Hotel becomes first in Kenya to win highest Eco-rating from top body.
Leading all-inclusive hotel Turtle Bay has become the first property of its kind in Kenya to be awarded the prestigious Gold standard by EcoTourism Kenya.
The celebrated accolade puts the hotel in a select group. Turtle Bay becomes only the ninth facility in Kenya to reach the highest grade possible for all round ecological management and the first major hotel to be awarded a Gold level eco-rating certificate. The other eight are eco-friendly camp sites and lodges.
“This is a remarkable achievement,” said EcoTourism Kenya. It added in its final report: “Turtle Bay has a comprehensive environmental policy with emphasis on compliance with relevant environmental and government legislations, pollution prevention, improving local peoples’ welfare, sustainable purchasing, and general minimizing of its operational impacts to the environment.”
Almost 90 properties in Kenya are now part of the ecological and social rating certification programme, started by EcoTourism Kenya in 2002. The prestigious highest eco-rating for Turtle Bay follows a comprehensive review of all aspects of the all-inclusive’s compliance with environmental, ecological and social standards in July.
The award is the hotel’s latest major achievement and cements Turtle Bay’s reputation as one of the most sustainable all-inclusive hotels in East Africa. The hotel was recently recognised with a 2013 Certificate of Excellence from independent travel review specialist TripAdvisor, which puts the property in the top-performing 10 percent of all business worldwide on TripAdvisor.
And, last year the review site picked Turtle Bay for an award in the Best All Inclusive Hotel in Africa in its 2012 Travelers’ Choice awards. Now in its tenth year, the annual TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards honor the world’s best hotels, earning distinctions from real travelers.
“We are proud to receive the honor of a Gold level eco-certificate as it recognizes our commitment to the environment at the highest level,” said Damian Davies, the hotel general manager. “We will continue to work towards greater environmental sustainability on every level to ensure that the natural beauty of our surroundings can be enjoyed for generations of travelers to come.”
The all-inclusive property strives to conserve energy, save water and cut waste through a host of innovative green practices. Located on a stunning white sandy beach overlooking the internationally acclaimed Watamu National Marine Park, Turtle Bay has 145 spacious rooms set amongst 10 acres of tropically landscaped gardens. The beach attracts nesting turtles at certain times of the year and Gede Ruins, the abandoned Arab town, adds to an exotic cultural mix.
This unique hotel boasts three restaurants and bars, evening entertainment, an expansive lounge and two swimming pools – one for family fun and other for adults only. Regular staff beach clean ups are as much a feature as the myriad of land and water based activities on offer; from snorkelling above pristine reefs to lending a helping hand at one of the local community projects, dolphins spotting in the bay or a sunset cruise within UNESCO listed Mida Creek.
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