Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)
WHEN they bought Molino del Santo nearly four decades ago they were an enthusiastic young couple in need of a saint to get their country hotel open.
Short of funds and battling red tape, it was something of a miracle when the ‘Molino of the Saint’, near Ronda, opened in 1987.
The brainchild of British expats Andy Chapell and Pauline Elkin, it became one of Andalucia’s first boutique rural retreats.
Now, after 38 years, the award-winning hotel and restaurant is being passed on to a new generation… in the shape and form of their daughter.
From March 17, Carmen Chapell-Elkin, 32, will be bringing Molino del Santo, in Benaojan, ‘back to its glory days’.
Recently arriving from London with her Norwegian partner Martin Reymert, 33, they have loads of ideas involving activities, new vegetarian menus and a focus on wines.
“We are absolutely over the moon,” Carmen told the Olive Press. “We can’t believe this is our life now and we keep having to pinch ourselves that we are not going back to London.”
Born in Ronda, along with her younger sister Rossy, she grew up at the Molino, which has managed to keep some of its staff for nearly 30 years.
“So many of them have been here for over two decades,” she added. “It feels like an extended family and they are like aunts and uncles to me and have taught me everything from how to braid my hair to how to make paella.”
Currently sprucing up the rooms and redesigning the dining area, there will be special events and a brand new website ready for the opening.
After handing over the keys this month, dad Andy – appropriately a Saints (Southampton) fan – told the Olive Press: “I am so excited that they will be bringing new energy and a bit of magic to the Molino.
“This will be an exciting new chapter in the Molino story.”
