Building and running a holiday resort is no easy feat but building a sustainable hotel in Khaolak, Thailand is that much more difficult. But that is exactly what we set out to do from the start when we decided to build our family-run eco-resort here in Thailand. We are driven by our passion for nature and our belief that eco-tourism can co-exist with nature, especially when it’s done with the right mindset and supported by responsible management from the start.
What is an Eco Resort?
In order to understand why our resort is different from others, we must first understand what an eco-resort is. More importantly, it’s crucial to understand why we believe that eco resorts should be the standard in order to keep tourism sustainable for the planet.
Simply put, an eco-resort is a hotel that is built on the premise of having as little impact on its environment as possible. Sustainability is also a key consideration in the management of an eco-resort. For example, our resort implements many environmentally considerate conservation practices with a focus on sustainability that will preserve the flora and fauna for generations to enjoy, experience, and discover.
During the construction phase of our eco resort in Thailand, over half of the 30 rai land was covered with a diverse variety of flora. We made a deliberate effort to preserve most of the trees on our land during construction and discovered that some of them were estimated to be over 100 years old. That is why we partnered with Big Trees Project to lean on their huge team of professional arborists to train our gardeners on the best practices to maintain our towering ancient trees with ropes and pulleys to ensure safety for both our team and our trees.
During these efforts, the Big Trees Project team compiled a database of our diverse tree species and managed to calculate the carbon value of our trees. They discovered that our trees have stored over 76 tons of carbon over the years!
Our Conservation Efforts
Besides maintaining our trees to the best of our abilities, we also actively participate in other conservation efforts to help achieve our sustainability and goals at our hotel in Khaolak, Thailand.
Wildlife Conservation
Through our partnership with Love Wildlife, we are helping to conserve the local slow loris population. And because of the many native trees we have on our property, our eco-resort in Thailand is the perfect habitat for the slow loris. We feel fortunate that our sustainable hotel is able to help these adorable mammals thrive in an environment that supports their natural diet. We also help to collect data on their behaviour which is then used by Love Wildlife to improve their studies of these lovely creatures.
After a wildlife survey of our property, Love Wildlife has discovered that our trees support over 150 species of animals that include parrots, flying lizards, and owls. Visitors to our resort are provided with detailed information booklets in each of their rooms to help them better understand the importance of protecting our environment. We believe education is an important part of conservation which is why we chose to build an attractive but comfortable resort to help us spread awareness on the subject.
Water Conservation
One of the main concerns for an eco-resort in Thailand is the treatment of wastewater. At Merlin Khaolak, we have made huge investments in our organic filtration and cleansing systems which clean our wastewater extensively before it is released into the wild. This treated water is then used to irrigate the plants and fill the streams on our property.
Our water treatment systems are a huge contribution to our efforts to be sustainable by allowing us to reuse wastewater and save many gallons of water, bringing us closer to our goal of being a hotel in Khaolak, Thailand. The purification process is so intense that many species of freshwater fish are able to thrive in the numerous canals spread across our property.
Waste Management
We strongly believe that in order to be a successful eco-resort in Thailand we need to handle our waste responsibly. That is why we minimise our pollution by reducing, reusing and recycling our solid waste.
All our trash is sorted at our trash sorting centre, where trash that can be recycled is set aside for the local waste management companies to collect and later recycle.
The organic waste is either sent out to local farms to be used as pig feed or used as organic matter in our very own compost pits where the nutrient-rich compost is used to fertilise the lush gardens on our property.
Being a Part of the Local Community
Being a sustainable resort is about more than just practising conservation. We are an active member of our local community and work hard to help those in the nearby Thai Mueng district. We provide jobs to local people in the area and organise trash pick-up rallies and temple cleaning days.
By purchasing goods and services from the local economy we’re able to provide much-needed support. Our resort also champions local conservation efforts by donating to the local environmental and humanitarian charities, and encouraging our guests to do the same.
We believe in preserving our natural environment for future generations, and there’s no better way to educate our children than by leading by example. Visit us at Merlin Khaolak Resort to discover the many wonders and beauty of our natural environment.