Torremolinos & La Cizaña

The atmosphere

Torremolinos is the first resort on the Costa del Sol: this is where Europe found the coast, in the 50s and 60s, with Brigitte Bardot, Frank Sinatra and the first charter flights. The resort then aged. The seafront has since been entirely rebuilt, the centre pedestrianised, and festivals have settled in.

The municipality lines up six kilometres of wide beaches facing due south. The train puts the airport ten minutes away and Málaga twenty. La Carihuela, a former fishing village shared with Benalmádena, keeps its pedestrian promenade, its low houses and its old chiringuitos.

The town has 70,000 inhabitants and lives all year: shops open twelve months a year in the pedestrian centre of San Miguel, a conference centre, festivals, and a long-standing LGBT scene. The Batería park overlooks the town; the Cuesta del Tajo drops to Bajondillo beach between the towers of the 60s and 70s. Málaga, its AVE station and its museums are twenty minutes away by train.

East of the municipality, La Cizaña extends Torremolinos towards Málaga and its airport. The sector occupies the eastern tip of the Los Álamos district, around the Avenida Mar de Alborán. It drops from the back road down to the seafront, on plots built only recently. The architecture is white and open, with large balconies and deep terraces. Alborán Poniente, Siroco, Mistral and Bora are among the residential complexes of the sector. The supply is not entry-level: several schemes aim at the upper end of the market.

Los Álamos station puts the coastal train within reach: the airport, Málaga, central Torremolinos and Fuengirola. By road, the airport takes about fifteen minutes depending on traffic. The sector is close to the airport, and overflight is checked on site. Plaza Mayor and the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Málaga bring together shops, a cinema and restaurants, with their own train stop. The Parador de Málaga Golf borders the sector, with its course, its driving range and its tennis and padel courts. Los Álamos beach lines up its chiringuitos and its beach clubs, busy late in summer.

The market starts low. Allow €200,000 for an apartment to modernise, €250,000 to €450,000 for a renovated home, €350,000 to €800,000 on the front line, and up to €1.2M for a penthouse in La Carihuela. That gives €2,500 to €4,200/m², half of Marbella prices at the same distance from the sea. It is also the municipality that has risen most on the coast over the past three years. New-build in La Cizaña trades above those ranges, terraces and beach proximity included.

The micro-areas to know: La Carihuela and Montemar for feet in the water; El Bajondillo for the beach at the tightest prices; the centre and the Cuesta del Tajo for the town on foot. On the heights, La Colina and Montemar Alto line up quiet residences in the pines; Playamar keeps its towers in front of a wide beach. To the east, La Cizaña gathers the new-build, the large terraces and Los Álamos station.

The town is busy and popular: for quiet, aim for Montemar, La Colina or La Cizaña. The Los Álamos seafront goes out late in high season, and exposure is checked home by home. That said, Torremolinos suits a first purchase in Spain as much as a weekend pied-à-terre. The airport ten minutes away by train makes short round trips realistic. From La Cizaña, the same journey takes about fifteen minutes by road.

Everyday life

• Seafront and promenade entirely rebuilt
• La Carihuela: pedestrian promenade and old chiringuitos
• Train: airport in 10 min, Málaga in 20 min
• Batería park and panoramic gardens
• Pedestrian centre (San Miguel) and year-round shops
• Long-standing LGBT scene and nightlife in the centre
• Wide due-south beaches (Bajondillo, Playamar)
• Conference centre and festivals
• La Cizaña: recent residences with large terraces (Alborán Poniente, Siroco, Mistral, Bora)
• Los Álamos station: airport, Málaga, central Torremolinos and Fuengirola
• Plaza Mayor and the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Málaga, served by the train
• Parador de Málaga Golf: course, driving range, tennis and padel
• Chiringuitos and beach clubs on the Los Álamos seafront

The property market

New-build is concentrated to the east, in La Cizaña: white, open residences, large terraces, landscaped communal areas. A few contemporary schemes also come out on the heights of Montemar and La Colina. The rest of the recent supply is the heavy refurbishment of blocks from the 60s and 70s. Expect €4,000 to €5,500/m² on those programmes, against €2,500 to €4,200/m² for older stock in its current state, that is €350,000 to €700,000 for a new apartment, more facing the sea. The La Cizaña schemes trade above that range.

Observed price range: €200,000 – €1.2M

Who is it for?

Torremolinos suits first purchases on a tight budget and buyers who want the beach twenty minutes from Málaga. The resort also has a long-standing LGBT scene. La Cizaña answers a different plan: a recent residence, large terraces and the beach nearby. The airport is ten minutes away by train from the centre, and about fifteen minutes by road from La Cizaña. Entry prices in the municipality start at €200,000, those in La Cizaña well above.