When eating out, I try not to spend huge amounts of money (which I haven’t got), but to satisfy the needs of both adult hunger pangs and children (which I have). Believe it or not, economy, friendly service and reasonable quality of food are all to be found in the centre of Arroyo de la Miel.

The Curry Place (Avenida de la Constitucion, 58, open 7 days a week, lunch 1 pm – 3.30 pm, evening 6 pm – 11.30 pm, telephone: 952578329 or 627303643), by the local police station, has a large terrace which offers ample playing space. There was a funny little two-year-old boy who wanted to play with my daughters. They ate chicken with chips. Was that chicken coated with something? It must have been chicken tikka or something because it was very tasty and juicy. My husband ordered the set menu that had poppadoms and chutney, chopped onions and yoghurt and coriander (unfortunately the girls ate most of it before he could say chicken madras). Then came the onion bhajis which were so delicious that even my picky teenaged daughter ate one and I helped a bit too. After this, there was a medium spicy chicken curry accompanied by pilau rice and a bottle of quite a nice red Jumilla wine (for the two of us). The lamb bhoona, was really good, especially when scooped up with some warm nan bread. To finish off, we had home-made ice-cream. One was made with almonds, the other with mangos and both were very refreshing. A little cup of aniseeds came with the bill and we chewed on the refreshing herb while the girls did cartwheels, splits and karate practice with the round-faced, smiling, little boy.

The Curry Place is next door to a traditional Spanish meson, a Chinese restaurant and a brightly lit-up fish and seafood restaurant. Across the road is the Forum Carvery Steak and Fish Restaurant, (telephone 650 615 564, open from Tuesday to Saturday 18.30 – 22.30 and Sunday 13.30 to 21.30). All the dishes are cooked fresh to order and they have a mouth-watering selection such as Thai Green Curry with Chicken and Prawns or Baileys Balls, which are part of the menu of the day, and grilled sea bass served with a cream of mustard sauce or lamb shank in mint gravy and for dessert, white chocolate mousse cake or Baileys cheesecake. Yum! On Sundays there is an “all you can eat” roast dinner with beef, chicken and pork served with roast potatoes, stuffing, Yorkshire pudding and a huge selection of vegetables. The restaurant is newly furnished with spotless elegance. The atmosphere is serene and the waitress really polite and friendly.

Back on the other side of the road and further towards the centre of Arroyo, is the Wok Asiatico (Avenida de la Constitución, 35, 952 442121). It is a great buffet place for all the family (even grandparents). Now they have a grill as well, if you don’t want too much in the way of sauces, and the barbecued prawns are really popular, judging by the quantities carried on customers’ plates. My daughters always love buffets merely to get about six helpings of ice-cream each, countless spring rolls, noodles and Chinese bread rolls (sometimes I have to put my foot down before they make themselves really sick). Perhaps it is not a good place for really small children on the rampage as there are obviously people walking around with hot food on their plates.

When you get to the roundabout at the top of Frederico Garcia Lorca, walk uphill passing by the main Supersol supermarket, and turn right off Avenida Salvador Vicente into the pedestrianised Paseo Generalife. This is a good place to go when the children refuse to take off their roller skates, as there is no traffic and there are a few terraces to choose from for tired grown-ups. We occasionally go to the Pizzeria Verona (13.00 to 16.00 and 19.00 and 24.00, Paseo del Generalife, local 15, 952 44 78 86) which is reasonably priced, the servings are quite large (ask for their lovely cheese-topped garlic bread while waiting for people to choose from the menu) and the smell that emanates from the kitchen is irresistible. If peckish in between meals, there is the Meson Losada (local 22) that specializes in Iberian ham, Spanish wines and cheap beer. Best of all, is Espi Verdú Helados which makes probably the best homemade ice-cream in Benalmadena. They also have sugar-free ice-cream. All of the bars and eateries here have terraces in the summer months and there is a slide and a ramshackle climbing frame at one end of the Paseo for kids who aren’t interested in waiting for parents to finish eating.

Going back downhill to Avenida de la Constitucion again, is our other favourite Chinese restaurant right next to Burger King and opposite the big playground in the centre of Arroyo de la Miel. The attraction about this place is not its quality, which is very much the same as any other cheap Chinese restaurant, but the speed and friendliness of the service. I have turned up with a party of eight people on a busy August evening and we were seated and served in half an hour (although the granny sitting in the corner did lose her seat, poor thing).

Further along towards the Casa de Cultura and the Renfe Station is the Terrace Café Bar (past Reserve Naturelle). This is a great place to go for lunch, or I should say “breakfast”, because breakfast is served until 3.30 pm. The massive proportions and tastiness of their “typical” British breakfast (bacon, sausages, eggs, beans, mushrooms, black pudding, tomatoes and toast for just €5) are obviously what makes the Terrace Bar so successful. They also offer a smaller version of the breakfast for smaller people. Also a favourite place for young people, is La Calvareña Hamburgueseria (opposite the Plaza de la Mezquita and near by the Casa de Cultura) which serves up spectacular camperos. Camperos are made from buns, about 16 cm. across, filled with meat, ham, cheese, fried egg and salad, and are much more real than the pre-packaged variety of hamburger available elsewhere. Be careful to get well covered up with napkins first as you can lick your fingers but not your skirt!

When you get to the end of Avenida de la Constitucion and find the savings bank Caja Madrid, turn right into Calle Vicente Alexandre, which is another pedestrian area that leads up to The White Rose. Just before you reach Calle San Juan, is the tapas bar Cerveceria Calamar (952 575807). A caña (a small glass of beer) is €1 and comes with a free tapa. Tapas can consist of freshly cooked mussels or small slices of bread topped with slices of oil-dressed tomato, onion and small fried fish. For every drink you order, you get a different tapa (there is a taxi ramp just outside the train station). On the menu are mostly seafood and typical snack things like potato salad and roasted peppers, all very reasonably priced. The fresh fish that comes as a tapa is so delicately battered and fried that you’ll want to stay and order the dishes. The terrace is very pleasant in the evenings for people who want to enjoy the cool September breeze.

Unfortunately, I have managed to include only a small number of the establishments in the centre of Arroyo as my wallet, my dress size nor the length of this article would allow for a more extensive survey. Now, where shall I go for a diet?