Torremolinos, give it a try!
One would wonder, with such attributes , why the place is still packed to the brim with visitors from all over the planet, this summer exceeding 90% occupancy on several weekends. to discover that I don't know quois that captivates the reddish guiri and the national tourist alike, that charm that escapes us , we have made an excursion that starts from the very kilometer zero of the municipality and that spreads us, then, through all its corners. These are the five reasons What we discovered along the way:
1. BECAUSE IT SMELLS LIKE HOLIDAYS
Holidays are that period happy and carefree in which one does not have to work and decides that, what the hell, despite being buying white label throughout the year, there is no problem in ask for another seafood platter. That feeling of lightness, of barely contained euphoria, of tranquility, is what you breathe in Torremolinos for decades. One cannot go down Calle San Miguel in summer, a small village artery with the pretense of a metropolis, without feel its tickle.
In Calle San Miguel, vacations are a state of mind
two. BECAUSE IT IS UNIQUE IN ITS COMBINATION OF BRILLIANT AND DECADENT
Yes it's correct, some franchises have opened its doors in Torremolinos, but not all of them have remained there. sounded were the scared of Zara and **Bershka ** (did anyone believe that the closure of one of these two stores was even possible?), those of Pimkie, Mango and Carrefour and, above all, that of McDonald's!
The fast food restaurant, which had made hundreds of children happy presiding over the most central street in Torremolinos for 20 years , closed in 2012, drawing a taciturn metaphor that seemed to synthesize the present of the area. By then, the very high number of businesses closed -some, for decades- made the municipality remember Detroit and its gloomy lifeless spaces. However, at the beginning of this summer, the multinational has taken up the space it left, also renovating the premises, which had practically not changed since its inauguration.
The City Council is giving a new face to Torremolinos
Springfield, Stradivarius and Pull&Bear have indeed survived the catastrophe, and rub shoulders with some establishments that have been in the area for more than 50 years . Those are the really interesting ones, the ones that give Torremolinos that patina of postcard from the 70s, faded and precisely for that reason attractive, in which it is read, with cursive and naive letters, "Costa del Sol".
There we have, for example, the undaunted lladro shop , to the liquor store in the European Union Square or to Crown, the store of "souvenirs, porcelain, leather, watches, watches, pearls". They remain impassive in the face of the passing of time, unaware of the empty premises and those old malls -underground or in the form of galleries - that for years have been nothing more than the reflection of a ghostly past.
Souvenirs and decadence: Torremolinos brand
3. BECAUSE IT HAS A JUICY -AND VERY OLD- GASTRONOMIC OFFER
Forget local hipsters: in general, in the restaurants of the tourist area of Torremolinos that is not what is popular. To give you an idea, the chacha , a until recently roadside seafood restaurant with hardly any seating or tables, has been the queen of Palma de Mallorca Avenue since 1956; today it is very much alive.
La Carihuela and Bajondillo, meanwhile, with their infinite trail of fried fish beach bars, are, judging by their level of occupation, the delirium of any inhabitant of planet Earth . Tablecloths of heavy white cloth, fish displayed in showcases (or even in aquariums), marine-inspired decorations and a menu in virtually every language known to man They are his hallmarks. The chain **Los Mellizos** does not disappoint.
For those looking for something more "exotic" there are chinese restaurants -those of landscape paintings with lights and movement-, which were established in Torremolinos long before much of the rest of Spain. In 1972 a creperie also arrived, ** El Bodegón ,** which seems not to have changed its decoration from low chairs, mirrors and pink napkins since its opening. Choose it if you want to take a delicious crepe and a transmutation in time, or what is the same, a piece of what was the cosmopolitan Torremolinos.
Chiringuitos for everyone!
We are talking about the Torremolinos that appeared in all the trend magazines, when it changed from poor (but beautiful) fishing village to movie set Hollywood, and even to the recreation center of the international jet set The picture of brigitte bardot walking barefoot down Calle San Miguel, Calle de Gala, Dalí's wife doing the first topless from the coast or Sinatra partying at the Hotel Pez Espada will not be repeated, it is true, but neither will they be forgotten so easily.
Continuing with our old route we cannot fail to name the Lepanto pastry shop, decorated as an old tea room, the San Miguel ice cream parlor , an institution in the area, the bar ** The Galloping Major ** or the bakery on Calle San Miguel where the traditional torremoline cakes are served. With ** Los Pampas ** something similar happens: its interior has also remained undaunted by that cool trend of mix visible pipes and a chair of each color. However, it is not out of tune with the times, as it was costumbrist ( and quality) since it opened its doors in 1968.
More modern -and still exotic- are ** Kathmandu **, with Indian and Nepalese cuisine, apparently very good, and Tiki , a sushi restaurant, this one of modern taste and much success. As a standard bearer of new cuisine in the area, however, we opted for **Best with reservation**, tasty, welcoming and innovative.
