EA Favorites: Hotels That Give Back

EA Favorites | August 30, 2016

Sustainable travel means more than just reusing hotel towels. Sustainable travel is about the long-term impact that travel will have on a particular part of the world. As a destination becomes more popular with tourists, the place can see both a positive and negative impact. So, it’s important to always support the positive and try to minimize the negative.

Ever After Honeymoons has had the privilege of traveling to every corner of the world and so we wanted to take a moment to praise two luxury resorts who are supporting sustainable travel and really doing their part to give back!

NIHIWATU  – The Property

Nihiwatu is a remote, luxury resort on the island of Sumba in Indonesia. It is a short flight from Bali and in 2016, Travel + Leisure readers voted it the number one hotel in the world!  Nihiwatu is not only a beautiful resort but it is also a property that continually gives back and it is a great example of a sustainable resort that is supporting it’s local community.

NIHIWATU – Giving Back

Nihiwatu emerged from a vision to create a resort that would preserve and share the breathtaking beauty of Sumba. To achieve this goal, the Sumba Foundation was founded in 2001 and now a portion of the resort’s profits are repatriated into the organization. Guests are educated about the foundation’s efforts through an impactful presentation and short film and many of them become benefactors to the foundation.

Over the last fifteen years, the Sumba Foundation has been able to setup 4 medical clinics and a malaria training center. They’ve also developed over 100 wells and water stations. In addition, the organization currently feeds 80 small children in its malnutrition program and provides school lunch for 1,100 children, twice a week.. They have also refurbished 15 primary schools, that they continue to support.

THE BRANDO – The Property

The Brando is a unique luxury resort located on French Polynesia’s beautiful private island of Tetiaroa. The property consists of 35 stunning villas on an island surrounded by a sparkling lagoon. The Brando considers themselves stewards of Tetiaroa, and they believe that they have the responsibility to treat it with the highest level of care and respect. Almost all of Tetiaroa is being protected and preserved in its natural state.

The resort was the dream of Marlon Brando, who first came to Tetiaroa while filming a movie and immediately fell in love with the island’s rare beauty and the sense of peace it gave him. Brando was passionate about preserving Tetiaroa’s natural beauty, biodiversity and cultural richness and was determined to find a way in which it could be a center for research and education and a model of sustainability. Since then, The Brando has continued to have an impressive roster of celebrity donors and supporters including Leonardo DiCaprio.

THE BRANDO – Giving Back 

Inspired by the late Marlon Brando’s vision, the Tetiaroa Society was founded. The Tetiaroa Society is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to preserving the precious biodiversity on Tetiaroa. The scientists and volunteers there are working on several projects, including a sustainable fishing program, a fish replenishment program, and an atoll conservation plan.

Their efforts also include monitoring, preservation, and restoration programs related to plants and agriculture, as well as the preservation of the island’s cultural heritage. The research conducted here serves as a living case study, where the lessons learned can be implemented locally as well as applied to places across the globe.

Nihiwatu & The Brando are both beautiful resorts that are doing an amazing job giving back to their local communities. If you’d like to visit one of these destinations, please email us so we can start planning your vacation. We will make sure you that you are well taken care of – and you can enjoy your vacation knowing that you are supporting sustainable travel!