“Some views you can never tire of and the one from my veranda overlooking Castara Bay, on Tobago’s west coast, is among them…At sunrise, giant frigatebirds swoop over the azure calm of the Caribbean Sea, while yellow-breasted bananaquits hustle for space on the hanging bamboo birdtable; in the hazy afternoon heat, fishermen reel nets onto the pretty curve of golden sand, selling their catch straight from the boats; by night, fireflies glow, distant lights twinkle, the moon sparkles on the water. And all around the cloak of rainforest tumbles down the hillside to the coast, hugging the village, buzzing with the sounds of nature.”

“Castara Retreats’ 15 treehouse-style, self-catering lodges melt seamlessly into the landscape… Built of cypress and cedar wood with vast terraces angled to soak up those views, it’s the ultimate in rustic chic. The gardens are alive with birds (74 species have been spotted), guinea-pig like agouti scuttle by, and the sound of the sea lulls you to sleep.”

Perched above a proper Tobagonian fishing village, this hotel has everything you want from the Caribbean. The 16 rooms are gorgeous, with hardwood floors, shutters and verandas with hammocks. All have kitchenettes should you wish to self-cater, but Castara’s restaurant is everything you would want it to be, with jerk chicken and freshly grilled fish that has been caught by the villagers.

Look beyond the main Caribbean islands and you’ll find quality boutique hotels at staggering prices. Exhibit A: the 16 apartments of Castara Retreats, set on a hillside above Tobago’s especially verdant north-western coast. Though Firefly is the cheapest, it still comes with a four-poster bed, a kitchenette, a dining area and an ocean-facing garden terrace, while fragrant cedar wood and billowing white fabrics complete the tropical vibe. Snorkelling, fishing and even waterfall-jumping can all be arranged locally.

Glamping, flashpacking, digital retreating – travel trends come and go but the latest tourism buzzword is here to stay – sustainability. Proving it is possible to enjoy the world responsibly, an increasing number of hotels have committed to giving something back via local community initiatives and eco programmes designed to help counter the negative impact of air travel and mass tourism. With the UN declaring 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, we’ve rounded up some of the world’s most environmentally conscious resorts putting greener travel firmly on the map.

Nestled amid tropical rainforests on the north-west coast of Tobago in a tiny fishing village, Castara Retreats consists of 15 treehouse-style lodges with views across the Caribbean. The family-run resort on Trinidad’s little-sister island is a bastion of community-led tourism. The eco hotel’s ‘one-family’ approach empowers locals who have a stake in the business, working as waiting staff, drivers, chefs and fitness instructors. Guests can pick coconuts from trees outside their windows, watch chickens and agouti (an endangered species of guinea pig, protected by the resort’s on-site wildlife sanctuary) roam freely and soak up authentic Caribbean culture from locals who spearhead everything from kundalini yoga on the beach to bread-making in the kitchen. The trickle-down effect of tourism goes straight back to local business, so swing by Chenos for a breakfast of patty buns and eggs, or learn to dive with a local marine biologist. You’ll be rewarded with views of some of the most unspoilt reefs in the world thanks to Castara Retreats’ coral regeneration programme, which trains young locals to monitor them. They recently discovered fields of elkhorn, an endangered coral species that had declined by 98 per cent is now under protection. Paradise, it seems, is far from lost.

“If you’re seeking a turn-down service, manicured sands and an all-in bar then you’ve come to the wrong place. But then again, that’s what makes it so right. Tobago has largely escaped the Caribbean’s influx of American resort hotels – instead, a handful of boutique guesthouses scatter the shores, one of them being Castara Retreats – 12 deeply loved wooden lodges that dot the tree-packed hillside of the fishing village of Castara. Open-air bedrooms mean you fall asleep to distant calypso notes from the village bar and wake up to the sound of playful birds and gentle waves lapping the shore. It overlooks one of the prettiest bays I’ve seen in the Caribbean, a view so irresistible that by 7am I’ve abandoned my four-poster bed to float on my back in the tranquil sea, while a couple of friendly dogs guard my belongings and a few intrigued fisherman haul nets around me on the blissfully empty beach.”