National Geographic has issued the top 50 most earth friendly retreats in the world. Makes you want to dream. Check this out.
They have broken it down to different countries and in categories. There are 10 properties in the desert, the jungle, in the mountains and in savanna. Now if you are like me, I did not know what savanna was so I went to wikipedia and found that a savanna or savannah is a tropical or subtropical woodland ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to support an unbroken herbaceous layer consisting primarily of C4 grasses. Very cool! But lets focus on the 10 properties in the Island category.
As much as I have traveled, I am embarrassed to say that I have never stayed at any of these properties, BUT I do have friends who have and I have been to some of the islands. If you have stayed at any of the proprerties, please tell us about your experience.
Kosrae Village, located in Micronesia has spectacular snorkeling. I have snorkeled and scuba dive in the Micronesia islands many times. Though it is far from the states, it is a part of the world everyone should experience once.
Somewhere closer to home, the U.S. Virgin Islands has a beautiful island, St. Johns, which is just a ferry ride from St. Thomas. Maho Bay Camp can be an affordable location for everyone. It is a great island for families and the snorkeling is spectacular.
I was thrilled to see that the caribbean island, Dominica, made the top 50 list. I LOVE DOMINICA! Though I never stayed at this property, Rosalie Forest Eco Lodge, (it is not on the water), this is a great island. It is great for solo travelers and families. Put Dominica on your list to travel.
Rosalie Forest Eco Lodge says it best: Dominica is filled with incredible nature, tropical scenery, beaches, forests, mountains, hot & cold springs, lakes and waterfalls, making it the perfect nature holday destination. The people are warm and friendly, and their cuisine is as diverse as their origins. There is a wide variety of stunning flora and fauna, including several unique species to Dominica. With a typically tropical climate of abundant sunshine and rainfall, it is the ideal ecotourism and adventure vacation destination in the caribbean. The Commonwealth of Dominica was the first country in the world to be officially benchmarked by Green Globe 21 as an eco tourism destination under their community standard.
Not being a big Bahamas fan, I was pleasantly thrilled to find this property on South Andros. Wow, it is definately on my list to visit. The Tiamo eco-lodge is spectacular! Here is the page on snorkeling and what impresses me is that they offer a Nature Concierge Team to take you and explore the underwater world.
A Maldives property, Soneva Fushi, is also on the top list. Though a spa retreat, they do offer snorkeling.
Other islands/properties on National Geographics list is the Seychelles which doesnt look like they offer snorkeling as the water is to deep, but definately worth the visit on their website.
Another property, Vamizi Island, is located in Mozambique, Africa. Though the website mentions snorkeling, I can comment on this as I found their site difficult to get around on. I hope you have better luck than I did. 
The property, Ranweli Holiday Village is located in Sri Lanka, where snorkeling is not available.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post, as much as I had writing it. Travel has been in my blood since I was a little girl and found my career to take me all over the world. Lists like National Geographics has always put me in my travel mode, even if it is in front of my computer.
