The time when Brigitte Bardot stayed at a Costa del Sol hotel with a donkey called Romeo

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TThe French actress, who died aged 91 at the weekend, was not the only famous film star who took a shine to the animals on the coast as Raquel Welch was also once photographed riding a donkey-taxi for tourists in Mijas

Paco Griñán

Malaga

Monday, 29 December 2025, 12:03

Fresh from her 1950s sex symbol debut in 'And God Created Woman', Brigitte Bardot once visited Malaga province, where she filmed one of her most memorable scenes. And it was during the filming she took a very unusual companion back to the hotel room where she was staying on the Costa del Sol: a donkey called Romeo.

It happened during the filming of 'Los Joyeros del Claro de Luna (The Night Heaven Fell) in El Chorro, a story of forbidden love with Stephen Boyd (the evil Messala in Ben-Hur). But behind the scenes, the actress’s infatuation was in fact with the gentle little donkey that stole a few scenes in the film, and for which she showed that fondness and defence of animals she would champion years later.

Her platonic love for the animal was made clear when she named him Romeo. And it seems that the affection only grew, because when they finished filming their scenes together, she bought the animal and took him to the legendary Montemar Hotel in La Carihuela, one of the founders of tourism in Torremolinos and on the Costa del Sol. This is how the film’s director - and at the time the actress’s partner - Roger Vadim, later recalled it: "As the hotel management wouldn't allow her to put it in the garage, she took it up to her room. One morning she sent for me. I found her in bed. The donkey was lying next to her, on top of the bedspread."

The French actress was not the only one who took a shine to donkeys on the Costa del Sol as Raquel Welch was also photographed in the streets of Mijas riding a donkey-taxis for tourists. The script for 'Guapa, Intrépida y Espía' (Beautiful, intrepid and a spy) made her a sort of 007 who stayed in a charming hotel-restaurant, the Mirlo-Blanco.

• Costa del Sol de Cine: discover its most emblematic locations

This is one of the 20 or so titles included in a 'Film Hotels' route, which is exclusively dedicated to Malaga province and which takes in 14 establishments made famous by their film roles. Visiting them allows you to relive Frank Sinatra himself in the bar that bears his name, Frankie's, in the Pez Espada Hotel, although they also lend themselves to spending a night (or more) in their star-studded rooms. Not to mention that reservations can no longer be made for four-legged Romeos.