Torremolinos/Costa del Sol

Trip Start May 27, 2008
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Trip End Jun 20, 2008


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Flag of Spain and Canary Islands  , Andalusia,
Monday, June 16, 2008

We left beautiful, romantic Seville early in the morning and later arrived in Torremolinos. My first impression of the place: I like the beach, but this place is super touristy; where are the Spaniards?! However, there is an upside to most touristy places: English! It was fun speaking Spanish, and I was definitely improving, but this was a really nice break.

We spent most of our time in Torremolinos at the beach. Our hotel, Hotel Lloyd, was only about a three to five minute walk away from the beach. Hotel Lloyd had a wonderful location, although it does not have a view of the Mediterranean. However, the hotel itself was undoubtedly the worst I have ever stayed in in my life so far. It felt really dirty, especially the bathroom, and there were holes on the comforter from cigarette burns. The hotel did have a pool, which we named the frijol (Spanish for "bean") because of its shape. There was also a breakfast area with decent food Mediterranean Sea in Torremolinos
Mediterranean Sea in Torremolinos
 . Overall, I would not recommend Hotel Lloyd, mostly because of the lack of cleanliness.

Since this town is touristy, many things are overpriced. We went to a small grocery store that we passed on our way to the beach where we were able to find some of our much missed American snacks. We bought a loaf of bread, some peanut butter, a small bag of Oreos, and some water--I believe this all came to cost about 16-18 Euros! Here in Torremolinos, we also ate at a Middle Eastern restaurant which was reasonable priced, but we had to get our shawarma para llevar (to-go) because a massive group of Dutch soccer fans was occupying all of the tables at the restaurant. We didn't mind, though; I really don't mind eating delicious Middle Eastern food on the shores of the Mediterranean.

Being American, I had never experienced a topless beach before I came to Torremolinos. At first it was kind of a shock to me, but then I looked at it differently; it was just their culture. Nevertheless, I kept my swimsuit top on.

I will probably never return to Torremolinos. The beach was nice, not wonderful. I would compare the beaches of Torremolinos to those of Puerto Vallarta or Mazatlán, Mexico--better than California, but nowhere near the pristine quality of Tortola's or Antigua's. I also didn't really like how touristy it was; it felt tacky and fake.
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