Category: Things to do

When an award-winning Las Vegas chef and his Dutch wife stumbled upon a forgotten Andalusian village, they didn’t just find a home — they built a dream. Elysium in Melegis is where passion, precision, and paradise meet. Now they are aiming for Michelin star(s).

Granada is surprisingly underrepresented in the famous Michelin Guide. Apart from Restaurante La Finca in Loja, located between Málaga and Granada, there are currently no Michelin-starred restaurants in the province. But that might soon change. In the tiny mountain village of Melegis, about 50 kilometers north of Almuñécar, an award-winning American chef has appeared—armed with ambition, vision, and a clear goal: a Michelin star.

His new venture, Elysium Restaurant & Boutique Hotel, which opened in April 2025, is setting an exciting new benchmark for food and wine travelers exploring Andalucía.

A Serendipitous Discovery

This is a story about the joy of stumbling upon something extraordinary—far off the beaten path. Sometimes, while wandering without great expectations, you discover something so special you simply have to share it. That’s exactly what happened when we found Elysium in the quiet Andalusian village of Melegis.

I first saw the name Elysium mentioned in the free local paper, The Gazette. So one day, while driving toward the mountains to see the almond trees in bloom, we decided to make a small detour and see what this new place was all about.

Getting there wasn’t straightforward. We turned off the A-44 motorway linking the coastal town of Motril with Granada, and wound our way down through the lush Lecrín Valley. The road, GR-3204, passes through small whitewashed villages—Mondújar, Talará, Murchas, and Chite—whose names even many locals had barely heard of.

The scenery was breathtaking: almond, olive, fig, avocado, lemon, and orange trees in full bloom. Snow-capped Sierra Nevada peaks towered in the distance—among them Mulhacén (3,479 m), Spain’s highest mountain on the mainland, named after Sultan Muley Abul Hassan, said to be buried there.

A Village of 300 Souls

Melegis is home to barely 300 residents—a sleepy yet charming village with a pizza takeaway, a few bars, two bakeries, the local Restaurante Los Naranjos… and now, Elysium.

The houses along the narrow road are large and well-kept, hinting at generations of agricultural prosperity. Fruit and almond farming have clearly been good business here.

On the right, we spot the house we’re looking for—formerly owned by a successful tobacco trader who once wanted to outshine his brother, a fruit farmer, by building a grander home. New owners have meticulously restored the property.

As we step out to take a closer look, three men nearby stop their conversation to watch us—typical in a quiet Andalusian village when strangers appear. One of them walks over, smiles, and says, “Hola, I’m Michael. May I help you?”

From Las Vegas to Melegis

Michael Sandoval (37) is an American with Mexican immigrant parents. He grew up in Las Vegas, where his father ran a jewelry business. His culinary career began at Bouchon, the acclaimed French bistro in Las Vegas, before moving to Napa Valley to work for Thomas Keller—America’s most famous
chef and restaurateur, often called the U.S. answer to Gordon Ramsay. Keller’s legendary French Laundry has held three Michelin stars since 2005.

Sandoval tells me he has been working on the Elysium project for almost three years, and although it’s nearing completion, he politely declines to let us inside before it’s finished. We agree that I’ll return when the doors officially open.

Elysium Opens

Fast-forward to the summer of 2025. Elysium is open, and we’ve booked both a room and a table for dinner.

The restored mansion now has a new façade, fresh paving, and two wings. One houses Michael and his Dutch-born wife, Jasmijn Saft, who brings an impressive international background in hospitality, including management roles with the Thomas Keller Group and a stint as restaurant manager for Norway’s Hurtigruten cruise line during the COVID years.

The second wing is the boutique hotel itself, featuring a cozy reception, a cellar restaurant with adjoining kitchen and wine cave, a serene courtyard with a small pool, and five suites of about 60 square meters each. Every detail has been thoughtfully restored, with recycled materials, soft earthy tones, and a calm, timeless atmosphere.

We’re greeted warmly by Jasmijn, and moments later, Michael appears with two glasses of chilled cava. It’s a simple but perfect welcome. Our suite feels bright and spacious—with a small living area, a kitchenette, a large bathroom, and an airy bedroom with a king-size bed. We immediately feel at home.

A light afternoon snack soon follows: six small dishes—sardines in oil prepared by a former nun next door, local figs and avocados, olives, nuts, and garlic-toasted bread—accompanied by two glasses of crisp white wine. Delicious!

