Hotel Belmar in Costa Rica Debuts New Menus, Sustainability Initiatives

Hotel Belmar in Costa Rica puts sustainability at the forefront with new food and beverage initiatives. Guests can experience new menu items at on-site restaurants Restaurante Celajes, Cervecería Belmar, Juice Bar and Tea Room.

© Hotel Belmar

“It’s vital to put sustainability first in our kitchen and dining room,” said Alvaro Rodríguez, creative chef, Hotel Belmar. “Travelers come to experience all of Costa Rica, and that means serving up the region’s bounty and flavors in every dish we prepare.”

Led by Rodríguez, the hotel’s dining program prioritizes sustainable practices and uses local ingredients, including from the hotel’s expanded organic garden, carbon-neutral Finca Madre Tierra and local foraging. The new menu focuses on plant-based dishes to help lower the hotel’s carbon footprint. The kitchen cut meat and dairy use by 20 percent. Menus offer freshly caught seafood from a responsible fishing zone at the nearby Gulf of Nicoya.

© Hotel Belmar

The hotel kitchen practices innovative methods of repurposing cooking byproducts through pickling, fermenting and powdering. These preservation techniques help reduce food waste. Guests will experience items like vinegars crafted from celery and heirloom banana remnants.

Hotel Belmar’s bar program features local ingredients with a farm-to-table-inspired, garden-to-glass concept. Cocktails utilize fruit, herbs and honey from the on-site garden. Guests may also enjoy hard kombucha and mead made on site.