Guilt-free getaway

Feb 8 2008 By Gabrielle Fagan

Eco-friendly resort shows off Thailand at its best

There are some things you definitely don't need on holiday: An email from the office asking you to return urgently, a tummy bug or bad weather, particularly if you have children.

But one peculiarly modern ailment is increasingly difficult to dodge - eco guilt, as in, "Am I wrecking the place for the locals who actually live here?"

Our preoccupation with the planet and all things green means that if you're aware of conservation at home you can ruin your eco 'street cred' by leaving a huge carbon footprint in your holiday wake.

Thankfully, there's no need to restrict yourself and your family to a self-catering tent or caravan holiday on windswept UK beaches. A green wind of change is blowing through the world of luxury travel. It's now possible to find resorts which are an innovative fusion of eco-sensitivity and comfort, where you can relax, confident your impact on the environment is minimal.

Plenty awaits travellers to Thailand, now fully recovered from the 2004 tsunami and boasting new environmentally friendly destinations. One new eco-resort is on a tiny, unspoilt west coast island called Yao Noi - it's English name means 'little island'.

At its heart, the new Six Senses Hideaway (formerly Evason Hideaway & Spa) harmonises so well with its tropical surroundings that it is barely visible from the private helicopter whisking you in over the Andaman Sea, and away from the bustling backpackers of Phuket.

This beautiful development has been painstakingly put together. Only wooden nails were used in its construction, villas are made from sustainable local timbers, and all furnishing fabrics are either organic cotton or linens.

There are 56 spacious retreats - each with sun terrace and infinity pool-set in 24 acres of lush hillside. Tension mysteriously melts away as you gaze, perhaps while lounging in the master suite or soaking in a sunken bath, at Phang Nga Bay's sparkling waters, which lap at the white sands of private beaches.

Further out from the shore, the area's famous towering limestone pinnacles stand proud of the sea in an awesome display, resembling the discarded teeth of some gigantic prehistoric monster. The bay is featured in the Bond film, The Man With The Golden Gun.

Resort manager Sandra Jaensch describes the Hideaway as "an escape from the modern world". People who come here are as diverse as naturalists and those seeking to detox and rediscover the natural rhythms of their body and life, through to those seeking an adrenalin surge with water sports or rock climbing.

"You can literally see people unwinding and becoming at peace with themselves as they are nourished by the beauty of the surroundings and enjoy total relaxation with staff attending their every whim," says Sandra.

You can enjoy total seclusion and never leave your villa if you so choose, which offers every contemporary luxury and state-of-the-art media entertainment, as well as air conditioning. But natural shading from traditional thatched roofs and the dense foliage of the surrounding trees reduce the need for the air conditioners. The resort also sources pure water from its own underground wells and bans plastic bottles. Service is taken to a new level by the staff, whose courteous manners make this feel like a nurturing home rather than an impersonal resort.

You can pump up the adrenalin with water sports, golf or rock climbing, or follow quieter pursuits like painting, yoga and cookery classes. Alternatively, arrange to be whisked by speedboat to picnic on a deserted cove.

In Thailand I enjoyed privacy, peace and an escape from the world, but best of all, with a clear eco-conscience I could claim that the only footprint I left behind was on the white sand of the beaches.

Travel facts...

Gabrielle Fagan was a guest of long-haul specialist Hayes & Jarvis, which tailor-made her six-night journey, including three nights' B&B at Rayavadee, Krabi, and three nights' room-only at the new Six Senses Hideaway Yao Noi (formerly Evason Hideaway & Spa) with flights from Thai Airways International from Heathrow. This package starts at £1,669 in June, including domestic flights and boat transfers. The same price applies to departures with Qatar Airways from Manchester.

Hayes & Jarvis reservations: 0871 664 0246 and www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk.