These eco-friendly resorts in the Philippines will blow you away

Is your travel carbon footprint keeping you up at night? Rest easy, because these eco-friendly resorts Philippines style will blow you away.

With sustainable tourism fast on the rise, more venues across the archipelago are committing to a greener future; establishing authentic efforts to both preserve their natural environments and support local communities.

Whether you plan on spending your days floating on Palawan’s cool waters, wandering Tagatay’s misty mountains, or need an oasis in bustling Manila, you’ll find a planet-friendly option for you to lay your weary head.

To help you travel more sustainably, we called on a Philippines expert to bring you incredible venues that put conservation first (no matter your travel style or budget).

Eco-friendly resorts Philippines for luxury lovers: Nay Palad Hideaway (General Luna, Siargao)

Nay Palad Hideaway is a shining example of ‘barefoot luxury’: combining Siargao’s laid-back beach culture with indulgent creature comforts. This boutique resort puts the environment first, enhanced by its secluded location and minimalist, low-impact design features.

Here traditional Filipino craftsmanship blends with contemporary style, using sustainable materials in everything from the villas fashioned after nipa huts, to the Instagrammable hanging egg chairs that sway under gigantic coconut palms.

To date, the eco-resort has planted over 50,000 mangrove trees and protected over 19,700 acres of land, on top of consistent marine conservation efforts. This commitment to sustainability extends to the guest experience: visitors can partake in workshops run by local artisans, voyage on private island-hopping tours, or simply laze inside a treehouse and watch the waves lap up on the shore (cocktail in hand).

Rooms start from £566 per night for their one-bedroom villas, going up to £1,450 per night for a stay in their exclusive three-bedroom (complete with a private pool).

Best for design geeks: Containers by Eco Hotel (Tagatay)

Built out of recycled shipping containers, the impressive structure of Containers by Eco Hotel demonstrates how lodging can be both sustainable and durable: standing at three stories tall, fashioned out of corten steel.

What’s more impressive is the lack of additional support structures⁠—the containers were originally designed to stack and lock on top of each other to withstand stormy seas, meaning less cost and materials to maintain them. Don’t worry though, as each room is properly insulated, ventilated and kitted out to make them fit for habitation.

Inside, guests will find cosy, clean, contemporary rooms, each named after sustainable materials that went into their creation (e.g. kawayan meaning bamboo, or papel meaning paper). On the roof you’ll find a deck to chill in, fitted with solar panels to harness the power of the Philippine sun.

Containers makes a great base for hiking Lake Taal and its resident volcano, or simply taking in an unobstructed view of Tagatay’s crisp starry nights.

One night in these clever contraptions will set you back around £50.

Best for backpackers: Bohol Coco Farm Hostel (Panglao, Bohol)

While many Bohol backpackers head for the rum-soaked shoes of Alona Beach, this humble hostel caters to those keen to swap parties for proper downtime. Guests are welcomed through a rustic entrance lined with tall coconut palms, with the occasional goat bleating between the shredded husks.

Built around an active coconut farm, this venue makes good use of its resources: almost everything from the scaffolding to thatched roofs of its dorm rooms is taken from coconut trees, thoughtfully blending the environment into most aspects of your stay.

Bohol Coco Farm Hostel is run by a local family, hiring members of the local community to work on its 2.5 hectares of land. The vibe here is relaxed and friendly: guests are free to mingle in the reception/dining area, making full use of the hammocks on offer.

Stays also come with a free organic breakfast (which of course, features coconut). The hostel even offers organised tours to some of the island’s best eco-adventures.

Shared dorm rooms start from £5 per night, while splashing out on a private hut will set you back upwards of £15.

Best for beach bums: Two Seasons Coron Island Resort and Spa (Coron, Palawan)

Fancy a private island all to yourself? This five-star luxury resort features actual ‘sunrise’ and ‘sunset’ beaches for you to lounge with optimal views, capturing the Sulu Sea in all its resplendence.

Modern Filipino design accents an indulgent resort experience, complete with a lavish spa, poolside bar, and transparent kayaks that glide above crystal-blue waters (revealing 75ft-deep views of Palawan’s coral gardens).

Where this resort really shines, however, is in its eco-credentials. Two Seasons Coron Island Resort and Spa is 100% self-sustaining. This is not limited to: a desalination plant (producing freshwater from saltwater), eco-friendly generators, a sewage treatment plant (using waste as fertiliser), and solar-powered water heaters to make sure your morning shower is piping hot.

Bungalows start from £323 per night, scaling from ‘Mountain’ to ‘Hilltop’.

Best for city slickers: City of Dreams (Parañaque, Manila)

Venture into the vibrant leisure hub of Parañaque in Metro Manila, and you’ll find City of Dreams: a contemporary five-star eco-resort and casino built on sustainable luxury. It’s an impressive sight that offers a positive vision for the Philippine capital’s future: sleek, mirrored towers powered mostly by solar panels give way to sprawling flower gardens set against the 'fortune egg' architectural landmark.

