“We love Torremolinos” are probably not words we ever thought we would utter, but it just goes to show that you should never judge a book by its cover.

Growing up, I never really had any desire to visit Spain. My impression of the country was that it was just one large version of the nightmare presented by the post-1950s mass tourism developments of Benidorm and Torremolinos. In the same way that Magaluf and Palma Nova once seemed to represent Mallorca, Benidorm and Torremolinos became the flag-bearers of Spain’s burgeoning status on the British holidaymaker’s budget bucket list.

There is no doubting that the Costa del Sol was irrevocably scarred by mass development from the 1950s onwards, and having seen photographs of the tiny fishing village that Torremolinos once was, it is hard to reconcile the disastrous decisions that were made in the pursuit of the early package-holidaymaker’s pound.

However, Mallorca managed very successfully to turn away the focus on the seamier side of one tiny corner of the island to restore its reputation as a stunning destination for the traveller who appreciates natural beauty. The advent of Agrotourism with the restoration of glorious, mellow farm buildings into chic, boutique accommodation, did much to change the island’s fortunes and provided strong foundations on which to build sustainable and responsible tourism. This regeneration was certainly helped by the arrival of many high-profile visitors and residents, and the marinas that played host to fleets of super-yachts.

Mainland Spain is a much larger beast, and it is not easy to change the profile of tourism overnight and, sadly, much of the Costa del Sol carries the scars of a couple of decades of misuse.

When we arrived in Spain to live, it is therefore fair to say that Torremolinos was not at the top of our list of places to visit. With our noses slightly held aloft with distaste, we would drive along the motorway to the west of Málaga glancing down at the melée of 1970s apartment blocks jostling for attention as the least pretty beach bum to blight the Mediterranean sands.

It came as some surprise, on that basis, that we ended up having a brief break in Torre.

We had one of our Granada Concierge creative courses scheduled for the week from 7th - 14th September, but due to guest deferrals until 2022, we had little choice but to defer the entire course leaving us with a free week. It seemed to be the ideal opportunity to escape for a few days to celebrate my birthday (2nd September) and Andrew’s and my wedding anniversary (8th September). We tried to return to some of our favourite haunts, like the Cabo de Gata, but accommodation was almost impossible to find. We discovered very inexpensive and direct flights from Granada Airport to Menorca, but once again everywhere seemed to be fully booked.

I am not quite sure what it was that made me think of Torremolinos, apart from the fact that it was on the coast, had a beach and was not that far for us to travel. Andrew may have thought I had had some weird epiphany when I made the suggestion, but we did some research and found a rather lovely hotel a mere stone’s throw from the sea.

Andrew booked two nights in the Essence Hotel as part of my birthday treats, and off we set with unspecified expectations. We had asked if there was any parking at the hotel, but were told that it was easy to park near the hotel. Hmm…our experience of venturing into neighbouring areas such as Benalmadena and Fuengirola rather suggested that the hotel was being overly optimistic and that we’d end up in an expensive public car park miles from anywhere. Not so! We drove down towards the coast and discovered that, instead of become tackier and busier, it became quieter. Very quickly, we found ourselves outside the hotel in a tree-lined street where traffic was scarce. We nipped down a side street and found a parking space without any real stress and within a hop of our accommodation; and it was free!

We were given a delightful welcome to the hotel by the receptionist and this was one thing that really struck us about Torremolinos - everywhere we went, the staff were the warmest and most cordial people you can imagine; in bars, restaurants, hotels, nothing was too much trouble and we were made to feel like royalty.

The Essence Hotel was very pleasant and we had a balcony overlooking the lovely pool. Breakfasts were splendid, enjoyed sitting on the terrace beside the pool beneath the endlessly blue morning sky.

The next pleasant surprise for us was that the beach access was not slashed by a horrendously busy road. In fact, the road that runs to the west of the beach becomes a dead end so here is actually very little traffic at all. The beach was spotlessly cleaned, combed every morning, and the chiringuitos that punctuated the long stretch of coastline all appeared to be extremely stylish and tempting without losing their beach-side realness. We had lunches in a couple of these sandy shacks and the espetos de sardinas (skewers of sardines barbecued over wood) were very close to heaven.

Sun beds were inexpensive, at €5 per bed per day. It was easy to get refreshments from any number of bars and kiosks along the promenade and we did exactly what we wanted to do - lie in the sun, read a book and switch off. The sea was deliciously warm and the sea bed was sandy and silky beneath the feet. It possibly took less than an hour for us to unwind, close our eyes and just listen to the faded background noises of beachside activity.

The main town of Torremolinos is divorced from the beach by the cliff on which it sits. When you are on the beach, it is easy to forget that the town behind actually exists. Yes, there are hotels and apartment blocks along the promenade, including a relatively new and shiny Melía Hotel, but the tower blocks certainly do not overshadow the shoreline. I think we both had visions of being dwarfed by ghastly brutalist monstrosities, but the palm trees were far more prevalent.

