The faded Spanish city making a surprisingly glamorous comeback (2024)

To be honest, it’s a surprise we’re here at all. Classy, historic Malaga — a long-term favourite of mine — was our primary destination, with digs in a sea-facing apartment on breezy Playa Malagueta. Grazing at beachside chiringuitos by day, eating tapas around Plaza de la Merced by night.

Then my partner suggested we add on a couple of days in nearby Torremolinos because it’s “always fun”. As a cliché-dodging travel writer, I realised I hadn’t actually visited: all the more reason to give it a whirl.

There was one other factor that interested me: the whispers about the town’s recent regeneration and its attempts to embrace the past at the same time as reinventing itself. It’s not the only Spanish spot to be shifting from tacky to arty — Lanzarote and Benidorm have gone before — but it is perhaps the one rethinking its key assets the most.

Evidence of the metamorphosis greets us upon arrival. After a smooth 20-minute train ride from Malaga we disembark at the gleaming £6.1 million station and adjoining square, which opened last summer. But that’s not all. Over the past five years the city has been busy rebranding with new public spaces, including the £2.6 million transformation of key streets and squares in the centre.

Our apartment’s balcony overlooks the revamped, palm tree-lined Plaza Costa del Sol, which now benefits from a pavement café vibe and a pergola designed by the Malaga-based architect Salvador Moreno Peralta that creates a ripple effect in the midday sun. It’s pleasant to sit with a beer, watching the ebb and flow of pedestrians outside the three-storey Clock Tower, a live music bar in a converted former bank opposite (clocktower.es).

The city’s recent spruce-up has been a long time coming. The first Costa del Sol resort to emerge in the 1950s, its popularity was initially boosted by its balmy subtropical climate (sure enough, it’s 21C for every day of our month-long break). But by the early 1990s Torremolinos was surpassed by Ibiza and its reputation slid somewhat downhill, becoming synonymous with the Brits abroad lager lout culture.

It’s easy to forget how glam Torremolinos was in its 1950s heyday, frequented by every star of its time. This is why the era is being reappraised and commemorated in a series of large-scale public murals by local graffiti artists. The Ruta de Murales, unveiled last year, is a walkable trail depicting the Hollywood legends who visited the city, including Frank Sinatra (on Calle de los Perros, La Carihuela) and Brigitte Bardot (on the Adriano Hotel, Plaza Costa del Sol), as well as the Spanish artists Picasso and Salvador Dalí (Avenida Carlota Alessandri). Local flamenco dancers and singers are celebrated in a work on the art deco Picasso Cultural Centre (Calle de la Cruz, 42).

There’s politics too: on the L-shaped alley Pasaje Begoña a large mural depicts the raid of 1971, in which 114 people were arrested when the Francoist police cracked down on the resort’s pioneering gay venues, including Tony’s, Spain’s first gay bar, which opened in 1962 but sadly closed several years ago.

Thankfully things have changed. In 2023 the scene is thriving, with more than 30 LGBTQ-owned bars, clubs and businesses mostly located in La Nogalera, a 1960s block adjoining the refurbished station.

The busy main thoroughfare Calle San Miguel has had a glow-up too, and is now home to boutiques and artisan stores as well as more predictable tourist shops. It leads steeply down to the seafront past the eponymous 700-year-old torre (tower), which catches the mid-afternoon sun high above the path. The beach — which is more than five miles long — makes us gasp at its beauty. It has swaying clusters of palm trees, appealing chiringuitos and a hazy blue horizon beyond. We amble past the packed Banana Beach Club and snake around a rocky outcrop to the old fisherman’s quarter, La Carihuela. This idyllic pedestrianised village, with hidden tiled squares and narrow plant-lined alleyways, was popular with the “jet set” of the 1950s and is dotted with enticing local bars. After a chilly but serotonin-boosting sea dip we enjoy a cold beer on the seafront and the last of the rays.

