Destination Torremolinos Hotels

Torremolinos

Complete guide offering information, activities and accommodation.

Torremolinos, a world of possibilities - a vacational paradise, with an extensive hotel, sports, cultural and leisure infrastructure, where the locals mingle with tourists of different nationalities  in perfect harmony. With moderate temperatures all year round, thanks to the microclimate  that characterizes the city and its good communication  make it one of the best tourist destinations for relaxation and to visit the surroundings.

In Torremolinos you will find the largest and best cared for sand beaches  in the Costa del Sol. The beaches of La Carihuela and El Bajondillo stand out, where you can enjoy water sports and a beautiful seaside promenade with shops and bars with the typical fried fish, which is typical of the local cuisine .

Visit the old town and the shops of San Miguel street and its los Molinos Tower , Pimentel Tower, the Ingles Castle (or of Santa Clara) and the Church of San Miguel, built in 1718.

Torremolinos offer also includes green areas  such as the Complex Torremolinos Springs-Botanical Garden Inca Mill and the La Batería Park; the Pablo Ruiz Picasso Cultural Centre and various leisure facilities of interest.

Areas of Torremolinos

Carihuela-Montemar.

Mainly a beach area. Great for taking a walk in the evening or at night. The beach with seafront promenade has an area of 2,100 meters by 40 meters wide, mainly composed of dark sand. This beach has access for the handicapped.

Bajondillo

Together with Carihuela-Montemar, when we talk about having front-line beaches in Torremolinos, we refer to being in one of these areas. The beach and the seafront promenade has an area of 1,100 meters by 40 meters wide, mainly composed of dark sand. This beach has access for the handicapped.

San Miguel -Casco antiguo (old town).

Shopping and a must-see area.

Montemar Alto -El Pinillo

Farthest area from the beach between Benalmádena and the old town and shopping area of Torremolinos

Benalmádena Puerto

South of the Carihuela and Montemar, you can find the port of Benalmádena, which belongs to the municipality of Benalmádena and is a good location close to Torremolinos to spend your vacation. The Santa Ana beach has a length of 500 meters by 20 meters wide. Beach overlooking the marina of Benalmádena with a seafront promenade. Beach mainly composed of dark sand and access for the handicapped.

Playamar -Los Alamos.

The beach has a seafront promenade with shopping centres nearby and plenty of restaurants and bars, mainly composed by yellow sand. It has a total extension of 2,500 meters by 60 meters wide (1,500 meters in Los Alamos, and 1,000 meters in Playamar). Ideal for windsurfing and water sports because its at a distance from the centre of Torremolinos

La Cizaña.

Where the Parador Málaga Golf is, next to the airport.

 

 

"Tower and Mills" Weather, demography, transports and communicationsr

Torremolinos comes from the words tower (torre) and mills (molinos). In past times there were many water mills in the area. Currently only the Inca Mill still stands. The Tower is a reference to the mill tower or Pimentel Tower, a former watchtower is that currently is used such as the decoration for a restaurant. The first appearance of the term Torremolinos appears during the time of Marquis of Ensenada in 1748.

Weather

Due to its geographical location, Torremolinos enjoys temperatures between 15 and 30 ° C and a humidity of approximately 75%.Precipitations only reach 500 l/m², mainly during the months of November and February. Enjoy moderate temperatures all year round, thanks to the microclimate that characterizes the city.

Demography

Locals from Torremolinos and visitors from over 100 nationalities form part of Andalusia's most multicultural city. Foreign population represents 26% of the total, of which 75% come from countries of the European Union, mainly from Netherlands, Germany, France, Scandinavia and the UK.  

Population: 65.500 inhabitants in 2009.

Transports and communications

The Mediterranean highway and the N-340 passes through the city, and it communicates with other parts of the Mediterranean coast and with the interior. In regards to public transport in Torremolinos there are five stations of the C-1 line of the Málaga suburban train Torremolinos, Montemar Alto, La Colina, El Pinillo and Los Álamos, connecting the city with Fuengirola, Benalmádena and Málaga, as well as the Málaga airport and other cities within the metropolitan area of Málaga.        

The train enables us to easily visit Málaga and nearby cities. Málaga has AVE train which allows you to visit Madrid and come back in one same day. There is also an interurban bus service operated by the company Portillo with departures from Torremolinos bound for other coastal cities: Algeciras, Arroyo de la Miel, Benalmádena Costa and Pueblo, Churriana, Estepona, Fuengirola, La Línea de la Concepción and Málaga, and other locations of Andalusia: Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Ronda and Sevilla.                                

