IF you want to see gays and older men sit side by side without necessarily being perverts, then go to Torremolinos. Torremolinos, which is situated in the northern part of Costa del Sol in Spain, is a haven for both gays and older men. It used to be one of the mainstream tourist destinations in Costa del Sol in the 70s, 80s and 90s but the mushrooming of very beautiful high-end resorts down south has caused its decline, causing the gays and the older men to take over.

Gays maintain a dozen bars in Torremolinos while the place is also a haven for British retirees so there’s definitely no surprise if you can see a gay and an old man sitting side by side. But aside from those, there are lots of features in Torremolinos that you need to explore. There’s Aqualand, probably the best water park in the whole of Spain and I’ll mention a few of their attractions. The black hole has a total of 100 meters of bends and breathtaking drops. It also has a children’s swimming pool, Jacuzzi, rapids, another freefalling slide attraction called boomerang (self explanatory, try to figure on why it’s called as such, use your imagination and you’ll really be enticed to come here), the fastest of the slides which is the crazy race, super slalom, the highest water slide in Europe at 22 meters called kamikaze, twister, a beach with artificial surf and laguna tropical. To go there, there are shuttle buses for free from Torremolinos town proper. Entrance at the water park is at 19.50 euros for adults and 14 euros for kids and senior citizens.

Even though only gays and retirees inhabit this northern part of Costa del Sol, Torremolinos is one of the cleanest towns in Spain. Every morning, the residents of this cute little community take turns sweeping the beaches in getting rid of trash left behind by a few insensitive tourists. The other tourists who witness these noble acts are impressed and follow the examples of the Torremolinos residents.

The temperature in Torremolinos is relatively warm as compared to those staying in the northern part of the continent and even in the United States. The sun can be seen glaring throughout the day even at the height of winter with temperatures reaching as high as 65 degrees F.

Now, here’s a tip for you – since Torremolinos is not a prime tourist destination unlike its more affluent counterparts (not that it’s not affluent itself) in Costa del Sol and the whole Andalucia, hotels and hostels here are sometimes vacant during winter. So if you want to cuddle up with your loved one, come in this part of Spain.

There’s one hotel which is not located in Torremolinos itself but it is situated just a few miles back – the Melia Costa del Sol. This hotel has a total of 540 rooms and all the amenities of a four-star hotel room can be found in each one, including a smoking area in each room. So for a change, try your vacation here in Torremolinos.