"A Product of Tourism" a Torremolinos Travel Page by hquittner

Torremolinos is what happens when tourism inundates a beach locality. In the beginning there was a pirate-safe community on the high cliff and a fishing village on the shore (La Carihuela). Today the coast-line is developed for miles with hotels, condos, etc, the beach has been enhanced, the cliffs invaded and gouged out, streets developed, an elevator built to connect upper and lower towns.It is a haven for all sorts of package vacations. The central geographic location is ideal for Andalucian adventures, by tour subscription (as we did), local charter, or on your own. Inexpensive edible food is plentiful; fine cuisine is possible to find. Off-season (when we were there) the cost is competitive with the cheapest of vaMy wife and I had been to Andaluciacations and you are in Spain! Even in winter hardy types (mostly Northern Europeans) lie in the sun on the beach or by the pool, and swim!

We took this trip to entertain our son who was dying slowly of a terrible neurological disease, but at that point could still walk and swallow. We went with a seniors group who were most solicitous. There were many day trips and two overnight adventures available and we took them all. My wife and I had been through much of Andalucia 20 years before, so we were familiar with a great deal of what we did. We also took a middle aged relative as baby-sitter. The "tour" included a number dinners and all breakfasts. The included local meals were very inexpensive ad lib meals near our living quarters,of about $10/meal, and of adequate quality.

Having recently experienced some Vacation Centers in the USA (erroneously labeled tourist traps), I think Torremolinos is lucky. The land is too difficult to work and so they have concentrated totally on lodgings and eateries. They have not overdeveloped "attractions". The expansion is heading east to Malaga which is qute close and awakening to its tourist potential.The siren song of exotic towns nearby and REAL sightseeing in places like Malaga, Ronda, Granada and even Gibraltar and Tangier are enough to fill ones busy time. The imaginative packages even offer optional overnights away (as ours did with included meals and lodging), thus we visited Seville and Cordoba as well as more than minimal time at Tangier.