The Bardessono was just awarded LEED Platinum certification on their one year anniversary just this week.

This 62 room hotel, with a 68 seat restaurant, was built on the original Bardessono Homestead. I was lucky enough to meet the Bardessono’s at one of the hotels special culinary series dinners and I also had the chance to meet Phil Sherburne, all three are very special people. The culinary series dinners provide Executive Chef Sean O’ Toole an opportunity to collaborate with artisans from the world of wine and food…and I will add a chance for locals and guests to enjoy the fruits of their creativity. The Bardessono’s shared with me a bit about the history of the property where the hotel now sits but here is more about its present.

As far as it qualifying as a green-hotel its LEED Platinum certification verifies this, but I think that they have probably even exceeded what was needed. Here are just some of the ‘green’ elements at Bardessono, where compromise is a word that just did not exist in its design and execution:

There are over 940 photovoltaic solar panels which will produce 260,000 kwh of electricity each year. The panels work with 35 inverters that convert the current and then connect to standard electric panels. This allows the electricity that is generated to flow into the PGE (the local electric company Pacific Gas and Electric) system when more electricity is generated than the hotel can use. The Bardessono Hotel has the largest solar power system of any hotel in N. America.

This is really an amazing feature for a hotel. All rooms have a heating and cooling system that works with an infra-red signal that shuts down if there is no motion detected in the room after 20 minutes. Upon returning to the room it is activated and returns to the desired temperature. Motion sensors also turn off lights, electrical devices and drop window shades to maintain the rooms temperature. When you return to your room everything comes back on and shades open…it is a wonderful welcome when you come back to your room.

All of the guest rooms and the spa are heated and cooled through a geothermal system that consists of 82 three hundred foot deep wells. Through heat exchangers heat is either extracted from or introduced to water flowing through the system from the wells. Domestic hot water is also pre-heated in this way. The only energy that is used to power this system is a small amount of electricity to operate the pumps that power this system.

The buildings of Bardessono were made almost exclusive from reclaimed and “upcycled” materials and most were sourced within 100 miles of Yountville. During the site preparation and construction process the construction company and sub-contractors recycled 93 percent of their waste.

Stone that was quarried in Napa Valley 80 years ago for the original Bardessono homestead was later used for a wine and produce cellar when the Bardessono’s remodeled their home, and in its current incarnation it was salvaged and re-cut and now covers the walls of the entry area as well as in the reception and dining areas. This is stone that has led three lives at Bardessono.

This consciousness carries into daily operations as well. With the goal of having as small an impact as possible on the earth all kitchen and garden waste is composted. Locally produced and organic products are used whenever available. There is even a small vegetable garden on the grounds. Hotel landscaping is maintained organically and sustainably, and all cleaning products are organic.

I suppose you get the idea… they are not kidding around here. The commitment to sustainability is undeniable and I have to say you can feel it as you walk through the buildings and the grounds. There is something quiet and still, and at the same time exhilarating that you cannot help but sense and it is because of what has been created here and how it came to be.

The public, interior spaces are inviting and we have an opportunity to experience an authentic eco-hotel, where every comfort is more than satisfied. The guest rooms are spacious and carry the serenity that is felt throughout the property. You can sit in your private patio, enjoy your inside fireplace or linger in an oversized tub.

I love their spa concept. Each suite is equipped to be an in-room spa. Massage tables are hidden in cabinets in the dressing area so that you can go from the table to your bathtub following your treatment, or preceding it, if you like. It also allows you to really relax, for as long as you like once your treatment is over. They also have a more conventional spa if you prefer.

The Bardessono has just begun to include breakfast with your stay so if you need any more enticing, now is a great time to plan your visit. I cannot wait to return it was truly a memorable visit and knowing all that goes on behind the scenes makes it even more rewarding.

Congratulations Bardessono, and Phil on your LEED Platinum Certification. You have raised the bar on what it means to be a green-hotel. I know that you hope to inspire others to create such conscious and sustainable properties. You have shown that it is possible…….thanks for your efforts.

Here is a link to Bardessono’s photo gallery to see more of this inspired hotel.

