We decided to go and visit Estepona as we had heard so many good things about it, particularly the old town, and we weren’t disappointed.
We parked up in a car park by the marina, visited the town, stayed the night in the car park and left the next day. The marina was very popular with boats, there didn’t appear to be many spaces available and they seemed to have a thriving boat maintenance business and fish market. The area was also full of restaurants and bars, they were everywhere and pretty popular.
Our walk for the day took us past the busy marina, all the way down the seafront promenade, past the modern shopping centre and then back up into the old town. Lots of the old town was pedestrian only, helped by the fact the roads and walkways were pretty narrow. I can imagine in the summer months it would be bustling with people anyway and most cars would want to stay out of the way!
Many of the streets in the old town were picture postcard fantastic. Nearly all of the houses were whitewashed and in each of the streets, the owners had flowers everywhere in tubs and hanging baskets, with each of the streets having their own colour scheme. In one street all the tubs and hanging baskets were all coordinated blue, while in the next street they were green and the next street red, etc.
The neatness of the place and the sheer coordination of everything was simply stunning. We strolled around the old town and eventually found a tiny little square that was full of orange trees where the cafe advertised the best coffee in Estepona. How could we say no to that? We then spent the next 45 minutes enjoying the surroundings and listening out for the next ripe orange to fall and land on the cobbled square. Strange to think that fresh ripe oranges are ‘litter’ here and get brushed up and thrown away every day.
There were also pretty little water fountains in quiet plazas where benches were strategically placed for weary holidaymakers to rest their feet and soak up the sun.
All in all, we had a very relaxing and chilled time checking out what the old town of Estepona had to offer. It won’t take you long to visit and wander the streets of the old town, but if you want to extend your stay, there is a lovely sandy beach and all the usual trappings of a holiday destination.
Where we stayed for Estepona
Parking details: Free car park (does say no motor homes)
Location: A few spots in the car park next to the marina. Most campers park along the roadway next to the water, or you can park on the back row in the corner and hang over the pavement. There is also a muddy patch of ground past the car park but that doesn’t look very appealing
SatNav: See the pin on our maps page under the Free section for exact location
Facilities: Hardstanding, well lit and quiet at night, regular police patrols, lots of good restaurants nearby
Price: Free