Green living

Sustainable living

No need to compromise whilst on holiday

Sustainable living on holiday


At Villa in the Vineyard we are committed to the highest standards of sustainable living - we want to protect the biodiversity and natural beauty of the area we live in.  We also strive to do best for the health and wellbeing of our guests.

For this reason, we felt it was important to get third-party accreditation to highlight our eco credentials.  So we were delighted to be awarded a Silver rating by Green Tourism in May 2019 and have now been awarded Gold in December 2019.  They considered a range of factors during their Green Check, covering our energy generation, protection of the environment and wildlife, social responsibility, supporting the local community and encouraging  a circular economy.  Read more about our Green Tourism Gold in our blog.


We have also been validated by Sustonica, the first sustainability accreditation specifically for holiday rentals.


In 2022 we were proud to be shortlisted in the last six in The Shortzys global awards for the short term vacation rental market in the Sustainability category.


In 2021 we became signatories of Tourism Declares A Climate Emergency and you can read our latest Sustainability Impact Report here.


Solar panels and electricity


In this sunny region our solar panels provide lots of hot water for showers. We have photovoltaic panels which power all the electrical appliances and lighting in your apartment as well as automatic outdoor lighting.


Comfortable temperatures all year round


The villa was built from the stone in the original farmhouse with thick walls insulated with sustainable wood chip and the interior painted with non-toxic lime-based paints, which allow the walls to breathe.

A heat exchanger has been installed which keeps the house cool in the summer with underfloor cooling without the need for unhealthy, noisy, energy-intensive air conditioning and wonderfully cosy and warm with underfloor heating in the winter months. There is also a wood-burning stove with logs provided for those chillier evenings in the winter.

If you are interested we can show you the 'engine room', where all our sustainable living systems are housed!


Windows and fly screens


All the internal and external doors were made by local craftsmen using oak and chestnut.  The windows are double-glazed and fitted with insect nets and internal shutters for closing at night.


Healthy pool


Your party will enjoy exclusive use of the chlorine-free swimming pool, which uses a copper ionization system - a safe and effective way of keeping it clean without the heavy use of chemicals.  Our guests have told us it's like swimming in bottled water with no nasty chlorine smell or itchy eyes when you come out!

The pool is naturally heated by the sun and is open from May to October.


For allergy sufferers


The villa is pet-free. We don't use products with chemicals or synthetic fragrance.  We can also provide linen and towels, which have been washed using fragrance-free detergent if requested in advance. We use certified organic laundry liquid and conditioner.


Organic household and beauty products


Nikki has campaigned for a more natural, organic lifestyle for over 20 years and now works as a sustainability strategist helping business owners to become part of saving the planet and creating a fairer world.  You can read more about her work here . She will ensure that only organic, environmentally friendly cleaning products and laundry detergents are used and will keep the bathrooms stocked up with complimentary organic toiletries. 


Supporting local businesses


We are committed to sustainable living and will recommend local producers, shops and restaurants to you with organic options where available. We share all this information in our comprehensive digital guide which you can download to your phone. Read more about the local food and wine here.

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