Empire of the Sol

ONCE upon a time, Spain’s Costa del Sol was a simple string of fishing villages.

A sleepy coastline stretching from Algericas in the west to Almeria in the east, it had no high-rise towers, tourists were a novelty, and a young Picasso sat doodling his way through school in Malaga.

Today, it is rather different. Since Spain reimagined itself as a tourist destination in the 1950s, the Costa del Sol has metamorphosed into an all-singing, all-dancing, package holiday hit parade. Millions of visitors come every year, and whether they’re squeezing into one-star apartments in Torremolinos or power-boats in Puerto Banus, they’re after the same things: sun, sea, and sand.