Beside the mouth of the Velez River, located on the coast and 4km from the city of Velez is Torre del Mar, with more than 15,000 inhabitants and a spectacular urban development during the last 25 years. The number of inhabitants swells to 150,000 from June to September. Thanks to the sub-tropical climate, Torre del Mar is surrounded by agricultural land, primarily connected with the production of sugar cane. The land is also being put to use in the production of out-of-season fruits such as kiwi, mangos and avocados. Until the 70's it was a small fishing village. Tourism has however transformed it over the last few years and it has suffered to large, unorganised apartment developments. Torre del Mar is however, able to boast one of the best promenades on the Costa del Sol and a small avenue and park from the beginning of the century.

Its most popular and important festival is on 16th July, in honour of the Virgen del Carmen. It consists of a candle ceremony and maritime procession.

Despite its closeness to Velez-Malaga where all manners of historical attractions lie, Torre del Mar offers the visitor a relative amount of peace and quiet, all year round with time to sunbathe and enjoy the local cuisine. Many of the Spanish residents of the big cities come here along with visitors of all nationalities.

The town almost has two faces - that of the summer with the tower blocks and discos heaving with holiday makers and the tranquil face of winter when the town almost sleeps, awaiting the arrival of the following summer. The winter face is the true face of the inhabitants of Torre del Mar. Nevertheless, the number of visitors arriving to holiday in the winter is now on the increase and possibly one day the town will have a more stable number of residents. Already, local facilities are in place to cope with demand. There are no shortage of shops, bars, restaurants, hotels and specialised things like a yacht club and international schools.