Sustainable Islantilla

Environment, nature and culture

Today's travellers are showing a positive change. There is an increasing demand for simple and transparent access to a wider range of sustainable travel options. Working with local guides or companies, social entrepreneur initiatives and adhering to best practices are increasingly given priority. More than half of travellers say they want to put more effort into choosing sustainable travel than before. Today's traveller wants to get to know a country and get in touch with its locals in order to consciously experience life in a place. Because what is very common in another country is often special to someone from outside that country. It seems that the words sustainability and travel are no longer incompatible.
If we take into account people, the environment, nature and culture during our trip, the trip will not only be special at the moment, but future generations will also be able to enjoy that experience. Sustainability is not something of the future. It has to happen now. At Islantilla they are very aware of that. They will welcome you with open arms and eager to share their passion with you.

Two sustainable companies in Islantilla:
Craft beer tasting at Ruben's Brewery.

Mayte and Rubén have a brewery and tasting space in La Redondela that you can visit. Brewing beer is often associated with tough men, eating meat and barbecuing. Ruben's Garden is the opposite. Mayte and Rubén are proud of it. They represent calmness and conviviality. They don't want to impose that things should be different, but they do want to show that things can be done differently. And that you don't have to compromise on quality or flavour. In the meantime, they do their best to be responsible with the planet by recycling everything recyclable. They work with suppliers in the area. Their next challenge is to produce a beer based on sea fennel that grows in the surrounding marshes. The couple is keeping an open mind and is considering organising workshops and letting participants brew their own beer. The menu they offer is varied and affordable for everyone. You can order dishes made with typical products from the region, such as a wok with salicornia from Huelva. They often try new things but they do it the same way they brew their beer: take it slow and step by step. With dynamics and movement.

Immerse yourself in the world of salt in Salinas del Alemán

This story begins in 1755 when the severe Lisbon earthquake caused a tsunami that destroyed the vast coastal area including the towns of Ayamonte, Lepe and La Redondela, sweeping them out to sea. When the water receded, huge sandy promontories with marshes formed on the flat landscape. The sea water is stored in rectangular basins in the salt pans, after which the sun can do its work. Unlike the Fleur de Sel, which is collected from the surface of the water, the Escargot de Sal is collected from the bottom with a rake and released. This means that you do not get fine grains, but very fine flakes that you can crumble between your fingers. Flakes with the pure salty taste of the sea.

Manuela learned the trade from her father and recently passed the baton to her sons who now run the salt company. You can visit the salt mines and take a walking tour or book a guided tour. The salt is still collected by hand, no machines are used. An ancient tradition that is kept alive with just one product: sea water!

These two sustainable companies are described in detail in the dutch book Duurzaam door Spanje by travel journalist Marion Hoogwegt. Here you can read about 35 sustainable entrepreneurs, two of which we can visit in Islantilla.

Act responsibly

The environment is the environment in which we live our lives. Every day we hear about the serious deterioration of the earth and, consequently, of human beings: air, water and soil pollution, shortage of raw materials, etc.

This puts us in a position to take responsibility and know what options we have to preserve and improve our planet.

The Islantilla Association makes available to users of the facilities, employees and managers of the Tourist Office facilities the Guide to Good Environmental Practices, with a series of simple, easy-to-implement, low-cost recommendations with measurable results.