United States
California
San Francisco
Orchard Garden Hotel
What it is: A chic, midsize LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design) hotel in the heart of downtown San Francisco
The rooms: Your key card turns on the air conditioning, lights, and heat, so no energy is wasted while you are out of the room. Every room comes with cable satellite television, a CD player, evening turndown service, an iPod docking station, a minibar, and a DVD player.
Sustainable features: In addition to the energy-control system, all rooms have in-room recycling, compact fluorescent lightbulbs, FSC-certified maple furniture, organic bath products, and water-efficient bathroom fixtures.
Amenities: Take advantage of both the complimentary movie collection in the DVD library and the complimentary morning town-car service.
Activities: Ride through the city on a historic cable car ($9 for one-day pass) and check out Fisherman's Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge, Aquarium of the Bay, the San Francisco Zoo, or take a short drive to beautiful Napa Valley.
Details: 466 Bush Street, from $185 for a standard double room with two double beds.
Sonoma
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa
What it is: A restored California Mission–style inn perched on 13 acres of landscaped land about two miles away from wine country and adjacent to the Boyes Hot Springs.
The rooms: This hotel's luxurious rooms are complete with wine country-inspired decor, complimentary spa products, tiled and marble baths, and even fireplaces in some rooms.
Sustainable features: The hotel replaced 4,440 incandescent bulbs with energy-efficient lighting in 2006 and uses worms to compost food wastes to create fertile soil on the premises. The hotel also offers free parking to those driving a hybrid car, uses organic products in the spa, and their dining room highlights local food businesses and providers.
Amenities: Soak and exfoliate in one of the two mineral-water pools, or take advantage of the herbal steam or dry sauna rooms.
Activities: Take a Napa Valley balloon ride, or enjoy one of the many hikes and trails located close to the hotel grounds.
Details: 100 Boyes Boulevard, from $179 for a double room (a wine tasting and a fitness class are included).
Venice
Venice Beach Eco Cottages
What it is: Three beach bungalows that offer a chance to live like a local.
The rooms: The three cottages are (Papa Hemingway Cottage, Aunt Zoe's Place, and Le Bébé Cottage) All have one bedroom, one bath, a convertible bed, and a full kitchen.
Sustainable features: In 2007 the cottages were renovated using only sustainable or reclaimed materials and are solar powered and carbon neutral. They also have organic and nontoxic linens, mattresses, cleaning products, and energy-efficient kitchen appliances.
Amenities: All three cottages have a washer, a dryer, and a dishwasher, WiFi, and a 42-inch high-definition television with a home-theater system and an iPod dock. There is even an ozone- and UV-light-powered hot tub for quests to use on site.
Activities: Located just four blocks from the beach and even closer to Abbot Kinney Boulevard, the cottages are perfect for soaking in the local flavor, relaxing on the beach, or strolling the famous Venice Beach boardwalk.
Details: 447 Grand Boulevard, from $215 per night and $1,350 per week.
Colorado
Dillon
Keystone Resort
What it is: A resort with 3,148 acres of skiable area and 121 trails in the Rocky Mountains.
The rooms: Visitors can choose from townhome and condo rentals (one- to four-bedroom units) from six neighborhoods or hotel options, such as Ski Tip Lodge Bed & Breakfast and the Inn at Keystone.
Sustainable features: Keystone Resort offsets 100 percent of itsOK energy by selling 151,311 megawatt-hours of wind energy to the utility company. It also uses new fluorescent or LED lighting, and company vehicles are not allowed to idle for more than five minutes. You'll also find EnergyStar appliances and electronics.
Amenities: After a day on the slopes, parents can enjoy some pampering at the spa with a full-body Babassu Sugar Scrub, a head-to-toe body massage, Mali Mayi Mud Wrap, and more.
Activities: Kids ages 3 to 15 can take part in all-day ski school, and at the end of the day have a private hour-long lesson with Mom and Dad. Kids under 3 can attend the Keystone Winter Daycare and take part in age-related activities. The whole family can tube at Adventure Point or take an evening sleigh ride.
Details: U.S. Highway 6, from $119 for a room with two queen-size beds.
Hawaii
Kohala
Puakea Ranch
What it is: A ranch on 46 acres of land overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
The rooms: All of the bungalows are tied to the local culture and history. Choose from Miles Away, Yoshi's House, or Tree House bungalow, each of which includes a private lanai, a bathtub built for two, ocean views, hammocks, plenty of outdoor space, and plenty of space to accommodate your whole family.
Sustainable features: Prior to arriving, guests can have their fridges stocked with organic local meat and produce (some of which has been grown on the premises). Guests can also compost food waste. Each bungalow has 100 percent cotton linens and towels and a private herb garden and recycles gray water. Soon all the bungalows will have cisterns to collect water for resort use.
Amenities: A local organic chef can cook dinner for your family, there are many toys on site that get your kids playing outside. There is a private pool on the property.
