Our history at MS Tropicana Beach Club
Hotel Tropicana opened its doors in 1961, when it was founded by the controversial Don Mauricio Beriro, an iconic figure that needs no introduction in Torremolinos of yesteryear.
Our peculiar hotel owner created this entertaining, pioneering bamboo-decked summer venue where celebrity figures would come together to relax with a drink or two after sunbathing all day.
1961
The newspapers
at the time reported
how famous
personalities would parade around
, not wanting to miss out on
the most on-trend place to be
of that moment.
The newspapers
at the time reported
how famous
personalities would parade around
, not wanting to miss out on
the most on-trend place to be
of that moment.
1963
It was the summer of 1963, during one of Don Mauricio’s scantily-clad soirées, when – all of a sudden – due to all the hip-swinging, the heat or maybe the poor-quality glue, the strategically placed flowers covering one of the reveller’s breasts fell to the floor for all to see!
Don Mauricio, what a fuss they’d make of that!
The news spread like wildfire throughout the province, until Málaga’s Civil Government caught wind of it, which, in response to the sarcastic explanations from our enraged owner, decided to land him a 30,000 peseta fine.
Mr Beriro, as could only be expected, had a trick up his sleeve: a photograph. Among the fiesta’s flora and fauna dancing in the photo was the perfectly recognisable high command of the Civil Guard in the thick of it.…
From then on, all of Don Mauricio’s parties were very well received. He stuck to his guns and cultivated his Beach Club, next to a hotel, which would continue to be the talk of the town for some time.
It was on our beaches that the Costa del Sol would first witness women in skimpy bikinis – and by bikini we mean just the bottom half.
1972
Our Beach Club left its mark on that cosmopolitan Torremolinos, a laboratory of new trends.
Letting his imagination run wild – which was progressive and advanced for his times – our owner launched the first “Hawaiian parties”. The men would don vibrant colourful shirts, while the women would carefully cover the bare minimum with dainty flowers.
These controversial parties would attract a star-studded crowd from across Spain, who would land in the Costa del Sol, queuing to enter our Beach Club, rubbing shoulders with all the revellers, trying to discover what all the hype was about.
Revellers from the time recall their usual route: first stop was the Hotel bar, where the first drink would be had, but not many more as they had to single-handedly reach the Beach Club, where the evening would reach its climax and they would welcome in the night with plenty of drinking and dancing!
We would like to thank torremolinoschic.com for giving us permission to use the amazing photos to illustrate the Tropicana Beach Club’s history page.
Our Beach Club now
The Beach Club still belongs to the Hotel Tropicana, part of the MS HOTELES, chain, led by one of the most dazzling entrepreneurs the Costa de Sol will ever know, Miguel Sánchez Hernández.
Miguel is synonymous with quality, know-how, perseverance, talent, and innovation. In short, Don Mauricio, you can rest assured, your complex couldn’t be in better hands!
Miguel Sánchez Hernández Founder and CEO of MS Hoteles. Chair of the Tourism Board of the Andalucía’s Confederation of Employers (CEA)