Hotel Belmar

Overview

Description

Hotel Belmar is located in Monteverde, in the province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica. The main attraction of the region is the famous Monteverde cloud forest, which you can visit via guided daytime or night tours, suspension bridges, canopy exploration tours, visits to the biological stations, and more.

Monteverde has a frog and toad nature center, serpentarium, butterfly garden, orchid garden, hummingbird gallery, a jungle bat exhibit, an insect museum, and more. There are also many handicraft souvenir shops, live music, music festivals three times a year, restaurants, and much more.

Rooms

26

Making a Difference

Number of employees: 20

Percentage of local employees: 90%

The hotel aims for sustainability in all its operations, including:

• The use of biodegradable paints and cleaning materials.
• No use of agrochemicals in the garden.
• We use organic foods as much as possible.
• We separate wastes, compost organic wastes, and recycle solid wastes.
• All of our organic wastes are processed in a worm composting system to convert it into organic fertilizer for the gardens.
• We use a biodigester to treat our wastewaters while producing bio-gas, which we use as energy for warming the Jacuzzi and other things.
• We use compact energy-saving fluorescent lights in 90% of the rooms.
• We use skylights to light the hotel during the day.
• We motivate our guests to adopt these practices during their stay at the hotel and ideally, in their lives after their departure.
• Our involvement with environmental organizations to protect the region's natural resources, such as the Ministry of the Environment and Energy, the Monteverde Conservation Association, and the School for Creative Education.
• Supporting local cultural activities.
• Using inputs that are locally produced in a sustainable fashion (organic, fair trade, and others) when possible.
• Hiring and training workers from the area.

Rates

$76 – 100

For more information about rates, please visit:

• www.hotelbelmar.net/accommodations.html (available in English).
• www.belmarmonteverde.com/espanol/accommodations.html (available in Spanish).
• www.belmarmonteverde.com/francais/accommodations.html (available in French).

Getting There

Nearest international airport: Liberia (LIR)

Nearest local/national airport: The central plaza in Santa Elena, Monteverde, for helicopters.

Distance, by land, to the nearest airport: 70 miles (112 km).

There are no limitations in getting to Monteverde year-round, but four-wheel drive vehicles are recommended. The last 18 miles (30 km) of the road are gravel and low-carriage vehicles sometimes have trouble ascending.

Additional Information

Date This Information Was Provided

November 2011.

Photos courtesy of Hotel Belmar, Costa Rica, for SustainableTrip.org.