The Casino del Mar is the building that makes it clear Torrevieja was once seriously prosperous. Built in the late 19th century when the salt trade was at its height, it served as the social club and meeting place for the merchants and families who ran the salt business — a function reflected in its scale and ornament, which are considerably more ambitious than you would expect in a town of this size. The seafront façade, with its colonnaded arcade and decorative detailing, is the visual anchor of the paseo marítimo and appears in most photographs of the town.
The building is now used as a cultural centre, hosting exhibitions, concerts, and civic events. The interior has been restored and is worth seeing if it is open — the main hall in particular retains the atmosphere of a 19th-century bourgeois social club. The terrace café attached to the building is one of the better places on the promenade for a coffee or a drink, with a direct view over the seafront and the port. The Casino del Mar also serves as the main stage for the Habaneras Festival in August, when singers perform on its steps and in the square in front of it. Even if nothing is on, it is the natural stopping point on any walk along the waterfront — the building demands attention in a town that is otherwise architecturally modest.