Torremolinos Favorites

4 more images

Fondest memory: My friend and I decided on renting a flat in Torremolinos for 6 months in 2009. We found this amazing place through Dreamtimeproperties for a very good price. This edificio is excellent, 8 years old and the only one of its kind in Torremolinos. There is a line of hotels by the beach and then this one privately owned block-of-flats/edificio. There are three identical buildings which form a semicircle with 2 excellent swimming pools in the middle, one kids' pool and one for everybody. There is a life-guard there and it is only open during the high-season, June-September.

We counted our blessings to have found a flat there as during the night there was a night-guard and the garden was beautifully lit up. And the view from our balcony was of Hotel Don Pablo where we watched the guests at the hotel play sport. It is a very lifely area and in one of the buildings there are line of restaurants on the ground-floor (see my tips on restaurants). When we arrived in March not many people had arrived - these flats are mainly owned by Spanish people and serve as their summer residence.

The garden was fantastic, like a botanical garden (my favourite) and there was a gardener and a maintenance man.

A female stray cat had just had 3 kittens when we arrived and we followed them growing up for 6 months.

The flat was small but very nice and I would again rent a similar flat at this fantastic place right by the beach.

If ever you get the chance to rent a flat there I highly recommend it.

3 more images

Favorite thing: When I first started looking at what was written about Torremolinos, I thought this was just a place to laze around on the beach. The town was in the middle of my trip and not being the sort to slow down on a holiday, I started looking at options of a day trip to Malaga. This never happened. Once I was out walking, I just kept going. Yes there are beautiful beaches to enjoy, there is also a lot to be seen by just walking up and down the streets and pedestrian areas of the town. I had no problem filling the day and a half spent in Torremolinos, in fact I could have spent a whole lot more. A very pleasant surprise.

Favorite thing: Torremolinos is generally safe, during the height of the tourist season you need to be careful of pickpockets and bag snatchers in the crowded areas. When visiting the beach, leave your valuables back in the hotel to be safe.

3 more images

Favorite thing: Being part of the Costa Del Sol, Torremolinos enjoys a lovely Mediterranean climate. The summer months are June, July, August and September with temperatures around 28-30C. Rain if any, is minimal. During the winter months the average temperature is around 17C with a minimum of around 8C. Rainfall during the other months of the year is usually minimal with it being not more than around 6 or 7 days for a single month – usually December and January.

1 more image

Favorite thing: During our trip through southern Spain, we were impressed by the large number of windmills we came across, especially in the far southwest along the Atlantic Ocean coastline, and even a few solar plants with large mirrors focusing the sun's rays to produce power. It should not have been a surprise because Spain is presently one of the top three wind-power countries in the world with almost 10% of its total electricity demand produced in this manner. Total installed wind generation was just under 16,000 MW a year ago, making it slightly more than the world's largest power station - the 14,000 MW Itaipu hydro dam on the Brazil-Argentina border (as new generators are added, China's Three Gorges dam will soon overtake Itaipu).

Fondest memory: Near the end of our drive in the mountains to see Alhama de Granada, as we passed by the southern edge of the large Sierra Nevada mountain range between Granada and the coast, we veered off eastward for a short drive on another scenic mountain road that twisted its way into the scenic village of Lanjarón. As we were snaking around the numerous turns on this sometimes narrow road with steep fall-offs into the valleys below, we came across a number of wind generators that were 'in your face' at times as the road snaked closely by them. Sue was not too impressed with my moving photos of them as I steered with only one hand and one eye!

Favorite thing: This Google 'Terrain' map gives an overview of the 'orange' driving route we took while in southern Spain, starting from the tiny red dot of Alicante in the upper right corner, where we spent our first two days exploring the countryside. We then picked up our Ford rental car and made the 500-km drive southwest along the coast - directly to Torremolinos with a minimum number of stops for diesel fuel and a snack. We had picked Torremolinos because it is a suburb of the much bigger Malaga but extremely close to Malaga's airport, where we were to meet Sue's sister later in the evening as she flew in from England to join us. The next morning we were off inland for 5 nights, heading directly north before veering off easterly into Granada, then westward to Seville, south to Cadiz on the Atlantic coast and then another couple of nights along the southern coast before returning to Torremolinos so sister could catch her flight back to England. Once on our own, we then backtracked along the coast toward the Atlantic coast where the land touches the very bottom of the map, spending another three nights in that area.

Fondest memory: Returning to Torremolinos once more for New Year's Eve we then decided we had had enough of the coast for a while. One good tourist option from Torremolinos is to drive east a short distance on the great coastal highway system and then head north into the mountains on the loop road shown on the map, as we headed for the very scenic town of 'Alhama de Granada'. It was a beautiful drive that took us all day as we continued onward to the outskirts of the city of Granada itself before heading straight back down (past the massive Sierra Nevada mountain peaks) toward the coast as we sought out lodgings for our next night.

Favorite thing: Known locally as the 'Torre Vigia', the TORRE DE PIMENTEL is the town's namesake and was built in the 14th century as part of the area's defense system and is also a lookout point. The staircase can be climbed and from the top, offering superb panoramic views of the coastline.
Open to the public with free admission.

1 more image

Favorite thing: As you walk along the promenade, you can't miss the impressive building perched on the edge of a cliff. The CASA DE "LOS NAVAJA". was built in 1925 in the Mudejar-style by Antonio Navajas Ruiz.
The landmark, located on Calle Las Mercedes, is open daily with free admission.