Dominica

Location: near Rosalie

3 Rivers Eco Lodge is situated in a lush green valley, surrounded by nature and rivers, in unspoiled eastern Dominica. Located on the edge of the rainforest, about a mile away from the main road, the Lodge is an extremely quiet and peaceful place. The site is bordered by 3 clean rivers and set against a backdrop of rainforested mountains, a twenty minute walk from a spectacular Atlantic beach.

Accommodation

3 Rivers Eco Lodge is a small, award winning, eco lodge offering both hotel and camping accommodation along with nature, adventure and community based eco-tourism activities and environmental education workshops. The Lodge offers secluded hotel accommodation in environmentally-friendly surroundings and plenty of facilities to suit all.

Eco Policies

Certification - 3 Rivers Eco Lodge is Green Globe certified.

Eco-design - The eco-lodge was built on spoilt land which had been destroyed by chemicals used by the banana farmer whom it was bought from them. The land was fallow for a year before building and has been composted for the last 5 and a half years. Many of the buildings are made from renewable materials such as bamboo and grass for the thatched forest houses.

Energy – The eco-lodge has an array of ten solar panels giving a maximum power of 800 watts and currently uses the solar power produced for much of its green electricity, for pumping water from the river and for heating its hot water. It also has a microhydro electricity system to supplement its green solar power at the main property with an extra kw, while a wind turbine is used to power the forest accommodations. In addition to this, its truck is run on used cooking oil.

One of the beauties of 3 Rivers is the night sky, and so outside lighting is of the utmost importance. In order that you can find your way around, but still see the stars, solar powered path lights are dotted around which give enough light to show you the way, but do not distract from your view of the planets. Each light is independant, with its own solar panel and batteries, which are recharged every day by the sun. They have built in sensors and light up at night, and switch off automatically during the day.

Conservation – Each cottage at 3 Rivers is set in its own large, organic garden in which the lodge has attempted to plant a wide variety of fruits, vegetable and flowers . The trees are still young, but as they grow and as the fruit trees begin to bear their first fruits, the more birds are being seen on site.

Ecological sustainability – 3 Rivers compost all kitchen and garden waste and use that compost to help them grow as much organic food as possible at the eco lodge. They try to minimise their water consumption, grey water goes through grease traps to be used in the garden and campers use dry toilets. Whenever possible, the lodge tries to avoid purchasing packaged goods, shop locally, recycle, use biodegradable products and keep waste products to a minimum.
Organic pest control is used in the gardens, such as papaya to attract the slugs away from the greens and seasoning pepper and garlic spray to deter other bugs. Most of the vegetables eaten are grown on the lodge’s land and as time goes on it is hoped that the Lodge will be completely self-sufficient with regards to fruit and vegetables.

Community – All employees at the eco-lodge come from local villages and are trained in sustainable living. The lodge offer a number of community based eco-tourism activities and are trying to showcase environmentally sound practices, hosting free school eco-education visits and giving guided tours and workshops to all interested parties. The lodge is also involved in various community projects such as Computer Mission Dominica which installed 200 computers in schools and workshops.

Facilities

The restaurant / bar, overlooking the river, is open all day, providing fresh drinks, snacks and meals, prepared as much as possible from the Lodge’s own organic produce. There are frequent live music sessions by local bands and guests are more than welcome to participate.

There is a Sustainable Living Education Centre at the Lodge where both tourists and locals can take part in various renewable energy workshops.

The communal area where guests can mingle, relax, read, or play one of the many games provided, is open any time you want it to be.

There is a large children's play area where the kids (big or small) can have fun, allowing the parents to "free up" and relax.

Finally, if you feel that even in the rainforest of Dominica you really need to stay in touch with the rest of the world, then you can hire a local cell phone for the duration of your visit. It will be cheaper than phoning on roaming! The Lodge also has wireless network facilities so that you can connect via your laptop from anywhere on the main property.

Things To See And Do

Guests can bathe in one of the natural river pools, wander amongst the organic gardens and picnic areas, or walk up into the rainforest. Other nearby activities include:-
- nature and adventure holiday activities
- community based eco tourism experiences
- hiking, waterfalls, lakes, nature trails
- diving in the world's best waters

Room Description

3 Rivers Eco Lodge provide a range of accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets. Choose from:-
- Private and comfortable lodges on the main site with bathroom, kitchen, balcony, and gardens
- Isolated cabins and Tree Houses on the ‘Forest Retreat’ site - a true back to nature eco experience
- Mixed dormitory hostel accommodation on the main site
- Full camping facilities including tent hire on the main site

Prices & Booking Policies

Currency: US dollar ($)
Prices and inclusions: The below prices are based on room only (i.e. no meals included). Taxes are included but a service charge of 7.5% is not included and will be added to your final bill.
An Ocean View apartment on the main site (for 1 or 2 sharing) costs US$77 (approx £38) per night while a self-contained cottage (for 1 or 2 sharing) costs US$88 (approx £44) per night. A bed in the dormitory is US$22 (approx £11) per person per night while a hammock space is US$11 (approx £6) per person per night.
If you’re bringing your own tent a camping plot costs US$16.50 (approx £9) per tent per night, whilst it will cost you an additional US$16.50 (approx £9) per night to hire a small tent or US$22 (approx £11) per night to hire a large tent.
Cabins and Tree Houses on the Forest Retreat site range from US$44 (£22) per night to US$66 (£33) per night and sleep up to 3.
Child prices: As rates are per accommodation, there are no separate child rates.
Extra adult prices: As rates are per accommodation, there are no special rates for extra adults.
Special offers: Book 7 nights and only pay for 6 or book 14 nights and only pay for 12!
Check-in / Check-out times: 1pm check-in, midday check-out
Opening dates: 3 Rivers Eco Lodge is closed for the month of September. Bookings are currently being taken until 14th December 2008.
Restrictions: There are no minimum night restrictions.
Deposit: A 50% deposit is payable at time of booking. Your booking will not be fully confirmed until this deposit is received. This fee will be taken from your credit card using the details you give at time of booking.
Cancellation policy: For cancellations more than 2 months prior to the arrival date, 80% of the deposit will be refunded. For cancellations between 1 and 2 months of the arrival date, 50% of the deposit will be refunded. For cancellations within 1 month of arrival, the full deposit will be retained although you will be offered the option of putting half of the deposit paid towards a future booking within the next year.
Payment methods: The balance of your booking is due on arrival and can be paid with cash, by Visa or Mastercard. There is no surcharge for credit card payment.

Getting There And Around

3 Rivers is situated a mile or so inland from Rosalie, on the east coast of Dominica.
Whether you arrive at one of the airports, or at the ferry terminal, there are normally plenty of taxis waiting. Whichever port of entry, the journey time is around an hour and expect to pay around EC$180 / US$70 (approx £35) for your taxi. Alternatively, there are buses.
Once you have arrived at the Lodge, it is easy to travel around Dominica. There are regular minibuses serving every village, which are cheap and a good way to meet the local people. Alternatively, many locals walk and hitch-hike their way around the island, a safe and easy way to travel in Dominica.
There are also plenty of car rental companies and taxis on the island.