Asia's Top 10 Sustainable Spas

Eco-anything may be in vogue now but spas have been going green for years now. There is a great deal of natural wealth in Asia and the spas here have been taking advantage of this, as you will discover in this list

Alila Villas Hadahaa, Maldives

Alila Villas Hadahaa, Maldives

Alila Villas Hadahaa opened in the Maldives in August 2009 to much global acclaim for its commitment to leave the tiniest environmental footprint possible. As the first boutique luxury resort in the Southern Atolls and with vibrant coral reefs littered all around, the resort is perched in a truly pristine part of the world. As such, every aspect of the resort (which hosts the ultimate Mandara Spa) is designed along environmentally sustainable lines following international Green Globe certification standards. The stylish result is proof that sustainability needn't discount luxury. The resort also invites guests to give back to the community, and has initiated three programs for guests to donate to, such as helping to re-introduce Maldivian traditional crafts into primary schools and sparking new community farming projects.

www.alilahotels.com/hadahaa

Gayana Eco Resort, Malaysia

Gayana Eco Resort's 44 private luxury villas are perched over a pristine coral reef hugging a lush rainforest off the coast of Borneo. Fortunately, the resort doesn't take its supreme setting for granted. Its commitment to the local ecology is pretty self-explanatory: the resort has its own on-site Marine Research Center. Need we say more? And the research center is not just for scientists so you're welcome to visit and see colorful, rare and exotic sea life up close. In between your spa treatments and jungle trekking adventures, visit the centre for the chance to stroke a starfish in one of the 'touch' tanks or sign up to the reef regeneration program where you can replant a piece of replenished coral back into the reef before your holiday's end. The center proudly runs a giant clam restocking programme to help reproduction. They have seven of the world's eight giant clams on show!

www.gayana-eco-resort.com

Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa, North Queensland, Australia

To be cocooned in one of the world's oldest rainforests (135 million years old at last count), visit the Daintree National Park in Australia's tropical North Queensland. Just 90 minutes north of the Cairns International Airport you'll find the Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa, a luxury escape that won a prestigious place on Tatler UK Magazine's 101 Best Spas of the World list for 2009. With only 15 secluded villas tucked among the trees, the resort is all about ensuring low impact on the environment while delivering big time pampering to visitors. The Daintree National Park is a World Heritage site and the resort draws inspiration from the surrounding area for its sustainable spa treatments – think pristine rainforest water combined with native certified organic fruit, flower, nuts and seeds for powerful healing results. Join a local Aboriginal Elder for a guided tour through the forest to visit special sites with healing powers and ancient cultural value.

www.daintree-ecolodge.com.au

Soneva Kiri, Thailand

Soneva Kiri embarked on an eco experiment to respond to the question: Can luxury accommodation equal zero carbon emissions? Their answer is Yes and the Eco Villa proves it. The Eco Villa is a self-sustaining uber luxury suite built from stone, mud and timber sourced from Soneva Kiri's property on the remote Thai Island of Koh Kood, off the south-east coast of the Gulf of Siam. When you stay in the private eco suite you can enjoy a guilt-free holiday, knowing that while you slink around the resort and Six Senses Spa, your villa is harvesting rainwater in tanks and capturing sunlight to fuel the solar power lighting. The Eco Villa's private swimming pool even has a job to do: the resident plants help self-clean the water. And as you get about on foot or in your electric buggy you needn't worry about leaving so much as a puff of smoke in your wake. A state-of-the-art observatory and an outdoor cinema – Cinema Paradiso – lure you outdoors at night for the ultimate zero carbon emitting leisure activity: stargazing.

www.sixsenses.com/soneva-kiri

Heritance Kandalama, Sri Lanka

Heritance Kandalama is celebrated for its green philosophy and is widely recognised as the five-star resort that put eco tourism on the map in Sri Lanka. Considering the resort and adjoining Six Senses Spa is perched on a rock overlooking a world heritage site – the rock fortress of Sigiriya – it's no wonder sustainability is its foremost responsibility. Its ecofeatures cleverly let the environment do most of the work, so by day not a single light needs to be flicked on in the resort; instead natural sunlight floods through windows and doors. The hot water system relies on the sun for its power and rainwater is drawn from deep wells. State-of-the-art recycling facilities ensure not a skerrick of pollution escapes into the ancient lake and virgin rainforest surrounding the resort. To witness the area's pristine beauty, join a bird and butterfly watching tour or lake safari.

www.heritancehotels.com/kandalama