On the first evening, we climbed the stairs up to the town itself for a little exploring. We had initially hoped to dine at the El Gato restaurant on the beach, but we discovered that this is a destination that definitely needs to be booked. We heard so many good things about El Gato that we will return to Torre just to go and sample the menu! So we popped into Eden Beach Club for a few mojitos before climbing the not insignificant flight of stairs that takes you up to the main town.

Part of the regeneration of Torremolinos is down to the gay market. It has, over the past decade or so, become a southern mecca for LGBT travellers, offering Sitges in the north some competition. There are some stretches of beach that have been designated as gay-friendly and a few rainbow flags flutter alongside the flags of Andalucia, Spain and the EU, but it is all very laid back. We spent a day by Banana’s Beach Club at the far end of the shore and it was delightfully inclusive, chilled and friendly.

There is a gay village in town, La Nogalera, and we had been warned about a particular square where visitors drank round the clock. That particular square, to the north of the gay village, was not very attractive and is probably best avoided. However, La Nogalera was immense fun and an example of how to transform brutalist exterior spaces into oases of excitement and delight. In essence, this corner of the town has taken a series of concrete plazas and created atria, gardens, covered terraces, marquees that house a series of bars and clubs. At night, it is a blaze of coloured lights, and there’s a very special atmosphere. We could quite see how, if you were spending more than a couple of nights here, and whoever you are, you would make many friends in a very short period of time. It is like one large family. For both our two nights, we ended up being carried along on a great-natured wave of joy at being outside on warm summer nights, fuelled by infectious goodwill and bonhomie until the small hours.

Cleverly, this area is concealed from the streets around it by the architecture that created the previously hard and unfriendly plazas. Understandably, this corner of Torremolinos must contribute greatly to the local economy and to the regeneration of the town as a whole.

On our second evening, we wanted to try and dine at Casero, another noted restaurant in Torremolinos. As we approached, a sign outside declared the restaurant to be full but we remained undeterred. We asked the charming host, Sven, if there was a table for two and he clearly took a shine to us, said there would be in 30 minutes and then ushered us around the corner to a neighbouring bar for a cocktail. Albanta was a delight! It was (and I don’t like the expression) boho chic, located in the tiniest square that we would probably never have found on our own, and the little tables were haphazardly dotted around between tall plants and coloured lights. The owner appeared to be the only member of staff and she created our cocktails with love!

True to his word, Sven appeared 30 minutes later to let us know our table was ready and we had a most delicious meal. We could have worked our way through the entire menu, but resisted. Sven, on hearing that we were celebrating our anniversary, brought an appropriately ‘Torremolinos’ table decoration and we toasted our three years of wedded bliss with ice-cold cava. The two lots of guests on our neighbouring table were equally lovely, and we had brief chats about the charms of Torremolinos - all slightly surreal as the terrace of the restaurant abuts the driveway down into a public car park and, alarmingly, every so often the illuminated entrance arm would rise into the air in a flash of red lights.

I am not sure if there is something in the water in Torremolinos that washes away any negative preconceptions and applies a happiness filter, but certainly something happened. In just two nights, we rather fell in love with this anachronistic but joyously rebellious place, It is finding its own way to reinvent itself through a combination of mature hedonism and easy friendliness. Instead of turning its back on its slightly tawdry past, it seems to be finding a comfortable way to embrace its diversity and its very obvious attributes. Families, friends, partners, lovers, children, teenagers, grandparents - Torremolinos seems to have something for absolutely everyone and by some miracle it has managed to slough off the cheap nylon sheets of early package tourism and just become a great place for a holiday.

Our Torremolinos recommendations

STAY

The Essence Hotel
Av. del Lido, s/n, 29620 Torremolinos, Málaga
www.essencehotel.es

EAT

Restaurante Casero
You’ll need to book…unless you are lucky! The food is delicious, dont be put off by the car park!

caserolacomida.com

El Gato Lounge
We didn’t manage. to get in here - so book well in advance - but so many people said it was amazing. Beach front.
P.º de Maritimo Torremolinos, 1, 29620 Torremolinos, Málaga
www.elgatolounge.com

La Pepa
C. Danza Invisible, 5, 29620 Torremolinos, Málaga
Great tapas and friendly atmosphere, perfect stop before exploring the bars in La Nogalera
lapepatorremolinos.com

La Bodega
This is in a very unprepossessing shopping mall - don’t be put off! It serves the best Boquerones fritos (fried anchovies) we have tasted in a long time!
C. San Miguel, 40, 29620 Torremolinos, Málaga
www.facebook.com/labodega.torremolinos

DRINK

Eden Beach Club
Fun beach front bar with sunbeds, gay friendly, good for people watching and mojitos.
edentorremolinos.com

Albanta
Pueblo Blanco, C. Casablanca, 11, 29620 Torremolinos, Málaga
Hidden away in a lovely old square. Delicious cocktails. Perfect pre Casero drink.

La Nuit
There are so many bars to choose from here, but this was one of the most quirky
C. la Nogalera, 4 y 11, 29620 Torremolinos, Málaga
lanuittorremolinos.com