The first Spanish resort to be developed on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain, Torremolinos is now action packed with activities to suit every type of clientele, with an assortment of accommodation from town centre low cost two star apartments to luxury four star hotels such as the Melia’s Sol Principe, close to the long sandy Playamar Beach.  Villa holidays are also popular around the outskirts of Torremolinos and are great holiday bases from which to escape the bustling life of this fascinating resort yet to easily enjoy everything that is on offer!

Due to the shortage of cars to hire in Spain this summer, ensure you prebook your car rental with easyCar before you leave the UK, either collecting it from nearby Malaga airport (seven kilometres away) or from the centre of Torremolinos.

Once you arrive in the resort, you’ll wonder where to go first!  One of the clean sandy Mediterranean beaches such as Playa de Bajondillor, Playamar or Los Alamos with sunbeds and umbrellas to hire, with chiringuitos, water sports galore and beach activities? Or how about a stroll along the Paseo Maritimo, a sea front prom which leads to Benalmadena Marina? 

There is a fantastic array of shops in Torremolinos with the pedestrianised Calle San Miguel a favourite; although wander away from this central area and you will discover neatly paved streets full of boutiques selling holiday memorabilia, arts and crafts and clothes, as well as pavement cafes, international restaurants and quaint authentic Spanish diners in La Carihuela.

Families don’t need to travel far to enjoy a huge array of land based activities away from the beach. There is the Torremolinos Aqualand with its “Black Hole”, young children’s mini water park, rapids, slides, flumes and wave making machines. But jump into your hire car and you can extend your visits to Benalmadena, or even Seville or Granada!

Fly into Malaga with easyJet from a choice of 10 UK airports (or with any schedule, low cost or charter airline), and having prebooked your car hire with easyCar,  jump in and head to the popular Costa del Sol holiday resort of Benalmadenaabout 19 kilometres south west along the Spanish coast.

Divided into three distinct areas, Benalmadena Costa is a purpose built resort stretching for around eight kilometres along the Blue Flag beaches of the Mediterranean Sea between Fuengirola and Torremolinos. Boasting a fantastic nightlife complete with a copious amount of bars and clubs (head to Solimar Plaza), as well as an excellent choice of international restaurants and a multiplex cinema, it is no wonder that the resort is so popular with both British holidaymakers and expats.

Like Puerto Banus, Benalmadena also houses a wealthy marina with over 1,000 berths. This award winning marina is a hive of activity, surrounded by shops and open air bars, hotels, yacht clubs and casinos. A promenade links Benalmadena Marina with the popular resort of Torremolinos, and with plenty of eateries along the way, is the ideal location for an early evening walk.

Families on holiday in Benalmadena will love the Sea Life Centre and Selwo Marina, the Jardin de Las Aguilas (Garden of Eagles) and Tivoli World theme park as well as the Wild West in the Benalmadena area of Arroyo de la Miel, but for spectacular views, take the cable car from the coast up the mountainside overlooking the resort.

Accommodation along the coast is available in abundance and easy to discover when in your hire car, with many high rise hotels and apartment complexes laid out along the long coast and inland – and there is something to suit every budget!

Benalmadena Pueblo is perched above Costa and retains much of its old Spanish style village feel, with whitewashed homes and cobbled streets lined with pretty potted flowers. Whilst there are many modern bars and restaurants here, Spanish tapas may also be enjoyed in more authentic surroundings.

Boasting around 300 days of sunshine every year, flying to Malaga, the gateway to the Costa del Sol in southern Spain, is the ideal choice for a lazy beach holiday or tour of Andalucia at any time of the year!

Arrive at Malaga Airport and collect your cheap car hire prebooked with easyCar of course, and the journey into the city is just eight kilometres via the E 15 motorway, with Torremolinos about seven kilometres away.  You will most likely arrive at Terminal T2 of Malaga Airport (Pablo Ruiz Picasso Terminal) which uses the lower floor for arrivals and the upper floor for departures.  The car rental desks are in the basement which you access via the arrivals area. 

Pick up your car, load up your luggage and your holiday begins!  The roads are very well sign posted so wherever you’re heading, you’ll be there soon..

Known as the birthplace of Pablo Picasso, Malaga is often missed by tourists who are too busy heading straight to their hotels, apartments or villas, but drive back into this coastal beach city and you will discover fantastic shops around the Calle Larios high street and the hillside Gibralfaro castle with its spectacular views over Malaga, pleasant palm tree walks and a bustling harbour. 

History and art enthusiasts will love the thousand year old Alcazaba next to the castle, the Flavian Roman Theatre and Amphitheatre, the Malaga cathedrals and museums, and of course, the bull ring. Also the birthplace of actor Antonio Banderas, who is particularly famous for his roles in Evita, The Mask of Zorro, Spy Kids and Shrek, drive into Malaga during the third week of August and you can join the festivities of the Feria de Agosto (August Fair)!

Most definitely the busiest airport used by UK residents in Spain, what else can you do when flying into the airport and collecting Malaga car hire?

Well, just follow the coast south west and you will arrive in the bustling Costa del Sol resort of Torremolinos, with its clean sandy beaches, enormous choice of hotels and apartments, all day activities, and all night entertainment. Travel 7 km along the coast and you then arrive in your rental car in Benalmadena.  Particularly popular with British holiday makers, the resort is split into two areas; the old village or Benalmadena Pueblo, and Benalmadena Costa which is the coastal area lined with accommodation and eateries. Fuengirola is a little further on and so easy to visit by hired car, as are the many smaller resorts leading onto Marbella and Puerto Banus or east of Malaga airport, towards Nerja.

Hiring a car in Malaga is the best way to explore the beautiful villages of Andalucia and picturesque inland Pueblo Blanco (white villages) such as Ronda, Cortes de la Frontera, Tolox and Istan. 

If you rent a villa with or without a private pool, book an apartment in a complex, or stay in a luxury or budget hotel in Spain, fly to Malaga, pick up your hire car and discover the many beautiful and interesting sights of southern Spain.