by Gordon Hamilton

Created on: April 20, 2009

Benalmadena is a resort town on the Costa del Sol, in the province of Andalucia, Southern Spain. It is probably fair to say that Benalmadena is not so well known as its larger neighbours on either side - Torremolinos and Fuengirola - but Benalmadena still has a great deal to offer the tourist, whatever their individual tastes may be.

Benalmadena sits on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and its beautiful sandy beaches are perfect for either topping up a suntan, taking a dip in the Mediterranean's perfectly clear waters or even building sandcastles with the children. There are also a variety of eateries located right on the beach where the likes of freshly barbecued food can be obtained without having to venture away from your other activities.

The promenade which parallels the beach at Balenmadena also contains a great many food outlets and restaurants. Unfortunately, particularly for some reason towards the Fuengirola side of Balenmadena, there are many pavement custom drivers who will approach you, in some cases almost forcing you towards their establishment. This is of course extremely irritating and I don't know why they cannot see that they are essentially only driving potential customers away by following this practise rather than in to their particular establishment.

The other thing to watch out for on the promenade at Balenmadena are the illegal street vendors, selling everything from ladies' handbags to DVD's. These vendors will very often have their wares displayed on blankets, which they can quickly snatch up in to a package and run with when one of their watchers reports the police approaching. This can be quite amusing, watching them go instantly from aggressive sellers to high speed runners, only to magically reappear the moment the "danger" is past. One has to seriously wonder why the police don't simply go down the plain clothes road if they are so serious about clamping down on this practise.

There are of course a great many bars and clubs in Balenmadena, sometimes whole rows of them, one after another. It may of course be precisely what you are looking for but it may equally be disappointing that the vast majority of them cater quite specifically to the British tourist by attempting to simply create British pubs away from Britain. I dare say this makes many of them very popular but I tend to be of the belief that when one is away on holiday, one wants to mingle with the locals and experience their culture. Is that not the whole point of visiting a foreign country?

Away from the shorefront, Balenmadena offers a variety of shops as well as more cafes and restaurants. What is most disappointing about the cafes and restaurants in the town, however, is that they sell what appears to be exclusively burgers, pizzas and other traditional British and American fast foods. Do not be visiting Balenmadena expecting to find a wide range of traditional Spanish restaurants selling traditional Spanish dishes.

What for many, however, may prove to be the highlight of their time spent in Benalmadena is if they take the trip up the Teleferico Cable Car to the top of the Calamorro Mountain. This costs 12.50 euros but is worth every penny. The views are absolutely stunning and the birds of prey show provided at the summit was breathtaking.

Overall, Balenmadena is a very friendly and welcoming place and is absolutely perfect for those - either with or without young families - simply looking to get away from it all for a time and relax in the warm Spanish sun.

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