Sustainable holidays
in our rural hotel
… something we really care about!
in our rural hotel
… something we really care about!
In the past, sustainable holidays in organic or eco-hotels were still a real exception. Just thinking about it, some people turned up their noses with disdain. But in the last 10 years, the picture has changed dramatically. Especially the events of the last few years have ensured that environmental and climate protection has become increasingly important. Gentle tourism, slow travel and sustainable tourism are the buzzwords of the hour.
That is why sustainability for us is one thing above all: incredibly important.
In recent years, we have repeatedly made adjustments and changes. The goal: to make our small family-run B&B even more sustainable and thus contribute to nature conservation and a future for our planet.
Furthermore, we want to show that sustainable holidays and luxury are not mutually exclusive! In our hotel, luxury and sustainability merge and form a great symbiosis, which benefits you as our guest and the environment – in short, a classic win-win situation.
So when choosing your holiday hotel, you can help create a stable balance.
Sure, large hotels are much more likely to offer less expensive prices due to a large number of rooms. But if you choose an owner-managed hotel, you’ll very likely contribute to the further development of Mojácar and our province of Almería. Because your money stays here – in the local restaurant, at the butcher and with the vegetable farmer …
Within our abilities, we would like to contribute to a sustainable world. Our contributions might be small and simple, but we really believe in the concept of “every little bit helps” and we’ve started putting our own house in order. We are not yet 100% zero-waste and climate-neutral, but we have been able to continuously improve our carbon-footprint in recent years.
Because it’s not just about our current behavior, but about creating a stable balance in the long term. Our environmental awareness forces us to think every day about small details we can influence.
When we furnished and decorated our B&B, we had the longevity of the furniture in mind. We also searched for the right “bathroom amenities” for a long time because soap, shower gel and shampoo should also be environmentally friendly. Likewise, their packaging. You won’t find individually portioned butter or jam in disposable packaging at our breakfast buffet either, but you probably figured that out already, didn’t you?
Of course, you can also make your contribution to environmental protection and conserve resources! Take towels, for example. We understand it perfectly: On your vacation, you want to relax, not have to worry about anything and simply have a good time. And you should! But using towels several times and not exchanging them for fresh ones every day (we don’t do that at home either, right?) makes a huge difference.
Water is precious in Almería. The desert is expanding further and further, it often doesn’t rain for weeks, and a towel that is used more than once really makes a difference.
Now let’s look at using the shower. I still remember fondly, how in winter in Germany, I used to take warm showers for hours at a time. It felt so warm and cozy. It just felt wonderful on ice-cold, miserable winter days and yes, I hardly thought about the waste of water at the time either. But honestly – it’s (almost) always warm here, and you don’t need an endless shower to warm up.
Funnily enough, there is currently a challenge on Instagram celebrating people who manage to finish their shower in less than 2:30 minutes. Check it you! If I can do it, you can do it, too. Let me share a little secret: If you turn off the water while you are lathering – it won’t count in your time measuring … 🙂
And then there is the eternal issue of air conditioning. Yes, we have them and yes, we think it’s important and great that these things exist. But it’s a huge waste of resources to leave them running while lying on the beach or strolling through the village. Every room in our house is cool again, no later than 5 minutes after switching on the air-conditioning- it is, therefore, sufficient to switch it on when you come back into the room. By the way, turning on the air conditioning and opening the window is a real NO-GO 😉 Please help us to making a small effort just for being able to offer sustainable holidays for many more years.
As you are still reading here, we assume you don’t leave your rubbish on the beach.
In order to protect the oceans from garbage in the long term, you can help by going a tiny step further: every time you leave the beach, you simply pick up an extra 3 pieces of other people’s garbage with you and hand them over , for us to separate. That way, you contribute to save our environment and as a thank, we show our appreciation with a nice, cool glass of cava.
If you are interested in the topic, visit https://www.take3.org/
A great initiative to leave a wonderful place behind for future generations and to make a contribution to the future of our planet.
And when it comes to souvenirs and gifts for the “flower waterers” and “cat feeders” at home, you can also do something for the sustainability of your holiday region. In our case, that means not buying Indalos made of Chinese plastic. We have a great shop that stocks Indalos made from our local marble, Travertino. Esparto grass decoration is also produced on site. … just like pottery. And of course olive oil in large quantities and other delicious, locally produced food – so you see, there are enough ways to make a contribution ❤️ And we, like all our local colleagues, will be more than grateful!
Make the world a better place for one person at a time. Start with yourself
Linda Poindexter
In this area, a major rethinking process is currently taking place as well. There are already a number of tour operators who have specialized in offers for sustainable holidays. The holiday and holiday organizers now have a lot of additional information on their websites and in their catalogues, and new sustainability concepts are constantly being worked on.
There are also more and more fantastic internet portals on the subject of sustainable travel. Their sustainability criteria often are:
No, it would of course be quite dishonest to talk about sustainability all the time and then gallantly ignore the subject of flying.
We are aware that most of you cannot reach us without taking a plane.
We therefore recommend that you offset the CO2 footprint of your flight via e.g. https://co2.myclimate.org/en/flight_calculators/new. That way, your compensation payment flows directly back into climate protection projects.
Best of all, if you bring us a copy of the receipt, we’ll refund you half of it. 50/50, win-win, we together for a better world ❤️
Cortijo El Sarmiento is your bed and breakfast in Andalusia and your place for sustainable holidays with a good environmental conscience.