A sunny retreat near Malaga, Spain

Chris Potter
On the Go

POOL VIEW: Two of El Molino’s three buildings from the pool. Photo by C.F.B. Potter.

There’s a place in the sun, El Molino Viejo — a beautifully restored, centuries-old mill — nestled among olive groves about an hour’s drive north of Malaga in Spain’s Andalucia region. It’s the site chosen by BC-based gourmet duo Mike and Hilary Powell, who take over the eight-bedroom, six bathroom complex several times a year to host special-interest groups.

I was there last October, as part of a watercolour study group. (I don’t paint, but do enjoy good wine, good food, warm sun, and convivial company, all supplied in abundance.)

What an excellent place for a company retreat, I thought, particularly for a group wanting something off the beaten path, a change from the standard posh hotel break. I wasn’t first with the idea. It has been done here successfully.

“We do cater to corporate getaways when members are willing to share twin bedrooms and bathrooms,” Hilary told me. “There are six areas for break-outs, a computer, projector, and printer (but for Internet you have to go to the nearby town of Tapia), and we arrange an available bus to take participants sightseeing, shopping, or wherever they want to go.” Airport pick-up and drop-off (at Malaga), is included in the cost, and Hilary can arrange local car hire if required. Sightseeing can be tailored to each group, using the prearranged bus, to such places as Granada (an hour distant) to see the Moorish palace of the Alhambra; the ancient Roman town of Cordoba with its impressive architectural reminders of its illustrious past as the 10th-century’s largest city in Western Europe; local “white villages” cascading from hill tops; and nearby towns.

Local activities include golf, horseback riding, hiking, and mountain biking over the gentle hills. Mike (a member of the Slow Food movement) enjoys hosting cooking classes for any group interested, and devotes one of the tours each year to cuisine. He and Hilary once owned a restaurant in Malaga, and Mike knows the local suppliers and produce well.

“This area is one of Europe’s kitchen gardens,” Hilary explains. “The produce is excellent.” Our lunches and dinners were superb (we picked ripe figs straight from the tree for one dessert), and always accompanied by copious amounts of Spanish wine (fewer sulphates than the varieties shipped to North America), included in the cost.

Breakfast was a do-it-ourselves affair with fresh eggs, bread baked fresh that morning, local preserves and honey, and oranges from neighbouring orchards all provided by our hosts.

The mill’s three-acre, three-building estate is best pondered from a hammock strategically hung by the trout stream beside a pomegranate tree (bursting ripe

when I visited). A boules court is the site of fun tournaments, and the swimming pool is a refreshing blessing in the heat of the afternoon.

For more information about the location,

food, and workshops, visit www.aflavour ofspain.ca. For booking information (late June to early September is not recommended, because of the heat), call Travel Concepts at 1-888-986-2262. CP