Torremolinos – Spain’s Once Most Fashionable Resort Is BackTorremolinos is the one the baby boomers remember with fondness, and the first Spanish resort to really take off. A very fashionable Torremolinos of the 60´s and 70´s attracted them all. Robert Redford spent six months of his young life here. Hemingway came back again and again. Even Frank Sinatra jetted in with his entourage on more than one occasion. But, then the eighties came along and with those years came a lager-lout image and consequently the town lost popularity, got a bad press and the tourists went elsewhere. But, these days Torremolinos is back. The town centre has been remodelled, has a more modern image and has now regained some of the charm of its halcyon days. The shopping is varied. San Miguel Street is probably the most well-known pedestrian shopping area. The beaches of this town are some of the best on the coast. Carihuela has the feel of a real village and is a good choice ... has spacious sandy beaches with expansive lawned areas and of course, rows and rows of excellent fish restaurants.
If you’re thinking of living here, however, for some areas of town you´ll need to be fairly fit as it can be quite a hilly old place and the stairs up and down to the beach can be challenging for some. But, if you’re drawn to Torremolinos, why not have a look around La Carihuela Village ... the lively Benalmadena Marina area or the elegant Playamar district which are all on a level and much easier to get around. For those who might think that the Costa del Sol is just one apartment block after another you´ll be happily to know that several new parks have been developed in this area. The very latest is called La Bateria and is situated in the Montemar Alto part of town, just by the Montemar Alto train station. It´s really well presented ... the ideal place for a pic-nic ... and it even has its own Boating Lake. (1€ for half an hour - can´t get much cheaper than that !)
In fact, Benalmadena has some very attractive urbanisations all around the municipality and especially around the Torrequebrada Golf Club and around the second of our parks La Paloma 
This is an English style park in the middle of the Costa del Sol: the perfect place to escape from tourist country, have a coffee, read the newpaper.
Further up in the hills is Benalmadena village, a typical whitewashed Andalucian village largely unchanged over the years. Smaller than Mijas village but absolutely worth a visit.
While you’re up there, why not take a look at the Buddhist Temple close by? This magnificent building can be seen from just about all over the coast. Everyone is welcome to visit and even attend the daily, guided meditation sessions. Not quite what you were expecting to find in Benalmadena,eh?
Take the coastal road now from Torremolinos and
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