Visiting Benalmadena
Visiting BenalmadenaAfter being in Torremolinos, Marbella, and Benidorm, we decided to try a different place. Different… but not much – the same weather, the same touristy organization, the same… everything.
No complaint!
Benalmadena was exactly what we wanted, and we spent a good week there.
Marina
Several times awarded as “The best marina in the world”, this is, for sure, the best attraction in the artificial Benalmadena.
Everything lives to tourism and from tourism, and this complex, not only gathers hundreds of boats, but it also acts as the meeting point for all the thousands of people living a few kilometers around.
Restaurants, bars and shops, make this a lively spot during all day and night.
Sea Life
Not a big aquarium, but a well conceived one. In a place without many attractions, this has to be a mandatory visit to each child in the beach.
Feeding and taking care of all those creatures is not easy, so, don’t expect a low price, but, if you want to save something book online – each adult will save 3 €.
Address: By the marina
Torrebermeja
Built in the XV century during Muslim occupation, this was one of the three towers in the area, used to watch the coast and provide smoke communications.
The construction of the marina implied its removal more inland, to the actual place, a square near the aquarium, where the reddish modern construction around it forces us to ask “why the name red”?
Paseo Maritimo
As commonly in the Spanish coast, there’s a long walkway linking the beaches, several kilometers long.
Restaurants and shops occupy most of its space, and, despite the efforts of police, street sellers fill at night the remaining areas.
Walking along it it’s a common occupation by day for those who don’t dare to lay under the sun, and a mandatory one to everybody by night.
Torrebermeja beach
The long beach west of the marina changes the name several times according to the access used to reach. The first one, located by the torre Bermeja, gets its name, and it is slightly different from the other – the sand stripe is much larger, so large that is is daily used to play several football games at the same time.
The sand is dusty, and that means a dominant dusty air in the eastern top of the beach. Nothing serious, but, with children ( as we were) crossing to the seaside needs additional precaution (even the balls) reach frequently the wooden walkways.Once getting to the sea front, the beach is good, with thin sand and calm waters.
Las Gaviotas beach
Benalmadena area seems to have 14 beaches, stretching from Torremolinos to Fuengirola, but even the central area is divided in many so called beaches.
The whole beach of Benalmadena playa is a long (and sometimes narrow) stripe of sand, acquiring several names according to the used access.
Which one is the best? That depends on where you stay, however, some of them are wider and better supported than the other.
Las Gaviotas, between Bill Bill and Santa Ana is one of them.
Arroyo de la Miel
Among the many beaches of Benalmádena, this section is, maybe, the choice of most of the dwellers.
Maybe because it is close to many tourist complexes, maybe because it is easy to access, the density of its occupation was always a little bit higher than in its neighbors.
The bordering street is well decorated, with a few simple details.
Bil Bil castle
Built in 1927 as a residence, this building tries to reproduce the Moorish style in almost all details.
Of course it is a pastiche, not a monument, but it is a curiosity, and since 1980, when the municipality acquired it, it is used as a cultural center.
Impossible to miss, overlooking the beach, it was closed to maintenance when we were there.
La Paloma park
In a place where beach gathers 90% of the attention, this parc is a very good alternative.
Cool, well managed, with many species spreading for a wide surface (200.000m2 they say), not far from the beach, it is a paradise for families with children.
The entrance is free.
Plaza Ole
In a modern and somewhat uncharacteristic town, Praça Ole is one of the most welcoming corners.
Careful architecture surrounds a square with a fountain in the center, offering a varied selection of restaurants and bars.
Playa Bil Bil
Benalmadena is an extensive beach that changes its name depending on the different accesses.
Next to the castle of Bil Bil, the beach takes its name, and… it’s another one, just like the others, perhaps more popular.
Torremolinos
The development of tourism has glued the towns of Benalmadena and Torremolinos to such an extent that, nowadays, walking along the coast, there is only one sign that says… we have changed beaches.
More of the same, everything the same, a continuous world of enjoying the sun, warm water, and people willing to spend money for relaxation and revelry.
La Barca
La Barca
Good… a little bit pricey
One of the many restaurants in the Paseo Maritimo of Benalmadena, close to the marina. It’s similar to his neighbours, however it seemed a little bit more expensive than the other, for identical service and quality.
Nothing to remember nor to complaint.
Favorite Dish: Shrimp salad
La Cabana
One more
We tried almost all the restaurants lined in the Paseo Maritimo near Torre Bermeja, to confirm that competition leads, sometimes, to a simple copy of each other.
The menu was almost the same as in the neighbors, the same applying to quality, quantity and prices, even in the difference between the same dish “a la carte” or in the “touristic menu”.
Nothing to complaint or to remember.
Favorite Dish: Calamares
Olé
The same, maybe better
The menu of the several restaurants in this specific part of Paseo marítimo is very similar, and the quality is not very different too.
In this restaurant, we ate the normal Spanish food, maybe a little more tasteful than in many neighbors and a little bit cheaper.
Brasserie l’Abbaye
Brasserie l’Abbaye
The best… so far
After four days in Benalmadena this was our best gastronomic experience.
Good ambiance gentle service, excellent food in large quantities and a regular price.
We repeated it, and though the experience was not so strong, the favorable impression was sustained.
Address: Paseo Maritimo
Rio Miño
Rio Miño
Slightly worse
Trying the several restaurants in Paseo Maritimo, I got the idea that they were all very similar, with very small differences.
The best, for us, was L’Abbaye (the only one deserving repetition), and if I had to choose the worst, it should be this one.
Slow service, poor quantities, common food, not bad but also not impressive, and (I also got that idea) costing a little bit more than in the competition.
Address: Paseo Maritimo, near Torre Bermeja
Kanada&Ma – Excellent
Kanada&Ma – Excellent
This was a precious idea for a very good week!
I booked two apartments in Benalmadena (a studio, for 3 or 4 people each) in a fabulous location. A large yard surrounding a good pool, opens to only 8 apartments, all of them at ground level, with private, small terraces.
Opposite to the apartments, the yard opens to the beach, only separated by the Paseo Maritimo, lined with restaurants and shops, without cars.
As a matter of fact, car is the only problem of the apartments, because they have no access by car – we have to stop in one of the squares nearby and carry luggage for bout 100 meters.
After that, we may forget the cars, because everything is handy and… good.
Address: Paseo Maritimo, near Torre Bermeja
Dust in the beach
The easternmost part of the beach is wide even allowing sports as football; however, it is very dusty, and its use may disturb those passing by.
Marina Shopping
The Benalmadena marina is, predictably, the liveliest part of the city. Shops, restaurants and bars huddle together in a limited and careful space, where the boats are a quiet central decoration.
After the beach hours, it’s time to go to the marina, and shop or… watch.
Gambling
One day I had a work meeting at a hotel in Torrequebrada, where there was a casino. After work was over, we naturally headed to the casino, where I irritated my co-worker, a fanatical gambler, since every time we met, I reported additional winnings, while he accumulated losses.
When he asked me what my secret was, I explained to him that I had been to all the gaming tables and on many machines, without playing on any, so five euros saved here, ten there, was already hundreds of profits. He accepted the joke, laughed, and went on, losing less.
I remembered this scene when, walking around Benalmadena, I saw a boat advertising a casino.
I don’t know how business is going at the hotel, about 3 km away, but for Mohammed to come to the mountain, he must be forgetting to go to the mountain.