The Road to Elysium

Later, I sit down with Michael for a long conversation. At a round table in the restaurant cellar, Michael tells his story.

The youngest of four children, he grew up in a family that valued hard work and togetherness. “I didn’t realize back then that food would become the center of my life,” he says. “My mom was a magician in the kitchen. Nothing went to waste. Yesterday’s leftovers became today’s feast.”

At 17, Michael began studying hotel management at the University of Las Vegas, focusing on culinary arts. He started at Bouchon chopping vegetables, but quickly rose through the ranks—becoming sous-chef at 21, and by 24, head chef of Keller’s original Bouchon in Napa Valley. Under his leadership, the restaurant’s annual turnover grew from $9 to $12.5 million.

Four years later, he became Director of Casual Dining for the Thomas Keller Group, overseeing restaurants and bakeries across Los Angeles, Napa Valley, New York, and Las Vegas—and even international partnerships in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

In 2016, he met Jasmijn Saft. They each had demanding careers, but eventually decided to pursue a shared dream—to create something of their own.

Finding Their Place

“We realized Spain was the place,” Michael recalls. “We both spoke the language, and Jasmijn’s sister lived here. It just felt right.”

Their search began in Costa Brava, then continued down the entire eastern and southern coast—Denia, Alicante, Almuñécar—without finding the perfect spot. Eventually, they decided to pause. While Michael was working in South Africa, Jasmijn visited her sister in Granada. During a hiking trip through the Lecrín Valley, she spotted an old mansion for sale in Melegis.

“When I came to see it, I was sold immediately,” Michael says. “The lush vegetation, the fruit orchards, the mountain views—it just felt meant to be.”

They bought the property in 2021 and began a full restoration. “People told me I was crazy,” he laughs. “But if you get the chance to go all-in on your dream, you take it.”

Local historians later told him that his surname Sandoval might actually have roots in the region—possibly linked to Beatrice de Sandoval, who lived near the 15th-century fortress Castillo de Zoraya.

“Maybe it was destiny,” Michael smiles. “Who knows? I ended up here by chance—but perhaps not entirely by accident.”

A House Reborn

The mansion dates back to the late 19th century. Over time, it was expanded and served as a family home—with stables in the basement and, according to local lore, the village’s first telephone and TV. In modern times, a hotelier from nearby Lanjarón (famous for its mineral water) planned to convert it into a small hotel, but the 2008 financial crisis, and later the pandemic, halted the project.

Michael and Jasmijn picked up where he left off.

“The real investment wasn’t buying the property,” Michael explains. “It was rebuilding it. What we did here would have cost five million dollars in California. Here, we could do it more reasonably—without compromising quality. My mentor Thomas Keller always said: Don’t sell yourself short.”

Aiming for Excellence

“What do you want to achieve with the restaurant?” I ask.

“Our goal is to deliver extraordinary culinary experiences and impeccable service,” he says. “To create moments guests will never forget. If we do that, we’ve succeeded.”

“And the Michelin dream?”

He smiles. “I’d be lying if I said we’re not aiming for a star. That’s the world we come from. If we do things right, it will come naturally.”

Elysium now employs six staff—four Spanish and two Dutch—many with experience from Michelin-starred restaurants. “It wasn’t easy to find the right people, but we’re a family now,” Michael says.

The Tasting Experience

That evening, we sit at the chef’s table, overlooking the kitchen where Michael and his assistant Ole prepare the dishes. A knowledgeable sommelier presents a carefully curated wine pairing, featuring Spanish labels from both classic and lesser-known regions.

The amuse-bouches set the tone: beef tartare cornet with miso crème fraîche; roasted seaweed cream with marinated algae and matcha essence; and foie gras with sour cherry glaze.

The level is outstanding—and consistent throughout the 12-course tasting menu. We savor razor clams, an inventive tomato dish, rainbow trout, langoustine, sea bass, lamb, and Galician beef tenderloin, followed by cava mousse with pickled blackcurrants and mascarpone-basil ice cream, and a finale of Frangipane tart with blackberries, red grape sauce, and a playful nod to French toast.

Michelin inspectors, take note: the road to Melegis is worth the journey.

More day trips & short breaks from Costa Tropical

Read our complete guide to Day Trips from Costa Tropical – Almuñécar & La Herradura.  If you are looking for a weekend getaway, we also have several detailed options for short breaks from Almuñécar & La Herradura.