Top luxury eco resorts in Maldives
Joali Being Resort sustainable hotel
Joali Being eco resort, Maldives
Joali Being is a sustainable luxury eco resort in the Maldives, devoted to ensuring every action on and off the island is mindful of people and planet.
They divide their responsibility policies into four parts:
preserving
conserving
empowering
nurturing
Ecological resilience and biodiversity
Being an island in an area prone to rising sea levels, they fiercely promote ecological resilience. Their Reef Restoration Programme for example includes guests in coral planting activities to enhance biodiversity.
This sustainable eco hotel offers guests a chance to give back, with tree planting activities and marine biologist programs for kids to learn about the oceans.
Waste and recycling
Joali also ensure no garbage is littered on their island, organizing clean-ups and teaming up with the Olive Ridley Project to safeguard endangered sea turtles.
Sustainable procurement
Responsible sourcing here means locally caught fish, seafood, and organic produce from their own herb garden.
Everything from outside the island is ethically or locally sourced, along with buying in bulk to reduce packaging.
They also make sure to use eco-friendly disposable items and non-toxic laundry chemicals.
Joali house a glass water bottling plant to eliminate disposable items even more.
Any organic waste produced is put into either compost or recycling, with hazardous waste carefully managed.
They do rainwater harvesting and have a thoughtful laundry policy for water management.
Energy efficiency
As for energy conservation, as all the best eco resorts, Joali is completed fitted out with LED lights and smart controls, with a recent initiative to use solar energy, harnessing the sun's power to generate their own green energy onsite.
Local community
Outside of the resort, Joali promotes the well-being of local communities through education and providing resources for new classrooms for local school children.
They regularly host wellness day activities to educate island communities on adopting healthier lifestyles, donate to health services, and held an exhibition on healthy eating at a tourism expo.
Female empowerment as a greening hotels strategy
Having a female founder, one of the main goals for Joali is to empower women through education and vocational training.
They have funded programs to support women in tech in the Maldives, fabric waste recycling seamstresses, and several other local institutions.
Joali also brings women in art to celebrate their creations through live art sessions and exhibits. Guests can partake in workshops guided by local female artists and buy their art.
JOALI WELLBEING ECO RESORT SUMMARY
EarthCheck Silver Certified
Gender Equity
Supports local female artisans by bringing them in to conduct workshops and showcase their work
Leadership and Gender Diversity Program: Aligned with UN Women's gender equality campaign
Support/donate to local communities and institutions
Donated to fabric waste recycling to provide local women with jobs
Donated to a local Women in Tech program
Environment
Reef restoration program for surrounding reefs
Coral planting
Organize clean-ups on the island and on near uninhabited islands
Turtle conservation: track turtle populations on the island
Marine biologist program to team young visitors
Tree planting
Ethical Consumption
Responsible sourcing: locally caught seafood and organic produce from their own garden. Ethically sourced tea, coffee, and wood. Local produce and buy in bulk to reduce package waste.
Eco-friendly laundry chemicals and
Glass bottling plant and wastewater treatment system. Rainwater harvesting. Eco laundry policy (minimizes water)
Conserving energy usage with efficient LED lights and smart controls in the villas, solar energy, and the option to off-set carbon emissions
Food supports local farms
Composting and recycling; digital reading items
Wellness
Funded local school to build a new classroom
https://www.joali.com/joali-being/
Heritance Aarah
Heritance Aarah, Maldives - a leader in local eco resorts
Heritance Aarah is a trailblazer for sustainable wellbeing resorts in the Maldives, being the first of its kind to achieve a green building LEED Gold rating and being given a Stelliers and Travelife Standard award.
Many local eco resorts tend to use reclaimed land to expand on an existing island, which in turn makes their lives extremely difficult in pursuiing LEED certification, which insists on using existing land as a way to protect the local biodiversity.
That said, if such resorts can maintain (and prove) net biodiversity loss despite their land reclamation works, other green hotel standards such as EarthCheck will in fact accept them for certification.
