Protecting the environment and tackling climate change are among the top priorities of our time. This is also reflected in many practices in the field of tourism and hospitality. The hotels presented below have been literally carved and sculpted from the materials of nature. Mud, straw, wood, carved rock and even ice and salt. If you are looking for an experience of staying really in nature, it is worth preferring them.
- Addrère Amellal, Shiva Oasis, Egypt
In the Sahara Desert you won’t find much more than sand, but it is precisely this that the eco-lodge Adrère Amellal takes advantage of. The hotel is about 15 minutes from the famous Shiva Oasis and seems to emerge from the desert. Which is somewhat true as its buildings are built of kershef, a mixture of dried mud, straw and rock salt when not carved into the slates on the slopes of a mountain.
During the day the walls absorb the heat while at night the temperature remains mild. It is not surprising that there is no electricity in the hotel. The 40 rooms and common areas are lit by torches, candles and of course starlight.
- Icehotel, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden
The ice is maintained every year from the Spring until construction of the hotel begins in November (the hotel opens in December). Guests here literally sleep on blocks of ice which are covered with mattresses and reindeer skins and there is also a full ice bar and an ice church.
Guests here literally sleep on blocks of ice which are covered with mattresses and reindeer skins and there is also a full ice bar and an ice church. Artists and designers ensure that the frozen accommodations are different every year.
- Kayakapi Premium Caves, Cappadocia, Turkey
Cappadocia in central Turkey is famous for its cave-dwellings and “fairy chimney” shaped rocks. Kayakapi Premium Caves spans an area of approximately 11,000 acres in a district built in the 18th and 19th centuries with hundreds of dwellings built in a tunnel-like form beneath the rocky hills.
The hotel itself has 23 rooms, some of them have built-in fireplaces, terraces, natural stone bathtubs and even private pools-caves. The furnishings are simple (think wooden furniture and carpets in bright colors) so the eye’s attention naturally focuses on the charm of the stone surroundings.
- Palacio de Sal, Potosí, Bolivia
The name of the hotel means “Palace of Salt” and the Bolivians mean that literally. The walls, ceilings, tables and chairs are all made entirely of millions of grains of compressed salt that has come from the famous dry lake Salar de Uyuni. From the top of the salt staircase in the hotel lobby you can enjoy the panoramic view of the huge salt flats that attract tourism to the area.
The trickery doesn’t stop here, as there is a salt water swimming pool, a golf course made of salt and of course the signature dish at the hotel restaurant is chicken with salt.
- Kagga Kamma, Cederberg, South Africa
Kagga Kamma is about 4 hours from Cape Town and is located deep in the Swartruggens region, in the Cederberg Mountains. It is a luxury refuge where you will have the opportunity to sleep in cave-suites that have been “excavated” from the sandstone rock formations. These prehistoric-looking units are en-suite, air-conditioned and offer panoramic views of the plains and mountains on the horizon.
Guests also have the option to sleep in huts that represent the dwellings of the San kai Khoi tribes 6,000 years ago or even one of the two outdoor suites inside the rock formations (weather permitting of course).
- Maya Boutique Hotel, Nax, Switzerland
In the Rhone Valley in the Swiss Alps is the Maya Boutique Hotel. Designed by architect Werner Schmidt it is the first European hotel made of straw. Yes, the frame is wooden, but inside the walls are stacks of straw bales pressed between plaster and soil which create the perfect natural insulation for the cold alpine temperatures.
The commitment to sustainable architecture extends to the outdoors. The balcony railings also function as solar panels. Each of the 7 rooms is dedicated to a type of wood (pine, oak, pear, larch, pine, elm and walnut) and the wooden furniture is handmade.
- Limni, Ammoudara, Agios Nikolaos
The Belgian Kristell Van Hove has been living in Crete for about 20 years and last summer she opened the Lake. A small guesthouse-complex which is 7 kilometers from Agios Nikolaos. In its two houses it can accommodate up to 6 people, all year round. Externally, it is not particularly different from other accommodations, but what differentiates it is that its owner built it according to the rules of natural construction, from wood and straw, and with a lot of personal effort and time.
The complex does not have wifi but it has electricity produced by a photovoltaic unit and a wind turbine, hot water thanks to solar energy and another point that differentiates it is the dry toilet. It uses sawdust and therefore saves water. While it is understood that leftovers and other residues from food are composted.
