Ecology

Eco Paraíso Xixim is an ecological hotel.

Construction and gardens

Very low construction density. From the 25 hectars (61.8 acres) land that we own, we only have constucted about 3,000m2 (9,842.5ft), that is about 1.2%.
We have constructed our hotel from the second dune on, so that the first dune and the beach are intact - pristine. This is very important, as precisely in this first dune, the sea turtles come to hatch. I was told (I do not know if this information is correct) that only 5% of this first dune is intact in the whole world - we try to preserve what little is left of it. Also, the vegetation that you find in this first dune is unique, you won't find it anywhere else.
The topography of the land was also kept intact, that is, we didn't level out the land when constructing, we left the dunes as they where.
We took great care in the lay out of our resort - all our bungalows (only 15) blend into the surrounding nature. We also tried to use, wherever possible, natural products, e.g. thatched roofs.
All our garden has been replanted with plants that grow in the region - we did not introduce exotic flora like grass, for instance.

Recycling

We recycle all our water biologically. The gray waters (showers and washbasin) go to a biological filter that has a stone (antracita) and bacteria - this filtered water is then used to water our garden. The black waters (W.C.) are pumped to our SIRDO = integrated organic recycling system - there it sediments and is used as an inoculous for our compost pile. The remaining water goes to a perfectly sealed jardiniere. The greasy waters of the kitchens and soapy waters of the laundry have each special filters with sand, gravel, stone and bacteria - this water is also used for our garden. For this system to work properly, we obviously had to install two different water pipelines.
All our waste is separated accordingly in organic waste, recyclable and not recyclable waste. The organic waste is chopped and put in the SIRDO where we have two chambers - we use one for 6 months and then let it dry out for another six months when our compost is removed and serves as fertilized earth for our vegetable garden. The recyclable waste: wood, glass, plastic, paper and metal is collected and then transported to the next recycling facility that is 110km (68 miles) away from us in Uman. The non-recyclable waste - less than 3 bags a week we dump in the municipality garbage dump.
We do not buy individual packed products to avoid this non recyclable garbage. Jam, butter and cereals are served in bulk, also for the toilet amenities like soap, shampoo and conditioner we have dispensers.

Resources

All our water comes from a salty well. We have taken great care in not pumping too much water out of the well - we have a little 1hp pump that pumps about 2 liters per second. This water is filtered with sand, gravel and activated carbon, stored and chlorinated. This water goes to the main water system of our hotel. Part of it is then pumped to our potable water system. We installed an inverse osmosis and ultraviolet rays to make our water potable, so that we can avoid buying water bottles that would cause more garbage.
All our lightening system is done with low voltage bulbs. To avoid that the little sea turtles get confused and do not find their way to the sea, we have kept our illumination as low as possible in our resort.
We have installed solar panels to heat the water of our swimmingpool.

Teaching

From the moment of check in, we induce our guest to respect nature. He gets a welcome brochure, where he can read about or efforts of conservation. He can help separating his waste, avoiding the ritual of laundering every day sheets and towels and putting the lights and ceiling fans off when he leaves the room.
We have a little Natural History Museum in our reception. There, our guests can inform themselves about the amazing biodiversity that we have in the reserve. Our collection include specimens of plants, bird nests, sea shells, some skeletons of mammals, reptiles and insects. We also have about 70 books and other material where he can inform himself in depth about this and other matters as archeology and mayan culture.
We also have a 1km (0.6 miles) interpretative trail where he can observe and experience first hand this vast biodiversity.

Miscellaneous

We offer ecological tours to the surroundings.
We have a small vegetable garden.
In the adjacent land (that by the way is also ours = 500 hectares (1,235 acres) we have planted about 20,000 malayan dwarf coconut palm trees which are resistant to the lethal yellowing decease that is killing all the palm trees.
The nearby town, Celestún, also profits from our resort: about 1/3 of our staff comes from the town; we use the services of the local boatmen to make the Celestún inlet tour; we buy local products like fish, seafood, vegetables and bread; etc.

