If you’re looking for a truly cultural experience, we've just added a new ecolodge in Morocco – the Roses Camp. Located at the heart of the South Atlas mountain range, the Roses Camp is a real escape into the Berber culture, set in the heart of Taberkhachte village gardens and surrounded by old earth Kasbahs. Its caïdal tents, traditionally used by ancient tribal leaders, have been adapted to modern needs. Run by local staff and a French supervisor, inhabitants will help you in discovering the richness of this region, the diversity of its nature and the hospitality of its people.

eco-chic Inn in Bangkok!

Today sees the addition of our first eco-friendly accommodation in Bangkok, Thailand, the boutique Old Bangkok Inn.

Situated on Rajadamnern Avenue in the heart of Bangkok’s old quarters, the hotel's entrance is at the starting line of Bangkok’s most historical thoroughfare.

Family run and operated, the property where the Old Bangkok Inn sits was originally a palace bestowed by King Chulalongkom (Rama V) and has been in the family's care for seven generations.

Furnished with Thai golden teak, each bedroom in this historic building has been individually restored to create its own special atmosphere, combining traditional elegance with modern amenities. The four guest rooms, four loft rooms and two suites (ten rooms in total) are named and decorated with Thai floral themes: Rice, Lemon Grass, Jasmine, Orchid, Rose and Lotus. Each room is individually and tastefully appointed with heirloom furniture and many are decorated with porcelain hand-painted by the inn's owner herself.

eco-lodge in Costa Rica and eco-friendly gites in France!

Today sees the addition of two new accommodations to the ecobookers site.

First up is the Danta Corcovado Lodge in Costa Rica. This ecolodge is a local family business that aspires to be a leader and set an example of ecological design, creativity, conservation and sustainability.
Located on the Osa Peninsula, 8km from the Los Patos section of the Corcovado National Park, the Lodge is also the closest place to the Guayami Indigenous Reserve.

With its warm and creative accommodation this lodge is sure to please all types of travellers and is an ideal location from which to explore the attractions of the area.

Next we have Artemis en Provence in Roussillon, France. This accommodation consists of 2 eco-friendly gites, offering a setting from which to explore many chapters of provencal heritage.

When you're not out exploring the area, there is a 12x5m pool for your enjoyment or you could sit out on your terrace for breakfast or drinks or read or snooze under the shade of 100-year old oak trees.

UK Aware and ecobookers in the press!

The end of the weekend saw the end of ecobookers first show - UK Aware.

After months of planning (and a bit of fear I have to admit!) we spent the weekend in London at the Barbican and had a great time meeting all sorts of eco-aware people visiting the show. We had some fantastic images of beautiful eco-friendly hotels and ecolodges on display which seemed to grab lots of people's imaginations.

All in all it was a great success, thanks in main to my wonderful team of volunteers spent the days getting the ecobookers message out there.

Coinciding with the show we also had a mention in the Guardian on Saturday morning - you can check it out here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/may/10/buenosaires.argentina

Now the show's over we'll be back to getting lots more eco-friendly hotels and lodges onto the site!

eco-friendly holiday cottage in Hungary

Today sees the first accommodation in Hungary to be featured on the ecobookers site.

Juniper Cottage, Tornaszentandrás, is located on the edge of the Aggtelek National Park in the hills of north-east Hungary.

This eco-friendly cottage is a traditional Hungarian country dwelling situated on the edge of the national park. The guesthouse is your very own place in the country, ideal for self-catering breaks with two bedrooms sleeping a maximum of six people.

This eco-friendly holiday cottage aims to have the smallest impact possible on the environment by using home-grown vegetables, organic products and alternative energy sources.

The park itself is a protected area of 20,000 hectares characterised by rolling hills of up to 600-metre altitudes, more than three-quarters of which are forested. It is renowned for its network of caves, which stretch over the border into Slovakia and give the surrounding landscape its diversity, with rolling hills, springs, sinkholes and broad valleys. There is an abundance of wildlife to discover here, from indigenous wildflowers to butterflies and bird life. In recent decades, small populations of wolf and lynx have re-emerged, yet remain rarer still than the region’s elusive wild boars.

For its unique topography and biodiversity, the area is both a Biosphere Reserve and a World Heritage Site.

Going eco in the USA!

Over 30 years ago, Bill Castle and his family began a project to build a log cabin. They now run Pollywogg Holler – a unique eco lodge set in 56,000 acres of New York State forest land in the USA. Here Bill tells us how it all began:

“Back in 1976 my wife and I, along with our three small children, embarked on a project to enter the forest with hand tools and build a log cabin. This was a weekend project and primarily a family project. We wanted to experience the true pioneer experience, at least on weekends. In no time at all we became very sympathetic with nature and started to strive to live in harmony with our new natural neighbours.

While travelling in Costa Rica back in 1987 we kept hearing about Eco-tourism. We started going to meetings and looking at what other people were doing. It was around this period that we decided that if they could run an eco lodge there, why couldn't we do it back in New York State.

As owners of an eco-resort we are all about Eco-Friendly. If you are running an Eco-Resort you are under the magnifying glass, so just being casual Eco friendly isn’t enough - you have to walk the walk and talk the talk. We have felt for a long time that we are setting the standards for Eco-Tourism and we will continue to improve on what we already have in place.

Since opening the Eco Lodge, we have had countless people come to Pollywogg Holler with the purpose of seeing how we do it. We have also consulted with many people who have been here and attempted to do their own thing, in various parts of the world.

If you’re looking to become more eco-friendly yourself, probably the best way is to start by camping. Then, when you are comfortable with this, try living in a tent in a wilderness setting for an extended period of time. I am a firm believer in research, what ever your interest is, research, research and research some more. Read about it every day, subscribe to back-to-the-land magazines and read up on every faze of living next to/with nature.”

Read more about this unique eco-friendly resort here!