Sustainability

CASAS DE ALPEDRINHA arise from the desire to recover and renovate Quinta do Anjo da Guarda , as well as the tourist potential of this space and Alpedrinha. For social and proximity reasons, there is a strong and ancient emotional connection with the people of the village and from there was born our ambition for the valorization and preservation of the local heritage.

We invite visitors to share our passion for Serra da Gardunha , with its natural and scenic richness, always with a commitment to the environment and preservation of local resources, in a search for the dissemination of the most genuine products and traditions of our Village - Pebbles . We maintain current spring water in the Project, an endogenous resource of great importance in the region.

In this context, we are aware of the importance of our contribution to minimizing or eliminating the impact of our activity, assuming the commitment of continuous improvement in terms of environmental, social and economic sustainability, training and motivating our employees to this theme, assuming a posture of inclusion and preservation of endogenous and genuine values and resources.

We are holders of the BIOSPHERE CERTIFICATE and we work continuously with this institution in order to introduce improvements that keep us updated in terms of Sustainability, in the most varied aspects. Bearing in mind that sustainable practices largely depend on the behavior of our guests, we also created a Guide for the “Responsible Tourist” .

Abolish the use of plastic

We have been gradually introducing practices leading to the elimination of the use of plastics , of which we highlight:

we recently abolished the use of plastic water bottles throughout the Enterprise, making water available in glass bottles free of charge;
we provide some food in bulk inside the accommodations to prevent our guests from bringing plastic packaging;
also to avoid disposable containers, ham and cheese - foods widely used at breakfast and at the pool bar - are always bought in whole pieces and cut by us;
at the pool bar we only use recyclable materials for take-away meals we use recyclable materials

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Energy Savings

Our 33-meter pool is supplied by spring water and follows a constant entry and exit method, in order to avoid internal circulation and the usual consumption of energy. The heating of the water for baths, and even in the premises of the enterprise, with regard to the washing machines and in the kitchen of the Enterprise, is done by solar panels. Our houses were externally coated with the "capoto" system, they have double-glazed frames with thermal break and rock wool under the roofs. These constructive techniques allow you to save energy and bring relevant comfort to guests. The interior heating of the Houses, when necessary, is done with salamanders that use firewood from our farm. Recyclable plastic materials were also of great value in the construction of decks and decorative elements.

Socio-economic sustainability

Our main purpose is and has always been the preservation and enhancement of the Heritage of Vila de Alpedrinha . In the 1950s, the “Sintra da Beira Hockey Club”, a team sponsored by our Founder, played in district tournaments where the tennis court is today. Young people from Alpedrinha had free access to our swimming pool. Today, we arouse the curiosity of guests to visit the village with photographs of tourist and historical points of interest in Alpedrinha highlighted inside the Houses. We also provide tours with a tourist guide in different languages, passing not only through the urban area, but also through Serra da Gardunha and enjoying the scent of the orchards that surround us.

We are also involved in fighting fires: our water tank, with a capacity of 1,100,000 liters, constitutes a strategic reserve on the southern slope of the Serra, either to supply the firefighters' auto tanks on a recurring basis, or to give access to the very important helicopters. for rapid, surgical combat.

The Responsible Tourist of Casas de Alpedrinha

Our Responsible Tourist travels to Vila de Alpedrinha on foot and does so along the old path, thus avoiding using your car.

Our Responsible Tourist is a lover of more extreme hikes and physical exercise, so he chooses to take the Guardian Angel path, leaving and arriving directly at our Quinta.

When our Responsible Tourist needs a product or service, he goes to the small shops in Vila de Alpedrinha or to our Store.

Our Responsible Tourist helps us with our commitment to eliminate the use of plastics. However, whenever it is necessary to use other packages, place them in the corresponding recycling bins.

Our Responsible Tourist avoids bringing food in plastic packaging into the House. Consume what Casas provides, such as tea, sugar, water, cookies, rice and pasta. Do it carefully because you know that other responsible tourists will also need to use the same products.