Local community and cultural heritage
Heritance Aarah boast having an immersive Maldivian village museum, where guests can learn about local cultures and customs. They are also focused to educating guests, staff, and the local community on the importance of the hotel's sustainability initiatives.
Biodiversity and coral planting
A sustainable eco resort on a remote island is incomplete without a coral planting program it seems. Heritance Aarah started a campaign called 'Save the Lungs, Save the Ocean', involving guests to engage with this project by giving them a certificate, #TheTrueTraveller, through their involvement.
This ongoing effort has cultivated 12.9 square feet of an area with 79 live corals in 2022-2023.
Responsible sourcing of food and beverage
Responsible food is an integral part of keeping carbon emissions down. This eco resort ensures that fish is purchased from the local fishing community.
Much of their vegetables are picked right on their island, with 15+ types of vegetables growing in their vegetable garden.
In 2022-2023, they harvested 475 Kg worth of vegetables. And, of course, any food not grown on the island comes from local suppliers.
Anything not consumed goes through a wet garbage digester machine to convert it into eco-friendly fertilizer, keeping organic waste in the loop.
Other notable achievements as one of the best eco resorts:
• Using Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper in daily operations
• The collection and safe disposal of 115,200 cigarette buds (yikes! we hope it was a machine that counted them not the staff..!)
• Making the switch from plastic to paper straws, which saved 182,500 plastic straws from landfill
• Making the switch to biodegradable materials like bags, paper plates and cups, and glass water bottles
• The introduction of an organic herb and vegetable garden
HERITANCE AARAH ECO RESORT SUMMARY
LEED Gold
Travellife Standard
Stelliers
Energy
Energy-saving LED and Energy Star products
Solar energy lighting and Photocell system, timers on lights
Water
Towel reuse program
Water flow restrictors on tap and showers
Laundry - maximizing the load for laundry
Monitoring the water flow rate
All wastewater is recycled for gardening and W/C flushing systems.
Rainwater harvesting
Waste
In-house water bottle plant
Separate waste accordingly and recycle
Eco-friendly fertiliser
Compost from kitchen and plant waste
Social
Promote and educate tourists about local culture
Economical
Support the local economy by hiring locally
Biodiversity
Education on the importance of keeping the oceans clean
Coral planting
Managing hazardous substances
Record and dispose of hazardous items safely
Purchasing
Sustainable local purchases and environmentally friendly items (paper cups and plates, biodegradable bags, local fish)
https://www.heritancehotels.com/
Patina Resort Maldives
Patina eco lodge, Maldives
Patina Maldives, Fari Islands, is a resort that goes beyond offering just a luxurious stay, with a data-led approach to positively impacting communities and the environment.
The resort understands that education is vital to drive change and has taken a step to engage children in sustainable practices.
The resort's kids center, Footprints, offers a unique experience to children by allowing them to turn recycled ocean plastic into models using 3D printing and laser cutting technology.
At the dive center, marine enthusiasts, both guests and locals, can sign up for free diving lessons, raising awareness of the local ocean environment in the process.
Green energy in eco friendly hotels
To minimize its environmental impact, the resort's energy-intensive activities, recreation centers, and dive centers are 100% powered by offshore solar panels.
Patina is also looking to expand its renewable energy sources by bringing on a solar-powered transportation fleet and investing in Blue Carbon partnerships.
During the construction phase, the resort reduced its energy consumption by using sustainable practices such as prefabrication, locally sourced biodegradable and reusable materials, and FSC-certified timber from 100% transparent supply chains.
Supplying a green hotel restaurant
The resort's commitment to sustainability also extends to its cuisine, which focuses on a plant-based approach to promote sustainable food practices.
The culinary concept on the island is based on the 'root-to-leaf' principle to minimize waste. The resort has an on-island organic permaculture garden where guests can forage freely. This garden helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by keeping supplies local.
