La Sultana is situated in the midst of a remarkable ecosystem, the lagoon of Oualidia. From its very inception, the hotel was planned to minimise impact on its fragile environment.

It took vision, money and technical resources to achieve the result: a hotel which is unique in its environmental approach and 100% sustainable in its use of water.

From the outside, with its garden and buildings made from local stone, the hotel seems perfectly integrated with its surroundings. It imbues the place with a feeling of serenity and well-being.

But these are just the visible signs. Below ground runs a technical infrastructure consisting of miles of pipework. It is thanks to this that guests can enjoy five-star comfort with minimum strain on resources or damage to the environment.

All the water for La Sultana – from garden to hotel, from restaurants to swimming pools – is derived locally. Desalinated and filtered by osmosis, the water is soft and pure. It makes a shower or a dip in the hotel’s swimming pools a wonderfully sensuous experience.

Water for the swimming pools is treated by ionisation. It uses a process of electrolytic hydrolysis with a copper/silver cathode and anode. The copper prevents the build-up of algae while the silver helps eliminate bacteria. It means that when the pools are drained for cleaning only pure, non-chlorinated water goes back into the lagoon.

A lot of time and effort went into finding a solution to recycling waste water. In the treatment area under the hotel, grey water from bathroom, shower and kitchen is degreased, oxygenated, homogenised and filtered. This provides 40 cubic metres of water a day to irrigate the garden. 

Sewage water is recycled along underground conduits which use vegetation to break down bacteria. This age-old system, updated for modern needs, gives the garden nutrients to help it to flourish. The final part of the recycling process is evaporation, which takes place through the leaves of the plants. 200 litres of water per day can be evaporated by a single mature eucalyptus tree.

Sea water from the lagoon, filtered and heated, is used for the jacuzzis. Guests arriving at the hotel can bathe away their stresses and cares by plunging into a whirlpool of pure, warm ocean water while feeling the Atlantic breeze on their face.

We also thought carefully about heating and cooling systems for the hotel. Heating, air conditioning and dehumidifying are controlled by a water-to-water heat pump which takes water from the lagoon at 18 degrees centigrade in the winter and at 21 degrees in the summer months. The water is then distributed around the hotel as needed.

La Sultana Oualidia is at the forefront of revolutionary green technology.  Using resources sustainably, it manages to ensure the comfort of its guests as well as the long-term welfare of the lagoon ecosystem.

                                                                                                                                                  Oualidia, January 07th, 2009 

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