Estepona

Has a population of some 48.000 inhabitants which increases substantially in summertime. Its privileged positioning amongst the mountainous landscape of Sierra Bermeja and the 21 kilometres of coastline of its municipal district, make it into an important holiday destination, ideal for the practice of watersports, golf, mountain sports and adventure.

The largest town and main services centre to the west of the Costa del Sol is Estepona, which lies in beautiful natural surroundings and at the foot of the stunning crimson Sierra Bermeja mountains, home to the rare Pinsapo pine tree. It's a medium sized town, although growth in the last few years has been spectacular and one that's increasingly popular with foreign residents. The town is attractive and centred around the main church with several pedestrian streets and squares. The promenade is also attractive and the town has tree-lined boulevards at its entrances. The town is less developed than other coastal towns and has retained much of its original character and is probably the most Spanish of the tourism resorts. The 23km of coastline has excellent and well maintained beaches with life-saving staff during the summer months.

History

The oldest human remains found in Estepona are from the Cooper and Bronze Ages.
Amongst the numerous Phoenician and Roman settlements, the ruins at the mouth of the Guadalmansa River stand out; these could have belonged to the Roman town of Saldabuda. The Arabs were the founders of the city of Esstebbunna, the origin of the present day of Estepona. In 1456, it is conquered by King Enrique IV of Castilla and a little later is totally destroyed. At the beginning of the Sixteenth Century, Los Reyes Católicos order the reconstruction of the walls of Estepona, due to its excellent, strategic position, and makes use of 30 families for its repopulation. In 1729, Felipe V grants the "Privilegio de Villazgo" to a prosperous population of more than 600 inhabitants, which carries on growing even nowadays.

Attractions

Furthermore, the town has a series of special, entertainment attractions: Selwo Nature Park, school of equestrian art "Costa del Sol" and, of course, a modern conference centre and a renowned maritime yachting harbour .

Sights

Worth visiting are: the ruins of the Castle of Nicio, "La Torre del Reloj", the beacon towers, the remains of the Castle of San Luis, the Church of Ntra. Sra. De los Remedios, the house of Los Marqueses de Mondéjar and, obviously, the inusual Plaza de Toros (Bullring), which houses the municipal museums of Estepona.

As far as festivities are concerned, one must point out: "Las Fiestas Mayores", at the beginning of July; "La Virgen del Carmen", which is celebrated on the 16th of July, with a colourful, maritime procession; the night of San Juan, in which the "Juas" are burnt; and the 15th of May, the feast of San Isidro. In the field of agriculture, Estepona produces annually an important quantity of citric fruits, apart from growing a series of products very much in demand like aloes.

Restaurants

In its more than one hundred restaurants, one can enjoy a splendid culinary offer, from the most traditional cuisine to the most innovate or international.
Classic dishes in its cuisine are the country soup, "sardines al espeto" or "sardines a la teja", and the different varieties of fried fish. Their own produced goat cheese deserves a separate mention; produced from milk of the Estepona goat, recognised as a breed and winner of numerous national and international competitions.

Usefull Information

Local Holidays: 15th May is the town's patron saint's day. The main fair takes places during the first week of July and Estepona also celebrates the Virgen del Carmen on 16th July.
Distance from Malaga Airport 80km
Town Hall. Estepona 952-801-100
Local police station 952-808-040

Services

Estepona has excellent services and amenities. Shopping facilities are good and include a Carrefour on the outskirts in the east and a daily indoor market for fresh produce as well as numerous shops in the centre. The town has numerous leisure facilities including a sports centre, marina and many golf courses in the immediate vicinity. An indoor pool is due to open shortly.
Medical Services: There are two public health centres and advanced plans for a day hospital, which will include beds for emergency cases, due to be completed in the near future. There are also numerous private clinics and practices.

There are several small commercial centres housing a variety of services, although estate agents, restaurants and furniture shops predominate. The area has chemists, two supermarkets and little else in the way of essential shops. There are also several large garden centres.

The administrative area of Estepona ends at the Guadalmina river, where on the east side the district of Marbella starts. There's short stretch of the A-7 before you reach San Pedro de Alcántara, where the exclusive urbanisation of Guadalmina is found. This is home to an attractive golf course and many luxury residences.

Communications

There is one local bus that runs from the policía local station in the west of the town to Carrefour in the east and back. Parking is difficult in Estepona, particularly around the centre, although a large municipal car park in the Avda. De Andalucía in the centre is currently under construction.

Property

The property market in Estepona, both in the town and district is currently booming and there are a lot of new developments. There's a good choice of property available, both resale and new. Reflecting the current boom, prices in Estepona have risen even more sharply than the rest of the Costa del Sol.

The Estepona coastline to the east of the town is growing fast and development is currently intense and there's now little land left to build on. This area is home to numerous urbanisations on both sides of the A-7 some of which are luxury, others more modest as well as several commercial centres and hotels, including the 5-star"Great Luxury" Kempinsky and Las Dunas hotels. The area is very much influenced by foreigners and English is widely spoken, Property is mainly apartments and townhouses, although some small urbanisations also have villas. The beaches are grey sand and well-maintained all year round.
From west to east the main urbanisations are: Alcazaba Beach; Dominion Beach; Hacienda Beach; Selwo Hills; Cabo Bermejo where Estepona´s Golden Mile is situated and Costalita II development; Park Beach; Costalita; El Saladillo on the beach side opposite Bel Air; Benamara and the large El Paraiso to the north of the A-7; and Atalaya on the west bank of the Guadalmina river.

Costa del Sol Villages