Archive for the ‘Eco Travel Tips’ Category

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What to Expect From a Behind the Scenes Eco Tour of Our Eco Resort

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

When you come to La Cocotera Eco Lodge and Resort and stay at our eco resort be sure to go on our “Behind the Scenes Eco Tour.”  The staff at our eco resort would be more than happy to show you our different eco processes at La Cocotera Eco Resort.  We will show you our biological, not chemical, waste water recycling treatment plant.  We will also show you our solar energy capabilities and our ionization pool filtration system.

Olive Ridley Turtle at Eco Resort

You can also have the opportunity to participate in our turtle release program.  The turtle release program is sponsored by our eco resort and allows hotel guest to aid in safely releasing thousands of newly hatched Olive Ridley turtle into the ocean every year.

Don’t forget about our Species Reintroduction Program.  La Cocotera is the proud sponsor ofEl Salvador’s official program to reintroduce the Scarlet Macaw into the country. Guests can learn all about this exciting program and meet people involved in the project.  Guests of the eco resort can also see our Scarlet Macaws and the latest edition to our birds, our Yellow-Naped Parrots.

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Eating at La Cocotera Eco Resort

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

Did you know that when you stay our eco resort our chef will prepare all your food according to your diet? Our food that we prepare and serve is fresh, locally grown or caught.  Breakfast is served buffet style with fresh fruits and juice, yogurt and granola, French pastries and breads, and locally grown and roasted coffee.  La Cocotera’s eco resort can accommodate any dietary restriction or preference.

Our staff at our eco resort are more than happy to help to accommodate any of your requests.   Sandy, our bartender, can make a drink that you can enjoy poolside or while you are on the beach in El Salvador!

Sandy our bartender

Sandy our bartender

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La Cocotera Featured in Travel Guides!

Friday, January 21st, 2011

La Cocotera has been featured in Frommer’s Nicaragua El Salvador Travel Guide and in El Salvador:  A Great Destination (Explorer’s Guide).

Frommer’s lists La Cocotera as a “find.”  Frommer’s says, “Staying here is an unforgettable experience.”  We are so pleased to be recognized by Frommer’s.  Furthermore, we are so glad that Frommer’s identified what La Cocotera tries to achieve with the eco resort.  Frommer’s describes the ecoresort and some of the eco-friendly features at La Cocotera:

This is one of the finest ecolodges in all of Central America and certainly one of the most luxurious hotels in El Salvador outside of San Salvador.  It offers a rare taste of international style in a remote and beautiful part of the country.  La Cocotera gets the balance right:  utter comfort with a social conscience.  It employs locals, uses sustainable energy, promotes nature conservation, and blends right in with its environment.

As an ecoresort, La Cocotera features solar-powered hot water and brown-water recycling, and it even incubates turtle eggs, gathered from illegal vendors around the country, for release by guests into the sea.  The staff is gracious and friendly.

El Salvador:  A Great Destination (Explorer’s Guide) describes Barra de Santiago as “one of the most remote beaches in El Salvador.”  The guide then continues to talk about La Cocotera Resort and Ecolodge, “This outstanding ecolodge on the endless beach may be a bit upscale for folk really watching their carbon footprint, but it’s fantastic.  Six spacious palapa-topped bungalows are hewn from natural materials, with exquisitely crafted bamboo detailing and gorgeous solar-heated showers with smooth black rocks all around.”

Be sure to check out these travel guides on your way to La Cocotera!La Cocotera Staff

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Nature Tours & National Parks in El Salvador

Monday, August 16th, 2010

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Barra de Santiago, El Salvador

El Salvador is a nature-lover’s paradise. With a large variety of unique plants and wildlife, its geographic location is ideal for those seeking an eco vacation. With so many sights to see, from the breathtaking volcanic lake, Lake Coatepeque, to El Imposible National Park, El Salvador is the perfect place to experience the beauty of nature first hand. Many nature tours in El Salvador are available through La Cocotera Resort as well as various tour groups in the area.

