Planning Your Green Holidays in Yucatan, Mexico
Mexico is always a great destination for sunshine and beautiful scenery. A perfect destination for all seasons.
If you are planning to head to the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico for your vacation and want your accommodation to be more responsible for it’s actions, then hopefully these eco resorts may appeal.
Where To Start:
However, if you are going to enjoy your green holidays, then you need to look beyond the standard brochure. Many companies will cater for your every need in Cancun and around the Caribbean coast - but what if you want it to care about the needs of the environment and local people too?
Forget the shiny brochures from the travel agent who cram everyone into the man-made hi-rise resort of Cancun. Forget the cheap package vacations that include everything except the local people, and start looking elsewhere……
I have been looking around for you and have found 4 vacation spots all in the Yucatan peninsula, and all offering a ‘green’ alternative to the standard resort, and have detailed their eco credentials.
However, the search isn’t always easy - as many resorts have information of ‘ecology’ meaning that there are animals and plants there, rather than ‘eco’ in our sense of the word, meaning that it actually cares for that environment and those creatures and plants.
The Hotels:
All are in different locations to offer you a taste of something different, but are all within easy reach of international airports and Mexico’s ancient Mayan Sites.
When making yur decision on the best green resort, remember to check their eco-credentials based on what they have to work with. If they are catering for green alternatives in towns and cities then they are limited as to what they can achieve and it will take a more reduce:reuse:recycle approach.
When searching for isolated eco-lodges surrounded by beaches or forest, they are playing to a whole new set of rules. Look out for alternative energy sources, low development footprint and how the accommodation fits in to the environment.
Eco Paraiso
This new-build eco-hotel is in Yucatan State, close to Celestun on the Gulf of Mexico coast.
It was designed around the nature on this coast and was set back from the beach itself to maintain the delicate dunes that protect the coast and is also home to rare plants and nesting turtles.
The actual buildings on the land only take up just over 1% of the total land owned by the resort, leaving nature pretty much as it was. Any areas that needed replanting or protecting were filled with only native plants and trees.
They buy locally and in bulk to save food waste and catch and treat both rainwater and grey water from the rooms and kitchens to water the gardens. They even desalinate their salt-water well and treat to make potable for guests rather than import bottled water.
Other attributes include solar-heated pool, low voltage bulbs and no individually packaged toiletries and goods. They also offer extensive literature for guests to find out about their ethos and the local environment and community. They even offer short course on eco living and sustainability!
Genesis Retreat
This vacation spot is located inland, just north of the town of Valladolid - close to Chichen Itza.
Based around a local village in the ruins of Ek Balem, this hotel is closely knitted together with the local people. Most of the activities are guided by the locals and they welcome you into their villages and homes.
The hotel uses all local food and services and the local tours and wildlife trips are all close by. Any further away is catered for with a healthy supply of mountain bikes.
They say that their gardens were designed to attract local butterflies and birdlife and have a small area that houses rescued native birds that cannot be released. Their outdoor pool is chemical free and bio-filtered to reduce it’s impact on the visiting wildlife.
The management will automatically send you detailed information regarding their eco-credentials and community programmes on booking with them, as well and any other details you request on top.
Hotel El Rey Del Caribe
Located in the very heart of downtown Cancun (the original town) and so has different pressures on it’s green approach.
It welcomes you with Mexican flair and authentic design and you will probably see it’s sheets drying naturally on the roof! Their main focuses are reducing and recycling and they are proud of the composting toilets in many of their rooms and the rainwater and grey-water recycling and reuse.
They say that they are constantly learning more ways to improve what they have, and work with local environmental NGO’s to support local projects as well as further their own developments - including their solar water heater.
They are also only a Bed & Breakfast, therefore encouraging visitors to go and explore the heart of Cancun and use local services and enjoy traditional foods.
Papaya Playa
This final hotel is really to the extremes of a green holiday and won’t be for everyone!
Close to the beautiful coastal ruins of Tulum, this complex has few rooms. All were built with local materials using traditional methods and resources.
The rooms are very basic and sleep as many as possible in double beds to reduce individual waste. Many go even further with shared bathrooms for some of the cabins to prevent wasted plumbing and ease of water capture and heating! It goes without saying that they are showers only…
Expect almost nothing electrical in the rooms as there is only power generated between dusk and 11:30pm and so you need to rely on the traditional windowless design of the cabins and the natural ‘gaps’ in the slatted walls to keep your room cool throughout the day.
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