Category: Costa del Sol

Costa del Sol: Sunny, Sandy Torremolinos

Elizabeth 0 Comment Costa del Sol, Spain , , ,
Torremolinos Costa del Sol

Torremolinos, on the Costa del Sol and a 20 minute car ride away from Malaga, is another great resort town. With the average high temperature ranging from high-50s to upper-80s, Torremolinos has a continual stream of visitors.

The combination of snow birds and short-term vacationers seemed to explain the interesting array of lodging options. I stayed at a resort that was a mixture of privately owned condos and hotel rooms. Two doors down from mine, a personalized welcome mat and wreath decorated someone’s vacation home. It was a very interwoven arrangement, as a maid service still made its way through the rooms needing turn over for a new guest. Additionally, the seasonal visitors would pack the hotel restaurant, while the owners cooked in their condos and dined out on their verandas.

Walking past the hotel-condo’s deserted pool, the back gate opened out onto the Costa de la Carihuela boardwalk. Running the length of the beach, the walkway is complete with restaurants, beach bars called chiringuitos, and excursion offices lining either side. The chiringuitos appeared to be spaced 50 yards apart, each with a different name, like Antonio y Ana and Jesus y Tere.

Torremolinos sand sculptures

The space just off the boardwalk, before arriving at the sea of beach chairs, was taken up by meticulously constructed sandcastles and sand sculptures. Every couple of feet was a new masterpiece, along with a bucket for donations.

Torremolinos sand sculptures

Torremolinos sand sculptures

Once the sun starts to set, vendors start laying out merchandise for sale along the walkway. Most of what I saw fell under the category of clothing and accessories. It kind of felt like the mall came to us. The vendors weren’t pestering passers by, just standing by in case something catches your eye. With the two way foot traffic, space on the boardwalk does become a little tight in places though.

Walking around the shops and along the beach, I noticed there were quite a few British themed restaurants and pubs. Torremolinos must be a popular vacation spot for Brits, as I ran into more Britons than Spaniards. I should have known that was the reason why all the English Breakfast tea was cleaned out before I even made it down to breakfast. One morning I was standing behind an older gentleman, waiting to get hot water for my tea, when he noticed I had a tea packet. After realizing it was just green tea, and not the coveted black tea, he chuckled and said he didn’t think Americans liked tea. Thankfully, this American is perfectly happy with green tea. 🙂

Costa del Sol: Malaga’s Palms and Picasso

Elizabeth 0 Comment Costa del Sol, Spain , , , , ,
Malaga

 

The Costa del Sol, the southern coast of Spain’s Malaga province, is made up of beach resort towns dotting the coastline, and bits of unspoiled natural beauty in between. In the U.S., the Costa del Sol would be comparable to the beach resorts of Florida.

Despite the endless miles of hi-rise condos along the beachfront, there are some truly unique sights in Malaga. A pretty pedestrian friendly city, I spent an afternoon walking around the marina area and nearby streets. Be sure to pack a hat, you’ll get a lot of sun walking around any of the towns of the Costa del Sol. There also seemed to be plenty of bike rental stations around this area, if you want a little more speed.

Running parallel to the marina area, the Paseo de Espana is a lush, green walk through palm trees and other tropical fauna. Though, admittedly, on a warm, sunny day, those palm trees feel as though they are spaced a few feet further apart than truly necessary. The blazing sun hits you for a few extended seconds in these spaces. As you near the traffic circle at Fuente de las Tres Gracias, turn right, and you will find a walkway that will take you down to the harbor. Be mindful of the bikes sharing the path with you. Not too far from me, a lady stepped backwards to get a better picture of the harbor, and backed right into an oncoming cyclist. They both went down, and undoubtedly got up with more bruises to their egos than their physical selves.

From the marina, if you cross back over to the Paseo de Espana and turn at the Museo de Malaga, you will come to a street that will lead you towards the Alcazaba and the Roman Amphitheater.

Alcazaba Malaga

Unearthed in 1951 during a construction project to establish a House of Culture, the Roman Amphitheater is believed to date back to the 1st Century. Around the 3rd century, the theater fell out of use. After that time, the theater’s stone and assorted materials were re-purposed for other buildings. Excavation and restoration works are still in progress, but visitors are allowed to wander through the terraces of the theater.

Roman Amphitheater Malaga
Backing up to the Amphitheater, you can see the Alcazaba on the hilltop. While they were built several centuries apart, the two structures appear easily and purposefully intertwined. The Alcazaba, a fortress and palace constructed in the 11th century, is said to be similar to the Alhambra. If you don’t have time to go to the Alhambra, the Alcazaba is a good substitute. Since I was already planning to visit the Alhambra, I skipped it. But if you are in Malaga and don’t plan to make a stop in Granada, Alcazaba is easy enough to get to!

Also within easy walking distance, the Picasso Museum is just a few turns away. Winding through the narrow streets, with a fair amount of foot traffic, I realized how very easily I could have missed the turn for the museum. I was too busy looking in shops and at the old city walls. But, a crowd of people standing in line in front of a building alerted me of my arrival. Situated in a lovely, stone building with central courtyard, the museum boasts over 200 pieces of Pablo Picasso’s work, created throughout his life. Arranged in time periods, the rooms trace the artist’s early beginnings, experimentations in color and perception, up to some of his final pieces. Only parts of the museum are air conditioned, so that may be useful to keep in mind if it is an especially warm day.

After the musuem, I strolled down Calle Marques de Larios, a nice place to take in the old European architecture and window-shop the boutique displays lining this pedestrian street. Even better with ice cream! Or stop by one of the bodegas and try a local vermouth on tap.

Malaga