Top: Villa in Bali; Bottom: Restored house in Austin. Photo credits: Terence Carter.

Lara Dunston wrote this guest post on green holiday rentals. Globetrotting travel writers Dunston and Terence Carter have authored, updated and contributed to 50 guidebooks and written hundreds 0f travel articles for magazines, newspapers and websites around the world.

Does the idea of staying in a green holiday rental appeal to your conscious?

We blog about slow and sustainable travel, local travel, and experiential travel at Grantourismo.

Recently, we stayed in 36 holiday rentals from HomeAway Holiday-Rentals over 12 months on a grand tour of the world.

Here are the Top 5 Green Holiday Rentals from our trip:

1. PUGLIA, historic trullo (below)– Set in the countryside, surrounded by olive groves and wheat fields, this 200-year-old house had an outdoor pizza oven where we could make our own pizza. We biked along a 5 km country road to visit UNESCO World Heritage-listed Alberobello.

Photo credit: Terence Carter.

2. COSTA RICA, alfresco villa (below)– Surrounded by tropical jungle and with few walls to speak of, the house is open to the breezes and light is 100% natural during daylight hours, provided by the sun. There’s a weekly organic market in nearby Quepos. Activities include birdwatching, nature walks and wildlife cruises.

Photo credit: Terence Carter.

3. BALI, traditional villa (above)– On the edge of a small village set among rice paddies, Villa Tukad is decorated with local furnishings and traditional textiles and crafts. It’s well-ventilated and kept cool by lush tropical gardens. The villa cook prepares Balinese meals using fresh produce from the local markets.

4. VENICE, old palazzo (below)– Natural light streams the enormous windows which also let in breezes, making air-conditioning unnecessary. Fresh produce from the surrounding Veneto region, including seafood from Venice’s lagoon, can be bought from the Rialto markets or an organic market on Mondays.

Photo credit: Terence Carter.

5. AUSTIN, TEXAS, restored house (above)– This retro house has been lovingly restored and includes a barbecue on the wooden deck and two push bikes for getting around. There are plenty of farmers markets, specialist shops selling local produce, and of course, Whole Foods, however, the owners can also organize for farm fresh produce to be delivered to your door.

Images courtesy of Grantourismo.

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