24 | BACK TO TORREMOLINOS


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BACK TO THE FUTURE; TORREMOLINOS IS CHIC AGAIN


Brian McCalden take us on a sunny seaside adventure to the lesser-visited Torremolinos - Here he tells us why this sunny spot might just be on the up again for visitors...


January 2026


Fly and flop Today, the resort is best enjoyed in the shoulder months of May/early June and October/November, when the fly and flop hordes have returned to their respective daily grinds/work. La Carihuela, where we stayed, is a resort within a resort. Authentic back street shops, bars and restaurants merge with the beachfront, often with access in both areas. Meson Pascual II is just feet from Paseo Maritimo and offers give-away prices on the daily menu of the day, which we enjoyed after leaving our apartment on the last day, before availing of our 20 minute airport transfer. It is highly recommended.


The nightly live entertainment at


THE sun shines daily in autumn and it only rains when Atlantic storms make landfall.


The hectic summer season tourism has all but ebbed away and those in the know can take advantage.


British tourists have been replaced by seemingly endless numbers of Spanish visitors anxious to squeeze the last of the fading summer’s ‘Vitamin D’ from the near perfect climate offered by the sunshine coast - Costa del Sol – and the result is a holiday to enjoy. The frankly stifling heat of the peak summer months are replaced by daily highs of around 25C with the only concession to the arrival of the autumn being much reduced daylight/sunshine hours. We flew Belfast to Malaga on an early afternoon flight; (Easyjet) breezed through passport control - despite the very


recent partial introduction of


imagery technology - and were picked up by our private taxi, (onmalagatransfer. com), and pitched up at our very-near beach apartment just over 90 minutes after touchdown. Of course, there were problems; all the above is true, but not the whole story. Just a word of praise for the pilot who navigated the last 45 minutes into Malaga through a fierce storm - bringing flash floods across the area in its wake - with our airborne tin can bucking and shaking in the rapidly darkening sky as wind shears and turbulence challenged his abilities. No wonder he emerged from the flight deck to both receive accolades and to congratulate ‘nervous flyers’ on their resilience after touchdown; well done


Easyjet. As is common in Spain, these weather subtleties quickly dispersed and next day, the rain stopped, the sun came out – and stayed out – until the next storm, long after we were home again in ironically, sunny Belfast.


Travelling abroad in autumn and winter is always a bit of a lottery, but monitoring


Gardner, Brigitte Bardot, and Elizabeth Taylor. This star power put Torremolinos on the international map.


It became known as a cosmopolitan and relatively tolerant place for the time which featured beaches that were the first to permit bikinis - and topless sunbathing - in many ways thanks to the artist Gaudi and his muse, Josefa Moreau.


She is commemorated in a seafront statue and information board,


just


off La Carihuela seafront walkway – appropriately where a colony of feral cats bask in the afternoon sun daily - celebrating her decadent near-nude displays that set the pace for what was then the jet set. Torremolinos seamlessly then transitioned from a destination for the rich and famous to the destination for mass package tourism, particularly from Britain,


Germany, and Scandinavia,


until the oil crisis in 1973 slowed the development boom, and other resorts like Marbella and Benalmádena began to grow, offering different experiences, with Marbella focused more on high-end


luxury.


Torremolinos weather before and after our trip, it is probably true to say that the majority of the time, the climate is fabulous. It is never guaranteed though.


Holiday commences Torremolinos was the first of the resorts on the Costa del Sol to be developed, starting in the late 1950s. The opening of the luxury Hotel Pez Espada in 1959 is often cited as a major turning point. It was arguably the major destination for the huge international tourism boom that defined the Costa del Sol and much of Spain in the mid-20th century. Torremolinos (meaning ‘Tower of the


Mills’) was historically a small village known for its 19 water mills used to grind wheat and a defensive watchtower (the Torre de Pimentel, which is still there). Pez Espada guests included Frank Sinatra (famously arrested there!), Ava


full English. Walk on round the rocky headland and its ‘straight’ into both Banana Beach Club and Eden where visitors are assured of a ‘gay time’.


Then it’s up in the lift – or walking up


the shopping and bar/restaurant filled route - via the historic Torre de Pimentel - into Torremolinos proper, to the Cala San Miguel, and its massive number of shops - with even a shop dedicated to plastic ducks – honestly. Then, past the famed Clock Tower cafe and bar and take early lunch/ late breakfast at Casa Pepa Taberna Biznaguera – special offers until noon – and enjoy their superb smoked salmon, with cream cheese and avocado for literally a pittance.


Next door is a two storey Druni perfumerie, perfect for the ladies to enjoy, while nearby Irish bars with live sports on screen, jostle alongside a huge number of bars and nightclubs catering to all tastes. Elton’s Rocket bar is one of many offering evening live music. However, we stayed in Carihuela at


night, but managed to catch the live music and wall to wall cool people on one Sunday afternoon at Horno Beach Club, where vibes mesh with beach life as the elite enjoy the, sun, sand and the stunning atmosphere. Much the same as in its original heyday, when film stars relaxed and enjoyed the atmosphere, when the Costa Del Sol tourism all began, back in the day.


El Mojito - in easy walking distance, towards Benalmadena Marina is a must too. There are also several outstanding tapas bars, packed with locals at that time of year. Towards Playa Torremolinos, round the rocky cliff beside Playa Rincon del Sol, lies the unashamedly British pub, Sunset Inn, which always offers homely food and a friendly welcome if you prefer


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