El Moli
, Ctra Les Escaules s/n, Pont de Molins.
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Description
The Hotel-Restaurant at El Moli occupies a wonderful position on the bank of the river Muga, where the waters flowing down from the Pyrenees provide a verdant countryside blessed with typically warm Spanish weather. The ancient flourmill dating from the 17th century is an impressively large edifice, with thick stone walls and large vaulted ceilings. It fell into disuse in the 1960s and was brought back to life by Pere Lladó in the 1980s. Pere and his family dedicated four years to the careful restoration, transforming the mill into a warm and friendly restaurant and hotel where guests are made to feel truly welcome.
The terrace and gardens lead down to the river, with lots of space for reading, sunbathing, relaxing and fervently doing nothing. The infinity pool has its own poolside terrace creating quite separate zones for outdoor pleasure. Inside, the stone walls provide a rich, warm, natural ambience to the rooms, with antiques and paintings in abundance, but the atmosphere is always one of calm and comfort.
The guest rooms are contemporary in style; a clever blend of crisp lines and natural materials that both contrast with and complement their surroundings. All the rooms have windows looking out into the countryside, providing views of the river, mountains or olive groves.They have showers to refresh you, baths to luxuriate in, large beds with modern or antique bedheads, satellite TV, wi-fi, minibar, safe and combined air-conditioning and heating.
The location is ideal for those looking for a peaceful holiday, perhaps walking in the countryside, relaxing in the gardens, or visiting the nearby coast or mountains. The Costa Brava is only 18 km away, places like Rosas, Ampuriabrava and Llanca, and Figueres, home of the famous Dalì Museum, is on the figurative doorstep.
Meals
Restaurant El Molí contains a series of cosy dining rooms, decorated with furniture and artefacts from Catalan farmhouses. There is even a private dining room, Saló Torrent, for parties of up to 16 people.
Most dishes are based on a traditional cuisine, using vegetables from the hotel’s own garden, fish from the nearby Rosas Bay and locally-raised meat. Game and wild mushrooms are available in season.
In winter, one of the dining rooms has an open range where they cook steaks, chops and ribs before your very eyes. In summer, what could be better than having breakfast in the garden, with the river flowing by?
The restaurant and bar are closed on Tuesday evenings and Wednesdays. (In July and August, only Wednesday.)
Out and About
Beaches. The Costa Brava is just 12 miles away. Try Rosas, Llança or Ampuriabrava.
Walking. Fabulous walking country all around.
Mountain-biking. Marked routes start just 1 km from the hotel.
Water sports. Boadella Lake offers kayaks, water-skiing, wakeboards and bus-bob (whatever that is!)
Parachuting
Golf. The nearest golf courses are Perelada (5 km) and Torremirona (12 km).
Places to visit:
Quaint fishing ports, Cadaques, Port de la Selva, Colera, La Escala.
Mediaeval villages, such as Besalú or Perelada.
Perelada Festival of Music and Theatre.
Dali Museum in Figueres.
Toy Museum in Figueres.
San Ferran Castle. Considered the most entensive castle-fortress in Europe.
The Pyrenees.
France. Pop over the border, only 20 km away.
Rooms
The double rooms in the Masia (old house) have been newly renovated in 2017. They offer a modern design which still retains the personality of this historic mill. The rooms are large (about 32m2), comfortable and provide spectacular views of the river and the surrounding countryside.
Each room has a large double bed, bath, separate shower, safe, minibar, television with international channels, hair dryer and toiletries. Two of them are able to take extra beds to become triple or quadruple rooms.
There are four rooms looking out on the river, which have a romantic double bath with views to nature, and two of them also have a fireplace in the room. The other four rooms (which are designed to take one or two extra beds if required) have views to the olive groves or the mountains. All superior rooms are about 38 m2 in size (big!), have comfortable king-size beds, bath (some have a double bath!), a separate shower, hair dryer with diffuser, television with international channels, safe, minibar and a private terrace.
