Less than an hour’s drive, through the tumbling mountains, lies the historical town of Ronda.  Ronda is the home of Spain's oldest bullring, Plaza de Toros, built in 1784.  The city is also renowned for straddling the El Tajo Gorge, a plunging 300-metre ravine spanned by an old bridge.

This spectacular gorge splits the town in two - a sheer drop where one side of the city comes to an abrupt halt – it is certainly not for those who suffer from vertigo!  The ‘Puente Nuevo’ (new bridge!) that crosses the gorge was completed in 1793.  Legend has it, that the architect, Jose Martin de Aldehuela, fell to his death from the bridge during his final inspection!  However, others believe that he was trying to catch his hat that had blown off in the wind!

Both Orson Welles and Ernest Hemingway resided in Ronda for many years, and wrote about its beauty, thus contributing to its popularity.  In ‘Death in the Afternoon’ Hemingway refers to Ronda as “the perfect place”.   In ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’, he describes the murder of loyalists early in the Spanish Civil War by being thrown from the cliffs of El Tajo by Franco’s forces.  Now, in their honour, local streets are named after these two icons of their time.

Back in Gaucín, inevitably more tourists are beginning to arrive because it is situated alongside a newly refurbished road en-route from Algeciras to Ronda (designated a European ‘Green Route’).  As a result, changes are taking place, such as the advent of several up-market restaurants, the refurbishment of a rather grand old hotel (previously owned by a Countess!), and several new shops.  Generally, tourists come in search of ‘Real’ Spain with its friendly welcome, tapas bars, flamenco music, fiestas, etc., but whatever the reason, this influx of visitors is helping to boost the local economy and improve the way of life for many local Spanish families that had previously been rather impoverished.

The property market in the Gaucín area is now thriving too, as it has become such a sought-after location.  It is often a case of ‘love at first sight’ for many visitors and, consequently, some are buying holiday homes as an investment for the future.  There are also many older couples of varying nationalities, who have retired to live in the area, attracted by the warm climate combined with a better quality of life, and a relatively low cost of living.

Unfortunately for the buyer, Gaucín’s popularity is pushing up property prices, especially since a recent ‘town plan’ severely restricts new building in the municipal area.  This will make it very difficult to get planning permission in the future, unless to reform an existing property.

A rare 4-storey relic, considered one of the pearls of the inland property market, has recently come on the market at the very reasonable price of 1.5 million Euros

‘El Molino del Carmen’, located in the centre of Gaucín, was an operational Olive Oil Mill for more than 100 years until it ceased production in 1967.  At that time, it could no longer compete with the evolution of industrialised mills with more modern and efficient technology.  Sadly, over the years the property fell into ruin until, in the early 1980’s, it was purchased by an eccentric elderly English lady.  She was an artist with an eye for beauty who could see the potential of developing such an interesting building.  During the next two years, she set about converting the Olive Mill into an exquisite small hotel comprising five individual suites.  Her timing was impeccable, as foreigners were just starting to discover Gaucín – in fact, for many years El Molino provided the only accommodation for visitors to the village!

Fortunately, during the conversion to a hotel, many of El Molino’s historical features and equipment were kept intact and are of particular interest to visitors today.  These include the original olive press, with its huge grinding stones, the water pump and pressure gauge.  Originally the mill employed mules to provide its power, but after the civil war in 1939, the mill was upgraded to electricity and the mules were happy to retire to the fields!  The electrical motor powered a water driven pump creating pressure of up to 11,500 psi in order to press the locally harvested olives to produce oil.

One of original mill owner’s sons still lives in the village today, though his health is now failing.  Of course he has now been retired for many years, but worked for his father in El Molino for much of his life.  Indeed, several old men of the village, when they were young boys, would bring lunch of goat’s cheese & bread to their fathers working in the mill … washed down with a welcome cold beer!

Before the civil war, there was very little cash available in Gaucín, so it was quite common for the villagers to barter their home-grown produce, or their particular skills.  For instance, the local farmers would bring their olives to El Molino for crushing and in return would receive a small portion of the oil for their own use.  El Molino would then sell the remainder for cash to the large factories on the coast, from where it would be bottled and exported around the world.

In 2000 El Molino del Carmen was sold to its present owners, Darryl Laurin, a retired Canadian airline pilot and his Finnish wife, Marjukka.  They had arrived by motorbike in Marbella more than twenty years before, fell in love with Andalucia and decided to stay!!  During the years that followed, they would often drive up into the mountains to explore Andalucia’s famous ‘Pueblos Blancos’ on their beloved ‘Beemer’.  One day they came across Gaucín, tucked away in the Serranía de Ronda, and were immediately attracted by its stunning location, awe-inspiring views and laid-back atmosphere. So they embarked on a journey that introduced them to a totally different way of life.

They created six unique, individually decorated self-catering apartments with a total of ten bedrooms and nine bathrooms.  Of course, during the re-design, they took great care to retain the original character of El Molino, together with its historical machinery.  The largest of these apartments (135m2) is now the home of the current owner.

Most of the enchanting Moorish-style apartments have uninterrupted views down to the Mediterranean Sea, Gibraltar and the Rif mountains of North Africa.  The rooms are adorned with sculptures, Moroccan carpets, colourful textiles and have decoratively tiled kitchens.  El Molino is now a labyrinth to behold with its original arched doorways, patio garden, terraces bedecked with exotic potted plants, and a swimming pool that remains face-up to the sun year-round.

Over the years, the property has been featured in several UK magazines and travel journals, and the BBC used it as a location for a TV programme in the early 1990s.  In 2003, Canada's largest circulation newspaper "The Globe and Mail", carried a full-page feature; and it has also been the subject of many photographs and paintings over the years!  El Molino has been the frequent haunt of lawyers, businessmen and professional couples, many of whom have made return visits to meet old friends and like-minded souls in search of escape and relaxation.

The restrictive new planning laws have already begun to bite in this region, making it very difficult to get permission to build in the future.  Indeed, this is probably one of the few opportunities to acquire a large hotel-style building in the Gaucín area - making it potentially a very good investment.

As a business, it has an excellent rental history, and the flexibility of managing self-catering apartments makes it an ideal semi-retirement enterprise.  However, the property could quite easily be converted back into a Hotel, with a restaurant if desired.

Another advantage of Gaucín is that it is within easy reach of several airports:  Malaga (1½ hrs), Gibraltar (45 mins), Jerez (1½ hrs) and Seville (2½ hrs).  The beaches and world-famous golf courses of the Costa del Sol (including Valderrama – a ‘European Volvo Masters’ venue) are also only 30 mins drive away.  Within a few hours drive you can reach Cordoba, Granada, Sevilla, and Cadiz… the oldest city in Europe!

The property has recently been valued by a reputable Spanish bank at close to 1.8 million Euros, with a Spanish mortgage being available for upto 80% of value, subject to status. The owner is selling due to the sad loss of his wife last year and is selling below the bank value for a quick sale.  The price of 1.5 million Euros includes all furniture (except in the owner’s apartment). 

Interested parties should contact the owner direct via e-mail at info@molinodelcarmen.com  or visit www.gaucinhotel.com for further information