The very green Alma resort in Cam Rahn Vietnam has just become even
greener with an additional 230sqm herb garden next its La Casa
restaurant.
The 30-hectare integrated beachfront resort has cultivated its own
onsite farm to supply its kitchen with produce for guests’ meals and
beverages.
Situated adjacent to Atlantis and La Casa, two herb gardens that are
180sqm and 230sqm respectively produce mustard leaves, water spinach,
red and green chili peppers, Vietnamese basil, lettuce, green onions,
white radish, and bok choy.
Landscape manager Ngo Duc Thinh and his team have transformed parts
of the family resort into a 1000sqm nursery garden together with a
260sqm chicken farm, home to 17 hens, six roosters and 18 chicks.
Currently all the farm’s produce is directed to the resort’s
restaurants. Bananas, coconuts and eggs are served during breakfast at
Alma Garden restaurant. Lettuce and mustard leaves are included in
salads and coconuts are provided as drinks at Atlantis.
Italian restaurant La Casa’s traditional caprese salad features
tomatoes from the herb garden along with locally produced mozzarella
cheese.
Leftovers from the resort’s kitchens are used as compost and the farm is watered with recycled water.
Complimentary garden tours are on offer, with staff sharing tips on
how to cultivate a veggie patch at home. Children also learn about how
to care for chickens.
“There’s a lot of talk in the hospitality industry about going green
but it’s really important to walk the talk and this is yet another
initiative at Alma that helps create a more sustainable holiday for
guests,” said Alma’s managing director Herbert Laubichler-Pichler.
The resort’s ‘hotel as farm’ efforts follow numerous initiatives
including plans to implement Vietnam’s most ambitious solar power
project for a hotel, and the appointment of a sustainability officer.