Beyond Green: Sleep in a Recycled Hotel

Heritance Kandalama was built in the Sri Lankan rainforest without cutting down any trees. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, for this five-star luxury resort's sustainability initiatives.

To minimize disruption of water flow and wildlife migrations, the hotel sits atop a raised platform. Its water comes from deep wells and rainwater collectors and is heated by the sun. Wastewater is recycled and used to water the gardens.

The Heritance Kandalama was built in the Sri Lankan rainforest without cutting down any trees.

Heritance Kandalama owns and protects 180 acres of surrounding rainforest, including the nearby Eco Park -- a 10-minute walk from the hotel -- which houses a wildlife orphanage and an elephant-dung papermaking facility. Doubles start at $140 a night.

The Grand Hyatt Kauai Resort and Spa in Kauai, Hawaii, has reduced its annual energy consumption by more than 1.5 million kilowatt hours and switched to renewable energy, such as its solar panel-covered carport, which produces 430,000 kWh of electricity per year. The hotel uses the heat produced by its air-conditioning system to heat the water used in guestrooms, swimming pools and laundry facilities. Doubles start at $350 a night.

...and Recycle

Some hotel operators are taking green to a totally new level by offering rooms -- and entire hotels -- made of recycled or re-purposed materials.

At DasPark Hotel in Austria, you can sleep in a drain pipe. Each "room" is equipped with electricity, a double bed, a skylight and a plug for Internet connection. (One drawback: Bathrooms are in the main building.) The price for this unique opportunity is flexible: The hotel asks guests to "pay as they wish." Payments typically range from 7 to 20 euros ($9 to $27), and some guests leave small gifts as well.