Investors plan to convert former Costa del Sol convent into hotel and restaurant

A group of investors is looking to develope a hospitality project in the former sixteenth-century Las Claras convent in Vélez-Málaga on the eastern Costa del Sol. The new owners of the convent recently purchased the building from Unicaja bank and have held a meeting with the mayor, Jesus Lupiáñez, this week, in order to move forward with the permits for the renovation work.

The former Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de Gracia in Vélez-Málaga, better known as “Las Claras”, is one of the most valuable historical buildings in the town centre. The building dates back to 1555 and has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest (BIC). After the nuns left the building in 2009 to move to a newly-built convent on Calle Arenas, the old convent passed into the hands of Unicaja in 2017. Between 2022 and 2023, the financial institution invested 550,000 euros in renovation work to prevent further deterioration.

For Lupiáñez the former convent is “a place full of history and memories that will soon come back to life”. He went on to say, “This project will not only restore an iconic building, but also revitalise our historic centre, attracting visitors, creating jobs and restoring the splendour that this heritage gem deserves.”

The building is divided into two areas: the church and the convent, the latter consisting of the cloister, the garden and the courtyard. The church was renovated in the eighteenth century to repair the damage caused by the Alhama earthquake of 1884, giving it its current Baroque appearance.

Lupiáñez said that the convent is “part of the soul of Vélez-Málaga” and that “seeing how it will reopen its doors with a new impetus fills me with great excitement”. He concluded, “I am convinced that this project will undoubtedly mark a turning point in our town.”