Now there’s only one thing on our mind: food. This too proves a surprise. Back up in the hilly centre we find Bodega Guerola, which dates from 1962 and has characterful barrel tables lining its exterior (plates from £5; bodegaguerola.com). Inside, we grab the last two vacant spots by the counter. There are large groups of animated Spanish families all around us, and we admire the glistening fresh tuna, shellfish and finely chopped salads on display. Sipping a crisp, cold verdejo — a glass costs £2 — we order plate after plate of dazzling tapas, from hot buttery scallops and an oil-drenched roasted red pepper salad to tender paprika-strewn chargrilled octopus a la gallega.

The edible highlights don’t stop there. At the longstanding family-run beachside restaurant Casa Antonio we dine with friends who happen to be in town, sharing grilled monkfish and oozing black squid ink croquetas, although service is perhaps a little too leisurely (tapas from £5; Playa Bajondillo, 34). Later we discover Pueblo Blanco, a labyrinth of charming alleyways around a sun-dappled white courtyard, Plaza de los Tientos, home to several neighbourhood restaurants, including the acclaimed Creperia Bahia (crepes from £7; Plaza de los Tientos, 29620).

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At its tip, on the Calle Casablanca, is the contemporary tapas bar Serendipia Slow Food, where the ruby-red tuna tartare with lime and tomato is as memorable as the melt-in-the-mouth oxtail sliders (mains from £8; Calle Casablanca, 20). The next day, a few minutes’ walk away, we sample the signature tapas at La Pepa — crispy hake with a rich prawn and leek sauce (tapas from £2, la-pepa-torremolinos.eatbu.com). Finally, foodies should explore Sabor a Malaga, an indoor gourmet market with a pristine white interior dining space and alfresco terrace in one of the most attractive refurbished squares, Plaza de la Independencia (saboramalaga.es).

Too soon our brief diversion to Torremolinos is over, and the airport is calling. We stroll back through the brutalist 1960s walkways of the La Nogalera neighbourhood to the station, observing locals dining on sunny palm tree-lined streets beyond. It’s mid-afternoon and, sure enough, the atmosphere feels a little sleepy — but nonetheless, its mix of the concrete and the tropical somehow underlines the town’s defiant spirit.

Stephen Emms travelled independently. Fly to Malaga

Four chic Torremolinos stays

By Sasha Nugara

1. Melia Costa del Sol
Step outside the door and you’ll be lounging on Bajondillo Beach within seconds. All 540 rooms are decorated with a muted palette, letting the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean take centre stage. There are two rooftop pools, but if you book “The Level” service option along with your room you gain access to a private rooftop terrace, a separate pool and hot tub. Dine at the buffet restaurant, or at the beach-bar restaurant for seafood cooked to order.
Details B&B doubles from £103 (melia.com)

2. Casa Paraiso Boutique B&B
Tucked away in Torremolinos town, a mile away from the beach, this boutique may not have sea views, but makes up for it with character, style and friendliness. Painted a rustic orange against bare stone walls, this classic Spanish villa only has five rooms. Book the Suite Bunganvilla for a private porch area and direct access to the leafy gardens and pool. An à la carte breakfast is included, but with no dinner option you have a great excuse to wander out into the evening and try one of the restaurants lining the streets nearby.
Details B&B doubles from £93 (casaparaiso.es)

3. Occidental Torremolinos Playa
Right on the promenade and less than ten minutes’ drive from the airport, this hotel was refurbished in 2021. The 508 rooms have pops of blue to beckon in the sea and sky, but not all rooms have a coastal view. There are two bars and a buffet restaurant, as well as Arrozante, a restaurant serving paella for every acquired taste bud, including lobster and artichoke. Take your pick of two different pools, as well as a separate kids’ splash area.
Details B&B doubles from £79 (barcelo.com)

4. Hotel Soho Boutique El Tiburon & Spa
El Tiburon, one of the first hotels built on the Costa del Sol, has been welcoming guests since 1963. It’s not on the seafront but La Carihuela beach is only 40m away. The hotel offers a wide range of excursions, including quad bike rental and day trips to Granada or Tangier. If that sounds like too much effort, relax by the pool or head to the spa. There is a restaurant on site, but there’s a decent choice of seafront restaurants and bars nearby.
Details Room-only doubles from £52 (sohohoteles.com)

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