Holidaying in Torremolinos, Costa del Sol:
At some stage in every Brit’s life, the allure of the Costa del Sol is irresistible. Maybe it’s the guarantee of perpetual sunshine, maybe it’s the murmuring dream of low-cost wine and tapas, or just the idea that Ryanair will take you there for less than the price of a train ticket to Birmingham. Whatever the reasons, I recently arrived up in Torremolinos, suitcase in one hand and very British expectations in the other. The first thing you come to realize when you get to Torremolinos is the heat. It hits you the way you would open an oven door, and only the fact that the oven still has palm trees and people wearing questionable swimwear. Few minutes later, you’re wondering whether your factor 30 sunscreen is not so much a protection tool as a polite tip. But you move on, cause this is Spain and you’re going to enjoy it! Besides, there is always the beach, where you can collapse gracefully and act like you’re “soaking up the culture”. Torremolinos is interesting as its history was just a fishing village before tourism turned it into the bright neon holiday town. You walk around the town a little bit as if you’re travelling inside time. One minute you’re walking down a narrow street filled with whitewashed houses and geraniums tumbling from balconies, the next you’re staring in the dark at a karaoke bar called The Red Lion, with a full English breakfast posted outside. You’re beginning to suspect this is because some areas of Britain just packed themselves up and moved here for life, maybe in 1980's.
Of course, no holiday would be complete without a walk along the Paseo Marítimo. The long promenade across the beach is the perfect spot for observers and ice-cream eaters and the occasional existential panic over whether you really should have gotten stuck in the middle of that third sangria. The sea glitters, children make sandcastles and you are tempted to think about swimming for a second, until you recall how cold the Mediterranean really is. Instead you curl up on your sun lounger, pretending to read your book when in fact you’re only thinking about how extremely sunburnt everyone else is. Food, of course, is a huge part of the Torremolinos experience. Tapas bars lure you with plates of hot, molten prawns, salty anchovies and jamón that are nearly too thin to see through. You feel wonderfully continental for about 10 minutes before succumbing to a deep-seated craving for chips. There’s something reassuring about the prospect of knowing someone nearby is always at a stop or service serving pie and mash no matter how far over you go. It’s a near-law of the Costa del Sol. in Torremolinos, evenings are when it all comes to life. Music, laughter and smell of aftersun lotion fill the air. Couples dance to it badly, friends toast to “one last drink,” and the whole town feels gloriously carefree. You may even be on a dance floor, dancing to Sweet Caroline, wondering when, exactly, it became your song. When it’s time to head home, you’ll swear you’ve had enough of the heat and the throngs and the karaoke. But along the way across the Channel you’ll see yourself sifting through pictures, grinning at your pink nose, and thinking, “Actually, that wasn’t so bad.” And then you’ll begin to plan for your next trip to Torremolinos, purely for the culture, of course. |
