Prime Minister of Denmark holidays in southern Spain’s Axarquía

Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, has just spent a week’s holiday in a hotel situated between the village of Canillas de Albaida and town of Cómpeta in the Axarquía area of Malaga province.

The PM’s holiday was only revealed at the end of her stay on Friday 16 February when the two villages posted the news on social media. Frederiksen and her husband, Danish filmmaker Bo Tengberg, spent a week at the Málaga Hills Boutique & Wellness B&B hotel, which has been run by a Dutch couple for two years.

"She chose us for the landscape, the hiking trails and the tranquillity, she loved the gastronomy, the Mediterranean diet, and the people, who she told us are very hospitable," the mayor of Canillas de Albaida, Encarnación Pareja, told SUR. Pareja and the mayor of Cómpeta, Rosa Luz Fernández, had a brief meeting with the Danish leader and her husband last Thursday.

“The owners of the hotel told her that we are both women in charge of the town halls and she agreed to meet with us, she was very friendly and approachable," said Fernández, who explained that the couple ate in local restaurants and went walking in the Sierras Tejeda, Almijara and Alhama mountains and visited other villages including Acebuchal near Frigiliana.

The mayor of Cómpeta presented Frederiksen with the ‘Cómpeta Medal of Honour’, as well as typical local products, including wine from the two local wineries, Jarel and Luis Picante, olive oil from La Recíproca olive oil cooperative, avocados, and cakes from La Cordobilla bakery. "She was delighted," said Fernández. "Undoubtedly we are an enviable tourist destination," the two mayors added.

During the meeting, the mayor of Cómpeta told the Danish PM that there are 185 Danes registered in the town, and that one of the first foreigners to settle in the town in 1967 was Vagn J. Brondegaard, a renowned Danish biologist who studied the flora of the area in depth. "We became known as Little Denmark, because some Danes set up a real estate agency and many people bought houses," he said. Among the illustrious Danes who have chosen this area is the musician Thomas Helmig, who owns a house in the town.

The owners of the hotel, Rudolf and Vréneli Stadelmaier, said they were “proud” of having hosted the prime minister. "It was a private visit, just like many of our other clients who choose us for the tranquillity, the landscapes and the gastronomy", said Rudolf. Other notable guests have included executives from companies including Rolls-Royce.

The adult-only boutique hotel has just half a dozen rooms with spectacular views of the Sierra Tejeda-Almijara mountains and the sea. It claims to be 100 per cent organic and sustainable, with photovoltaic panels and rainwater collecting systems. Vréneli, who is a feminist writer, has named each room after a historical female personality, such as Frida Kahlo or Rosa Parks, among others. There is also a large library available to guests with an extensive collection of books by female writers.