The sun and beaches, the tourist attractions par excellence, have been and continue to be the hallmark of Torremolinos despite the fact that in the last few years the locality has diversified its offer to the point that nowadays it can be said to be the most complete tourist destination on the Costa del Sol. This area’s appeal nevertheless continues to be concentrated in its magnificent beaches, along which the first great hotels in the province of Málaga were built beginning in the middle of the last century. These establishments set off unprecedented tourism development and bestowed international glamour first upon La Carihuela and later El Bajondillo, two of the most famous beaches in Torremolinos. In fact these are two adjacent areas of sand separated by a rocky outcrop along whose base runs a beautiful seafront promenade that has linked the two places.

La Carihuela, in the eastern part of the municipality, was in years past a traditional fishing village inhabited by people who devoted themselves to the seafarer’s life. At the present time only a few picturesque nooks and crannies remain of the old quarter as reminders of the place’s former identity. For years now La Carihuela has been a cosmopolitan centre in which are concentrated innumerable hotel, leisure and gastronomic establishments. It is precisely the district’s gastronomy that has earned this strip of the Torremolinos coast well deserved fame that has spread beyond all borders, and all because of the remarkable “pescaíto” (small fried fish) that is served in restaurants in this area.

While it is true that pescaíto is without a doubt the dish most characteristic of the entire coast of Málaga, and it can be enjoyed anywhere with an assurance of quality, it seems that there is a secret for preparing this product that only the professionals in the kitchens of La Carihuela know. It is with good reason that the manner of preparing the different kinds of fish that are served there is praised above all other methods by the thousands of people per day who patronise the restaurants.

The beach of La Carihuela, 2.1 kilometres long and fully provided with every service imaginable, extends to the Benalmádena Leisure Port. It is accessible along its entire length by way of the pleasant and bustling seafront promenade, which is bordered by the most venerable restaurants and beach bars in the region and by the large hotels, now completely renovated, that helped catapult this section of Málaga onto the international stage.

Torremolinos lies fourteen kilometres from Málaga, the capital of the province, and just three kilometres from Pablo Ruiz Picasso International Airport. The municipality is therefore perfectly accessible by highway, whether the Costa del Sol Expressway, the new Autopista del Sol or, along the coast, the former CN-340, which today has been almost completely converted into an attractive boulevard.
The municipality also boasts a modern commuter rail line (Cercanías) that links it to the city of Málaga, Benalmádena-Arroyo de la Miel and Fuengirola, as well as with Pablo Ruiz Picasso International Airport.