tealeaf99

I am considering a two week holiday at the end of June/ beginning of July. Our criteria include: nice beaches, some history, some culture, some nightlife, relaxation, natural beauty, not too touristy, etc. If we fly into Malaga, should we stay in Malaga, Marbella or Torremolinos? Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions.

cawhite

I've not been to Torremolinos, and only spent a day in Malaga, so my vote is for Marbella. We were there two years ago and I'm hoping to visit again this autumn or next. Recommend staying in the old town part rather than Puerto Banus if you are looking for not-so-touristy. It's absolutely beautiful, whether you're looking at the beaches or the town/buildings in the town itself. That said, Torremolinos is also on my "want to visit" list

3ata

Torremolinos is very touristy-filled with British on cheap package holidays. Marbella is more upscale.

hfly

Hmmm, from the description of what you want you are a bit out of luck. Torremolinos is a tousit hell. While the beaches are possibly the nicest/widest in Europe, they are filled to the brim with Northern European tourists all summer, the town itself is trash. Marbella is more upscale, but is also quite overrun with tourists in the summer whether higher rent Germans or Spaniards from Madrid, it is also a tourist hell, quite spread out and much like Torremolinos is also a different kind of tourist hell.

In between that section of coast there are several other places such as Benalmadena, Fuengirola and about a dozen others. They are all different but the same (Fuengirola has a lot of Scandos for example).

If you go past Estepona things get a little more Spartan in that direction.

Malaga is NOT a tourist hell, but also is not a "resort" area. The Centro has tonnes of historical/interesting stuff to see/do. There is some beach that now runs from the Malagueta area after the port all the way to the edge of town. the area between La Malegueta and Pedregalego is newish landfill. If you lived there you would find it okay, but as a stourist you might not like it (Pedregalego etc are very Spanish).

After Malaga up the coast there are other towns to explore, some historical, some not. If you go about 20 km's outside Nerja on the coast road and are not averse to walking down steep hills you could actually possibly find your own private beach.

Terocas

Marbella is your best choice, no doubt. Forget Torremolinos, too touristic and awful. If you can afford stay at the Puente Romano Hotel or its sister Marbella Club. They are wonderful hotels outside the center of Marbella, near Puerto Banus. I've spent many summers there. A tip on some restaurants you have to go to: Tres Olivos, Antonius ( Puerto Banus) and a small beach restaurant , a "chiringuito", between the hotels and Puerto Banus called El Fantastico. There is also excellent night life in this area. Have fun

stimpy

I recently stayed in a small town called Alhaurin El Grande or something like that inland from Torremolinos which was very nice. I was at a low-end resort hotel (think La Quinta) for about €50 low season, but the rooms and service were great. Lots of golf courses in the area. I thought the coastline was far too touristy, but I didn't make it to Marbella.

kef0913

For that area I would drecommend San Pedro de Alcantar. its one of the many little town along the coast, just west of Marbella. Although, as mentioned they are all touristy and time shares seem to surround each town. San Pedro is a littel quieter but still only a few minutes from Marbella.

I woudl question whether you really want to spend two weeks there though. Ther eis so much to see and do in Spain and you may get bored with the Costa del Sol after a week. WHiel you are there though I would take a drive up to Ronda, out to Granada (you may want to stay overnight) or down to Algeciras and Gibraltar. Sevilla isn't too far away and while a little dirty has great historical interest (go to Italica - the largest Roman Ampitheater outside of Rome) and a great open air market.

Anyway, Spain is a great country and I hope you have a good time.

USAFAN

None of them have a real nice beach!

Torremolinos - No way...not nice .. touristy!

Marbella - Is O.K. .. quite nice ... touristy!

Malaga - Good for a day or so!

The "back-yard" of this area is very pretty, hilly, picturesque villages...!

June/July can be very, very hot!

hfly

Wait a sec, you call Sevilla "dirty" but suggest Algeciras? Algeciras is the absolute dirtiest place in Europe with nothing whatsoever to see, with the only possibly redeeming feature being boats to Tangier (which although being the sh!tt!est city in Morocco has heaps more character than Algeciras).

Hell, If we're talking inland there are dozens of places to go, Grenada, Cordoba, Sevilla, Ronda, etc.

kef0913

Sorry. Should have clarified. Algeciras worth a look for a day. Sevilla as a good place to stay for a few days or a week.

Swanhunter

I would disgree. Unless you have an abiding interest in ferries and oil refineries there is nothing to see in Algeciras. Gibraltar is worth a day at a push (up the Rock, see the apes, have a pint of British beer). Avoid La Linea (across the border from Gib) - it's worse than Algeciras.

cawhite

I definitely recommend a day trip to Ronda, and also a couple days in Granada (loved both of them!). You can also catch the AVE up to Seville if you wish.

SkippyTPA

When I was a kid living in England (as an ex-pat), Torremolinos was known primarily as a place where Brits went on cheap package holidays. Perhaps that's changed in recent years, but if things are still the same, this Monty Python sketch should tell you what to expect:

http://www.ibras.dk/montypython/finalripoff.htm#Travel

Torremolinos! Torremolinos!

tealeaf99

Thanks for the comments and candid remarks! I think I'll have to make some alterations to my itinerary now.