Eco friendly Surf Resorts

Imagine you have just landed on a tropical island fringed with white, sandy beaches and pristine coral reef. You're waking up to the sound of waves lapping on to shores and head over to the cafe to enjoy a morning meal prepared with the freshest of ingredients.

Everything is impeccably clean and well taken care of. Everything is catered to a more sustainable experience while away from home.

Responsible travel isn't just for backpackers roughing it with a tent under the stars. It has never been easier to treat yourself to an unforgettable holiday with all the amenities and conveniences you can think of without having a huge (negative) impact on the environment.

These green stays are not only the real deal, but they are also making a difference by making the environment a central part of the experience.

This page features some of the most innovative and progressive eco-resorts meeting our strict sustainability guidelines, pioneering a vast array of eco-friendly initiatives to protect the environment and empower local communities.

Six Senses LaamuMaldives

Six Senses Laamu is a stunning sustainable retreat set deep in the Indian Ocean. A place where barefoot luxury meets sustainability a comfortable 35-minute domestic flight from Male.

Giving back to the community and the emphasis on sustainability can be seen throughout the resort. Some Veggies come straight out of the home-owned garden, and other products are locally fished or farmed.

Six Senses Laamu commits to reducing the environmental impact and carbon footprint from activities associated with the resort.

  • Promotes education & awareness of the marine environment
  • Reef restoration and protection programs
  • Sea turtle conservation program
  • Organic farming & ecological sourcing
  • Usage of desalination plants to produce their own drinking water
  • Promotes to be plastic-free by 2022
  • Composting

Six SensesFiji

Same perks, same sustainability efforts - different location. Six Senses Fiji is total beachfront, barefoot luxury on the beautiful Malolo Island.

No wish will be left unattended. Rest your soul and enjoy a movie under the stars or indulge in a dream-like dining experience that includes only the freshest locally sourced and farmed ingredients.

Just like Six Senses, Maldives, the resort commits to reducing the environmental impact and carbon footprint from activities associated with the resort.

  • Commitment to employing locally
  • 100% solar powered
  • Rainwater conservation
  • Production of high-quality drinking water in a reverse osmosis plant
  • Iguana conservation
  • Promotes to be plastic-free by 2022
  • Sustainable ethics in architecture, food, and maintenance

Areias do SeixoPortugal

If a surf trip to Europe is high on your cards and you care about the environment, you can't go wrong by staying at Areias do Seixo.

The chic boutique hotel is located an hour outside Lisbon and is surrounded by some of Portugal's best waves. Sustainability is at the center of the hotel's daily bread and butter, which guests are encouraged to take part in.

Everything the Areias do Seixo does, from harvesting their own produce from the hotel's garden to waste management, is to reduce its ecological footprint wherever possible.

  • Geothermal powered air conditioning
  • Solar power
  • Energy efficiency through 36 photovoltaic pannels
  • Water management
  • Waste management & composting
  • Organic garden/farming
  • Reuse and recycling of materials

Noah Surf HousePortugal

What began as a restaurant, beach house, and surf school back in 2015, has turned into a laid back surf retreat in the heart of Santa Cruz focusing on sustainability.

Apart from an infinity pool that's heated by the sun, the resort's bungalows are built on pillars for little impact on the terrain and feature sand and local vegetation-covered roofs.

None of the rooms feature air conditioning. Instead, the rooms are cooled down the coastal breeze in the summer, while an aerothermal system heats the floors in winter.

Surf Noah also boasts an impressive garden and a chicken coup that provides most of the products needed to wrap up all those yummy meals.

From the structure of the building to the food they serve; sustainability is Noah Surf House's daily bread and butter as a thank you to Mother Nature for the great waves she blesses Portugal's stunning coast with.

  • Solar panels that generate 70% of the water heating needs
  • Heat pumps with high energetic efficiency, used for radiant pavement
  • Rainwater harvesting system that redirects water to a well, to be used in toilet flushing, garden watering and washing
  • Flow reducers that guarantee 4-6 l/min in every water tap and 6-8 l/min in every shower
  • Recycling & upcycling
  • Waste management
  • Usage of cork as a thermic insulation
  • Abolishment of single-use plastic

Florblanca ResortCosta Rica

Florblanca is a "once-in-a-lifetime" beachfront resort nestled in 3ha/7acres of jungle. It's literally paradise on earth, surrounded by palm trees, almond trees, frangipani flower, and the turquoise Pacific Ocean, making its environment part of the experience.

Florblanca is one of the only Latin American resorts that are an accredited Sustainable Tourism Partner.

Florblanca is ideal for the adventurous surf traveler or romantic couples that want to combine premium service, world-class waves with eco-conscious living.