Off-island ingredients are accredited by the International Pole and Line Foundation to ensure they are sustainably sourced.
The resort also sources all drinking water on-island through Nordaq, an eco-friendly water bottling brand.
Patina Maldives utilizes ecoSpirits, a low-carbon and low-waste spirits distribution technology that significantly minimizes packaging and glass waste in the spirits supply chain.
Waste management at the best eco hotels
Patina Resort is also taking measures to tackle marine plastic pollution through regular beach clean-ups on-resort and on neighboring local islands.
For every guest stay, the resort repurposes 10kg of marine plastic, contributing to marine life conservation.
The resort has made donations to institutions like the Olive Ridley Project, which focuses on saving sea turtles, and foundations that aid Maldivian women impacted by climate change.
PATINA ECO RESORT SUMMARY
Zero-waste kitchens
Recycling marine plastic
Kids turn ocean plastic into models using 3D printing
Education programs to connect children with the ocean
Free diving lessons to kids and local kids
No Waste in the Supply Chain
100% solar-powered kids club, recreation, and dive centers
Local organic sourcing, sustainable plant-based cuisine
Donate to charities supporting Maldivian women and children and local communities impacted by global climate change
Coral propagation
Beach clean-ups
Olive Ridley Project: a charity that provides rehab to injured turtles. Donations and adopt a turtle
Advocate for a plant-based diet
Permaculture garden
Off-island ingredients are accredited by EarthCheck or the International Pole and Line Foundation
On-island bottling plant
ecoSPIRITS- low waste spirits distribution tech, eliminates 30g of carbon emissions per drink
Solar plant provides 50% of resorts energy needs by 2030
Construction: Energy consumption was reduced by an estimated 12% through using prefabricated materials locally sourced biodegradable and reusable materials; all timber is FSC certified from 100% transparent supply chains.
Global carbon sequestering programs: Blue carbon
Future plans: Blue carbon and solar-powered transportation fleet
Soneva Jani, Maldives
Soneva - a role model for eco resorts, eco hotels
Soneva is arguably now the leading luxury resort brand for sustainability, integrating the concept so deeply into their brand, mission, values and DNA that it becomes an integral part of their business, rather than one department dealing with it alongside marketing, sales, rooms division and so on.
The private island resort's efforts are focused on reducing its carbon footprint and ensuring that its presence has a positive impact on the surrounding environment and local community.
These may appear to be relatively pristine natural environments but hotels inevitably have an impact that needs to be mitigated in a conscious and determined way, from way before construction starts all the way through into the operational phase.
If you are looking to understand how to do this sustainable resort thing really, really well, look no further.
Energy efficiency at Soneva eco resorts
To address the challenges of climate change and its impact on the oceans, the Soneva Foundation set up one of the largest coral nurseries in the Maldives.
By using innovative technology, they have enabled the corals to grow at an astonishing 300% above their average speed. The goal is to propagate 50,000 coral fragments annually.
Biodiversity, charitable and environmental projects at Soneva
On land, the Soneva Foundation has been actively working with research foundations to reintroduce hornbills in Thailand to promote biodiversity.
The resort has also managed to reduce the mosquito population in its area of the Maldives by 98% without using harmful chemicals that destroy the ecosystem.
Instead, they have incorporated a combination of carbon dioxide and lactic acid in their approach to reduce mosquito populations.
Moreover, Soneva has planted over 500,000 trees in Thailand as part of reforestation projects.
Waste management and recycling at eco resorts
The resort's waste-to-wealth program is also one of the best eco friendly approaches we've come across.
Makers' Place is a fully carbon-neutral studio that recycles plastic and aluminum waste into works of art, practical objects, and sustainable materials for objects such as art, door handles, glassware, and wall tiles.
By recycling waste onsite, the resort eliminates the need for transportation to far-off recycling facilities and prevents damage to the natural environment.
They also produce their drinking water, ban branded bottled water, and filter their water, which they put in reusable glass bottles. Soneva educates nearby islands on how to phase out plastic to reduce waste too.