La Cocotera offers exciting eco and nature tours including an exploration of the Ruins of Joya de Ceren and San Andres, a Santa Ana Volcano Tour and a day hike in El Imposible National Park.

Ruins of Joya de Ceren

Visit the Mayan ruins of Joya de Ceren and San Andres on this unique, full day nature tour. Named a UN World Heritage Site, this archaeological region offers unforgettable panoramic volcanic views from beautiful Cerro Verde. Tour includes transportation, a pack lunch, park entrance fees and a guide. Cost: $175 for up to 2 people.

Volcano Tour

This tour is for the athletic and adventurous. Climb the Santa Ana Volcano, the highest in the country, with magnificent views of other volcanoes and lakes. The effort will be well worth it! This full day trip is  relatively strenuous and sturdy shoes are necessary.  Transportation, lunch, entrance fees and a guide are all included. Cost: $165 for up to two people.

El Imposible National Park

The San Salvador area is well known for El Imposible, a tropical rain forest and El Salvador’s largest national park. Explore its diverse collection of animals and plants on this educational hike.  During the nature tour, you will also learn about the Scarlet Macaw reintroduction program. The trip is a 1/2 day hike and includes transportation, drinks, entrance fees and guide. Cost: $150 for up to 2 people.

Other types of nature tours and activities that are readily available at or near La Cocotera Resort include ocean and estuary kayaking, deep sea fishing, birdwatching, and a behind the scenes eco tour of our resort.

If you have other nature tours in El Salvador that you would like to book while staying with us, we would be glad to help point you in the right direction.

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La Cocotera Eco Lodge Receives Scarlet Macaws for Reintroduction Program in El Salvador

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

Great news! We have officially received two Scarlet Macaws as part of an educational component of a larger reintroduction program with SalvaNatura, El Salvador’s largest NGO. Their names are Lily and Tito. No one knows their exact age, but they came to us from a rescue center where they had spent the last 15 years of their lives in a cramped cage. The birds now reside in an aviary that we have built for them and are happily enjoying the larger space.

La Cocotera Resort El Salvador Scarlet Macaws

Lily and Tito, El Salvador Scarlet Macaws at La Cocotera Eco Resort

The Scarlet Macaw is an incredible bird, now extinct in El Salvador and most of Central America.  Hunting, poaching for the pet trade, and the destruction of habitat through deforestation have all been contributing factors in their population decline. As an environmentally active eco lodge in Central America, we are working in conjunction with SalvaNatura to sponsor a project that reintroduces macaws into the wild and establishes a self-sustaining population.

SalvaNatura is a private, nonprofit organization recognized nationally and internationally for its successful work on the issue of environmental conservation in El Salvador. For more information, visit www.salvanatura.org. You can read more about the Reintroduction of the Scarlet Macaw to El Salvador here.

macaw-photo-001

macaw-photo-002

For more information on our El Salvador all-inclusive hotel, visit us at lacocoteraresort.com

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What Makes La Cocotera an Eco Friendly Resort?

Monday, February 22nd, 2010
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La Cocotera Restaurant

As an eco friendly resort, we constantly strive to ensure that our hotel and practices always put the environment at high priority. But what does that entail exactly? We wanted to take the time to share with you what makes La Cocotera truly an eco friendly resort.

La Cocotera was built following the “green leaf” system utilized by the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST).   The planning of the resort involved mapping out how to carefully minimize footprints on the land and ensuring that structures were built around the natural landscape. Local natural materials such as palm fronds, sustainable teak wood, plant vines, natural stone and hand woven fabrics are used throughout. In fact, all the wood used in construction was derived from sustainable teak plantations.

Energy conservation and recycling are also important elements of our eco resort. We use solar energy, energy saving lightbulbs and kinesthetic power flashlights. We have a biological (not chemical) waste water recycling treatment plant and we utilize gray water recycling as well as black water recycling, which not many hotels do. All trash is presorted for recycling before it leaves the property.