  • All fertilizers and plague control in gardens and villas are organic and biodegradable
  • Recycling Program and private waste management business
  • All organic wastes are used in the production of compost, which is in turn used to enrich the soil of the gardens
  • Biodegradable Packaging
  • UV lamps were installed to purify the water at Florblanca. With this system, all taps (including sinks and showers) have clean drinking water
  • An irrigation system allows it to reuse the treated water in the gardens
  • Solar heaters in Laundry Room and Kitchen

Los Cardones Surf LodgeNicaragua

Simple, rugged, but beautiful eco-lodge that really focuses on eco-friendly and mindful living.

The beautifully designed total beachfront wooden bungalows are any surfer's dream who doesn't mind a more simple but any less charming experience. The lodge puts great emphasis on hospitality for its guests and excellent care of the environment.

It's one of the only resorts that are 100% solar-powered, and the team at Los Cardones has a sophisticated recycling system in place that recycles pretty much anything, from greywater to plastic. The resort also uses natural gas to cook and refrigerate the yummy meals they prepare daily.

  • Community development & learning programs
  • 100% solar powered
  • Reforestation & conservation projects
  • Low impact construction using local, permitted timber and renewable materials
  • Beach cleanups
  • Own well & manually pumped for pure groundwater
  • Compost toilets

Soneva FushiMaldives

If sustainability is high up on your travel list, then you came to the right address. With a holistic approach to design that embraces nature and conserves resources, Sonevafushi is part of a very exclusive club that embraces sustainability while providing everything your heart desires for one of the most luxurious travel experiences found in the Maldives.

Convinced that luxury shouldn’t be about gold plaques and marble floors, Sonevafushi instead proves that elevated travel experiences can be “au naturel” with some of the most beautiful natural designs you’ll ever see.

Everything found on the Island is part of the resort’s “from waste to wealth” philosophy, already recycling over 90% of its produced waste.

  • Plastic free by 2022
  • Production of their own drinking water on the island
  • From Waste to Wealth philosophy - turning solid waste into art, decor and furniture
  • Carbon levy to offset direct and indirect carbon emissions
  • Sustainable surf program
  • Reforestation project
  • Community outreach and development

Nihiwatu SumbaIndonesia

Nihi Sumba is a prime example of where tourism is headed. Sustainable experiences focused on luxury. Here, luxury and wildlife coexist in infinite possibilities, ranging from pristine private beaches, breathtaking sceneries to community outreach programs to provide guests with a chance to immerse in the rich local culture.

Nihi Sumba and its Sumba Foundation prove that elevated travel experiences can go hand in hand with ideals that create a complete and rewarding experience that’s in balance with nature without the heavy carbon footprint.

The real golden nugget however is the resort’s foundation that goes beyond the environmental focus. The Sumba foundation invests in culture and humanitarian projects aimed at reducing poverty on the island, and at the same time, maintaining the rich cultural heritage of the Sumbanese people.

  • Making a serious effort to preserve local culture
  • Philanthropic business model
  • Nihi Sumba runs entirely on bio fuel
  • Home owned produce from its organic garden
  • Almost entirely preserved from urban development
  • Clever composting and water-recycling system
  • Community outreach and development

Kandui VillasIndonesia

If world-class waves and luxury living is your thing, then you came to the right place. The resort is located directly in front of Kandui Left & Baby Kandui and features 12 eco-friendly villa - style UMAS.

Kandui Villas tempts with a massive organic greenhouse and organic fruits and veg farm providing guests with all the goodies they need after a successful day in the water.

Aiming to be 100% solar powered in the future, Kandui villa has an elaborate recycling system and a few cattles that provide the “grit” for the home grown produce.

  • Eco-friendly architecture
  • Sustainable farm to plate philosophy
  • Natural fertilization and
  • Providing employment for the region

Surfers Lodge PenichePortugal

One word. Epic! Peniche surf lodge is not a resort. It’s a home, perfect for families that have fun waves and responsible living high up on their to-do lists!

The hotel follows strict Environmental Policies, based on the Eco Hotel management system, in an effort to minimize its environmental footprint.

Looking to contribute towards a sustainable development, Surf Lodge Portugal, engages in updated measures, maximizing comprehensive use of natural resources, and the protection of the surrounding environment.

A place where everything has its purpose, Peniche Surf Lodge waives the Flag for the entire region as the world’s first sustainable surf destination.

  • Efficient waste management
  • State of the art water consumption measures
  • Big on energy efficiency

A more sustainable business, one tree at a time

We teamed up with the folks at Eden Project to do our part in protecting the environment. We are thrilled to be a part of their global restoration network creating livelihoods in Indonesia and empowering them to restore and protect mangrove forests. We’re trying to do our part. Are you trying to do yours?

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