WITH EVERYONE trying to be as ecologically sound as possible, it can be hard to sort out the inflated claims from the less impressive realities when it comes to holidays. Some cynical hotels try to coax guests into re-using their towels in what is often more an attempt to save money than the planet. Perhaps the grandest claims of all are coming from the Slovakian mountains, where the AquaCity resort boasts that it is on track to be completely energy self-sufficient and carbon neutral within two years.

At first sight AquaCity looks more like one of the power plants it is trying to make redundant than a resort, but the ever-expanding complex is home to nine swimming pools, 15 saunas and two hotels that cater for up to 6000 guests a day. Its power needs are considerable, but by 2009 the resort is set to be completely energy self-sufficient (currently between 70% and 80% of its needs are met by sustainable resources) and carbon neutral, using a hybrid cocktail of geothermal, solar and wind power.

The man behind it all, self-made Czech millionaire Jan Telensky, makes for an unlikely eco-warrior as he sits besuited in his office enthusing everyone he meets with his determination to realise the dream of making AquaCity the most eco-friendly resort in the world. On one wall hangs a signed Celtic strip, a legacy of the 5-0 defeat in 2005 that the Slovakian champions Artmedia Bratislava inflicted on the Glasgow side. "That result shows that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and that is our spirit. Who would have thought we could create a resort that wastes no fossil fuels and who would have thought Bratislava would have thrashed the champions of Scotland?" smiles Telensky.

The approach to powering AquaCity is what Telensky sums up as "earth, wind and fire", with these three elements combined and the main source of energy coming from geothermal waters deep below the earth's surface. The idea came after Telensky literally stumbled upon a borehole that had been sunk by another company in a fruitless search for gas. It took more than a dash of vision to see this as a business opportunity, but now there are two boreholes (the second came on stream in December 2006) plunging to depths of 1.4km and 2.5km, with another one on the way. A system of heat exchangers harnesses the raw power, with the geothermal production soon to be boosted by solar panels, wind turbines and a plant that recycles cow manure.

The green ethos does not stop with energy production as low-energy light bulbs are used throughout the resort, the automatic hotel lighting is motion sensitive, all taps are fixed to avoid needless running, the swimming pools are stainless steel to reduce chemical use (by 90%) and the used geothermal water is returned to local streams.

AquaCity's achievements have not gone unrecognised and it has earned a string of accolades including the Green Globe for sustainable tourism, the Green Apple award for eco-tourism and the awarding of Green Hero status - the resort was the first in Europe to be recognised with the latter.

While the travelling public has never been keener to go green, this rarely translates into bookings. Fortunately for AquaCity the resort facilities, as well as hiking in summer and skiing in winter in the surrounding High Tatras mountains, are proving enough of a temptation to the increasing number of British travellers flying out on the direct budget flights to Poprad from London.

The resort itself overflows with bubbling hot pools, myriad hot and cold spa rooms and extra luxuries like a brace of swim-up bars. The main attraction for the brave is Cryotherapy, one of the most unusual health treatments you are ever likely to experience. It involves being super chilled in a -121C icy chamber for two minutes before a session in the gym to get your system going again. It is an invigorating process that is said to alleviate a raft of health complaints from arthritis and psoriasis to depression and chronic fatigue syndrome.

While Slovakia is not on most people's travel radar, AquaCity does offer a unique experience. In one of Europe's most dramatic mountain ranges you can avoid depleting the planet's energy resources whilst simultaneously recharging your own energy levels. As Telensky puts it: "At AquaCity you don't need to feel too guilty about your polluting flight as you offset your carbon when you arrive. We are showing that holidays need not cost the earth."