Bardessono Hotel Restaurant and Spa

6526 Yount Street

Yountville, CA 94599

707.204.6000

bardessono.com

email: guestservices@bardessono.com

Only a twenty minute drive from the tourist hub of Cabo San Lucas is a totally sustainable hotel-retreat center, and you will feel as if you have arrived in paradise…that is if you consider paradise blue, sunny skies, a long soft, sanded beach that you probably will have to yourself, views of mountains, elegant accommodations, and delicious, primarily organic, meals.

Prana del Mar is a new (they just opened in November) dream of a retreat center. It is usually booked only for yoga workshops, but by late spring if they have spare rooms you will be able to reserve one and enjoy your own personal retreat, or maybe join in a class or two with the instructors permission. Three meals a day are included in your stay and more than likely some of what you will be eating will come from their organic garden. They have an on staff massage therapist who has received rave reviews, and she does a variety of massages including hot stone and also body wraps with a salt scrub to finish.

The hotel and its location are stunning, and the rooms are inviting with gorgeous views but what excited me the most is that it is completely sustainable. This hotel is truly an inspiration for what is possible, but this is nothing close to ‘roughing it’.

At Prana del Mar stewardship for the environment is a primary concern, and this is not just lip service, they really do tread as lightly as possible. Here are some of the ways that they are reducing the impact on the local environment and the planet:

-All of their electricity comes from solar panels installed throughout the property.

-The pool is solar heated.

-All waste water is treated on-site and reused to irrigate the gardens. They also have their own well.

-Skylights were incorporated in the design to increase natural lighting and so they can almost eliminate the need to use lights during the day.

-All appliance and light fixtures were selected with energy efficiency as a criteria.

-Organic sheets, bath towels and bath mats are used in all of the rooms.

-In order to reduce water use guests have the option to reuse linens and towels.

-Cloth hand towels are used rather than papers towels.

-The garden is completely organic. No pesticides or herbicides are used and compost is made on-site from food waste and organic materials and then used as fertilizer.

-Only green cleaning products are used….and I saw them so this is really the case.

-Organic personal care products -shampoo, conditioner, soaps and lotions -are available for guests, and they are supplied in dispensers to reduce single use plastic containers.

-Aerated shower heads are in all of the bathrooms, which create great water pressure but at low flow rates, and toilets are low-flow.

-Wherever possible they recycle and they use only rechargeable batteries.

-Purified drinking water is available for guests, and every guest receives a refillable bottle to eliminate single use plastic bottles.

-The floor of the yoga studio is strand bamboo.

-Even the servers that host their website are 100% powered by wind energy.

-If guests purchase carbon offsets for their plane flights Prana del Mar will credit you that amount toward any massage, spa service, surf lesson or any other excursion that you organize through the hotel….Now that is really encouraging everyone who visits to take responsibility in every way that they can, and they will pick up the tab.

-And coming soon…..Solar power will be used for heating the hot water used and glazed rooftop collectors will be added. To me this is really impressive, they have already done so much and will be adding even more to make Prana del Mar even more eco-friendly.

For a place to completely let go, it doesn’t get any better than this. Within a very short walk you are on a beautiful, very secluded beach, where I even saw two whales. Look in the opposite direction and the mountains are visible. On the property there are lovely areas to just relax…by the pool, on the rooftop deck or on a hammock. Visit with Mariana and Benjamin who you may find working in the organic garden or perhaps adding fruits and vegetable to the dehydrator, where they are regularly drying some of their harvest. When I visited the garden was abundant with a few varieties of lettuce, mustard greens, beets, marigolds (a good natural pest repellant), dill, fennel and the tomatoes were starting to arrive.

If you need a little bit more activity there is horseback riding, and you can ride on the sand or head to the mountains. Or if you miss the city life you can head to Cabo for some dancing at night or during the day you can go on a boat ride to catch a glimpse of the whales, go snorkeling or scuba diving. Alternatively you can head north to the artists colony of Todos Santos, which is just a short drive.

At Prana del Mar guests get to experience first hand what is possible on a sustainable property…beauty, efficiency, great food, relaxation and all in an environment that is clean and not harming the environment. Here is the web site for Prana del Mar and this is the current calendar for upcoming retreats.

When you make your visit tell them hello from SmartLifeways. Here are some photos to begin to experience what you will find at Prana del Mar.