Reviews
Reviews from Little Hotels Travellers:
| We are just back from an excellent week at El Moli. What a gem. Fantastic setting, quite the best rooms we have stayed in, great restaurant (so good that we dined there on five evenings), but best of all the lovely staff who couldn't have been more helpful. And really good value! We shall challenge you to beat this one at some time in the future. |
| We were impressed with this pleasant, rural hotel on the banks of the River Muga. The older rooms in the mill itself (this used to be a wheat mill and the present owners bought it as a ruin) are with dark wood wardrobes and beds, all en suite. The newer, more expensive rooms are in a tasteful new block in the park, next to the swimming pool. These are larger, lighter and each has a small terrace. Breakfast is self-serve in this new block, with fresh orange juice and fine Iberian ham and cheese. Eva, daughter of the owning family, runs the hotel side with a team of young assistants, all of whom have decent English are are very helpful. The restaurant is well known in the area and is often used for weddings and family gatherings in the evenings. The food and ambiance is very good and fair value for money. |
| We had a wonderful stay at El Moli, despite being the only visitors staying that night. We would have loved to have sampled an evening meal but we were told in advance that the restaurant wasn't open when we stayed. The whole atmosphere of the hotel was extremely restful and the staff so helpful. Beautiful room - have told many people about how lovely it was and the terrace was the icing on the cake. Enquired whether we could return later that week to stay again on our way back from the Pyrenees but sadly the hotel was fully booked on that Friday night. Would love to think we would stay there again one day. |
| El Moli was a lovely hotel and all the family and staff who run it were delightful and very friendly. superb service & lovely food. We'd definitely go back, or select another hotel in the Little Hotels range. |
| We stayed at the Hotel El Moli between the 3rd and 8th July 2008. We had a really nice time at this lovely little hotel. While only 2 Km from the N11 is it located in the peaceful Catalan countryside with the river Muga running directly through its gardens. The food at the Moli was excellent as was the cleanliness of the (somewhat dark) rooms. What was truly outstanding about this hotel was the staff and the service they provided. I have never stayed in a hotel where the staff were so pleasant and actually seemed to enjoy making residents enjoy their stay. They simply could not do enough for us. I would be grateful if you could pass on our personal thanks to all the staff at El Moli. Highly Recommended. |
| We stayed at the El Moli at Pont de Molins near Girona. What a lovely place but finding it was not so easy from the instructions given. The junction 3 off the A7 is only available to southbound traffic so having ignored the exit at junction 4 (as instructed by my TomTom) we had to go all the way up to junction 2 near the French border. As it happened there was only one other couple staying there on the night my wife and I stayed. I can only think that others do not know what they are missing. The building is fascinating and the restaurant areas so very attractive including the outside area. Unfortunately the restaurant was closed the night of our stay so we had to drive a couple of kms to another recommended by our hotel owner. This was good but angled more at French cuisine instead of the Spanish we had hoped for, but we will certainly use the hotel restaurant next time after checking and avoiding the night they are closed. The whole building glares of tasteful history. The bedrooms are far from modern yet have all the requirements of today's accommodation including TV and telephone. The hotel is alone in the countryside with only the flow of the nearby river to break the silence. Although very quiet during our visit, the number that the car park and the restaurants will hold indicates that it can be a very busy place. t would be good to check that there are no weddings or fiestas on if your preference is to be peaceful. Breakfast was served rather than self service, but there seems to be no limit to what you can request. On a value for money basis, I would give El Moli 5 stars. On a comparison with other hotels generally I suppose 3 stars would be appropriate. |
| Hotel El Moli was ideal for our needs. Rooms and management were great! |
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Double rooms from €132
Guest rating 9.5
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We Say
Pere and his family have created an atmosphere where you can truly relax and simply enjoy your surroundings.
A Word from the Owner
"We created El Moli as a place where our guests will feel totally at home. Welcome."
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Bar
Restaurant
Lounges
Terrace
Gardens
Swimming pool (seasonal)
River
Petanque court
Car park and garage
Telephone
Satellite television
Wifi internet
Private terrace
Safe (Superior only)
Minibar
En‑suite bathroom
Hairdryer
Air conditioning