With plans to go zero-waste and carbon neutral entirely by 2030, there's an onsite water filtration plant and a bottling system to support zero plastic waste, and other initiatives like renewable energy, water consumption reduction and recycling, sustainable sourcing supporting organic urban farming, to name some.

The ultra-chic resort comprises three hotels, all Forbes Travel Guide Star-rated: Nüwa, Nobu Hotel and Hyatt Regency, each winning the 2022-2024 ASEAN Green Hotel Award, a gold standard for sustainable hospitality in the region. Nüwa is the clear star, which embodies elements of quintessential Asian refinement. However, guests at each hotel have free reign of City of Dreams’ various gaming spots, bars, restaurants, spas, and outdoor pools.

Rooms at Nüwa start at £245 per night, going up to £675 for an extra-roomy Premier Suite.

Best for wellness: Mandala Spa and Resort Villas (Boracay)

Not long ago, over tourism wreaked havoc on Boracay’s ecosystem. After closing for environmental rehabilitation, the island has reopened cleaner and better-equipped to accommodate travellers: including a daily cap of just over 19,000 visitors (pre-closure this was 70,000).

If you’re inclined to set foot on Boracay’s beautiful beaches, eco-friendly stays like Mandala Spa and Resort Villas will help keep the island on track. It currently has an ETIC Hotels Green Score of 9.5/10. Book your Mandala Spa and Resort Villas stay here.

This eco-conscious, mid-range resort offers guests plenty of bang for their buck: including massive rooms (over 1,000 square feet), farm-to-table dining (sourcing ingredients exclusively from Boracay itself), and daily guided yoga sessions.

However, Mandala Spa Resort’s wellness offerings are the real talk of the town, with an award-winning onsite spa that promotes an indigenous Filipino healing treatment called Hilot: here, coconut oil is applied using banana leaves, followed by long, deep massage.

‘Digital Detox’ Villas begin at around £100 per night, leaving space in the budget for a little pampering.

Best for cultural immersion: Lotus Valley Farm (La Union)

Time to roll up your sleeves! Agritourism is a growing trend in the Philippines, which sees farms⁠ attract visitors both as an educational tool and form of cultural immersion. La Union’s Lotus Valley Farm is a standout: grown on a plot of land destroyed by pesticides, owners Toby and Marissa took seven years to turn its fortunes around, transforming hectares of barren soil into lush, emerald forest. Here you’ll find banana trees, orchids, vegetables and a glorious lotus flower pond; home to birds, bee colonies and monitor lizards who’ve recently moved in.

Travellers are welcome to sleep in Lotus Valley Farm’s two bahay kubo (traditional stilt huts), each fitted with crisp, modern amenities and a stunning veranda view. The farm’s ecosystem naturally lowers the temperature down 5C from the rest of the region, making a stroll through the flora all the more pleasant.

Upon your return, release any remaining tension courtesy of Marissa’s acupuncture skills, before melting into a guided sound meditation. Once you’ve found your zen, chow down on a plant-based feast fresh from the garden: sarap (delicious)!

Bamboo huts start at £75 per night, accommodating up to six people. Interestingly, the venue also hosts ‘detox weekends’ for those in need of extra rejuvenation.

Best for green initiatives: Club Paradise Palawan (Coron, Palawan)

Pristine beaches, glittering blue ocean, colossal coconut palms: it takes a lot of work to look this good, all thanks to the Club Paradise Palawan commitment to conservation.

Nestled inside a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and marine sanctuary, this exclusive island resort has numerous eco-accolades to its name: including 2nd place (out of 100 global entries) at the 2022 Green Destination Awards.

Highlights include its EcoConserve Program, which encourages staff to innovate new sustainability practices. This includes a water desalination plant (turning seawater drinkable), a compost farm producing fresh veggies for the onsite restaurant, and an initiative that reduced single-use plastics by 70%.

But staff aren’t the only ones taking part: guests are invited to join regular beach clean-ups, supported by a daily educational program for kids.

The resort maintains that wildlife are the original inhabitants of the island, and they honour this by allowing critters to roam free: from the fruit bats hanging from trees, to the endangered sea turtles nesting on its shores.

Travellers can get up close to gentle ‘sea cows’ in intimate dugong watching tours, or opt to snorkel and spot stingrays, reef sharks, and all manner of fish wiggling between the coral gardens. This proximity and co-existence with the natural world makes Club Paradise Palawan a humbling experience, giving guests a greater appreciation for the Philippines’ incredible biodiversity.

Villas start at £210 per night. That enchanting view of the Sulu Sea, however? Priceless.

Inspired to explore the Philippines?

Don’t miss our run-down of the best beaches in the Philippines and discover more in The Rough Guide to the Philippines as well as our customisable tailor-made trip itineraries to the Philippines.

You might also want to read up on fun adventure holidays in the Philippines, and our favourite islands in the Philippines.

This article is brought you in partnership with the Philippines Department of Tourism.