About EcoStay Ireland

Ireland has some of the most extraordinary places to stay in the world.

Off-grid yurts on lakeside bogland. Carbon-neutral hotels tucked into sea-cliff villages. Shepherd’s huts on organic farms. Eco lodges powered entirely by the river running through the property.

The problem was never the places. It was finding them. And knowing which ones were genuinely the real thing.

Why we built this

The word “eco” is everywhere. Hotel websites put it in their name. Booking platforms offer it as a filter. Travel blogs write annual listicles about it. But none of them tell you what it actually means.

Ecotourism Ireland Gold is not the same as Green Key. Green Key is not the same as a “we care about the planet” page on the website. And a bathroom card asking you to reuse your towels is not a sustainability programme.

The travellers who want to get this right, who have spent hours searching, reading, and cross-referencing certification bodies they’ve never heard of and still aren’t sure, deserve a platform that takes it as seriously as they do.

So we built one.

EcoStay Ireland lists only properties that hold a current certification from a recognised body. We explain exactly what that certification requires. We make it straightforward to book. And we review listings annually so the information stays current.

No hours of Googling. No guessing. No greenwashing.

How listings work

Certification is the entry requirement. A property applies to be listed. We verify their current certification against the issuing body. Ecotourism Ireland, Green Key, Green Hospitality, GSTC: if the certificate is current and from a recognised standard, they’re eligible to be listed. If it isn’t, they aren’t, no matter how genuine their intentions or how good their marketing.

We show our working. Every property page displays the certification body, the year it was awarded, and what it assessed. We link to the certification body’s own standards documentation so you can read the full criteria if you want to. Transparency isn’t a talking point here; it’s the whole point.

Nothing is paid placement. Properties don’t pay to appear on EcoStay Ireland and they don’t pay for better positioning. Our editorial policy is published. Listings are earned, not bought.

Listings are reviewed annually. Certifications expire. We check. If a property’s certification lapses and isn’t renewed, the listing comes off the platform. The directory reflects the current, verified state of eco accommodation in Ireland, not a snapshot from three years ago.

Who this is for

You already care. You’re not here to be convinced that your accommodation choices matter.

You’re here because you want to make the right choice without spending your evenings doing research. You want somewhere genuinely beautiful. You want to know the eco credentials are real. And you want the booking to be simple.

Your values don’t have to stop at the hotel door. EcoStay Ireland makes sure they don’t.

The certifications we recognise

Ecotourism Ireland (including Ecotourism Ireland Gold and the Burren Ecotourism Network) Green Key (administered in Ireland by An Taisce) Green Hospitality Programme GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council recognised standards)

Properties holding current certification from any of these bodies are eligible to be listed. Our certification guide explains what each standard requires and how they differ from each other.

List your certified property

Are you an eco-certified property in Ireland? If you hold a current certification from a recognised body, we’d like to hear from you. Find out how to get listed on our contact page.

Earned, not claimed.