, Bay of Fires, Australia

Designed by environmental architect Ken Latona, this 10-room Bay of Fires Lodge harnesses solar-powered lighting, composting toilets, hand-pumped showers and natural "air-conditioning".

9. Blancaneaux Lodge, Belize

As well as boasting the best Italian restaurant in the jungles of Belize, Blancaneaux Lodge, owned by film director Francis Ford Coppola, offers unprecedented luxury on a wild and remote hillside.

10. Ace Hotel New York, New York, United States

Ace Hotel New York is one for the creatives, with turntables in rooms and scrawlable chalkboard walls with sister hotels in Palm Springs and Portland. Reuters