Activities: You can pick vegetables from the garden, interact with the ranch's cows and horses, and take cooking classes.
Details: Address available upon request, from $175 a night for the Tree House with a queen-size and a twin bed.
Massachusetts
Boston
The Lenox
What it is: A hotel in historic downtown Boston that was built more than a hundred years ago.
The rooms: The 214 guest rooms feature crystal lamps, cozy beds, Italian marble bathrooms, Aveda bath amenities, digital AM/FM clock radios with CD players, and monogrammed terry robes.
Sustainable features: The Lenox hotel has been environmentally friendly since 1989, when it became the first hotel to offer guests the option to reuse towels and sheets. The hotel offsets air pollution and carbon emissions for 100 percent of its electricity. It also uses eco-friendly cleaning products, hybrid cars, energy-efficient lighting, no-VOC paints, and waterless urinals.
Amenities: Enjoy the nightly turndown service with chocolate treats; complimentary wireless Internet, newspapers, and bottled water; the fully equipped 24-hour business center; the fitness center; and spa services at Bella Santé.
Activities: See the sights via the Old Town Trolley Tour or the Boston Duck Tour (book tickets through the hotel concierge). Sports fans should take in a Red Sox game at Fenway Park.
Details: 61 Exeter Street Boston, from $195 a night for a classic room with a king-size bed or two double beds.
Montana
North Cameron
The Lodge at Sun Ranch
What it is: A luxurious yet intimate lodge retreat on a 26,000-acre ranch.
The rooms: Choose from the suites or rooms in the main lodge or one of the two restored cabins. All of the lodge accommodations feature at least one queen-size or king-size bed and oversize bathrooms. The cabins have large private porches with views of the rural landscape.
Sustainable features: The lodge considers itself an "eco-enterprise," tackling issues on four sides: eco-tourism (Lodge at Sun Ranch), holistic cattle ranching (Sun Ranch Agriculture), limited conservation development (Sun Ranch Settlement), and a nonprofit research institute (Sun Ranch Institute). The kitchen prepares meals using local free-range and organic products, and the lodge has also given back to the trout the surrounding creeks and streams once used for irrigation.
Amenities: Three gourmet meals daily are included in your stay, and a concierge is available 24 hours a day to help you with anything that comes up.
Activities: Take your pick from numerous outdoor activities, such as fly-fishing, horseback riding, hiking, bird-watching, and even exploring Yellowstone National Park (40 minutes away).
Details: 1403 U.S. Highway 287, from $1005 for three nights (including meals).
*The lodge recommends coming with children 12 and older. Families with younger children are encouraged to speak with the staff about an exclusive lodge.
Utah
Springdale
Zion National Park Lodge
What it is: A two-story lodge located inside Zion National Park.
The rooms: Choose from 81 motel-type guest rooms, 40 Western-style cabins, and six newly constructed eco-cabins.
Sustainable features: The six new suites feature bamboo floors and recycled-content carpet, dual-flush toilets, all-natural biodegradable soaps, and automated heat and air-conditioning sensors. The rooms also come equipped with bulk dispensers in the bathrooms, recycling receptacles, energy-efficient lighting, and are cleaned with biodegradable and nontoxic cleaners. The lodge composts food waste and has restored two acres of nonactive grassland to its natural state.
Amenities: Some rooms have porches and fireplaces, and there is an Internet station in the lobby.
Activities: Just outside your door, Zion's hiking trails call, and biking and horseback riding trails are nearby.
Details: Zion Canyon Scenic Drive., 3 1/4 miles north of Canyon Junction, from $166 for a Western cabin with two double beds.
Canada
British Columbia
Vancouver
King Pacific Lodge
What it is: An eco-friendly floating lodge (open from May to September) that sits along the shores of Princess Royal Island and overlooks the Great Bear Rainforest and Barnard Harbour.
The rooms: Choose from 17 rooms with views of the rain forest or the ocean. Each includes a king-size or two double beds, window-side seating areas, large bathrooms with deep soaking tubs or Jacuzzis and fireplaces.
Sustainable features: The lodge is working to reduce its carbon footprint by 50 percent over the next five years through the use of low-energy appliances, energy-efficient lighting, and low-flush toilets.
Amenities: the spa for a therapeutic massage, a body treatment (exfoliation or body wrap), or a hot-stone massage (which is complimentary if you stay in the Princess Royal Suite). Also, check out the stars using the lodge's high-powered telescope on the wraparound deck at night.
Activities: From May to September, families can enjoy the great outdoors while sea fishing (salmon, halibut, and cod), fly-fishing (salmon and trout), hiking, kayaking, and heli-hiking (getting dropped off on a mountain ridge by helicopter).
*King Pacific Lodge recommends that families visiting the lodge come with children 8 years and older.
Details: 214-255 West First Street N., from $4,750 Canadian dollars for three days (includes round-trip flights from Vancouver and food and beverages).
