By Gabrielle Fagan
There are some things you definitely don't need on holiday; an email from the office asking you to return urgently, a tummy bug or bad weather, particularly if you have children. But one peculiarly modern ailment is increasingly difficult to dodge - eco guilt, as in, "Am I wrecking the place for the locals who actually live here?" Our preoccupation with the planet and all things green means that if you're aware of conservation at home you can ruin your eco 'street cred' by leaving a huge carbon footprint in your holiday wake.
Thankfully, there's no need to restrict yourself and your family to a self-catering tent or caravan holiday on windswept UK beaches. A green wind of change is blowing through the world of luxury travel. It's now possible to find resorts which are an innovative fusion of eco-sensitivity and spectacular comfort, where you can relax, confident your impact on the environment is minimal.
Plenty awaits travellers to Thailand, now fully recovered from the 2004 tsunami and boasting new environmentally friendly destinations. One new eco-resort is on a tiny, unspoilt west coast island called Yao Noi - it's English name means 'little island'.
At its heart, the new Six Senses Hideaway (formerly Evason Hideaway & Spa) harmonises so well with its tropical surroundings that it is barely visible from the private helicopter whisking you in over the Andaman Sea, and away from the bustling backpackers of Phuket.
This beautiful development has been painstakingly put together. Only wooden nails were used in its construction, villas are made from sustainable local timbers, and all furnishing fabrics are either organic cotton or linens.
There are 56 spacious retreats - each with sun terrace and infinity pool - set in 24 acres of lush hillside, and the breathtaking views are balm to the soul. Tension mysteriously melts away as you gaze, perhaps while lounging in the master suite or soaking in a sunken bath, at Phang Nga Bay's sparkling waters, which lap at the white sands of private beaches.
Further out from the shore, this area's famous towering limestone pinnacles stand proud of the sea in an awesome display, resembling the discarded teeth of some gigantic prehistoric monster. The bay featured in the Bond film, The Man With The Golden Gun.