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Welcome Location Accommodation Facilities Ecology Tours Nature Climate Rates & Reservations	Ecology Eco Paraíso Xixim is an ecological hotel. Construction and gardens Very low construction density. From the 25 hectars (61.8 acres) land that we own, we only have constucted about 3,000m2 (9,842.5ft), that is about 1.2%. We have constructed our hotel from the second dune on, so that the first dune and the beach are intact - pristine. This is very important, as precisely in this first dune, the sea turtles come to hatch. I was told (I do not know if this information is correct) that only 5% of this first dune is intact in the whole world - we try to preserve what little is left of it. Also, the vegetation that you find in this first dune is unique, you won't find it anywhere else. The topography of the land was also kept intact, that is, we didn't level out the land when constructing, we left the dunes as they where. We took great care in the lay out of our resort - all our bungalows (only 15) blend into the surrounding nature. We also tried to use, wherever possible, natural products, e.g. thatched roofs. All our garden has been replanted with plants that grow in the region - we did not introduce exotic flora like grass, for instance. Recycling We recycle all our water biologically. The gray waters (showers and washbasin) go to a biological filter that has a stone (antracita) and bacteria - this filtered water is then used to water our garden. The black waters (W.C.) are pumped to our SIRDO = integrated organic recycling system - there it sediments and is used as an inoculous for our compost pile. The remaining water goes to a perfectly sealed jardiniere. The greasy waters of the kitchens and soapy waters of the laundry have each special filters with sand, gravel, stone and bacteria - this water is also used for our garden. For this system to work properly, we obviously had to install two different water pipelines. All our waste is separated accordingly in organic waste, recyclable and not recyclable waste. The organic waste is chopped and put in the SIRDO where we have two chambers - we use one for 6 months and then let it dry out for another six months when our compost is removed and serves as fertilized earth for our vegetable garden. The recyclable waste: wood, glass, plastic, paper and metal is collected and then transported to the next recycling facility that is 110km (68 miles) away from us in Uman. The non-recyclable waste - less than 3 bags a week we dump in the municipality garbage dump. We do not buy individual packed products to avoid this non recyclable garbage. Jam, butter and cereals are served in bulk, also for the toilet amenities like soap, shampoo and conditioner we have dispensers. Resources All our water comes from a salty well. We have taken great care in not pumping too much water out of the well - we have a little 1hp pump that pumps about 2 liters per second. This water is filtered with sand, gravel and activated carbon, stored and chlorinated. This water goes to the main water system of our hotel. Part of it is then pumped to our potable water system. We installed an inverse osmosis and ultraviolet rays to make our water potable, so that we can avoid buying water bottles that would cause more garbage. All our lightening system is done with low voltage bulbs. To avoid that the little sea turtles get confused and do not find their way to the sea, we have kept our illumination as low as possible in our resort. We have installed solar panels to heat the water of our swimmingpool. Teaching From the moment of check in, we induce our guest to respect nature. He gets a welcome brochure, where he can read about or efforts of conservation. He can help separating his waste, avoiding the ritual of laundering every day sheets and towels and putting the lights and ceiling fans off when he leaves the room. We have a little Natural History Museum in our reception. There, our guests can inform themselves about the amazing biodiversity that we have in the reserve. Our collection include specimens of plants, bird nests, sea shells, some skeletons of mammals, reptiles and insects. We also have about 70 books and other material where he can inform himself in depth about this and other matters as archeology and mayan culture. We also have a 1km (0.6 miles) interpretative trail where he can observe and experience first hand this vast biodiversity. Miscellaneous We offer ecological tours to the surroundings. We have a small vegetable garden. In the adjacent land (that by the way is also ours = 500 hectares (1,235 acres) we have planted about 20,000 malayan dwarf coconut palm trees which are resistant to the lethal yellowing decease that is killing all the palm trees. The nearby town, Celestún, also profits from our resort: about 1/3 of our staff comes from the town; we use the services of the local boatmen to make the Celestún inlet tour; we buy local products like fish, seafood, vegetables and bread; etc.

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	© 2005-2007 Hotel Eco Paraíso Xixim, Municipio de Celestún, Yucatán, México Phone: ++52 (988) 916 2100 & (988) 916 2060, Fax: ++52 (988) 916 2111, E-mail: info@ecoparaiso.com