The eco-resort trend is taking off in Bali, and it’s only about to get stronger. Only ten years ago, if someone mentioned the term ‘eco resort’ you may be forgiven for thinking of a hippie commune holiday. What has changed in that time is that travel and tourism have been identified as significant contributors to climate change and ecological disruption. Bali has not been spared – its paddy land irrigation network known as ‘subak’ trickling down from the mountains to the coast of the island is now drying up as densely populated hotel areas tap into such water sources.
To combat this, hotels and resorts are starting to offer more environmentally conscious accommodation options, under the banner of what the industry has termed an ‘eco resort’. Some independent hotels have banded together to give travellers and tourists who share the same ethos access to accommodation choices which align with their values. One such community is the Regenerative Travel community, which listed our advisory board member, Mana Earthly Paradise in Ubud, Bali as a global finalist of their Regenerative Hotel of the Year Award in 2021.
So what is an eco-resort and where can you stay at one in Bali?
- An eco-resort treads on the land respectfully
A true eco-resort allows travellers to experience the site it is on with as little disruption as possible. Access is in keeping with the natural features of the land, and even the rooms or villas tend to be located in areas that do not stick out or disturb the view.
Nadi Nature Resort is a luxury tented resort comprising four rooms, each mounted on a platform held by a point foundation system of concrete pillars. This choice effectively reduced the total poured concrete for this Bali mountain resort site by up to 80%. The access paths at Nadi follow the land’s contours along what used to be paddy fields and which now hold its edible permaculture gardens and food forest. Each room has the unique feature of an unencumbered waterfall view, river view, view of Mt Batukaru and / or paddy field views sweeping out to the south coast of Bali.
2. An eco-resort manages its waste and resources responsibly
We all hope to see and explore untouched sites and pristine environments on our travels. How many of us mindfully ensure that we leave those same sites and environments as pristine and untouched after our trip? An even better solution is not only to preserve the destinations we visit, but to be part of a regenerative process which restores and improves the travel destination.
Nadi Nature Resort is part of a handful of eco-resorts in Bali that are reusing organic waste generated by the resort and its farm cafe to create compost, a rich soil-like substance which is spread on its gardens as a natural fertiliser. By turning its organic waste into nutrient-rich compost and spreading it over this Bali permaculture farm, Nadi Nature Resort is using regenerative tourism to rehabilitate its site which has been densely farmed with paddy for years using inorganic pesticides and fertilisers.
By adding a layer to the fertile top soils of its edible gardens, Nadi Farm Cafe can grow healthy and nutritious fruits and vegetables for its kitchen on site, whilst also reducing its carbon footprint. Additional produce is sourced locally from the nearby Baturiti and Bedugul markets daily or within Bali. Nadi Farm Cafe’s unique position as a restaurant near Mt Batukaru just off the Canggu-Bedugul main road means that day visitors have easy access when looking for a place to eat in Tabanan or Jatiluwih.
3. An eco-resort prospers together with its community
A key priority of the founders of Nadi Nature Resort was to include the local Angseri community in the eco resort project. Nadi Nature Resort has hired the majority of its workforce from Angseri village, and is working closely with its farming neighbours to source produce for the Nadi Farm Cafe which are not already grown in its permaculture gardens.
Additional community eco projects focusing on waste management in Bali are being set up with two successful impact organisations, Sungai Watch and Urban Compost Bali.
If you are curious to see how all these eco-resort features function together, do pay a visit to Nadi Nature Resort for your next eco-resort stay in Bali or your next farm-to-table meal. Just ask if you’d like a tour and we’d be happy to show you what makes us a real eco-resort, one that lives up to this name and label.
