We will be vacationing at Torremolinos in April 2000. Our basic interests while there include but not limited to dining, sight seeing & a bit of beaching. <BR> <BR>Would sure appreciate any information from those who have recently experienced the flavor of life there. <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance. <BR> <BR>Larry

Larry, we used Torremolinos as a base to see other places. The beaches in Torremolinos weren't especially nice and in September, the water was much too cold to actually swim in. We stayed at a hotel on the beach, the Riu Bel Playa. It was a very nice hotel, had a nice pool and the rooms were quite spacious. From our hotel, we used the local train to get back into the downtown area instead of taxis. We didn't eat anywhere that I can rave about (we had our worst meal in Spain in Torremolinos), I think if you go further west on the coast, you will find better restaurants. <BR> <BR>We took two day trips with organized companies and rented a car for the other two days. <BR> <BR>The organized tours went to Granada and to Tangier. Personally, I thought the trip to Tangier was a waste of time, it's basically a tourist trap for day trippers from Spain. The trip to Granada was nice, but a bit rushed. The Alhambra was a cool place to visit, most of the organized tours go there but skip the cathedral. We opted for the day trip because we had heard it is hard to get tickets for the Alhambra the same day you arrive. <BR> <BR>We drove to Ronda, the scenery on the way there is incredible. If you try this, make sure you go during daylight hours as the roads are steep and winding. <BR> <BR>The other day we drove to Gibraltar and took the cable car up the rock to sees the Barbary apes and the caves. If you drive, you can park on the Spanish side in LaLinea and walk over. It looked like if you tried to drive in that you would be there for awhile. And if you change any currency, change it back before going back into Spain or you'll have a souvenir to take home with you.

I personally found Gibraltar a waste of time-very disappointing-but to each his own. One trip you can take is a short jaunt back into the mountains to Mijas, a lovely white village perched in the mountains. The town itself can be touristy, though not bad in the off-season. There are some nice views of the coast, and even a bullfighting museum and square bullring (How's that for an oxymoron?).

We stayed 5 nights in Torremolinos and had a nice time. Took a day trip to Tangiers, yes it is touristy and not for everyone, but we enjoyed it. We ditched the tour half way through and did our own thing and met up with them again to go back to Spain (tour guide was not thrilled, but what the heck). It was a very long day tho, we left about 5:30 a.m. I think it was. We did not think it a waste of time, but it depends on you as an individual and what you enjoy doing/seeing. We also took a day trip to Granada and the Alhambra, it was a long day also and the Alhambra was crowded (it was Oct) but it was fun just the same and we enjoyed it. I cannot remember the places we ate off the top of my head, but we had a couple of decent meals in Torremolinos, maybe not memorable but nothing that stuck out as terrible either. Remember people in Spain tend to dine late tho. Go and enjoy yourselves. <BR>

Last year we spent a week near Torremolinos and were so disappointed at how Spain has overdeveloped this area. It reminded us of Miami Beach and Waikiki. Our best advice is to take lots of day trips and get away from the coast, as it is very un-Spanish! Of all the wonderful spots in Spain, the Costa del Sol was the most disappointing to us. Be sure to travel to Granada, and Cordoba, as well as the "white villages" near Ronda...watch out for the tour buses! Adios! <BR>