Sustainable sourcing policy as one of many sustainability initiatives
Sustainable sourcing is a crucial aspect of Soneva's operations. The resort purchases eco friendly products and fabrics from women artisans in rural communities, providing training and fair wages.
Sustainably caught fish is served, and it is cooked on the same day to avoid freezing and transportation. The villas are built with sustainable wood and fast-growing bamboo.
Social responsibility at a Soneva eco resort
Soneva is also committed to social responsibility and has donated fuel-efficient stoves to people in Myanmar and Darfur to reduce deforestation and indoor air pollution. Soneva is dedicated to recruiting more women to achieve a better gender balance in the host community.
SONEVA ECO RESORTS SUMMARY
2% environmental levy on stay that goes to a foundation to offset resort activities and flights
Coral propagation
Reduce mosquitos without pesticides
Forest restoration
Recycling: 82% of solid waste recycles at their waste hub
Anything that’s not recycled is reused into art, door handles, glass wear, wall tiles
compost
Equity, diversity, and inclusion; classes for business development
Biodiversity foundations: hornbills
Foundation for childhood malnutrition in Bangladesh
Donates to distribute stoves in Myanmar, thus reducing carbon emissions
Emphasis on plant-based food options
Onsite garden
Education for surrounding islands on how to phase out plastic
Bottle their own water, reducing single use plastic bottles
Work with water charities
On-site ayurvedic doctors
Teach locals to swim
Sustainable sourcing, wood bamboo fabrics
Six Senses Maldives
Six Senses eco hotels, luxury eco resort
Sustainability is at the core of Six Senses Resorts, recognized as a pioneer in its industry alongside Soneva nowadays.
The eco resort follows the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) approach, focusing on a balanced approach to planet, people, and profit to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come.
To protect the planet, Six Senses Resorts has implemented various initiatives such as:
Providing reef-safe sunscreen that is free from harsh chemicals that could harm human health
Avoided the use of 1.8 million plastic bottles by purifying, mineralizing, and bottling its own water
Successfully nurturing and planting coral fragments
Conducting beach cleanups to protect the diverse ecosystem on its lands
Restoring and protecting acres of habitat for endangered sea turtles and manta rays
Guest experiences connected to hotel sustainability initiatives
Guests can take part in workshops where they can bring sustainability skills back home.
Some activities include making compost, making chemical-free detergent, and extracting essential oils from herbs.
There are also opportunities to forage and farm at their on-site garden.
The resort is self-sufficient in terms of food, with its vegetable gardens, hens for eggs, compost for healthy soil, and even making its own artisanal chocolate.
They only use organic practices, ensuring the use of natural insecticides and fertilizers.
Six Senses Resorts goes beyond just the physical environment to include the well-being of the local community.
The resort hires and trains staff from the local community and in doing so, helps to create employment opportunities in the region.
They also support local schools and contribute to community development projects like increasing access to healthcare and clean drinking water.
Sticking true with its Zero Waste philosophy, the resort makes efforts to upcycle through practices like crushing glass to create ornaments or cheese cutting boards.
Used candles are also melted together to create new ones.
They are especially passionate about eliminating plastic, starting by banning straws, bags, and all inventory of single-use plastic.
SUMMARY
Mission Blue Hope Spot
Created a protected nest area for endangered green sea turtles and manta rays
Protected 115,00 sq m of seagrass meadows, allowing for the ecosystem to thrive
Education for marine and biodiversity conservation
Maldives Underwater Initiative works with the Olive Ridley Project
Collecting data on ghost gear
Work to ensure all fish served to use sustainable fishing practices support fishermen so they may afford better and more sustainable gear
Coral spawning
Donated water purifiers to the local community
Encourage suppliers to reduce packaging when delivering supplies, order in bulk, and ban single-use plastic
Recycle and compost
Makes its own chocolate
Microgreens, mushrooms, and veggies grown on the island
Coral safe sunscreen