Away to the Bay of Bengal

       Many Western travelers are pouring into Myanmar (some still prefer to call it Burma) these days since the welcome mat has been put out by its government, and Hillary Clinton visited to make it all official. The temples of Bagan and the incredible Schwedagon Pagoda in Yangon are exquisite, but know that the tourist infrastructure is still in its infancy (for better or worse).  And there is every reason to be concerned long term about the preservation of the wonderful architecture and colonial buildings; I hope that organizations such as Yangon Heritage Trust will prevail.

       Last month I saw an article in Conde Nast Traveler about Ngapali Beach, a spectacular swath of fine sand beach way down in the South of Burma, in the Bay of Bengal. The article  said the area "calls to mind the Thailand of decades ago." Cheryl and I stayed at the Amazing Ngapali Resort (95-1-434-2011) so I wanted to put my two cents in.

       First of all, the beach is fantastic ---- large, uninhabited, great for swimming, clean, and it is directly adjacent to the resort:

Ngapali Beach, taken from the Ngapali Amazing Resort

Besides swimming, you can arrange snorkeling (not great because no reefs), boat rides and fishing. The boats can take you to a spit of an island where excellent fresh fish and booze are available from a simple shack. Well worth doing.

       The accommodations at ANR are very comfortable, clean and large enough. Most, if not all, have a small balcony/lanai with a view to the ocean. The food is very good, but stick with the fresh sea food, as one of the guests had a burger she regretted for a few days :(. The vibe is friendly and low key. 

     I have read lots of the reviews on Trip Advisor, and I was not quite as impressed as many of the reviewers. At least in 2012, the staff was still learning service, did not explain procedures and activities well, did not speak English well. The natural warmth and hospitality you find in, say, Thailand, was not evident.  But perhaps this is an unfair comparison, and I'm sure management has been working on service.

     Would I go back? Yes, for sure. We enjoyed ourselves, relaxed, ate and drank well, and the cost was only about $200. per night. That's a bargain. And, of course, the sun setting into the Bay of Bengal is lovely:

sunset from our balcony

       

Green Hotels: Here to Stay

       More and more, travelers are taking their ecological consciousness on vacation with them. They are making their plans taking into account the impact of their travel on the earth and its natural resources. They want to have a positive effect (or at least not a negative effect) on the beautiful places they visit. They are seeking out options that will make them feel good about the way they see the world, travel for business, or visit a new city. You may have noted recently that Trip Advisor, one of the premier travel web sites, now includes "Green Leaders" to help point travelers to environmentally aware properties and places http://www.tripadvisor.com/GreenLeaders.

       The hospitality industry's response to both An Inconvenient Truth http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Inconvenient_Truth and the desire of enlightened travelers to "go green" came in large part from a man who is, and for many years has been, a visionary and leader in the movement to make the business world respect and even protect the Earth.

       Enter Tedd Saunders* and his company Ecological Solutions http://www.ecological-solutions.net/index.htm. Tedd is true believer when it comes to saving the environment, and I can tell you, the man "walks his talk" in every aspect of his daily life.  He is also an activist when it comes to getting the business community to practice what he calls "sustainable management" ---- leadership and practices designed to reduce waste and increase efficiency while providing customers, clients and guests with a great, even luxurious, experience.

Tedd Saunders: man with a green mission

     In 1989, Tedd and his family began to implement small and large environmental improvements at the hotels they own and operate in the Boston area, including their flagship property The Lenox in Back Bay http://www.lenoxhotel.com. In 1992, Tedd founded Ecological Solutions, a company whose mission is to take the best practices learned from his experiences at The Saunders Group hotels and use them to help hotels around the world, including Taj Hotels in India.
     Tedd says "Nothing we do is extraordinary... it's all good old common sense and smart business." So how do these green hotels treat the environment responsibly? The hotels have implemented a constantly-expanding set initiatives related to all of its systems, including energy use, insulation, recycling, PERC-free dry cleaning, healthier paints and cleaners, etc. etc. Below you can look at some of the environmentally-sustainable features of a guest room at The Lenox:

1. super-insulated windows      2. locally produced room products reduce truck exhaust     3. high-quality low-flow fixtures     4. attractive in-room recycling     5. 4,800 energy-efficient bulbs throughout the hotels     6. FSC certified wood used in renovations     7. eco-friendly cleaners

Two particular examples are compelling. Amenity dispensers --- large, good-looking, refillable containers for providing guests with shampoo, body lotion and the like --- have saved about 8300 pounds of wasted plastic compared to the traditional small bottles since 2000, and also saved 85% of the liquid itself, which is usually thrown away unused.  Also, using compressed natural gas for one hotel's airport shuttle vans has reduced costs considerably and saved carbon emissions with every usage.

      By its leadership in this area, Saunders Hotel Group has garnered some serious awards and attention. The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel & Leisure and NBC Nightly News among others, have reported favorably on SHG's contribution to sustainable tourism. And, importantly, all kinds of travelers who have an environmental consciousness patronize their hotels over and over again. Shared values become a major marketing strategy.

     Far from being content with its contribution to green travel, SHG has set up some ambitious goals for its business model, including diverting 80% of its waste to recycling and reducing greenhouse emissions 20% by 2020.

       There is no doubt that savvy travelers are trending toward more awareness of their environmental footprint. This awareness will continue to drive choices in accomodations, among other things. For those who are ready to make their travel greener, hotels like The Lenox are ready to serve in style and comfort.

*Happy Disclosure: In the service of transparency and authenticity, readers should know that Tedd is one of my closest friends, and I have known him and his family for many years.