MALLORCA & ENVIRONMENT-FRIENDLY TOURISM
Rafael Balaguer Mestre used to own a large hotel in Palma, Mallorca but recently sold it to focus on two much smaller boutique hotels; Son Penya and L’Avenida. He is gradually making each hotel more environmentally friendly. Alongside the hotels, he runs a 140hectare organic almond farm. The business also has a mini factory in which they roast and flavour their almonds under the Mallorca Fruits brand in collaboration with local chefs from the island.
So how is the business becoming greener?
When we bought Son Penya we installed two Electric Vehicle Charging points in collaboration with BMW and bought two electric cars to rent to our clients. In the second year we installed solar panels, a total of 18 KW, which produces 30% of our total electricity consumption. We also reduced the plastic usage by 80%. Now, in our third year, Son Penya will become a plastic free hotel. Also, we are currently researching ways to reduce our gas consumption.
You recently acquired L’Avenida in Soller – what eco-friendly changes are you planning?
In the first year we became plastic free – all our drinks, including water, are served in glass bottles (not single use plastic). For the second year we will be increasing our use of organic ingredients and adding a Vegan section in the snack menu. As we renovate all the bathrooms, we will be installing a more efficient water system in order to reduce our water usage. In addition, the shampoo, shower gel and body lotion all come in bottles made of recycled plastic. And the toothbrush and hair comb in the vanity sets are made of bamboo.
Why are you choosing to make your hotels more environmentally sensitive?
I would say is not only hotel-driven; my motivation is much more to do with the way I wish to live and the more I can do, that is under my control, to be sustainable is good on a long-term basis. We all need to think about the environment. So basically, I like to add our small contribution to all the environmental initiatives around.
You are also an almond farmer… almonds require a lot of water. What steps have you been taking to reduce the water use on your almond farms?
Our aim is to be as sustainable as possible; both financially and environmentally. In the case of almond farming it can be a contradiction, as the more you irrigate the more you produce, so the more money you make.
So firstly, we decided to follow the deficit irrigation system, which identifies the critical stages of the trees’ growth during the year and the amount of water needed for good production. We programmed the irrigation strategy to provide a sufficient amount of water at the right times, above which the production-to-water consumption benefits start to decline. Once we had fine-tuned that and got it ‘just right’ we began investigating other solutions. The most recent one is to cover the land between and around the trees with straw which retains the humidity and reduces evaporation – again allowing us to reduce our water consumption.
What next for you?
For the next year our goal is to keep upgrading and updating our hotels in all aspects – and the environment will play an important role in this. We have a variety of ideas in mind, such as developing an organic orchard and trying to grow as many vegetables as possible for the kitchen restaurant at Son Penya. We are also developing an organic wine farm.
For L’Avenida we are renovating all of the rooms, where we will use LED lightening to reduce energy consumption, and we’ll be improving the water systems. The next step is to change the cleaning products to natural, organic ones.
Every time it becomes more and more difficult to improve as the possibilities are limited but we need to stretch our mind in order to find the way.
Where can we find out more about Son Penya and L’Avenida?
