As the town situated nearest to Malaga Airport, Torremolinos became one of the first areas on the Costa del Sol to be developed as a tourist area. Since it’s first heyday in the 1960s, when everything was crammed into the area of the town centre, the town has now developed as a prime destination for holiday makers from all over Europe.
Torremolinos has two excellent beach areas either side of the town centre. One of these, La
Carihuela has developed from a small fishing village and still retains much of the character that it had in it’s early days. It is full of narrow streets with plenty of small bars, restaurants and shops. Here there is no road running along the beach, just the pedestrian promenade. On the other side of “ La Roque”, a rocky promontory, lies Bajondillo, a more modern beach area with it’s wide streets and modern hotels and apartment blocks.
Joining the two beach areas is the promenade which is some 7 kilometres in length and extends as far as Benalmadena. At any time of the year this is a busy thoroughfare and it makes a wonderful walk for anyone. Lining the promenade, on the beach side are the chiringuitos or beach bars. In the main they serve excellent fish dishes and, one of the delights of walking along the promenade is the smell of cooking and, in particular, of the sardines being barbecued over open olive wood fires.
Torremolinos centre itself offers shops selling everything imaginable with The most famous street being Calle San Miguel. This runs from the main street down the hill towards the sea. It is lined with shops and bars and, at the lower end becomes a narrow walkway with hundreds of steps to take you down the steep hillside to the beach at the bottom. You do need to be fairly fit to walk up this street and most people walk down and find an alternative way up. In the centre of Torremolinos are the many late night bars and large discos which are extremely lively until the early hours of the morning particularly in the Summer and at weekends during the Winter.
Generally speaking Torremolinos is young and lively during the Summer months and fairly peaceful and relaxing during the rest of the year. The beaches are excellent and it enjoys an enviable climate. It is extremely cosmopolitan with holidaymakers from every nationality. This is also reflected in the mix of bars and restaurants available in the area. Probably more than anywhere else on the Costa del Sol it is possible to find a bar or restaurant from almost every country in Europe many of them serving traditional food from their home country.
To sum Torremolinos up, it is an ideal holiday resort which can be lively for those who want that or peaceful and relaxing. It has everything from superb beaches to great bars and entertainment. It is very definitely Spanish but also extremely cosmopolitan. An ideal holiday resort.
