Our top 10 eco-hotels and lodges for their approach to food

How do you know if the perfect hotel you’ve found is really doing everything they say they are to be sustainable and environmentally conscious or are they just ‘green washing’?

As attitudes change, businesses will always try to follow the trends, and hotels are no different.

There are so many different ratings and awards available for hotels and lodges that claim to be focused on being environmentally conscious that it can be very confusing, if not misleading!

Worse, some of the ratings are based on how much money a location can spend on the award itself, rather than purely on what they are achieving.

So, how do you make sure that the hotel you are going to visit is setting up long-term sustainability projects, and not just waiting to jump onto the next bandwagon?

This situation has become so complicated that Rebecca and Lionel of Kiwano Hotels decided they would create their own, called the “leaf status”.

There are 4 levels of leaf-ratings, from 1-leaf up to gold status.

Rebecca and Lionel know each location inside out. From how they deal with waste to how they get their power, source their food, and regenerate the environment that surrounds them.

Having researched each property and interviewed the owners or managers too, they then rate each location based on 9 categories:

• Architecture
• Conservation
• Energy
• Engage Guests
• Food
• Housekeeping
• Waste
• Water

The final category is Community, which looks at everything else the property, and its owners, are doing to help the community they live within.

Over these 10 articles, we are going to run down the top 10 locations in each category, whether they be a hotel, lodge, or self-catering, before giving you our top 10 eco locations you should visit if you want to make a positive difference whilst you explore the world.

This article is the 4th blog within the series and will look at Food.

When we look at the hotel and lodge’s approach to food, we are looking at things like:

• Do they grow their own organic ingredients such as fruits, vegetables and herbs?
• Do they work with local producers and sustainable fisheries?
• Are they using pesticides?
• Do they have an organic wine list?
• Are the foods grown that regenerate the soil via regenerative farming practices?

Schwarzwald Panorama has its own garden to grow vegetables & ingredients used in the kitchen to be more self-reliant.

The kitchen uses as much regional and seasonal produce as possible, with at least 90% of their food being organic, including wine.

They work with Bioland, an organic agriculture association.

A high-quality balanced diet, certified organic quality and slow food are the core values here.

When choosing ingredients they follow strict Bioland guidelines and work with suppliers who are recycling orientated, who do not work with synthetic fertilizers.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here: https://schwarzwald-panorama.com/sustainability/

The majority of food at Tranquilo Bay is sourced from within Panama and raw materials are brought in, in the largest quantity possible to then make as much food as possible from this on-site, such as the breads and desserts baked on-site every day.

The hotel has planted trees that will increase their self-efficiency in the future and they already grow a fair amount of fruit and herbs on-site (about a third of the fresh fruit juices served come from the trees on-site).

Tranquilo Bay does not support the over-fishing of lobsters, conch and octopus, thus they will not purchase or serve these locally endangered species at their hotel.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here: https://www.tranquilobay.com/sustainabilitypractice/

The Cotton House uses their own herb garden for their kitchen and uses local organically grown fruit and vegetables from St Vincent.

They use local farmers who supply free-range meat and eggs. The local fishermen deliver the catch of the day directly to the hotel.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here: https://www.cottonhouse.net/the-island/conservation/

The kitchen cooks traditional Nepalese food using as much local and organic produce as possible.

The lodge has its own vegetable garden whilst other ingredients are sourced locally: homegrown, village grown, from the local area and outwards.

Organic produce is used where possible as there is a budding organic movement in Nepal.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here: https://tigermountainpokhara.com/extra_information.php

The property has an organic herb garden on-site for guests to enjoy.

Olas Tulum's kitchen sources only local food and ensures that it is grown organically.

The suppliers are 100% local to support the local economy.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here: https://www.olastulum.com/sustainability

All of the food served at the lodge is sourced locally from Iquitos.

The lodge is able to cater to all dietary needs, they provide plenty of vegetarian and vegan options.

Chefs prepare local dishes and using local exotic fruits and vegetables for guests to enjoy.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here: http://www.yarapa.com/page5/page5.html

The dishes at La Almunia del Valle’s and the daily menu are made with local and seasonal products, the agricultural approach is one in which cares for the environment and recognises the importance of sustainability.

Local beef is served at the hotel; “Pajuna” cattle are raised in Sierra Nevada.

The 13,000 m2 of La Almunia del Valle includes farmland with olive, almond and fruit trees as well as a slope of uncultivated land with oaks, esparto grass, pines, cypresses and herbs.

In March, April and May (spring season), they work mainly with vegetables from their Vega Granadina garden; with baby broad beans, spring onions, artichokes, cabbage, spinach and green asparagus.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here: https://www.laalmuniadelvalle.com/en/sustainability/

The hotel has a federal organic certificate "Produto Brasil Orgânico", producing organic, delicious foods for guests to enjoy, including cacao nibs, organic coconut milk, fruits, vegetables.

Meals are customised for vegans and vegetarians, although responsibly sourced seafood and animal protein is available.

The hotel sources from local fisherman who are focused on sustainable fishing methods.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here: http://www.casadosarandis.com/pe_conservacao.asp?peninsula=1&tp=cons&vexp=i

The food at Jungle Bay is primarily sourced from organic suppliers based on the island with the aim for all produce to be as fresh as possible, including fish from a local village caught daily.

The farmers that Jungle Bay work with are from neighbouring villages, they are supported by the staff at Jungle Bay to grow organic produce, including honey and eggs.

The resort also has over 30 varieties of their own fruits in their on-site garden including avocados, bananas, papaya and pineapples.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here: https://junglebaydominica.com/about/sustainable-tourism/

Other than tea and salt, the hotel grows all its own ingredients to be used in the kitchen.

They currently grow their own rice, lentils, garlic, ginger and other vegetables, seasonal fruits and much more.

Meat and dairy products are sourced from the farm.

The kitchen even has its own bakery on-site too.

Fresh seasonal fruit juices are available, but other drinks are imported.

Anything that the kitchen doesn’t have enough of is sourced locally to reduce food miles.

You can find out more about their sustainability policy here: https://www.pavilionshotels.com/himalayas/thefarm/community/

Our "Climate Heroes" initiative continues to go from strength to strength.

Every booking we make includes a carbon hero contribution, which goes to support a range of environmental initiatives all around the world.

This means that when you book with us, you’ll be helping the planet, so you can feel even better about going on holiday. 30 times better in fact! As our Climate Hero projects are up to 30 times more effective than most tree planting projects.

Find out more on our website.

https://lisetteandliam.notjusttravel.com/travel-that-gives-back

Congratulations to The Pavilions Himalayas, Nepal. This eco-lodge is a worthy winner.

In our next blog, we'll look at how the Hotels and Lodges ensure everything they do within the hotel via their housekeeping is as environmentally sustainable as possible

To find out more, then please get in touch:

lisette.julio-quinn@notjusttravel.com

07505 999 773

lisetteandliam.notjusttravel.com

You can find all our blog posts about ecotourism on our website here: https://lisetteandliam.notjusttravel.com/blog/inspiration?tag=140

Thank you to Rebecca Woolford and Kiwano Hotels. https://kiwanohotels.com/