Sustainability

Built with the land, not against it.

Sustainability at Montserrat Reserve is not a marketing label. It is a design principle that shaped every decision, from the foundation of the villas to the seeds in the garden. We are not trying to minimize our footprint. We are trying to leave the land better than we found it.

100% solar Rainwater cisterns Zero chlorine On-site composting Greywater wetland Local materials
01 · Our Approach

Regenerative by design.

Not a closed loop: nature does not work in closed loops. A spiral, where each cycle leaves the system a little richer.

Most eco retreats talk about reducing harm. We are interested in something different: regeneration. That means designing systems that actively restore the land, the water, and the soil rather than simply consuming less of them.

The philosophy draws from permaculture, traditional Oaxacan building practices, and contemporary regenerative design. Every element on the property is connected. The gardens feed the guests and the compost. The compost feeds the soil. The soil feeds the trees. The trees shade the buildings and cool the air. Rainwater flows from roofs into cisterns, from cisterns into irrigation, and from irrigation back into the earth.

This approach takes more time, more thought, and more willingness to let the land dictate the design. But the result is a place that feels fundamentally different from a conventional hotel, because it is.

  1. 01 Work with existing terrain, never against it
  2. 02 Source materials within walking distance when possible
  3. 03 Every output becomes an input somewhere else
  4. 04 Build slowly, observe constantly, adjust always
02 · Natural Materials

Local wood, stone, earth.

The villas and common areas are built primarily from materials found on or near the property. Local hardwoods, harvested responsibly and dried naturally, form the structural frames and furniture. Stone pulled from the terrain shapes the foundations, the pool, and the pathways. Earth-based plasters made from local clay and sand coat the walls, providing natural insulation that keeps interiors cool by day and warm at night.

The roofs are designed to breathe. Palapa-style structures use dried palm fronds — renewable, naturally waterproof, and remarkably effective at regulating temperature. There is very little concrete on the property, and where it was necessary we mixed it with local aggregate to reduce the carbon cost.

HardwoodOn-site, responsibly harvested
StoneTerrain of the property
Clay plasterLocal clay and sand
Palm frondsCoastal harvest, renewable
TerracottaRegional kilns
03 · The Gardens

Growing what we eat.

The gardens are not decorative. They are productive. Based on permaculture principles, the garden system mimics natural ecosystems, layering plants by height, function, and relationship so that each species supports the others.

Tall fruit trees provide shade for understory plants. Ground covers suppress weeds and retain moisture. Nitrogen-fixing plants enrich the soil for their neighbors. Companion planting discourages pests without chemicals. The result is a garden that needs less water and less intervention while producing more diverse, more flavorful food.

All organic waste on the property (kitchen scraps, garden trimmings, fallen leaves) is composted on-site and returned to the soil, using both hot composting and vermicomposting with red wigglers. This closes the nutrient cycle and means we never need to import fertilizer.

Harvesting greens from the permaculture garden at Montserrat Reserve
Growing methods
  • Permaculture design
  • Companion planting
  • No chemicals
  • On-site composting
  • Vermicomposting
  • Rainwater irrigation
  • Seasonal rotation
  • Seed saving
04 · Water & Energy

Rain, sun, earth.

The two most critical resources here are water and energy. Both are managed through systems designed to work with the climate, not against it.

01 Rainwater Collection

Oaxaca's rainy season delivers abundant water between June and October. Every roof is designed to channel rainwater into underground cisterns where it is stored, filtered, and distributed for irrigation, cleaning, and non-potable uses through the year. The cisterns are sized to carry the property through the dry season without municipal water. Overflow is directed into swales that recharge the local water table rather than running off into the ocean.

02 Natural Pool Filtration

The natural pool uses a biological filtration system based on aquatic plants that absorb nutrients and impurities from the water. A regeneration zone planted with reeds, water lilies, and other filtering species cleans the water as it circulates. No chlorine, no salt, no UV treatment, just plants doing what plants have always done. The system requires monitoring and occasional maintenance, but it produces water that is clean, soft, and free of the chemical smell and irritation of conventional pools.

03 Solar Energy

The Oaxacan coast receives approximately 2,500 hours of sunlight per year, making solar energy the obvious choice. Photovoltaic panels are installed on secondary structures and angled to maximize year-round production. Battery storage allows the property to operate through the night and during cloudy periods without switching to grid power. The system is designed to meet 100 percent of the property's electrical needs, which are intentionally modest: lighting, kitchen equipment, water pumps, and the small common-area Wi-Fi.

04 Greywater Recycling

Water from sinks and showers is filtered through a constructed wetland on the property before being reused for irrigation. The wetland uses gravel beds and aquatic plants to remove soaps and organic matter, producing clean water that nourishes the garden beds. Only biodegradable, plant-based soaps and cleaning products are used on the property, ensuring that the greywater is safe for plants, soil, and the surrounding ecosystem.

Open-air living and dining space inside a casa at Montserrat Reserve
05 · What This Means for Guests

Sustainability you can feel.

Some guests arrive expecting sustainability to mean sacrifice. Shorter showers. Dim lighting. Bland food. The experience here is the opposite. Because the systems are designed thoughtfully, the result is not less comfort. It is a different kind of comfort, one that feels better precisely because you know it is not coming at a cost to the place around you.

The water in the natural pool is softer on your skin than chlorinated water. The food from the garden tastes better because it was picked that morning, grown in rich soil without chemicals, and prepared by someone who knew the plant when it was a seed. The air inside the casas is cooler and cleaner because the walls are made of clay and the roof breathes, not because an air conditioning unit is burning energy to fight the heat.

We do not ask guests to compromise. We ask them to notice.

The quiet you experience here is not enforced. It is a consequence of design choices: no generators humming, no HVAC cycling, no machinery running in the background. The sounds you hear are real: wind, water, insects, birds, and the occasional distant crash of a wave on the shore. This is what sustainability feels like when it is done well. Not deprivation. Not virtue signaling. Just a place that works the way the land wants it to.

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Montserrat Reserve opens in 2027 with limited availability for founding guests. Join the waitlist for priority access and early pricing.

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