Hotel Molino del Arco ★★★★

The immaculate white walls of the hotel and reddish-brown tiles of its roof were entirely in keeping with local Andalusian style and the Pueblos Blancos that embellish the region. We stopped at a couple on the way to the hotel, stretching our legs as we wandered through the narrow, winding streets that have a distinctly Arabic feel to them, probably due to the influence of the Moors many centuries back. Over the course of our stay, we got to know the neighbouring town of Ronda, a town cut in two by a tremendous ravine offering breath-taking views, treasured historical buildings and dizzyingly high bridges.

The hotel used to be an olive mill back in the 17th century. The plentiful olive trees may have aged a bit, but they still yield tons of delicious fruit and the building itself was in impeccable shape. I could tell a lot of care is taken keeping this place spic and span, both inside and out. The vast Miguel Fisac gardens were amazingly pretty. I learnt from one of the gardeners, as I admired his work, that a much-loved and sadly-deceased architect was brought in to take care of the landscaping design of the gardens that were named after him. When we were there, lavender filled the air with its intoxicating perfume. We only had to throw open the windows of our 2nd-floor bedroom to relish in its fresh, clean scent.

Our bedroom was simply delightful, decorated in calm, serene colours with an elegant wrought-iron bed as its centrepiece. An adorable set of love chairs was set up by the floor-to-ceiling windows and many an evening was spent sipping local wine as we curled up face to face. We almost always ended up turning one of the chairs around so that both of us were facing the gardens and the fabulous views beyond of regimental rows of olive trees stretching out as far as the eye can see.

The hotel is of course equipped with Wi-Fi and a computer station but something about the place makes you want to just switch off and forget the outside world for a while. That’s what we did anyway. Most of our afternoons were spent either lounging in the shade by the pool or in the comfy lounge looking out over the gardens, book in one hand and drink from the Honesty Bar in the other. We did occasionally venture out to Ronda, but it was always such a pleasure coming back to the hotel afterwards. We sort of moved in for the week. Made ourselves at home.

The friendly staff saw to all our needs, although I have to admit, we didn’t have many. They provided us with a packed lunch to take with us on one of our outings and gave us tips on where to go for the best views or the finest food. We actually only went out to eat twice, the rest of our evenings were spent enjoying traditional Andalusian cuisine in the hotel restaurant. The food was so good, made with freshly-picked fruits and vegetables from the garden, that we didn’t see the point of going anywhere else.

The most difficult part of our stay was leaving, but the blow was softened when my husband suggested coming back with his brother next year. That’s a great idea! And how about the year after that, we come back with my brother. And the following year, we could bring my cousin, Joanne. I’d even happily come back with his mother, if it meant another trip to the Hotel Molino des Arco.