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Welcome to Castillo de Conesa - The
Castle of San Miguel de Salinas
&
Restaurante Meson del Lago - Reservas |
Reservations - tel: 619 425 797
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article by David Hardy
photos - Louise Clarke RTN |
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I have waited more than five years to
write this article and many people have waited as long
to find out about an intriguing building that has always been
loosely referred to as 'The Castle'. In the absence of
the truth rumours have abounded - The 19th hole of an
alleged new golf course was always a favourite of those
who play the game. In fact it is an old Yeso or plaster
factory and warehouse and during those years of
wondering
a constant workforce has transformed it into the fascinating and unique attraction
that all will now flock to. I met the owner, Don
Antonio Conesa, a couple of years back at The Town Hall
and saw his rough plans, but they meant little to me,
although he explained that he was building the Alhambra
of San Miguel.
The story about the Castillo de Conesa is as much about
The Man as it is about his Castle.
The Classic Car Owners Club of Torrevieja meet monthly at Castillo de Conesa |
Announcement
A GRAND CHARITY BALL ANNOUNCED IN AID OF THE HELP ASSOCIATION OF VEGA BAJA
On Saturday 25 October 2008
Set in the beautifully refurbished banqueting hall at the Castillo de Conesa this is set to be a glittering affair with the proceeds going to this very worth charity...
more
This has to be the finest setting in San Miguel de Salinas for such an event... please consider it for weddings and other grand events. |
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I met again with
Don Antonio Conesa on Saturday 7th July
in the hope of discovering more, following the sudden opening of a restaurant in the grounds -
Mesón del Lago. I was treated by
Don Antonio to a guided tour inside
his Castillo de Conesa. What I saw was quite
unexpected, because it contained his life long collection of antiquities, art
and treasures - it was breathtaking.
Joining me for this magical mystery tour was Louise Clarke of Round Town News and she, too, has reported on her visit
through younger eyes
- The Jewel in San Miguel de Salinas
For those
who have not visited the The Alhambra it is the
hilltop palace and fortress complex of the Moorish
monarchs of Granada in southern Spain, and was known
as Al-Andalus. It is listed as a World Heritage Site
and is renowned for its exquisite and esoteric Islamic
architecture of the Nazari dynasty. Whatever one's
appreciation of architecture is one can only be inspired
by the intricacies, detail and imagination of this
style.
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| A true lover of this
style and with an understanding of its historical importance in Spanish culture
is 'The Man', an enigmatic, if not slightly eccentric, Torreviejense Gentleman called Don Antonio Conesa
who bought the old Yesa factory about 15 years ago and
had an ambitious vision of creating 'The Alhambra of San Miguel'.
Don Antonio is certainly a man of wealth because no expense has been spared to fulfil his dream of providing a very special place to visit. This is no replica
because every timber, portico and adornment has been carefully re-claimed from old houses from around the region. |
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On our special tour around his castle
we entered through massive wooden doors into a 'sea of
calm'. We passed an armoured figure and a broad
stone staircase to the grand baronial hall. The walls
are lined with Don Antonio’s great collection of old
masters, portraits from many centuries, and with its
artisan antique furniture a setting of pure tranquillity
is created, lit only through the small classic Moorish
arched windows from an inner courtyard with its
traditional water fountains – signs of great wealth in
ancient times. |
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Massive cellars hide other secrets and the grand
stone stairway rises to the upper floors –
then there is the Arabic tearoom with its pillars and
more hand painted - hand beaten metal - Moroccan tables
and seating. He was proud of his achievement, and
rightly so – finer works of art than Murcia or Alicante
he told us. I compliment Don Antonio Conesa who gives me the
impression of being a simple man, not given to airs of
grandeur and one of
unquestionable culture and vision.
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The interior of the
Castillo de Conesa is due to be opened as a museum early
in 2008. Don Antonio told us that there are many
projects in progress and much to finish. On the various upper floors there are further
romantic salons and stylish balconies, faithfully
modelled on the Islamic architecture to give it the true feeling of a Moorish Palace. He wants it to
be an experience that will appeal to everyone and everywhere we looked there were vistas and features to take your eye.
