Usually during the height of the summer tourist season the main beach at Torremolinos on Spain's Costa del Sol is packed with sunseekers.
But despite the clear skies and soaring temperatures, row after row of sun beds this year lie empty.
Above the beach, business at the bars, restaurants and stores selling bright red souvenir flamenco dresses and Real Madrid jerseys that line the boardwalk is slow with many outdoor patios deserted. Some shops are closed for repairs.
"This is the worst I have ever seen it. There is no one on the beach," said Pedro Hervas who has sold freshly squeezed orange juice from a stand in the shape of a large orange installed on the boardwalk for the past two decades.
"If you came here last year at this time you would not be able to get around, there would be so many cars and people," the 57-year-old added as he pointed to the road and beach in front of his stand.
Spain is feeling the pinch of a drop in visitors, especially from Britain, its main source of tourists, as the recession leads northern European sunseekers to take their holidays at home this year or choose cheaper beach destinations like Egypt or Turkey.
The drop in the pound to near parity with the euro has fuelled the decline in the number of British tourists, who account for one-quarter of all visitors to Spain, as it has made spending a few days in the sun at Mediterranean resorts like Torremolinos, Benidorm and Ibiza more expensive.
During the first half of the year Spain received 23.6 million foreign visitors, an 11.4 per cent drop over the same time last year, according to ministry of tourism figures.
The number of British tourists fell 16.3 per cent during the period to 6.1 million.
The government predicts the number of foreign visitors to the country during the summer, which it defines as July, August and September, will drop by 10 per cent.
The tourists who are coming are spending less than in other years, adding to the financial pain of shop and hotel owners.
Robert Downey, a 57-year-old former Glasgow taxi driver who runs a pub with a seafaring theme that serves fish and chips in Torremolinos with his wife, said his business is down between 30 and 40 per cent this year.
"People used to come in at nine o'oclock at night and have four or five drinks. Now they are coming in at 10 o'clock and having just two or three drinks. Many people are worried," he said as he stood behind the counter of his empty bar.