Sometimes I want to rage against all that is happening in the world. And sometimes I just want to escape. Right now I want to get away from the news cycle and go and be a witch living in the woods.

I’m a city girl at heart, so I’m not really going to do that. But a lady can dream, right? Right! So, I’m daydreaming of where I can go in the world that fits my eco-ethics and can give me some rest and relaxation at the same time.

Eco-resorts are hotels and lodges that put the environment first—or so the marketing materials lead us to believe. They have solar panels, or use waste water in the gardens that grow the veggies and herbs used in their five-star culinary experiences. They’re mostly located in rural areas and offer outdoor adventures where guests can connect with nature. Some even include spa facilities—especially the ones I’m dreaming about the most.

None of these places have paid me or even given me a free night in exchange for writing about them. But if they wanted to, I wouldn’t be opposed! For now, here’s where I’m dreaming of going. 

Home province daydreams

Klahoose Wilderness Resort is located in Desolation Sound, BC, at the northern end of the Salish Sea, beyond the Sunshine Coast. It’s the kind of place people charter a seaplane or helicopter to reach. What I’m saying is, it’s remote. 

The resort’s many awards tell me it’s worth the investment to get there. Sustainability-wise, included meals focus on local ingredients, like fresh seafood and foraged mushrooms. Owned by Klahoose First Nation, the resort produces its own power with a water turbine, and guests can take a tour to see how it all works.

So what will I have when I get there? A stunning ocean-view room, a plush bathrobe for my stay, and boat tours to explore the marine life and wildlife. I could go kayaking, paddle-boarding, hiking, ocean swimming, and enjoy their wood-fired sauna instead of thinking about the rise of authoritarianism.

Nimmo Bay Wilderness Resort is another place where guests arrive by seaplane. It’s in BC’s southern Great Bear Rainforest, east of Queen Charlotte Strait. As it’s truly remote, I’d take a stay there as a chance to really unplug—i.e. stop my brain thinking about rising temperatures—and indulge in their “Wellness Experiences.” They offer a personalized retreat of bodywork (massages, facials, and scrubs), meditation, and forest bathing. I can just imagine myself returning from the beautiful rainforest with a visible aura, inner peace, and the smoothest skin of my life.

Nimmo Bay also offers a culinary experience where you learn about seafood and foraging. And one reviewer commented that they got “chocolate chip cookies twice daily.” Say. No. More. While the chocolate in these cookies can’t be locally sourced, I’ll let it slide because they’re my one true addiction.

When I don’t want to puncture my daydreams with the reality of chartering a plane, I imagine driving five and a half hours north from Vancouver to Siwash Lake Wilderness Resort & Ranch in the Cariboo region of BC’s Central Interior. Siwash Lake has won multiple awards, and it’s been certified for sustainability. They get nearly all their electricity from solar energy. And it has a spa! And horses! 

I can picture my day: wake up to a breakfast of locally raised eggs, do some yoga, go paddle-boarding, and spend the afternoon bonding with a horse. Then I’d get a massage. Before sleeping in one of their luxury star-gazing tents, I’d soak in a wood-fired hot tub looking up at a sky free from light pollution. I’d imagine a world without war or single-use plastics. Heaven on Earth? It sure sounds like it.

I could go kayaking, paddle-boarding, hiking, ocean swimming, and enjoy their wood-fired sauna instead of thinking about the rise of authoritarianism.

If I’m making a list of getaways, I may as well include a place I’ve wanted to visit for over a decade: the Wickaninnish Inn. From its founding, the inn has focussed on sustainability, from locating their lodges where they could cut down as few trees as possible to being certified by the Green Key Program. 

My dream is to visit Tofino during storm season, stay at the Wick, cozy up with a loved one, and watch the waves roll in while my environmental angst gets washed out to sea. Throw in an award-winning spa and I’m ready to throw all my savings away. One day it will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine… to experience. I have no plans, or means, to buy the place.

If I wanted to get away somewhere nearby, I’d go to the Kitoki Inn on Bowen Island. It’s a simple and easy getaway from Vancouver, recommended by a friend. Inspiration for Kitoki came from Japanese onsen—bathing houses at hot springs that often have a cozy inn attached. 

When you stay in one of Kitoki’s adorable forest cabins, you get access to the bathhouse twice a day for 90 minutes just for you. While the inn doesn’t trumpet specific sustainable practices, the entire set-up is minimal and built around appreciating nature. It also seems like I could do the trip without a car, as they’re located a 20-minute walk from the Snug Cove ferry dock. Taking transit from home, hopping on a ferry, and walking to a cute resort in less than 2 hours sounds like a pretty eco-conscious getaway to me!

Bigger Canadian dreams

Since I have zero plans or desire to visit the US any time soon, I thought I’d look and see what the rest of Canada had to offer. 

Le Baluchon in Saint-Paulin, Québec, is a couple hours’ drive north of Montréal. I could live out my French-Canadian dreams in this adorable sustainable resort. I’d snowshoe in the winter or hike in the summer. They also have horses!

And on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, True North Destinations offers a Nordic spa and accommodation in geodesic domes. A fancy dome by the sea with hot tubs and good food is my kind of camping. Because my kind of camping doesn’t involve actual tents. 

My wildest worldwide dreams

In these dreams I put my individual carbon footprint aside, because the real polluters are big oil corporations, and none of us can hold a candle to their annual carbon outputs. So why not explore the world? 

Secluded island. Delicious food. Personal concierge. Spa. Beach. Is Cayo Levantado Resort in the Dominican Republic the resort of my Caribbean dreams? Their website says they do all they can to minimize their ecological footprint and are dedicated to preserving the island’s biodiversity. Look, I love the ocean and I love a beach. Add a spa where I can float while someone plays singing bowls and I’m ready to go. 

Tierra Patagonia in Chile’s Torres del Paine National Park is remote and stunning. While I do love a good beach, this resort offers hikes and horseback riding to glaciers, through forests, and around lakes. The park looks like a beautiful place to forget that we are 89 seconds to midnight (a.k.a. global destruction) according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Doomsday Clock as of January 28, 2025. 

If I’m going to dream, I might as well dream big, right?

At The Retreat in Costa Rica, they have many wellness offerings, from the Art of Resting to Mastering Menopause. They’ve won umpteen international awards and claim a high return-guest rate. While many people go to surf and beach bum in Costa Rica, I’d like to move in forever to become my best self (someone grounded and full of peace, but still able to speak truth to power) while wandering the forest or staring out at the Pacific Ocean. 

Once in my life I want to sleep in a fancy hut by the water, and I could do that at Fiji’s Koro Sun Resort. I could swim, kayak, snorkel, and stand-up paddle board in this paradise. The resort also offers traditional Fijian activities like meke (dancing) and a demonstration of cooking in a lovo, an underground earth oven. Here I could reach my final form: a sea-witch casting spells on cruise ships and saving whales and refugees. If I’m going to dream, I might as well dream big, right?

Now that I’ve shared my daydream with you, I’m waking up to go buy a lottery ticket so I can make at least one of these trips happen in this lifetime. Or I’ll do the most eco-conscious trip of all: an imaginary vacation.

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