Another option to explore this area and the rest of Andalusia is to rent a car and Torremolinos is a perfect base.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Places of interest

Popular Attractions in Torremolinos

La Carihuela
Crocodile Park
Calle San Miguel
Playa La Carihuela
Playa El Bajondillo
Molino del Inca
Ritmo a Caballo
Aquapark
Parque La Bateria (Battery Park)
Pablo Ruiz Picasso Cultural Centre
Pimentel Tower

Leisure facilities

The Aqualand water park and the Crocodile Park, a zoo dedicated to crocodiles and other reptiles and amphibians, stand out.

Architecture. Relax style.

The best known shopping street is Calle San Miguel, located in the old town. At the end of this street is the Torre Molinos and not very far is the Castillo del Inglés or Santa Clara.
Other interesting buildings are the Casa de las Navajas, neo-Mudejar style, and the Church of San Miguel, as well as the Palace of Congresses and Exhibitions of the Costa del Sol and the Municipal Auditorium Prince of Asturias, for the celebration of events in the city.

Some of the buildings in Torremolinos are examples of the architecture of the Modern Movement, also called relax style.

Among the most notable buildings the Hotel Pez Espada and Pablo Ruiz Picasso Cultural Centre stand out, both declared Asset of Cultural Interest (BIC, Bien de Interés Cultural). Other notable buildings are the La Nogalera, designed by Antonio Lamela Martínez, built in 1963; the Bazar Aladino, the Hotel Carihuela Palace (1960), by Manuel Jaén; the Eurosol complex (1963), by Rafael de la Hoz and Gerardo Olivares; the Playamar urbanization (1963), also by Antonio Lamela; the Hotel Cervantes (1970), by Fernando Rodríguez and Ricardo Álvarez de Toledo; the Tres Torres (1971),by Luis Alfonso Pagán, inspired in Madrid's Torres Blancas by Sáenz de Oiza; the Castillo de Santa Clara building (1971), by José Mª Santos Rein; and the centre Entreplazas.

Also of interest are the numerous architectural and elegant villas in the area of Montemar, built in the 40s, 50s and 60s.

Religious sites.

Torremolinos has seven Catholic churches, of which the oldest is the Church of San Miguel, built in 1718.
In the church of the Virgen del Carmen you will find the image of the patron saint of Torremolinos.
More recent are the Madre del Buen Consejo (Mother of Good Counsel Church), 1974; the Resurrected Christ Church, built in 1981 in El Calvario; the Mother of the Church church in El Pinillo, 1992; and the Santa Maria del Mar church, in Playamar, 2009. These churches are joined by the Maritime Sanatorium Chapel, built in 1929, and the Hermitage of San Miguel in the area of Pinares de los Manantiales.

 

 

 

Gastronomy.

Gastronomy
Typical dishes from Torremolinos are roasted pepper salad; grilled sardines; gazpacho; seafood and shellfish such as clams, thin shells, shrimps, razor clams, crayfish, carabineers; salted fish; and above all, fried fish and the typical Torremolinos cake.
Furthermore, thanks to its cosmopolitan character, there are many restaurants of other countries and international.

There are restaurants for all tastes and budgets.

Do not miss the "pescaíto frito" or the "espeto de sardina" in a bar "chiringuito". You can also try the restaurant Frutos' potato salad, the same as the famous singer Julio Iglesias does every time he comes to Torremolinos.
If you want to have a drink, do not miss the "Frankie's" at the H. Pez Espada with a selective and extensive list of whiskeys and gins and the best gin-tonics in the area.
This drink would be very similar to what Frank Sinatra drank in 1964. It's Frank's world. We Just Live in It.

Festivities, cultural activities & Sport

Festivities and cultural activities.

In Torremolinos traditional religious festivals or the pagan carnival holidays are celebrated full of joy and Andalusian flavour.

Easter, the Crosses of May the night of San Juan, fairs and processions. The Procession of San Miguel is the prologue to the village's festivities -Fiesta de San Miguel -September-. Other lesser festivities like the Feria del Carmen -July- and the Feria de San Juan Monterna - June- are also very popular.

