Monument to the
traditional Andalusian horseman |
Fuengirola is one of the most important tourist
towns on the eastern Costa de Sol, its municipal area extending almost
eleven square kilometres along the coast between Benalmádena and Mijas. The
northeast boundary is the Arroyo del Jardín stream, and the south–eastern
one is at the mouth of the Fuengirola River. In the extreme north the
terrain is mountainous, speckled with housing developments. The area offers
the best in tourism: beautiful landscape and everything for the tourist from
the best restaurants to the top hotels, and a great deal more besides. Add
to this the big marina, the nightspots and the numerous bars, and one has a
very privileged town. The
origin of the name is probably Spanish rather than Roman or Moorish, having
no connection whatsoever with the Roman Suel or Arabic Sohail and deriving
from a type of ship that used to dock here. The
Phoenicians settled here on the hill outside the present town centre that
the Romans later built a castle on, calling it Suel, and this soon became
the focal point of the settlement. It also became an important part of the
defensive line against pirate attacks from the coast. The ruins of the
castle can be clearly seen on the hill from the main coast road into the
town from Marbella. Fuengirola became an
independent municipality in the 1953, quickly growing into the busy tourist
town it is today. Among the most important of the archaeological remains in
the municipality are the Roman hot baths at Torreblanca, the remains of
various Roman roads in the area, Cañada Real and the marble pieces found in
the Mijas quarries. These were used to build a monument in the form of a
temple in the Plaza de Castilla in Los Boliches. The
Visigoths were, in fact, the first to settle here, but more in passing than
as permanent residents. The Moorish presence was consolidated from the 8th
century onwards, and evidence of their settlements is the burial ground
discovered near the hot springs at Torreblanca. It was from this period that
we get the name Sohail, a bastardisation of the Latin Suel. It was destroyed
in a Viking raid in 858, and the people took refuge in Mijas. It was not
until the 10th century that the Cordoba leader, Abderramán III,
reconstructed the fortress and re-built the urban centre, and it remained in
Moorish hands until captured by the Christians in 1487. The
castle was reconstructed again in the 18th century with the aim
of fighting smugglers in the area, and from then on the town became an
important supply centre for ships sailing towards the Straits of Gibrtaltar.
It was at this time that the place became definitively known as Fuengirola,
the name deriving from a Genoa ship called a "girona", that
frequently made harbour here, trading in groceries (boliches). Thus the name
Los Boliches, formerly separate from but now forming part of the same urban
area as Fuengirola.
Places
to be visited
 |
Paseo
Marítimo
The esplanade in Fuengirola, called the Paseo Marítimo Rey de
España, is one of the longest in the country. Its almost
seven-kilometre length looks out over beaches with chiringuitos
and restaurants along the way. Here too is the marina, a pleasure
port of the first order, filled with bars and good restaurants
and, of course, all types of boats. Tradition and modernity meet
here, with the fishermen’s boats sharing this space too, and a
street market there on Sundays. The marina can hold 226 boats,
about half of them there on a temporary basis.
Sohail Castle
Sohail Castle is one of the most interesting buildings in the
town, and following the work carried out there, it is currently
used for holding cultural events, like the Festival Ciudad de
Fuengirola. Opening hours are 10 to 2 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m., and
the building is closed on Mondays. There is a small museum inside,
showing different aspects of the castle.
Palacio de la Paz
One of the newest buildings in Fuengirola is the recently
inaugurated cultural centre in the feria grounds, built on 2,000
square metres with capacity for 1,800 people. It was designed in
such a way that the three storeys can be used for different
cultural activities. The ground floor can hold 1,200 people, and
has entrances on three sides. On the first floor are most of the
balconies and boxes, while the second floor is more suitable for
exhibitions and other big events. The building is fully equipped
with the latest sound and vision technology.
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| Where
to eat |
El
Higuerón. Specialising in barbecued meats and Fabada
Asturiana. Autopista Costa del Sol, salida 217. Tel: 952 119 163.
Chiringuito Martín Playa.
Specialising in fish and seafood. Pso. Marítimo Torreblanca. Tel:
952 661 320.
El Paso. Mexican cuisine.
C/Francisco Cano, 39. Tel: 952 475 094.
Mesón Agustín. Specialising
in barbecued meats. C/Francisco Cano, 39. Tel: 952 475 094.
Mesón Ibáñez. Specialising
in fish and paella. Pso. Marítimo Los Boliches. Tel: 952 475 579.
Bar-Restaurante El Bote.
Specialising in fish and seafood. Pso. Marítimo Rey de Esapaña.
Torreblanca del Sol. Tel: 952 660 296.
La Ternera. Specialising in
Argentinian cuisine. Pso. Marítimo 47/48. Tel: 952 199 224.
Casa Lugo. Specialising in
Galician cuisine. Cno de la Condesa, Edf. Condesa 1. Tel: 952 588
220.
Restaurante La Grappa.
Specialising in Spanish/Italian cuisine. Cervantes, 21. Tel: 952
584 579.
Restaurante Taberna del Pescador.
Specialising in fish and seafood. C/Heroes de Baler, 4. Tel: 952
474 167.
Restaurante Alberto.
Specialising in paella, fish and seafood. Pso. Marítimo (in front
of the Florida hotel). Tel: 952 580 985.
China Garden. Chinese cuisine.
Specialising in Peking Duck. Fco.Cano, 17. Tel: 952 469 860.
Mesón La Salina. Specialising in
barbecued meats and papas a lo "rico" (a potato dish).
Avda. de las Salinas, 28 Tel: 952 471 806.
Restaurante La Albaida.
Creative Spanish cooking. Plaza Picasso, 4. Tel: 952 592 744.
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| Where
to sleep |
Hotel
Las Palmeras (4*). Paseo Marítimo, 46. Tel: 952 472
700.
Hotel Las Pirámides (4*).
Miguel Márquez, 43. Tel: 952 470 600.
Hotel Angela (3*). C/Jaen, 2.
Tel: 952 475 200.
Hotel PYR (3*). Lamo de
Espinosa, 6. Tel: 952 471 700.
Hotel Stella Maris (3*). Paseo
Marítimo, 54. Tel: 952 475 450.
Hotel Las Islas (2*).
C/Canela, 13. Tel: 952 475 598.
Camping Fuengirola. Ctra.340
Km. 207. Tel: 952 474 108.
Camping La Rosaleda. Ctra.340
Km. 211,5. Tel: 952 460 191.
Rural
Accommodation in the province of Malaga
(in
Spanish)
|
View of the marina |
FIESTAS
The big festival in Fuengirola is the feria in honour of the Virgen del
Rosario, and it takes place in October. The Holy Week celebrations are
very important here too, as is the noche de San Juan, the night of San
Juan, which takes place at the summer solstice. Another event not to be
missed is the festival of the Virgen del Carmen, patron saint of the sea.
During the month of August there are a number of festivals and cultural
activities, such as the Festival Ciudad de Fuengirola, which takes place
in the castle.
GASTRONOMY
The cuisine of Fuengirola is what one
would expect in any cosmopolitan place like this: the best of traditional
fare with the best of international cooking to suit the sophisticated
taste of the many thousands of foreign tourists that come here every year.
The traditional cuisine of the area is based on fish and seafood, with
sardines on the spit and fish cooked in salt the favourites. One of the
best areas for restaurants is along the esplanade itself.
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