At La Cocotera, we pride ourselves on the freshness of the food we serve. Mangoes, cashews, almonds and our own citrus trees are all grown on the property and we use them in our desserts.  We will soon be buying Tilapia fish from the local elementary school, which is raising them, and will be adding a vegetarian menu. For drinks, we use plastic cups made from corn  which are 100% compostable.

A few of our other eco friendly resort features are:

  • Environmentally safe products, shampoos and soaps
  • All cleaning products are environmentally safe
  • Ionization pool filtration, rather than chlorine and other chemicals
  • All rooms are non-smoking

Being a green hotel is more than just having environmentally friendly practices in place. We also educate our guests by offering a free Behind The Scenes Eco Tour that shows you all we are doing to be green. We educate all our staff in the same way.

As an eco friendly resort in El Salvador, we are glad to offer world-class accommodations in a beautiful and unique setting. We encourage environmentally conscious travelers, nature and luxury lovers alike to visit our green hotel in El Salvador for a different vacation experience surrounded by nature, far away from the stresses of everyday life.

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El Salvador Ecotourism: Olive Ridley Sea Turtles

Friday, October 16th, 2009
olive-ridley-turtle

Olive Ridley Turtle

One of the great advantages of ecotourism is having the opportunity to witness the wonders of nature first hand. Just one of the many unique and amazing animals that reside in our little area of El Salvador is the Olive Ridley sea turtle. If you are lucky, you may be able to see this sea turtle on the Barra de Santiago beach.

Olive Ridley turtles get their name from the coloring of their heart-shaped shell, which starts out grey when they first hatch, but becomes olive green once the turtles are adults.  Olive Ridley turtles are one of the smallest species of sea turtle, with adults reaching 2 to 2.5 feet in length and weighing 80 to 110 pounds.

Female Olive Ridleys have a remarkable way of nesting that sets them apart from other animals.  Large groups of turtles gather off shore, then simultaneously come ashore to nest and lay their eggs. The  nesting rush is known as an “arribada”,  which is Spanish for “arrival”. During these arribadas, hundreds to thousands of females come ashore to lay their eggs.

The Olive Ridley turtle’s conservation status is threatened, which means it is likely to become endangered unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction improve. In breeding populations on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, the Olive Ridley turtle is endangered. The main cause of the historical decline of the Olive Ridley sea turtle is the collection of eggs and killing of adults on nesting beaches.

turtles

Olive Ridley Turtles

At La Cocotera Eco Resort, we sponsor a turtle release program that allows guests to participate in the release of baby Olive Ridley turtles into the Pacific ocean. Our eco lodge aims to promote ecotourism and inspire guests to help preserve our natural environment. We purchase the eggs from locals and raise them until they are ready to be released. If you would like to learn more about our eco resort and the turtle release program, contact us at info [at] lacocoteraresort.com

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Traveling Green: Ecolodge Packing Tips

Friday, September 4th, 2009

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Traveling green doesn’t just mean staying at an ecolodge or turning off the lights when you leave your bungalow, you can pack green too! Here are some tips on what to bring to our El Salvador beachfront ecolodge and how to keep it eco-friendly.

El Salvador has a tropical climate with two seasons: verano, or dry season (November to April), and invierno, or wet season (May to October). Rainfall during this time is usually a single downpour during the day or night with the rest of the day being sunny. The year round average air temperature is between 70 ° - 90 ° F (or 21 ° – 32 ° C), with the hottest months typically being March and April.

Remember to bring lightweight, waterproof outerwear if you plan to travel during the wet season.  To keep things wet/dry while you are out and about on excursions, such as a tour of El Imposible National Park, simply re-use old plastic bags as containers.

