From water management to native plants: the Delphina model

No gesture is left to chance, from the protection of the Mediterranean maquis to nature trails. Together with careful water management, with tips on how not to waste it, but also tricks for recycling and reuse. For Delphina hotels & resorts, sustainability and the defence of biodiversity are an identity choice, to enhance the environmental and cultural heritage in which the group's structures are immersed (which for years has obtained important international recognition such as that of best independent green hotel group in Europe at the World Travel Awards).

"The strong focus on the environment is a priority for us," says Elena Muntoni, the group's sustainability manager. "Belonging to an enchanted place like Sardinia predisposes one to a sensitivity towards these issues, especially if one has the vision to consider them strategic for its development. Our commitment is a path that began even before the birth of the hotels and resorts, and has led to the We are green brand'. A protocol of good practices adopted by the group - which employs 80 people at the headquarters and almost a thousand during the summer season - right from the design of the facilities and then extended to the management and promotional phase with initiatives to protect and enhance the territory. Inside, a series of activities to avoid waste. "We are trying to improve the control of water consumption both for the water used by staff and for that used for irrigation," argues Muntoni. We are sensitising guests with information in all rooms about this resource that is so precious, especially in Sardinia, and we are encouraging a more conscious consumption".

The blue of the water and the green of nature characterise the dream structures, immersed in Mediterranean parks overlooking the sea, along the north coast of the island. Twelve hotels - 5-star, 4-star superior and 4-star - exclusive residences, spas and villas harmoniously inserted in the landscape "and built using as much as possible local materials belonging to the territory and worked by local craftsmen: wood, wrought iron, cork and ceramics".

Among the choices made was the conservation of biodiversity in green areas through the preservation of native plants and local essences. "The protection of biodiversity," explains Muntoni, "is a real priority for us, as well as one of the fundamental values of our offer. In each resort, we wanted to reproduce the same original environment, which by nature requires less water because it is native. Every year we plant hundreds, sometimes thousands of local plants including helichrysum, rosemary, myrtle and other essences. Each seedling is planted directly under the guidance of the president of Delphina, who, with the help of the gardening teams, personally oversees not only the planting but also the pruning of each individual hotel".

Added to this are nature trails that allow guests to admire and experience the unspoilt beauty of the Mediterranean maquis. Within the Valle dell'Erica resort, the Hotel Capo d'Orso, the Park Hotel Cala di Lepre, and the Hotel Marinedda, paths wind along the coast, offering an immersive experience of Sardinian nature.