Resource Management & Pollution Mitigation 

1. Energy-efficient Lightbulbs: The lights in our hallways and common areas are managed by an automatic timer and partly also motion-activated. By using those kinds of light bulbs and light systems, we are able to manage the resource energy sustainably.

2. Little to no AC: Since ACs consume huge amounts of energy only four of our rooms offer air conditioning, which allows us to further save energy. All rooms come with a ceiling fan, which is the most efficient kind of fan for air circulation. 

3. Tankless Hot Water System: Only heating up water on demand is proven to be more energy efficient, which is why we chose this kind of system for our Villas.

4. No Plastic Use: Plastic will stay in our environment for a very long time and is almost impossible to be degraded. It threatens wildlife and harms ecosystems around the world. This is why we do not offer or use any single-use plastic items. 

5. No Single Use Items: Sustainability means using our resources responsibly and not in a wasteful way. Therefore we eliminated all single-use items from our premises.

6. No Paper: The use of paper means deforestation, using enormous amounts of energy and water, waste problems and pollution. To be more sustainable, we moved to everything being digital; reservations, confirmations, tour and transport booking, and everything you can imagine that might use paper. 

7. Reusing Glass Jars & Bottles for Plants: To minimize the waste we produce, we give most of our glass waste a second chance at life in a very simple way. We use them as plant pots! Our plants love it, it supports the circular economy and it visualizes our attitude towards a greener world. 

8. Utilization of Wood By-products for Furniture: Instead of cutting down more trees to build furniture for our hotel, we buy wood by-products. Using those by-products does not require any additional logging and therefore helps to minimize deforestation. 

9. Organic Fertilizer: For all the plants decorating our beautiful hotel, we only use organic fertilizer. Hereby the environment is kept intact as best as possible. Synthetic fertilizers cause a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions during the production stage and lead to environmental pollution whilst being used because the environment is exposed to their nitrogen and phosphorus components.

10. Trees for Natural Shade: Because we don’t use air conditioning in our common areas, we planted trees alongside our property to create natural shade and cool down those areas during the day. 

Sustainability & Housekeeping

1. Changing Linen and Towels only upon Request: Water is one of our most valuable resources on the planet, which is why water needs to be saved in all areas possible. Laundry is one of the most water-consuming activities of a hotel, and therefore we advise our guests that we only change linen and towels upon request.

2. Cold Water for Laundry: Almost 90 % of the energy used during the laundry process goes into heating water. By choosing to use cold water for our laundry we save a huge amount of energy. And don’t worry, the laundry will be just as clean using cold water!

3. No Dryer: In order to further save energy and use as little as possible, we do not use a dryer to dry laundry. Instead we use lines to hang the laundry and also encourage our guests to use them, if they have wet clothing that needs to dry.

4. Eco-friendly Cleaning Products: Synthetic cleaning products are harmful to the environment and also to our health. The majority of our cleaning products are eco-friendly, which enables us to protect the environment further. 

Sustainability & Food

1. Recycling & Composting: Waste management is one of the areas with the biggest impact regarding sustainability. By recycling fewer new materials need to be extracted and therefore fewer resources are being used. By composting we turn organic waste into a new valuable product for agriculture. 

2. Using By-products: By-products such as pineapple or mango peels are not being thrown away at Villas Jacquelina! They still contain a lot of flavor which we do not want to waste. We use it to produce our delicious homemade syrup for our pancakes!

3. Herb & Vegetable Garden: Producing some of our own products such as lemongrass, chillies and spinach enables us to reduce water usage and also there are no carbon emissions being emitted at all!

4. Local Products: Knowing where your food comes from is important to almost everyone, including us! All the food items we use to cook our delicious breakfast come from the local farmers market and the eggs we use come from free range chicken. By using locally produced ingredients we know exactly where they come from and we also minimize emissions caused by transportation, all while supporting local businesses. 

5. Vegetarian Breakfast: While some hotels may try to sell you their ‘organic chicken’ or ‘locally sourced fish’ as sustainable, be aware that it is not. Animal agriculture is the second largest industry contributing to climate change and global warming. This is why we try to minimize our use of animal products, only serve vegetarian breakfast and always offer a vegan option. By doing so we minimize our carbon footprint and contribution to global warming.

6. Growing our own Coconuts: The trees we planted to provide natural shade for our guests are coconut trees! This allows us to offer our organically grown coconuts to our guests and to eliminate carbon emissions.

1. Local Suppliers: Buying locally means shorter supply chains and therefore a lower energy consumption and less greenhouse gas emissions due to shorter distances. Regarding the social and economic aspect, it stimulates the local economy, which leads to generating economic growth in this region and to the local community benefitting from our business activities. Additionally, it allows us to operate with a very transparent supply chain, since all actors are known to us. 

2. Employing Locally: To employ locally is something very important to our hotel. By employing locally, we ensure that the economic benefits of tourism not only reach us, but also the local community. Furthermore, it allows us to share a more authentic experience with our guests, since our staff are on site throughout the day, willing to help our guests with any possible matter, and since they are also the ones providing our delicious breakfast. We take it seriously to mention to each of our guests how hard our staff works everyday, so that it does not go unnoticed.

3. No Seasonal Hiring: Costa Rica has three seasons, and with the seasons fluctuations in tourism arrivals and therefore arrivals of tourists are inevitable. It is important to us to employ our staff year round, because we are committed to continuously contribute to the improvement of life quality of our valued staff. By employing year round, we are trying to reduce the poverty in the region of Quepos and Manuel Antonio, ultimately leading to a more stable labor market in the future. 

4. Working with local Tour Operators: By working almost entirely with local tour operators, we can contribute to generating economic wealth for the local community. This leads again to the reduction of poverty within the region, which ultimately leads to an improvement of life quality.

5. Travel Guide: Our online blog & travel guide is mostly used to promote local tours, restaurants, other businesses and even NGOs. We gladly promote the businesses of the local community and inform our guests about what they are offering, without asking for anything in return. Helping the local community & its businesses will again lead to more economic stability and will also attract tourists, which are vital for this region's future development. 

6. Promoting Natural Attractors: Our online travel guide is not only used to promote and inform about local businesses, but also about the many natural attractors that Quepos and Manuel Antonio have to offer. Whenever mentioning a natural attractor like the beautiful beaches, we make sure to mention local vendors nearby, in order to give them an opportunity to benefit from the region's tourism activities as well and to not go unnoticed. 

7. Opening Hotel for Neighbors: Due to the seasonality of tourism in Costa Rica, there are some months where occupancy is relatively low. It would be a waste of all our beautiful hotel facilities to not let anyone use them, which is why during off-season we tend to invite our local neighbors and their children to use our terrazes and our pool. The local community is a huge stakeholder of our business, which is why we gladly give back to them whenever possible.