I was on holiday recently and went to an area where very few girls spoke English. Almost every time I approached, I got a 'que' back and just decided to end it there.
A few nights on, I'm sitting on a beach with my friend drinking and a gorgeous girl walks over and sits on some rocks near us, so I spy her looking at me and walk over. Me and the girl start chatting, or rather, attempt chatting but she speaks no English whatsoever. I try a couple of routines but she can't understand, only every 6 or 7 words at best and eventually I call her beautiful in Spanish, then start getting IOI's.
Looking back, I probably should have just pointed at my lips, but I ended up getting frustrated and leaving. In future, how should I handle this situation? If the girl is unresponsive to the stupidly applied AFC 'you are beautiful' line (or in my case, pointing at her and saying 'hermosa')?

everyone understands body language Id try just inviting her for a walk Ie gesture, and lead with movement rather than words.
learn how to say "can you teach me some spanish words" in spanish

or just learn the language. nothing is worse than someone who visits a country and cant speak the language. fuck it is frustrating.

Noted. In process of learning the language for when I go back as well, hated feeling so ignorant for knowing very little of the language.

not knowing the launguage seems like a perfect excuse to be extra touchy
push the kino ladder get her confortable with touch and blame any offence on misunderstandings, haha Gold!

Foreing girls can be picked up in beaches and clubs.

In a beach, avoid talking about complex things, just comunicate with body language and basic words. In a beach, one of the best strategies is to play with the girls (ball, tennis, water polo, voley ball...):

1) it doesn't involve speaking and there is a kind of comunication in the game.
2) You can kino a lot and you can spend much time playing with them.
3) Girls don't think you are traying to pick up them because you are just having fun.
4) You are supposed to be better at the game than the girls, so you have the control of the game. You can show off and you can let girls win.

In a club, you don't really need to speak, there is a lot of stuff about this in the forum.

I totally see where you are coming from. I personally like taking trips to Eastern Europe, not exactly a place where English is a lingua franca. So what I usually do is get a small, pocket-size travel dictionary in the local language. Then, while in the field and when you are getting IOIs you can use it to read random lines to girls who don't speak English (or any other language you speak). It will make them laugh, guaranteed. Then try to isolate one of them and she'll be all over you. Physically, that is, becuase she will also know that the verbal part might as well be skipped.