LA CARIHUELA
by LoriPori
This was originally an old fishing village and although it has developed into a very popular tourist resort area, LA CARIHUELA has retained much of it's original charm with typical white houses overlooking the sea.
The area stretches from "the rock" at Torremolinos through to the port of Benalmadena although that end is usually referred to as Montemar.
Parasailing and Windsurfing
by keeweechic
Torremolinos and in deed the whole of the Costa del Sol lends itself to watersports including Windsurfing and Parasailing. While the winds off the beach are not as strong as closer to Gibraltar, there is still a lot of enjoyment to b e had certainly for beginners.
http://www.kitesurfing-skateboarding.com/
http://secret-spot.es/eng/about_secret_spot_kitesurf_surf_shop.html
A great place for tapas and local colour
by toonsarah about Vinoteca Elephante
Gillian (Gillybob) had tracked down this authentic tapas and wine bar and proposed it as a good place for our Saturday lunch after our walk along the Paseo Marítimo, which indeed it proved to be. Located a couple of blocks from the sea in a more residential part of the town, it had a genuine local feel and a good selection of tapas. Our drinks (the house white wine for me, San Miguel for Chris) were accompanied by two little treats – a small bite of tortilla and a spoon of a delicious risotto-like rice dish. We supplemented these with a selection of four tapas chosen from the display at the counter, including another tasty tortilla with chunks of herby potato, a spatchcock quail, and a slice of typical Basque black pudding topped with a fried quails egg (the tapas here are apparently Basque style rather than the local Andalucian, although to my uninitiated taste-buds the difference was not obvious, and should therefore more properly be called pinxo). Although only a light meal it was enough for us, and we paid a very reasonable 11€ (with my generous glass of wine being just 2€) – very good value indeed. I wish now we had sampled more dishes – especially as it would turn out that we would have no dinner that evening, as we got swept up in the excitement of the Barney Awards ceremony!
Take a walk along the beach
by JoelWillTravel
Torremolinos has a great promenade that stretches for what seemed like miles. Take a big bottle of water, some sun cream and your shades, and head off. There are so many bars and restaurants on the beachfront if you want to stop off for a cool drink, some ice cream, or just to people watch.
The impressive Sierra Nevadas
by Bwana_Brown
From Wikipedia: "The Sierra Nevada, meaning 'snowy range' in Spanish, is a mountain range in the region of Andalusia. It contains the highest point of continental Spain, Mulhacén at 3,479 metres (11,414 ft). It is a popular tourist destination, as its high peaks make skiing possible in Europe's most southern ski resort, in an area along the Mediterranean Sea predominantly known for its warm temperatures and abundant sunshine. At its foothills is found the city of Granada and, a little farther, Málaga and Almería." As for me, I was amazed that the mountains in Spain were as high and higher than those in Montana's Glacier National Park - which was quite a spectacular spot itself!
Although we had already enjoyed distant views of the majesty of the Sierra Nevada range while staying in Granada almost two weeks earlier, we could not help but take a closer sideway glance now and then as we barrelled down the A-44 superhighway - trying to keep up with the traffic! This view was taken just before we came to the turn-off to Lanjaron on another scenic road (see my 'Warning & Danger' tip). Even more remarkable was the view in the 2nd photo, taken two weeks earlier at the start of our trip as we drove along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea near El Ejido . I think that view actually shows Mt. Mulhacén - the highest of them all.
By late afternoon, we had failed to find accommodations in both Lanjaron (in the hills) and at Salobrena (where we hit the coast again) - totally locked up, even the hotels! Luckily, we were only a short drive from Nerja where we had spent a night four days earlier. We took another stab at it and had no problems at all with our hostal there - a great finish to a very enjoyable day trip!