Pack light!  Barra de Santiago is a tropical area so you don’t need to bring any heavy clothes. Packing lighter will lighten the load for you and for all your transportation vehicles. Bring a mix of long and short sleeve shirts for hot days and cooler nights.  Instead of denim, which can be heavy and uncomfortable in the humidity and heat, opt for breathable materials for shorts and pants.

If you plan to embark on any eco tours, remember to bring hiking and/or walking shoes along with your beach shoes. On a similar note, bringing a day travel bag for hikes or eco tours is a great way to keep the essentials (sunscreen, water bottle, etc.) with you as you explore the area.

At La Cocotera, we encourage our guests to explore the wonderful natural area surrounding the ecolodge, from the ocean to the estuary to the mangroves. While you’re out and about, it’s a good idea to wear bug repellent.  Many repellents products contain harsh chemical ingredients that are bad for the environment and for you. Look for non-chemical repellents, or better yet, make your own!  Good herbs that repel mosquitoes include basil, eucalyptus, cloves, geranium, peppermint, rosemary and lemon balm (citronella). You can make your own repellent by combining 10 drops essential oil (see list of herbs, above, for choices) 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Combine the ingredients in a glass jar; stir to blend. Dab a few drops on your skin or clothing.

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Eco Vacations: Barra de Santiago Estuary and Mangrove Forest

Friday, August 28th, 2009

Barra de Santiago, El Salvador

La Cocotera Eco Resort is located on the sandy shores of the Barra de Santiago coast, with the Barra de  Santiago Estuary and Mangrove forest as its neighbor. If you are looking for an eco vacation that offers relaxing luxury and intriguing wildlife exploration, then La Cocotera is for you.

Barra de Santiago is home to seven different species of mangrove, and measures approximately 2,000 hectares (4,942 acres). Along with lush vegetation, the inner mangrove coastline is a haven for thousands of native and migratory birds and a various wildlife. Guests at our eco resort can see many types of wildlife while floating along the peaceful estuary waters including iguanas, lizards, marine mammals, shellfish, sea turtles, crocodiles, blue crabs and more!

If you are a nature and wildlife enthusiast who is looking for the perfect eco vacation activity, you must try kayaking through the Barra de Santiago estuary. To learn more about kayaking, see our other post on Eco Resort Nature Activites: Kayaking. For those staying out our eco lodge, kayak rentals are included.

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Airline Tips & Tricks to Get You to Your El Salvador Hotel

Wednesday, August 19th, 2009

It seems airlines are still finding new methods to charge more these days, a wise consumer should try to save money when it comes to flying. Here some great tips for saving money that have been collected from other travel bloggers, industry insiders and personal experiences so that you can get the most out of your vacation and visit to our El Salvador hotel.

Here are five ingenious and easy ways to get discounts when flying. With just some help from the Internet and a little time, you can find multiple sites that offer discounted rates. With even a little more work, you can find the absolute best price possible. The following are some good tips to get you discount airfares:

  • Do your research. There are a lot of offers available only on the Internet if you look closely. It’s easy to look at flight search engine sites like cheapoair.com, kayak.com and mobissimo.com. After a little research you should find it is best to book at least two weeks ahead, preferably three. Flying mid-week will also significantly drive down the cost.
  • Sometimes doing all of your research online isn’t enough. In many cases travel agents might be able to get you a deal. Ask them upfront what you would expect to pay for a particular destination such as El Salvador.
  • Travel in groups. There are a lot of travel agents out there that will offer discounts to groups of people.
  • Make sure to travel in the off-season. Like mid-week deals, airlines and hotels offer discounts in the off-season months and you can benefit by traveling at these times. For example, at our El Salvador hotel, we have lower prices during off peak months.
  • Use your research as leverage. Use what you have learned when comparing deals and talking to people. See if they can match the price or lower. Many sites and hotels offer a best price guarantee so if you find a better price after booking then they will price match.

With just a little research and help from others, you can save a great deal of money for yourself and your friends making for a great eco vacation. If you have any tips or tricks of your own, please, feel free to comment and share. Happy traveling!

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