Los Monteros Opens but is it safe?

I called by La Cabane beach club at the Los Monteros hotel in Marbella two weeks ago after hearing the good news that they have re-opened after a long battle and strike which saw the workers without pay for 19 months.

Last year I was responsible for planning the very last wedding there on May 29th. As a wedding planner I like to be organised and check all details as many times as possible to make sure nothing has been overlooked. When things go wrong, we are usually equipped with a plan B and nothing really impacts on the couples day.

The week in the lead up to the wedding in Los Monteros which was due to take place on Friday May 29th was probably the most horrific of my life and I hope that I never have to experience anything like it again. I was made aware a whole month beforehand that the hotel had been sold to a new Russian owner and that although the staff had been striking due to non payment of wages that everything was now sorted out and a meeting with their new food and beverage manager set my mind at ease.

On Monday the 25th, I called to the hotel to drop off a cheque of €11000 in full and final payment for the wedding. I received a call the following day to say that I should take the cheque back as there might not be a wedding. I jumped in the car and with the foot to the floor drove like a maniac to the hotel.I couldnt find the manager but his assistant explained that the Russian owner`, who felt like he was being held to ransom due to local employment law which was preventing him from sacking long term staff who he considered "lazy and slow", had simply decided to close the hotel and this would happen within the next few days.

I went back to my office to absorb the enormity of the situation when I got a call from the manager to say that he would personally ensure that the wedding would go ahead on Friday, but that I needed to bring the cheque back which I did on Wednesday morning. At this stage I had not said anything to the bride and her preparations were in full swing. On arrival to the hotel that Wednesday I met with the manager and his assistant who were by now ashen faced. They told be that the Russian owner had refused the cheque and that we were to pay €11,000 in cash or there would be no wedding.

At this point I had to go to the brides parents who had been quite involved in the planning process. They were of course shocked, then very angry. I arranged a meeting in the hotel the following morning. Our dilemma was simple, if we paid over €11,000 in cash how could we believe that they would not shut the hotel anyway. We offered to pay by credit card but the owner refused. On the Thursday night we continued with our plans and proceeded with a rehearsal in the church. The tension was incredible but only shared with the brides parents and I. At this point the poor father of the bride shouted at me saying that I should pay the money as it was probably all my fault anyway. I knew he was only venting his anger and asked that he stay calm so that we could all work through the situation together.

I got a call late that night to say that we were allowed to pay by credit card after all and with a personal guarantee from the manager that the wedding would go ahead we got up on the Friday morning and it was all systems go.

That sounds like the end of the story, but it got worse. The staff who had been striking at regular intervals over the past few weeks, went out in force blocking the entrance to the receptin area banging drums and blowing whistles. I then got a call from my chocolate fountain lady to say that the police had now shown up and were checking peoples work permits, and if my suppliers didnt have the right papers on them they wouldn´t let them in. I was at the church at this point so I sent my brave girl Lizzy down to keep an eye on things. The church all went fine and we had a champagne reception at the church. I was in attendance smiling at everyone while I received regular updates from the hotel. When I got there, the drumers and the police had left, but everyone was frantic trying to make up for lost time. I phoned the photographer to delay the bride on the beach and we made it with minutes to spare.

The night went off brilliantly and the bride and groom were only told the day after of all that had gone on, they were suitably shocked!The Russian turned up when the party was in full swing approached me to shake his hand as he had a tv crew there for some reason and was happy that such a fabulous party was underway so he could show off. I maintained a dignified silence but there was definitely no hand shaking.

I have huge admiration for the hotel manager Salvador, and all of the staff of Los Monteros who never gave up. WHen we visited two weeks ago, they were all there with their shirts off, mopping and cleaning to restore the hotel to it´s former glory. Salvador has worked there for thirty five years and I hope he never has to go through anything like that again. I think that if I ever had to go through that again I might just hang up my wedding planner shoes. I hope to bring them some more weddings and help to restore faith in the hotel, but I think that I may just wait a while.