Romance, Reuse, Recycle

Some romantic, large-scale resorts do compost, cook with organic foods, and clean with nontoxic products.

By Kristine Hansen

Large-scale resorts and cruise lines bill themselves as romantic, but they are not always environmentally friendly. Some properties, however, do compost, cook with organic foods, and clean with nontoxic products.

At the Harraseeket Inn in Freeport, Maine, owner Nancy Gray keeps all ties to the inn within just a few miles. Frying fats are donated to organic farmers to heat their greenhouses in winter; most food served in the Maine Dining Room is procured from Maine farmers; compost in the garden gives new life to discarded food and papers. “Being local saves money, gas, and labor and helps keep open spaces so that Maine farmers can prosper and still be here a hundred years from now,” Gray says. And for romance? Many rooms have whirlpool tubs or fireplaces.

The Boulders Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, is in the midst of an “all-organic transformation.” The first step was planting a new organic garden. The hotel’s linens, soaps, and minibars will be strictly organic by summer 2007. You can sip organic wines and dine under the stars in a garden where citrus trees and vegetables are grown, with a mesquite-burning fireplace keeping the mood romantic. Hotel Básico in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, heats things up with its beachside location. The hotel was constructed in part from recycled items: Truck beds were incorporated into bed frames, recycled latex into curtains, and tire treads into nightstands. Custom truck cabs were rebuilt as cabanas, and two petroleum tanks became swimming pools. For a romantic adventure, head to Pacific Sands Beach Resort in Tofino, British Columbia. From the privacy of a two-level villa you can marvel at the roaring waves kicking up along the rugged coastline. Each villa has low-flush toilets and is powered by an energy-efficient geothermal pump system. Standing dead timber found in B.C. was used to frame the buildings.