The Castelli Hotel in Zakynthos, Greece offers their guests much more than a bed to sleep in. The hotel has its own farm just aside the building which is not only a perfect place to relax but which also offers a great variety of homegrown products for the hotel’s restaurant.
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The Green Key awarded Castelli Hotel in Zakynthos is bridging the “boutique feel” with sustainable practices through various initiatives. One of them is their own farm of almost 15,000 square metres right next to the hotel. On this farm they keep a small number of chickens, sheep, turkeys, pigs and rabbits and also maintain several herb and vegetable beds which are all organically grown. The organic waste that is produced in the hotel is composted in their own composting unit and just as fertilizer for the hotel’s farm and garden.
Furthermore, the hotel is surrounded by olive trees that are grown using organic methods. The olive oil produced from the hotel’s own trees is used for baking the breakfast homemade marble cake, for seasoning and for cooking.
Guests can taste the hotel’s homegrown products at the buffet and also in their award winning A La Carte restaurant “Eucalyptos”. The restaurant has dedicated its menu to old traditional recipes and the offered wines are all local. In addition, half of the pasta offered is produced by a local women’s cooperative and all dairy products are local specialties.
Castelli Hotel furthermore offers their guests the opportunity to explore and enjoy their farm at their weekly farm tour. Each October, guests are also invited to participate in the olive harvest picking activities where they learn about Zakynthos’ olive oil and get a taste of it as well.
The olive tree garden is also used for relaxing yoga classes and other outdoor activities to connect guests with nature.
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