There is also a large adjoining purpose-built function
room, under construction, designed for weddings and
parties that will easily accommodate several hundred
guests. An Astro turfed
children's play area, of bowling green proportions, is also nearing completion and we
were promised all sorts of farmyard animals in the future.
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As this San Miguel de Salinas attraction opens for the first time the comfortable
Restaurante Mesón del Lago welcomes its first customers. Don Antonio wants it to cater for all tastes at a reasonable cost, rather than going for 'haute cuisine' - a wise decision, but then he is very thoughtful about what his clients will require.
We sat on the terrace of Mesón del Lago overlooking the three lakes; we'd call them duck ponds and they are teeming with wildfowl. It was a very restful spot and at certain times spectacular waterfalls drop from the escarpment of the quarry into the lakes
- apparently there are many caves and rediscovered underground
passageways tunnelled into the cliff. Of course at night the place is subtly illuminated
and there are many areas for ‘al fresco’ dining amongst the many antiquities that decorate the grounds.
Reservas | Reservations - tel: 619 425 797 |
The kitchen is open to view - "We have nothing to hide", they said and we found all the members of staff, from the manager to
the scullery maid (well every castle has one of those!) were happy, smiling and eager to make a good impression
- now that's going to make customers come back for more.
This is a jewel in the crown of San Miguel de Salinas and the first major attraction to put us on the map as a tourist destination thanks to the vision of
Don Antonio Conesa.
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Louise Clarke of The Round Town News wrote
for the 13th July 2007 edition:
The Jewel in San Miguel de Salinas |
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When I was a little girl
my Mum used to take us around National Trust halls and
houses and “ooh” and “ahh” at all the lovely old
furniture and antiques. She told my sister and I that we
must take it all in because we were looking at pieces of
history and we should embrace it all because we would
never again see such beautifully made antiques in our
own home. We would just go along with her “oohing” and
just wait for the inevitable moment when it would all be
over and we could get an ice cream. I never thought for
one minute that 20 or so years later I would be “oohing”
at a piece of furniture or a 16th century painting on
the wall, but that is exactly what happened when I had
the opportunity to visit the Castillo de Conesa in San
Miguel de Salinas last weekend. |
| The castle on the outskirts of the pueblo is on the Rebate road and was once a Yeso factory. Fifteen years ago Don Antonio Conesa bought the building and surrounding land which includes 300 metres of caves and underground tunnels. He had a vision to make his new purchase the Alhambra of the area. I went along for an exclusive visit with David and Celia Hardy. David is the author of the very popular San Miguel de Salinas website and he also broadcasts various programmes on the town’s municipal Radio San Miguel on 107.4fm.
The castle itself is still being renovated as a museum and
will be open to the public next year, but Don Antonio
has just opened a restaurant in the grounds of the
castle and was happy to give us a sneak preview of the
downstairs of the castle. The minute that I walked
through the door I was taken aback by the attention to
detail that this quiet Spanish man has given his
building. He has transformed this old mill over the last
six years and I spent the rest of the tour with my mouth
open in admiration for what is ultimately the most
stunning interior I have ever seen. |
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In the grand baronial
hallway, a suit of armour stands to the right and the
dressed stone floors and stairs lead up to a room with
an original handmade Moorish sideboard painstakingly
restored to its former glory. Once through this room,
you enter a sumptuous ball room that has the owner’s
collection of original fine oil paintings adorning its
walls, one of which dates back to 1620. The room is lit
by natural light that comes through the exquisitely
classic Moorish arched doorways. Two doors lead to the
inner courtyard that has statues, water features and
other fine garden ornaments all again in typically
Spanish Moors style. At the end of the ballroom there is
a massive dining table that would easily seat 50 people.
By this point I was “oohing and “ahhing” and I suddenly realised that somehow I had turned into my mother. We then entered the Arabic styled, pillared tea room that is full of original hand beaten copper tables and decadent seating and I honestly started to feel emotional about the whole place. I have never felt more privileged than at that moment when this very unassuming man gave me, a lowly local reporter, first hand access to his lifelong collections. Don Antonio clearly has a great deal of wealth not only in the fiscal sense but of knowledge and history. He has made this vision a reality and I for one will be taking my mum to the castle when it opens next year so that we can “ooh” and “ahh” together at this amazingly spectacular building and its treasures within. |
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