Eco focus: not-for-profit rewilding
La caccia – the hunting of red stag, roe deer and wild boar – is as woven into Tuscan culture as truffle-snuffling pigs. But amid the old hunting ground of the Pistoia Apennines, a small miracle has taken root. Oasyhotel is a 16-lodge concept for the WWF-affiliated Dynamo Oasis, a 1,000-hectare parcel of the San Marcello Piteglio nature reserve. Sustainable wood was repurposed to create handsome, minimalist retreats with large verandas and picture-book windows with views of chestnut, beech and fir forests. The hotel is part of a wider project that rolls in eco-sound agriculture, breeding programmes and scientific research. Wolves, deer and wild boar have returned, woodpeckers sing and golden eagles swoop. Days are spent exploring peaks, meadows, lakes and rivers, with activities including hiking and biking, wolf tracking and foraging, lake swimming and kayaking. Yoga, guided meditation and saunas are laid on by the lakeside. The bounty of the reserve’s farm can be tasted at Le Felci farmhouse restaurant or alfresco Casa Luigi, where guests gather to salute the Tuscany of the future over organic wines. Lydia Bell
Hotel address: Via Privata San Vito, 1, 51020 San Marcello Piteglio PT, Italy
Price: lodges from about £470
Kasiiya Papagayo, Costa Rica
Eco focus: biodiversity-boosting
The footprints on the beach are yours, next to the paw prints of a racoon and the markings of the Olive Ridley turtle. The creators of Kasiiya understand that privilege now is not about fulsome amenities, such as those that define the raked and gated resorts sparkling on the far side of Papagayo Bay. This new sanctuary of nine taupe canvas-roofed lodges in 123 acres is a pioneer, a throwback to simplicity in one of Central America’s remaining pockets of dry tropical forest, where primordial acacia thorn trees and tall jaragua grasses form an eternal landscape that feeds into a sense of time immemorial. There are no schedules, and no minibars, coffee pods, music stations, pools or hairdryers. But there is space: three deserted sandy bays, and attention from a dedicated wildlife guide. Boatmen, fishermen and “movement and mind” teachers open doors to different physical and spiritual spheres. Yamuma, the healer, will devote hours to shining your aura in his retreat across a rope bridge. In the Sunset restaurant, you can soak up the spirit with a Crudo e Fuego – raw or flamed-cooked – menu. This 360-degree vantage point is high above the ocean and offers up breaching whales and the watery curvature of the globe. Catherine Fairweather
Hotel address: 7 km west of Diamante Eco Adventure Park Matapalo, Provincia de Guanacaste, Papagayo, Costa Rica
Price: from £586 per night all-inclusive