Better with reservation, modern and up to par
Four. BECAUSE IT IS DESIGNED FOR RELAXATION
Not surprisingly, it was here that the style "architecture of relaxation" was coined , born between 1953 and 1965 spontaneously as a result of the needs to promote the Costa del Sol in the international market and linked to the expansion of mass tourism.
With him, it was pretended " reflect an exaggerated and uninhibited modernity through the combination of radically opposite elements united by the strict functionalism prevailing at the time", Wikipedia dixit , in what is a definition that explains the very essence of the municipality. "Being an architecture dedicated to leisure, the style combines functionalism with kitsch for the purpose of conveying an image optimistic and fun opposed to the Francoist morality of the authorities". And he hits the nail on the head again.
Torremolinos style
This resulted in accommodation such as the **Miami**, which sought to bring the Sacromonte caves closer to Torremolinos. However, what really abounded were the gigantic cement conglomerates just a few meters from the beach, separated from the shore by huge pools, surrounded in turn by hundreds of hammocks (not an exaggeration).
In this way, the tourist of yesterday and today can spend their fifteen days of vacation between the interior of your hotel, the exterior of your hotel and the steps that separate both from the sea. What's more, you may not have to change your itinerary for a single day, as many establishments often offer full board, activities during the day and entertainment at night (which is part of the soundtrack of the promenade). imagine it as a cruise ship stranded on land and you will not be very far from reality.
For the rest, the entire promenade (all of Torremolinos?) exists by and for the tourist, and it would not be unreasonable to say that in its kilometers there are more gift shops than around Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower combined . The rest is made up of the aforementioned beach bars, bouncy castles, mini golf courses, sand sculptures, large balinese beds -some with massage- and hordes of families who have dressed in their best clothes, to see and be seen.
The Balinese bed already seems native to Torremolinos
We must not lose sight of this last detail, because it turns out that Torremolinos visitor fashion , especially the one in the northern areas (and more so in the pre-Instagram era than now) is also pure relaxation style: kitsch, carefree, colorful and definitely very, very far from Francoist morality, it is not uncommon to see walkers in swimsuits, even miles from the beach.
If you add to this the general panorama, with its towering palm trees , its wide strips of sand, its trees of big pink flowers, its four umbrellas per square meter, its skaters in shorts and its neon signs, it does not seem unreasonable to affirm that the visitor encounters a picture of a Miami Beach Castizo ; Although to cross it you have to walk avoiding bumping into the one walking in front, it can be affirmed that seems to enjoy it.
T shirt? Why?
5. BECAUSE IT IS VERY ALIVE
It seems a contradiction to say that a place that in recent years has paid off its exercise with more stores closed than openings, it is alive . However, at least in summer, it is quite true: the glittering walk we were talking about changes according to the time of day, continually adding new attractions; the picturesque descent to Bajondillo beach It maintains its Andalusian and white essence, and its stores open until midnight; the first water park to be built in Spain, ** Aqualand **, records championship queues; Plaza Costa del Sol has been pedestrianized -at the moment, in a very precarious way-, and has added life to its landscape with the inclusion of a merry-go-round and a display of sculpture.
For their part, the establishments in the Plaza de la Nogalera, with all their chairs facing the street (and not toward the table itself, crowd watching is mandatory as it happens in the doors of the towns) are kept considerably full. In addition, a cover of colorful -although fragile- has been added. umbrella to an area of the square, as they have been doing for years in Agueda (Portugal).
Likewise, the lounges in the Los Álamos area, that turn into nightclubs when nightfall approaches, are a powerful focus of leisure and even culture , thanks to the inclusion of shows, concerts and DJs in its programming (although now it seems that ** its survival is in danger ** ).
The Bajondillo stairs, a classic
In addition, the new City Council is also ** programming free concerts ** in the squares and bars, giving the streets of Torremolinos a little life that has lacked almost since before the infamous raid of 1971. Then, the Francoist police decided to end permissiveness in the area arresting homosexuals who were having fun in the epicenter of the gay scene, the Passage Begoña . Even international tourists were deported in an action that reached the covers of the whole world, ending the environment with a stroke of the pen.
But not only with the gay: also the music scene, that had multiple clubs and even more bands - it is said that there were about 300 at the same time in the area- was crowded with death ; the shops of discs , who brought the latest to Torremolinos before anywhere else in Spain, did not have it so easy, and tourism eminently young and bohemian that filled its streets saw the ears of the regime.
Despite everything, after the death of the dictator, homosexual leisure resurfaced, and today it remains strong in both La Nogalera and La Carihuela, where it has countless pubs and beach bars that offer cultural and recreational activities. Also, festivals like the Gay pride (banned by the previous executive and gloriously taken over by this one) or the ** Madbear ,** an international meeting of "bears" that will take place very soon in the area, are helping to further enliven a scene that dates back to the 60s, and that has undoubtedly contributed to granting Torremolinos that happy face, redemptive and carefree which, we said, is one of its greatest attractions.
Feast and body worship in Eden