Making a Difference: Arenas del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort
Dec 5
posted by Dipika Chawla in
Making a Difference
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This month's SustainableTrip.org "Making a Difference" award winner is Arenas del Mar Beachfront & Rainforest Resort, an eco-luxury hotel located where the beach meets the rainforest in Costa Rica's Manuel Antonio National Park. We spoke with Hans Pfister, president of Cayuga Sustainable Hospitality, the company that runs Arenas del Mar, to find out a little bit more about this beautiful and sustainable hotel.
Q. Is Arenas del Mar a good place for travelers who want to see exotic wildlife?
Pfister: Yes--our clients don't even have to leave the hotel to experience wildlife! At Arenas del Mar, you can see monkeys, sloths, birds, iguanas, frogs, and boa constrictors right on our property. We also have expert guides who will share interesting facts about the surrounding flora and fauna. There are also tours you can take--particularly to Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica's most beautiful park, which is brimming with exotic animals and plant species.
Q. How can visitors learn about the local culture while staying at Arenas del Mar?
Pfister: We offer a free tour called "Tortillas en Petatillo." This is an excursion to the town of Petatillo, where guests can learn about local culture and even make their own tortillas in the traditional manner once used by these communities. You'll also get to sample great coffee or the "agua dulce" (sweet water) that is popular among locals.
Q. Why is sustainability so important for your hotel, and what noteworthy sustainable initiatives are you carrying out?
Pfister: Arenas del Mar is the first of its kind in Costa Rica because from day one, it was built according to the requirements of the prestigious Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) program. We do all of the basic activities like recycling, but we also go beyond that. We are involved in a program that eliminates the use of all plastic bottles in our restaurant, 
since it is better to not use these types of bottles at all than to recycle them. We are also committed to working exclusively with the local community and we try to pass on this philosophy on to our clients.
Q. How do you get your guests involved with your sustainability initiatives?
Pfister: We offer a sustainable tour that allows our guests to see everything that we do from behind the scenes. We also provide guests with the option to make their vacation "green" by reducing their carbon footprint.
Q. Of all of the hotels in the Manuel Antonio area, what makes Arenas del Mar special?
Pfister: We are the only luxury hotel in Manuel Antonio where guests have views of both the forest and the beach from one vantage point, as well as direct access to two beaches from which you can walk to the park. It's also earned the highest possible rating from CST, five leaves, and has a 5 star quality rating from the Costa Rica Tourism Board.
Congratulations to Arenas del Mar for winning our Making a Difference award!
