Help people to help themselves! Nilantha's Guesthouse is a sustainable family project at the Red Rock Beach Surf Spot in Sri Lanka. Nilantha’s Guesthouse is a community capacity building project to help the Uswaththage family. The southern coast of Sri Lanka, where the family lives, was hit particularly hard by the tsunami in 2004. By realizing the Nilantha’s guesthouse project, the Uswaththage family will be supported sustainably because they will become part of the region’s slowly regrowing tourism industry. Minou Sikken, the initiator of the project, met the large family on her first trip to Sri Lanka in March 2015. Ever since, she supports them with 10% of her income, clothes, electronic devices and other useful things which she collects in Switzerland.

The award winning Maya Boutique Hôtel in Nax, in the Swiss Valais is the first hotel in Europe built entirely with straw bales. The Project - Wellness in plain nature What was missing to our guests and is standard in a modern holiday resort: the possibility to relax in a spa facility. That is why we decided to built a barrel sauna with a glass wall next to the guest rooms in which one can not only relax. Through the round glass front you can enjoy the breathtaking views on the Bernese Alps and the fields and forests in front of the Maya Boutique Hotel. This panorama sauna is made with high quality thermo wood and has diameter of 205 cm and a length of 380 cm. It is a two section sauna for 4-6 persons sitting or 2 persons lying. In a second step we will create a rest zone with loungers and plant hedges around the sauna area for more privacy. Furthermore we will install a photo-voltaic system to render the Maya Boutique Hotel and this sauna completely self-sufficient. The sum of 9500 CHF will allow us to put up the sauna. To install the photo voltaic system and the rest zone as well, we would need to cover 45000 CHF. Become part of this unique project and enjoy a stay in the straw bale hotel Boosters who become part of this project will be rewarded with a gift voucher over the invested sum to be used for a stay at the Maya Boutique Hotel. You can use it for yourself or surprise your loved ones with this unusual gift. See the goodies for more details. Everyone is welcome to visit the hotel and get more information about this project. The Construction Method of this Ecological Hotel The Maya Boutique Hotel is a load-carrying straw bale construction with clay plaster for the interior and lime mortar for the exterior. Its energy efficiency exceeds the requirements of passive house standards. 55 ton of straw and 95 tons of wood were used. We took 230 ton of CO2 of the atmosphere and stocked them for centuries into the walls. The “New Eco Life Style” as a central element of the corporate philosophy Solar thermal systems for heat and electricity have been installed in order to render the Maya Boutique Hotel energy self-sufficient. The exceeding heat of the wood fired bread oven is being used as well to heat water for the showers and the floor heating. This way energy cost were reduced by 80%. A cozy and healthy living climate The concept of our ecological construction is consistent with our handmade furniture using natural materials. Made with wood from the region, each of the eight rooms is dedicated to a different type of wood: pine, stone pine, walnut, oak, elm, pear, ash and larch. The sleek design highlights the structure and forms of the organic materials used. All our furniture is treated with 100% natural oils. All rooms are equipped with modern italian designed glass bathrooms. Local Specialties and Old Valais Dishes Local and seasonal products are used in our kitchen. Old Valais and Swiss recipes were researched and transported in to a modern cuisine of today. The hey soup with hey from the village became a classic in our restaurant. Old and long forgotten dishes such as the "cholera" (a pie with potatoes, apples, bacon, pears and mountain cheese) were brought back to life. Nax is a traditional village on a plateau at 1300 m altitude in the Swiss Valais. It is also called the "Balcony of Heaven" and has its own ski resort. It is ideal for lovers of nature and to relax in any season. It has an exceptionally sunny micro climate. Nominated for the Swiss Tourism Award and for the Radical Innovation Award Finally I would like to point out the importance of a project like the Maya Boutique Hotel. Innovation and courage pay off. The Maya Boutique Hotel was nominated for the Swiss Tourism Award Milestone 2013. The Maya Boutique Hotel was listed this year amongst the top ten projects worldwide at the "Radical Innovations Award in Hospitality". The excellence of our services was also awarded with the "Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice Award 2014" Some TV shows and numerous reportages in magazines and news papers around the world were published.