Costa del Sol - trying to decide whether to base ourselves in Torremolinos or Fuengirola,

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galway_blow_in

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We booked return flight from knock to Malaga for September 23 and are trying to decide whether to base ourselves in Torremolinos or fuengirola, I have never been to the very south of Spain but I'm leaning towards fuengirola based on what I have read

Our two children will be nine and seven by September but we will hire a car and go to the Alhambra and Ronda in Andalusia,we are staying ten days this time as opposed to our usual seven days

Perhaps Malaga city itself is a superior base but big cities are less ideal with young kids
 
It's a long time since I've been to either Torremolinos or Fuengirola and have most likely changed a lot so can't advise
Malaga is a lively city with lots to see and do but would it appeal to two young kids I'm guessing not really same with Granada
Don't know if you doing a package or not but plenty of properties along the coast line with pool through Air B&B that should be perfect
Frigiliana near Nerja is a nice spot to set up if visiting both Malaga and Granada but a car would be needed for the whole trip

Only bit of advise I can give is, if planning a trip to the Alhambra, book well in advance as it's very popular and you won't get in if you just arrive up there without pre booking but well worth it, I'd nearly suggest you make that a two day trip and explore a bit of Granada at the same time
 
That's great, thank you, we never go on package holidays, always arrange ourselves, we will absolutely spend one night away from Malaga if not two , Granada sounds like the ideal choice
 
Just along from Torremolinos and before Benalmadena there is La Carihuela. Lovely place to stay, more laid back. Get the train from Malaga airport to Torremolinos and walk the last bit.
 
I'm always happy to rent three places while on holiday but my wife doesn't love having to pack everything into bags again repeatedly, I'll try and persuade her to go three days in Malaga itself, four in fuengirola and the rest in Granada, we plan to visit Ronda but that's not especially far by car from Malaga, might just hire car for three or four days and use train - bus for the rest of the time
 
I live in the area and I'd absolutely go with Benalmadena if you have small children. It has a marina that is like a resort in itself, with pirate ships and childrens play areas and the main paseo cafes and restaurants are directly connected to a very nice beach. You can also walk along the coast very easily to Torremolinos if you stay near the marina end.

Fuengirola main strip of cafes and it's beach are separated by a large road and although I enjoy spending time there, it's not the prettiest of resorts (lots of high rise). Malaga is beautiful and very walkable and also comes with a beach.
 
I second La Carihuela, it's a good place to stay in that area, nestled in between the Benalmadena Marina and the town in Torremolinos. The town itself has plenty to keep you interested over a few visits. It's had plenty of upgrades in the last few years, so don't believe everything you hear. It's on the up.

If you like shopping, you can take the train (in the direction of airport) to Plaza Mayor. It's like Dundrum, only a bit nicer and mostly outdoors.

You can also hop on the train in the other direction to visit Fuengirola. Personally I didn't really like it, but will need to explore it more. The small narrow streets have lots of lovely restaurants and bars. There are plenty of activities for family.

La Carihuela is mostly a Dutch resort, so you won't have many Shazzer and Tracey types. The Dutch know how to party though, so can be lively themselves.

Check out Pez Espada, really beautiful hotel with stunning lobby & rooms. It was one of the first large hotels built in the region and has cool art deco architecture if you're into that.
 
galway_blow_in said:
I'm always happy to rent three places while on holiday but my wife doesn't love having to pack everything into bags again repeatedly, I'll try and persuade her to go three days in Malaga itself, four in fuengirola and the rest in Granada, we plan to visit Ronda but that's not especially far by car from Malaga, might just hire car for three or four days and use train - bus for the rest of the time
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packing up every 3 or 4 days isnt ideal for anyone, the kids either, id try and keep it to two locations.
 
Great suggestion which are very appreciated, hearing that Malaga itself has a beach has made me add it to the maybe list for a base , I'm very much more a museums and interesting streets more than Beaches kind of tourist ( road trips to see mountains as) well so a city Beach would allow both on your doorstep

Can anyone suggest a good Beach location in Malaga itself?

How about this area , the prime beach location areas in the city are up on €300 per night but this is a little out of town and around €170 per night

Screenshot_2025-02-20-21-37-51-26_5118055fcf8c120a411183afa705a454.jpg
 
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I think that hotel would be too far out for my liking but I'm not overly familiar with the east side of Malaga.

Try Airbnb, there is usually good deals on whole apartments in the off season.
 
El Palo seems less resort ish ?, I personally don't like the generic holiday resort area thing, transport links seem excellent so having to ride the bus - train for twenty minutes every day beit into town or west of Malaga wouldn't be a trial, El Palo strikes me as more unspoiled, if it was up to me , I'd be up the mountains miles from the beach as I don't care about ⛱️ at all
 
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