Torremolinos Beach • Brits Abroad in the Costa Del Sol

Call me crazy, but I’ve got a strange fascination with British people going on their jolly holidays. The way that we descend on the beaches of Spain and Greece, Cyprus and Turkey, and then fry in the sun whilst despairing that we can’t find a good cup of tea, never fails to make me chuckle. (I’m not too much of a snob to admit that I’ve done it myself.) What better place for people-watching Brits in the wilderness than on the Costa Del Sol? Torremolinos beach, to be exact.

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The Costa Del Sol is a lively strip of sunshine-drenched coastline in southern Spain. It attracts English people in droves, who normally fly into Málaga and then disperse outwards to beach towns like Torremolinos, or the bigger city of Marbella- you know, off of Love Island? Sticky-floored bars lure punters in with cheap beers and €2 tequila shots, and cafes promise English fried breakfasts served against the exotic backdrop of a Spanish beach.

Once upon a time, this town was a simple little fishing village, and although it has a few wooden fishing boats on the sand, these days Torremolinos beach seems almost walled in with tacky concrete hotels, which started springing up in the 70s and 80s. This is the land of cheap package holidays, lads-on-tour and questionable studio apartments at crazy prices. The vibe here is a funny one, and plenty of the scarlet-skinned holidaymakers sleeping on sun loungers or drinking outside bars have been coming here for years; they know the bar owners personally, who greet them like old friends. Women above a certain age got their gel nails painted in bright colours especially for their holidays, and take home real Spanish fans (made in China) for their granddaughters. Men seek out Irish pubs with TVs that show the football, before returning to their designated sun lounger on the sand.

Torremolinos was once a glamorous place- Frank Sinatra himself was arrested here, can you imagine- but it is certainly not a glamorous place anymore. Let’s face it, that is partly down to the tourists. But it’s also thanks to the tourists that it has thrived. The main economy here is tourism, and almost everything in the town is geared towards welcoming (mostly) English visitors with open arms.

Away from Torremolinos, the traditions and customs of Andalusia (that’s this region of Spain) remain intact, in fact it’s arguably the most traditional. Not far inland are beautiful pueblos blancos like Mijas, with its teeny-tiny bullring, and cities like Málaga, Cádiz and Seville with their stunning architecture and super strong traditions.

So, although instinct would tell me that the boom of tourism to Torremolinos ruined it, maybe it’s fairer to say tourism changed it. You can’t turn back time, and this strange kitschy pocket of Andalusia now has its own unique vibe which even, dare I say it, feels a little dated.

Torremolinos Beach. What a place to people-watch.