Saba

Location: Saba

Ecolodge Rendez-Vous is situated near Windwardside and Bottom, on a rainforest mountainside of a little Caribbean Island known as Saba. Saba is in the Netherland Antilles and is an ideal base for hikers and nature lovers, who can safely enjoy tropical rainforest and walk for hours without encountering anyone. Bird watchers, people interested in butterflies, moths, bats and orchids will not be disappointed. The island is also surrounded by the crystal clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean and divers can enjoy spectacular pinnacles, hot springs, rays, sharks, turtles and healthy coral in a fully protected marine park.

Accommodation

The Ecolodge Rendez-Vous is a small family-operated eco resort surrounded by lush tropical vegetation - a perfect hideaway for people who want to get away from it all. It's a place where guests feel quickly at home, in comfortable mosquito-free accommodation, receive personal attention and where the individual still counts.
The Ecolodge is more than just a hotel, it's a lifestyle based on the premise that contact with nature is essential to relieve stress, to rejuvenate and to rediscover a sense of self.

Eco Policies

Eco-design – The Eco Lodge is in the forest, off the main road, with no vehicular access. In the construction eco-friendly and recycled materials have been used as much as possible. For example, decks and staircases are made of Trex Wood Polymer® manufactured from reclaimed plastic and wood waste. The siding is Hardiplank, a product made of cement, sand and recycled paper. For the structural components of the buildings ACQ pressure treated lumber was used as an alternative for the toxic chromated copper arsenate lumber. ACQ lumber contains an alkaline, a fungicide and 100% recycled copper as an environmentally safe wood preservative.

Energy – All buildings are equipped with solar panels for a 12V lighting system. The cottages have Texsport® sun showers, heated by solar energy.

Conservation – The Eco Lodge was built on abandoned terraced farmland which has now been recovered by rainforest. The owner,Tom van’t Hof, has been instrumental in establishing the Saba Marine Park and the Saba Conservation Foundation.
On Wednesday evenings before dinner, Ecolodge co-owner and conservationist Tom van't Hof takes you on a virtual hike in the comfort of the Rainforest Restaurant. The slide presentation helps you interpret and understand the plants and wildlife that you are likely to see on one of your hikes. Ecolodge also hosts slide shows for Sea and Learn in the month of October.

Ecological sustainability – All cottages use Sealand low-flush toilets connected to SunMar non-electrical composting units, producing odorless and pathogen-free compost. Kitchen and garden waste is also composted.
Pure rainwater is collected off the roofs in cisterns. A solar-powered pump pumps the water into a cistern at the high end of the property, providing for gravity flow to all cottages and the restaurant. Wash basins are equipped with water saving spring faucets.
About 70% of the vegetables served in the restaurant and all herbs are organically grown in the Eco Lodge’s vegetable and herb gardens. Guava, papaya, avocado, lime, bitter-skin orange, wild raspberries, Surinam cherries, and passion fruit vines can also be found on or near the property, as well as medicinal plants such as "headache bush", leaf of life and cilantro.

Facilities

- The Rainforest Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and people with a kitchenette can ask the gardener for fresh vegetables from the garden.
- Swimming pool
- There are no radios or televisions at the Eco Lodge.
- There are no telephones in the rooms but you can use your cell phone. In Windwardside is an internet café.
- Laundry can be done in the facility in the Bottom.

Things To See And Do

Saba is a quaint little island. There are no casinos and no white sandy beaches, but there is a well-developed network of nature trails where the hiker can safely enjoy tropical rainforest and walk for hours without encountering anyone. Bird watchers, people interested in butterflies, moths, bats and orchids will not be disappointed. Also, the island is surrounded by the crystal clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean and divers can enjoy spectacular pinnacles, hot springs, rays, sharks, turtles and healthy coral in a fully protected marine park.

Dive packages are available – if you’d like more details, please request them in the Booking Notes during the booking process.

Room Description

Accommodation at this eco-hotel is offered in 12 comfortable, charming Saban-style cottages, each with private porch, hammock and bathroom, scattered over abandoned terraced farmland that has been recovered by rainforest. All are individually decorated in nature themes by local artist Heleen Cornet.

Standard cottages include Anolis, Dolphin, Heliconia, Tropic Bird and The Tree Fern.

Standard cottages with kitchenette (with stove) are the Mt. Scenery Cottage, the Tree Frog, Blue Tang and Turtle.

The Bird of Paradise Cottage and the Mt. Scenery cottage have a built-in private hot tub on the porch.

Prices & Booking Policies

Currency: US dollar ($)
Prices and inclusions: The rates per cottage with 2 sharing are:
December 16th to April 15th US$85.00 (approx £43)
April 16th to December 15th US$65.00 (approx £33)
Cottages with kitchenettes are available for a US$10.00 supplement per night and for a cottage with a private hot tub the supplement is an additional $4.00 per night.
Rates are for the room only (i.e. no meals are included) and do not include 5% Government tax and 10% service charge.
Child prices: Children aged 0-3 years go free. A crib, a baby chair and a baby carrier for hiking are available. Children aged 4 and above are charged the same as adults i.e. US$10 per child per night with up to 2 children in the room.
Extra adult prices: Up to 4 adults can fit into some of the cottages. The 3rd and 4th adults are charged at an additional US$10 per adult per night.
Special offers: For every 6 nights booked, get the 7th night free!
Check-in / Check-out times: 11.00 am
Opening dates: Ecolodge Rendez-Vous is open all year round. Bookings are currently being taken until 15th April 2008.
Restrictions: There are no minimum night restrictions.
Deposit: The full value of the accommodation, plus 15% taxes and a 3.6% credit card surcharge, must be paid at time of booking. The booking will not be fully confirmed until this payment is received. Payment will be taken from your credit card using the details you provide during the booking process.
Cancellation policy: For cancellations more than 45 days prior to arrival, a full refund will be given. For cancellations 31 to 45 days prior to arrival, 25% of the booking fee will be forfeited. For cancellations 16 to 30 days prior to arrival, 50% of the booking fee will be forfeited. For cancellations 9 to 15 days prior to arrival, 75% of the booking fee will be forfeited. For cancellations 8 days or less prior to arrival, there will be no refund.
Payment methods: For any purchases you make on site, payment can be made by cash or credit card. For credit card payment there is a 3.5% surcharge.

Getting There And Around

To travel to Saba you will have to fly to Sint Maarten first (airport code SXM). Saba is located 28 miles southwest of St. Maarten, reached by a short 12-minute flight on Windward Island Airways. Winair provides 5 easily scheduled connecting flights to and from St. Maarten each day. For more information on Winair (airline code WM), please visit their website at www.fly-winair.com. It is also possible to reach Saba by ferry.

During your stay at Ecolodge Rendez-Vous, hiking is one of the main means to get from one place to another. The original roads, now trails, are safe and well maintained. Hitch hiking is a usual means of getting around and it is a nice way to meet the locals. There are also two car rentals on the island.