By Donna Sozio, Source: EcoSalon

Well, La Dolce Vita isn’t just in Rome. You’ll also find it in the Alps. European winter getaways are an entirely different level of pleasure. Imagine warming up at a country French restaurant in a converted barn. Enjoy après-ski at a mid-mountain chalet, sipping on fendant and dipping country bread in fondue made with cheese from the valley. Taste the chef’s homemade apricot eau de vie. Then, at sunset, you snowplow down the return trail to your luxurious eco hotel. Perhaps you take a nighttime dip in a heated alpine infinity pool. Or curl up by an open fire and watch the snow fall outside. Not to mention the glaciers, champagne bars on the slopes, and off-piste skiing that dreams are made of. If this makes you google airfares, then the Alps are for you.

Even better news is that hotels in Europe are committing to sustainable tourism in sensitive environments such as the Alps. When you stay in one of these gorgeous eco-hotels, resorts, and lodges, you’ll never feel like a jerk because you won’t be damaging the very nature you came to enjoy.

Here’re my top 7 Eco-Luxury Winter Getaways in the Alps:

1. The Adler Mountain Lodge

At the Adler Mountain Lodge they had to work hard to open their doors in the highly protected Alpe di Siusi area in Italy’s Dolomites – a UNESCO world heritage site. In compliance with the Klimahous Nature standard to reduce energy consumption, the hoteliers still managed to pull off a heated outdoor infinity pool where you can swim through reflections of the mountains, a panoramic sauna, and in-room fireplaces. This family run eco retreat is so gorgeous, you’ll beg the airlines to waive their change fee and stay longer.

2. Hotel Sonne

A bio-hotel with eco-compatible materials never looked so good. What looks even better is that it uses alternative energy sources for nearly zero impact on the environment. 4-stars and counting, Hotel Sonne is located in in the heart of Livigno’s car-free zone. Cozy up at the 16-room hotel and enjoy a spa day in their biological sauna, infrared cabin and steam bath. Or walk a short distance and be on a ski lift in minutes. Even better. Do both.

3. Hotel Les Menuires Les Bruyères

They coined it. Eco-chic ethos. And bravo! I scoured France to find eco-hotels and honestly, they weren’t all jumping up at once. Run by the Temmos Group, the Hotel Les Menuires Les Bruyères, is committed to carbon neutral strategies, greenhouse gas assessments, and a partnership with EcoAct, all in loving pursuit to protect the melting Alps. With irrefutable scientific evidence that its glaciers are well, melting, eco isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a necessity.

See the rest at: EcoSalon