Eat, Pray, Preserve: Where Sustainability Meets Ultra-Luxury
A Love Letter to Conscientious Indulgence—One Soulful Stay at a Time
There’s a moment—maybe it’s your first bite of hand-rolled pasta made with heirloom grains, or the hush that falls during an elephant’s slow crossing at sunset—when luxury stops being about opulence and starts being about reverence.
This is ultra-luxury with a conscience.
Where travel nourishes not just the traveler, but the land and people who host them.
Where your stay supports coral regeneration, elephant corridors, ancestral knowledge, and generational craftsmanship.
This is where you Eat, Pray… and Preserve.
🐘 1. Tembo Plains Camp – Zimbabwe
Wildlife, wine, and a deeply ethical footprint.
Set on a private conservation reserve in the heart of the Zambezi Valley, this Relais & Châteaux property offers safari elegance with a soul: tented suites with copper soaking tubs, private plunge pools, and wildlife wandering past your deck.
Sustainability: Supports anti-poaching units, elephant migration corridors, and community agriculture
Food: Bush-to-table dining featuring Zimbabwean ingredients, river-foraged herbs, and wood-fired traditions
From: ~$1,500 per person, per night (all-inclusive)
🐠 2. Bawah Reserve – Anambas Islands, Indonesia
Eco-island chic with Jacques Cousteau energy.
Accessible only by seaplane, Bawah is a private archipelago with six islands, 13 beaches, and a sustainability ethos that runs from reef to rooftop.
Sustainability: Entirely solar-powered, no single-use plastics, on-site permaculture gardens and reef restoration
Food: Organic, plant-forward, and wildly flavorful—think lemongrass tempeh, sea greens, and island-caught snapper
From: ~$2,000 per night for two (includes seaplane, all meals, wellness)
🏞️ 3. Fogo Island Inn – Newfoundland, Canada
One of the world’s most meaningful hotels—where storytelling is a design principle.
Perched on jagged rock in an outport fishing village, this architectural marvel reinvests 100% of profits into the local economy.
Sustainability: Community ownership model, all local staff and craftspeople, zero-waste approach
Food: Foraged, preserved, and seasonal—tasting menus change daily and follow a 7-season food calendar
From: ~$2,875 per night (includes meals, local experiences, and cultural programming)
🐚 4. &Beyond Mnemba Island – Zanzibar, Tanzania
Barefoot luxury on a private island where marine life matters more than marble.
Nine rustic-chic bandas, a no-shoes policy, and sea turtles nesting nearby—it’s a dream, made ethical.
Sustainability: Marine conservation, community schooling, reef protection through the Africa Foundation
Food: Swahili flavors, fresh seafood, tropical fruit, and plenty of “surprise” beach dinners
From: ~$1,550 per person, per night (all-inclusive, conservation fee included)
🍷 5. Sextantio Le Grotte della Civita – Matera, Italy
Sleep in a cave. Wake in a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dine on slow food and silent awe.
This radical hotel restored a forgotten hill town without modernizing its soul. You’ll bathe by candlelight, dine beneath stone archways, and feel like part of the continuum.
Sustainability: Cultural preservation through minimalist intervention, supports local farmers, artisans, and social projects
Food: Slow Food Italy certified—ancient grains, mountain cheese, organic wines served in terracotta jugs
From: ~$400 per night (breakfast included; private experiences extra)
🧊 6. Arctic Bath – Swedish Lapland
Where Scandinavian minimalism floats gently on an icy river.
This floating spa-hotel is a modern design marvel, built on the Lule River. It celebrates Indigenous Sámi traditions, ice bathing, and slow living beneath the Northern Lights.
Sustainability: Constructed from locally sourced timber, powered by solar energy, and designed for seasonal disassembly
Food: Nordic tasting menus with Arctic char, cloudberries, and plant-foraged ingredients
From: ~$1,000 per night (includes breakfast, spa access, and guided wellness activities)
🌋 7. Pikaia Lodge – Galápagos, Ecuador
For the luxury explorer who wants wildlife with a wine pairing.
Built on an extinct volcanic crater, Pikaia is the Galápagos’ most luxurious—and most sustainable—property. It offers small-group exploration and rich marine biodiversity from a five-star base.
Sustainability: Carbon-neutral operations, reforestation efforts, electric transportation
Food: Ecuadorian-meets-fine-dining, seafood-forward with robust vegetarian/vegan options
From: ~$6,900 for 4 nights (all-inclusive expedition packages with yacht tours)
🐎 8. The Lodge at Blue Sky – Utah, USA
Wild West reimagined as eco-luxury sanctuary with sky-gazing tubs and rescue horses.
Tucked into a private canyon outside Park City, this Auberge property offers high-desert magic with regenerative agriculture and rustic refinement.
Sustainability: On-site farm and apiary, rescued horse rehabilitation, organic spa, zero single-use plastic
Food: Field-to-fork from Gracie’s Farm—wood-fired, seasonal, with local whiskey pairings
From: ~$1,800 per night (including activities and wellness programming)
🐪 9. Al Maha Desert Resort – Dubai, UAE
Luxury that rises from the dunes like a mirage—with actual purpose behind it.
Located in a protected desert reserve, Al Maha balances opulence with ecological mindfulness, offering a serene retreat far from the high-rises of Dubai.
Sustainability: Wildlife conservation (including oryx reintroduction), water recycling, energy-efficient architecture
Food: Lavish Arabic and international menus with dates, saffron, and vegetarian mezze made to shine
From: ~$1,500+ per night (all-inclusive with desert activities)
🌾 10. Gangtey Lodge – Phobjikha Valley, Bhutan
Sacred landscapes. Monastic chants. But make it plush.
A member of the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Gangtey Lodge blends Bhutanese spiritual hospitality with underfloor heating, copper tubs, and sweeping valley views where black-necked cranes return every winter.
Sustainability: Supports the Royal Society for Protection of Nature, funds local education, and hires entirely from surrounding villages
Food: Farm-to-table Bhutanese cuisine—think red rice, yak cheese, buckwheat dumplings
From: ~$1,300+ per night (includes meals, guides, and experiences)
🌍✨ Try a New Definition of Luxury
They aren’t just where you stay. They’re what you support.
And they prove something powerful: you don’t have to sacrifice indulgence to travel mindfully.
At Y.E.S. Travel, we curate journeys where pleasure and purpose co-exist beautifully—whether you’re a history-loving pescatarian or a gluten-free bon vivant who won’t compromise on design or ethics.
→ Want to Eat, Pray, Preserve in style?
We’ll match you with the perfect property—or string together a full soul-stirring itinerary across continents.
→ Let’s curate your next conscious indulgence.