the americas

Hotel Green

Next door to shoe designer Vanessa Noel's eponymous hotel is its equally chic, more environmentally aware little sister.

The Fun: Bike to the beach (a five-minute ride away), tool around town (you're in the heart of Nantucket), or head to the wharf to watch the boats.

The Green: Rooms have been given a fresh coat of milk-based paint and are outfitted with organic French linens, window boxes of wheatgrass, and hemp shower curtains.

Details: From $175 a night for a double.

Proximity Hotel

This new hotel's modern lofts are built on an ultra-eco foundation. (The property is on track to earn certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.)

The Fun: The hotel provides free bikes so families can take a spin along the five-mile greenway (make sure to stop at Curb, one of the country's oldest farmers' markets). There's a chlorine-free pool as well as a year-round kids' club, which includes activities like gardening and composting.

The Green: The building is constructed of recycled concrete and steel, its roof is covered in grass and solar panels, and it uses an "energy recovery" system to circulate air.

Details: From $189 a night for a double.

Devil's Thumb Ranch

Overlooking the Continental Divide, this ranch provides grown-up and kid-size adventures amid the Rockies.

The Fun: Pick a horse from the stables for a trail, sleigh, or wagon ride; or ask a coordinator to plan a family fishing, hiking, or biking expedition.

The Green: The ranch uses a geothermal heating system to keep the handsome lodge and private cabins toasty-warm in winter. Much of the food comes from Morales Farms, which is right down the road.

Details: From $195 a night for a lodge double.

Hotelito Desconocido

Italian designer Marcello Murzilli's upscale palafitos (thatched-roof beach bungalows) on the Pacific resemble those in a traditional fishing village. They're perfect for when you want to trade in e-mail for chirping birds and sand castles.

The Fun: It's all about the water here, whether you're snorkeling in Tehuamixtle or participating in the hotel's sea-turtle rescue program, in which children help biologists monitor eggs along the estuary.

The Green: The hotel is solar-powered, and almost everything in the rooms, at the spa, and on your plate (marlin tostadas, homemade guacamole) is local and organic.

Details: From $312 a night for a double (includes breakfast).

europe

Aspros Potamos

Originally built as harvest-time houses for olive farmers, these 10 stone cottages have been transformed into a charming back-to-basics hotel.

The Fun: After a breakfast of fresh fruit and eggs (delivered to your room), hike through the olive groves or head to Diaskari beach and claim a private cove. Sample fish in a taverna in nearby Makrigialos, right after watching the boats bring it in.

The Green: Each room is lit primarily by lanterns, with a solar-conversion system powering a fridge and a lamp. Stone walls keep the houses (some built right into the hills) cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Details: From $50 a night for a house.

Whitepod

Set in the Alps, Whitepod's canvas domes look like igloos from the outside and cozy boutique-hotel rooms inside. Many have terraces with transcendent views of Lake Geneva.

The Fun: In the winter, hit the trails for skiing or sledding. Wildlife-watching and kite-flying expeditions will be offered through a new kids' club.

The Green: The pods are green-colored in the summer and covered with white canvas in the winter for maximum energy efficiency, and are built on platforms that won't leave a trace on the land. Menus are determined by what local farmers and cheesemakers drop off in the morning.

Details: From $275 a night for an Expedition pod (includes afternoon tea).

Lama di Luna

Owner and father of two Pietro Petroni opened his whitewashed, monastic-looking biomasseria four years ago to share the perfect vistas he gets to see daily: acres of olive and almond groves, sea, and sunshine.

The Fun: Entire days can be spent strolling in the orchards and lounging by the new pool, though you'll also want to venture out to the beach in Trani, about 20 miles away. Petroni, who is a big foodie, will teach kids how to press olive oil or make pizzas from organic ingredients.

The Green: No chemicals are used anywhere. In each of the 10 rooms, the heat is solar-generated and unbleached sheets dress the feng-shui-arranged beds.

Details: From $180 a night for a double (includes breakfast).