Benalmádena Warnings Or Dangers

I had seen photos of Colomares castle in travel-guides but it seemed as if nobody knew where it was located. Then I got information on that it was located in Benalmádena Pueblo and I could go there by bus from Arroyo de la Miel/Benalmádena. So I took the train from Torremolinos to Arroyo de la Miel and got on a bus asking the bus driver to tell me when I should get off for Benalmádena Pueblo. By that time I did not know that there is a group of bus-drivers who hate tourists and let them off at wrong locations, sic! So the "joke" was on me this day. We drove into the hills and when I saw a white village I asked if this was Benalmádena pueblo, to which the bus-driver answered no and that it was further on. We passed road-construction in the mountain and close to there the bus-driver told me that I should get off. I had no clue where I was at, it was on an August afternoon and very hot and I was lost. There were some villas down a steep hill and down there I went, no signs of anything until I ran into some men, one of which fortunately spoke English. He told me that I was not even close to the castle and walked with me up this steep hill and showed me where to catch a bus to Benalmádena pueblo. There were absolutely no people at the bus station and I felt like I was in Sahara. Then an English woman came out of the blue and asked me if I wanted to share a cab with her to Benalmádena pueblo where she lived! She asked the cab-driver to drive me down to Colomares castle which is located just beneath Benalmádena pueblo. I thank these people from saving me this day and believe they are angels in disguise. And to the bus-driver I say: "%&# and don´t forget that because of tourism in Costa del Sol this area is blooming!".

I then heard more stories, f.ex. people who were heading for Mijas pueblo were told by a bus-driver to get off at Benalmádena pueblo. And there have been warnings for tourists about this group of bus-drivers. Most of the bus-drivers were on the other hand friendly and helpful. But once burnt then I thought mistakenly that I had run into a bus driver from this group when I was looking for the largest botanic garden in Europe in Malaga, as I suddenly found myself walking on country roads with no pavements at all outside of Malaga after the driver let me off there. But finally I found the botanic garden there.

I added a tip on Colomares Castle under things to do in Benalmádena.