The "veladillas" of the different neighbourhoods and, of course, the days dedicated to exalt the tourist character of the town, such as the "Day of the Tourist" or "pescaíto Day."

On the other hand, a series of theme parties are also organized throughout the year.
In February dance competitions take place for people over 50 years, known as the Retro Dance, where you dance tango, waltz, pasodoble, salsa, rock, etc...In April, the Day of the bicycle and skate board is celebrated and in September the Day the tourist . The gastronomic festivities correspond to the pescaíto Day and the Day of the cabbage, where funds are raised for charity.

Cultural offer:
Concerts and performances included in the "Lyric Season" or "Municipal Theatre Cycle", with the staging of pieces of opera, operetta and theatre by prestigious national and international companies.

Sports

In addition to water sports at the beaches and the unique environment that the promenade offers for jogging, Torremolinos has the Estadio Polideportivo Ciudad de Torremolinos (Torremolinos City Sports Stadium), which contains a running track and an artificial grass soccer field. The Palacio de San Miguel is equipped with soccer , basketball, handball and volleyball fields.

 

 

 

Hotels

After the conversion of the Castle of Santa Clara into a hostel and residence for foreigners, in 1933 Carlota Alessandri, owner of many lands of La Carihuela, decided to turn her farmhouse Cucazorra in the Parador de Montemar, with seven rooms.

Back in the 40s the Hotel La Roca opened its doors and in the next decade Torremolinos was considered as a pioneer of global tourism and the cradle of birth of the now famous Costa del Sol. First "discovered " by an elite group of tourists coming mostly from England and occasionally from the United States.

Later on, since 1959, with the opening of first luxury hotel in the area, the Pez Espada, Torremolinos begin to accumulate fame and projection, to the extent that as early as the 60s, Torremolinos had 32 hotels with a total of 10,000 beds, being consolidated as a major tourist destination capable of hosting thousands of visitors. It was the so called tourist "boom", which would mean the arrival of famous film and entertainment personalities, and well known personalities from politics of the moment and leading entrepreneurs and business people from around the world who, being happy with their stay in the area, would become real preachers of the tourist excellences of Torremolinos which would also favour that today the town has achieved a role as pioneer of tourism in Europe. Torremolinos currently provides 40% of the tourist offer of the Costa del Sol.

In this guide you can find information on the different hotels. The query may be carried out by location in the different areas of Torremolinos;by price; by popularity.

 

 

Beaches

Beaches.

The main tourist attraction are the beaches of Torremolinos. The municipal district has nearly 7 miles of coastline, and its main beaches are Los Álamos, Playamar, El Bajondillo, La Carihuela, Montemar and El Saltillo. They are urban beaches accessible from the seafront promenade. They are generally of dark sand and moderate waves.

The most popular are the beaches of El Bajondillo and La Carihuela, located in the city. The first has over a mile long by 40 meters wide. La Carihuela has approximately the same width and is about 2 kilometres long.
This beach is located in the old neighbourhood of fishermen of the same name, where there are many restaurants of fried fish.

La Punta de Torremolinos separates two main districts of Torremolinos: La Carihuela, south, and El Bajondillo, north. A third main nucleus would be the neighbourhood of El Calvario, San Miguel and the Old Town. Located north of La Carihuela is Montemar and El Pinillo, of more recent origin. Other modern neighbourhoods are located north of El Bajondillo and El Calvario, such as Playamar (in the neighbourhood of the La Colina) and Los Alamos. 

South of the Carihuela and Montemar, you can find the port of Benalmádena, which belongs to the municipality of Benalmádena and is a good location close to Torremolinos to spend your vacation.

Green spaces

 

Green spaces

The Springs of Torremolinos - Inca Mill Botanical Gardens Complex

The first is where you will find the original fountains of the Torremolinos springs and accounts for more than 150 palm trees of 50 different types, and about 300 trees of 60 different species and about 400 different species of bushes as well.
Next to the botanical garden is the Pine Forest of the Springs, an extensive forest considered as the lungs of the city, from where the springs that give it its name rise. It is equipped with barbecues and tables for public use.

Park of La Batería.

La Batería has a central navigable lake and a viewpoint tower overlooking the coast.
It is located on a plot where there were once anti-aircraft batteries used during the Civil War and has several guns and an area of passageways and bunkers.

 

 

 

Photo. Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0 / CC BY-SA 3.0)