Prices and costs
The prices and costs of holidaying in Torremolinos vary from place to place. Eating (and drinking) out is undoubtedly more expensive than buying from a supermarket, and prices really do vary quite a bit depending on where you go. However, in general, the cost of going out is relatively reasonable, especially considering that Torremolinos is a coastal town.
Torremolinos by the sea. Photo by Nilla/Flickr.
Hold back on the cocktails
Probably the biggest price trap around here is the cocktails. In certain places, a single generic cocktail (Sex on the Beach, for example: nothing too fancy) can cost nine, even up to eleven Euros, which is inordinately expensive, even compared to the prices of cocktails in British restaurants. If you go out for a night of partying with friends, don’t drink too many cocktails, as it really adds up and you can easily drink your money away (for two people, one hundred and fifty Euros can easily vanish in a single night, spent purely on drinks).
Beer and wine
Beer (a pint costs about three Euros), wine (a bottle in a restaurant costs around twelve Euros) and, of course, the traditional Spanish sangria are much cheaper, so if you’re bent on going on a bender, do it with either of those three. Or, if that’s not your style, long drinks are also much less expensive than the killer cocktails (a Cinzano and lemonade, a.k.a. a dry Martini, costs about four Euros).
Eating out
Again, the price of eating out varies depending on where you go and what you have (being a coastal resort, fish is the specialty in Torremolinos, so obviously if you have lobster or crab you can expect the price of your meal to be higher), but generally a meal at a restaurant costs about fifteen to twenty Euros for a generic fish-based, pasta or pizza dish.
Supermarket prices
Prices drop significantly when you shop at local supermarkets (Mercadona is the favourite around the Torremolinos area for the locals, whereas visitors favour the more tourist-friendly Carrefour). A bottle of wine in a supermarket costs around six Euros, beer is really cheap, and you can easily busy enough food, drink and living supplies for two to three people for a week for under one hundred Euros (a great tip if you’re staying in a rented apartment, for example in the Flatotel, or even a villa). Another handy tip: Carrefour also stocks cheap clothing essentials, such as flip flops, shorts, t-shirts and underwear, just in case you forgot something.