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.
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.
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. 🙂