Conserve & Connect: Sustainable Luxury Holidays with Purpose

Travel changes us — but when it’s done well, it can change far more than just our perspective. Conserve & Connect in our latest brochure - The Wishlist - is about choosing journeys where care is built in, not bolted on: hotels that operate with integrity, experiences that protect the landscapes we fall in love with, and stays that actively support local communities. These are sustainable luxury holidays that feel thoughtful, generous, and deeply rewarding.

Maybe it’s a solar-powered island in the Maldives, a safari camp funding wildlife protection, or a remote lodge inviting you into centuries-old traditions. Whatever the setting, these trips don’t just look good — they do good, too. They are culture holidays and immersive holidays in the truest sense, where connection runs deeper than any aesthetics.

For us, responsible travel isn’t a passing trend. It’s the future of the luxury holidays we live and breathe. And when you travel with care, every moment carries more weight.

Elephant Hills, Thailand

The Elephant Camp

Elephant Hills offers a rare promise: ethical wildlife encounters without compromise. Located on the edge of Khao Sok National Park, The Elephant Camp is home to rescued Asian elephants, cared for without riding, chains, or performance. Days are spent preparing food, observing behaviour, and learning the rhythms of these remarkable animals alongside expert mahouts.

Accommodation takes the form of spacious safari-style tents, blending comfort with proximity to nature. It’s an immersive introduction to conservation-led travel — a sustainable luxury holiday that prioritises respect over spectacle.

 Stay at the Elephant Camp during this itinerary - 11 nights from £3,350pp 

The Bush Camp

Hidden deep in the emerald folds of Northern Thailand, The Bush Camp offers a calm, considered take on ethical travel. Part of the Elephant Hills family, it’s built around conservation, community, and genuinely respectful elephant encounters — no riding, no performances, just quiet observation guided by welfare experts.

Experiences range from gentle jungle treks and river kayaking to cultural exchanges with local communities, available as 2- or 3-day stays. Sustainability runs through everything, from low-impact design and locally sourced materials to active conservation support, making this an immersive holiday that feels both grounding and responsible.

 Stay at the Bush Camp during this itinerary - 12 nights from £2,039pp 

Six Senses Zighy Bay, Oman

Hidden deep within the Musandam Peninsula, Six Senses Zighy Bay is the sort of place that feels discovered rather than designed. Styled like a traditional Omani village — even breakfast unfolds like a spice market — its stone villas sit quietly between jagged mountains and a sweeping sandy bay. Arrivals can be dramatic (paragliding from 960 feet is an option), but the real luxury lies in conscience.

This is sustainable luxury holiday thinking at its most refined. From the Earth Lab and on-site organic gardens to desalinated water and waste-reduction initiatives, Six Senses proves that high-end hospitality can protect the very environment it celebrates. The Six Senses Spa may draw you in, but it’s the connection beyond the resort that stays with you.

Experiences like hand-line fishing with locals, the Sense of Oman programme at Dibba Women’s Association, or the immersive Hay Day farming tour transform this into a genuine culture holiday. You don’t just observe — you participate, support, and leave knowing your visit mattered.

 Explore Six Senses Zighy Bay 

Sirru Fen Fushi, Maldives

Sirru Fen Fushi — “secret water island” — is quietly redefining what sustainable luxury holidays look like in the Maldives. This isn’t surface-level eco-posturing; sustainability is stitched into every layer of island life. The headline moment is the Coralarium: the world’s first semi-submerged tidal art gallery, where Jason deCaires Taylor’s sculptures double as coral nurseries.

The island is powered by over 3,300 solar panels generating more than a megawatt of clean energy, while the Sustainability Lab transforms waste plastic into furniture and art. Drinking water is desalinated and served in reusable glass bottles, and marine biologists oversee turtle nesting along the shoreline.

Between snorkelling, stargazing and beachfront cinema nights, you feel part of something larger. Sirru Fen Fushi delivers an immersive holiday where care for the ocean becomes part of the everyday rhythm — and where luxury feels lighter, cleaner, and more meaningful.

 Explore Sirru Fen Fushi 

The Datai Langkawi, Malaysia

Set deep within a 500-million-year-old rainforest at the base of the Machincang mountains, The Datai Langkawi is luxury defined by protection rather than excess. Here, nature isn’t a backdrop — it’s the main character. The resort’s ambitious Datai Pledge funds conservation, wildlife protection, and community engagement across the surrounding ecosystem.

You might hear frogs singing in the open-air lobby at dusk or spot the resident Great Hornbills gliding overhead. Naturalists lead guided forest walks, while cooking classes at The Dapur connect guests to regional cuisine. Twenty percent of select experiences directly funds conservation efforts, turning indulgence into impact.

This is a masterclass in sustainable luxury holidays — a place where immersive travel feels intelligent, intentional, and quietly profound.

 Explore The Datai 

Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island

Remote even by Seychelles standards, Platte Island is just half a square mile of pure, protected escape. Before construction began, marine biologists mapped every inch of the reef to ensure the resort would enhance, not endanger, its environment. The result: 50 villas set moments from the beach, their curved canopies inspired by the hawksbill turtles that nest here each year.

Yes, this is still Waldorf Astoria — private pools, a dedicated airstrip, and soil-to-soul dining at Moulin come as standard. But the most unforgettable luxury moments aren’t designed at all. When turtle hatchlings emerge, guests are quietly guided to witness one of nature’s most hopeful rituals.

Few sustainable luxury holidays balance indulgence and restraint quite so elegantly.

 Explore Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island 

Experience Rwanda with One&Only

Rwanda unfolds slowly in this Tailor-Made Holiday: mist drifting through volcanic forests, bamboo rustling underfoot, birdsong echoing through the trees. At One&Only Gorilla’s Nest, days revolve around guided treks through Volcanoes National Park, coming face to face with mountain gorilla families in a moment that recalibrates your sense of scale and privilege.

At One&Only Nyungwe House, set within a working tea plantation, chimpanzees swing through ancient forest canopies while sky bridges tempt you deeper into the wilderness. Carefully curated community experiences and conservation-led excursions make this both an immersive holiday and a deeply moving culture holiday.

Here, luxury exists to support conservation — not distract from it — making Rwanda one of the most powerful sustainable luxury holidays you can take.

 Experience Rwanda with One&Only Resorts 

More Sustainable Stays We’re Watching Closely

• Soneva Fushi, Maldives – Pioneers of barefoot luxury, solar energy and marine conservation
• JOALI Maldives – Art-led design meets reef conservation and locally sourced dining for an immersive, eco-conscious holiday.
• Qualia, Hamilton Island, Australia – Low-density luxury overlooking the Great Barrier Reef with initiatives that protect the reef and local ecosystems.
• Scenic Luxury Yacht Cruises – Small-ship expeditions with reduced emissions, single-use plastic elimination, and expert-led immersive adventures.
• Swan Hellenic Expedition Cruises – Connect with local communities and experts while exploring remote regions sustainably.
• Oceania Cruises with Go Green Tours – Small-group, eco-conscious shore excursions that support communities and conservation projects.

Why Conserve & Connect Matters

These journeys remind us that luxury isn’t just about where you stay, it’s about how you travel. Sustainable luxury holidays - when done right - deepen connection, protect culture, and safeguard the natural world. They turn travel into something richer, more generous, and infinitely more memorable.

If you’re ready for a culture holiday or immersive holiday that feels as good as it looks, Conserve & Connect is where the future of luxury travel begins.

*all prices and information correct as of January 2026. Please call our team for the latest information.