We were not sure if the Costa del Sol was for us. It seemed to be very busy and overdeveloped. But we were keen to stay near the beach and just relax for five days as a kind of mini break within our longer trip. Researching the area, I noticed that Estepona seemed to have retained at least some of the Spanish village feel we were looking for. Seeing some pictures of the flower lined streets, then finding a traditional white house to stay in, sealed the deal. It turned out to be perfect for us.
After settling in, (and making use of the washing machine!) we explored the beautiful streets. Around 100 streets have flower pots and tubs along them. Each street had a colour scheme for the flower pots.
In some corners, there were clusters of multi-coloured pots. There were also bigger floral displays and gardens everywhere.
Over the next few days, we wandered the streets, went to the beach, ate out (and in), walked to the port, walked the other way along the boardwalk, went to the Orchidarium and enjoyed this delightful town. We had intended to go to Marbella or somewhere else for the day, but found we were happy just to stay put for the five days and enjoy Estepona. Hence this is not such a wordy post. We had restaurants nearby (loved Taberna Miguel) as well as fruit shops and a supermarket, so had no need to venture further afield. Finding a central and free parking spot the first day probably had something to do with it too. We were reluctant to move the car until we had to and judging by the bird poo and leaves on some of the other cars, we were not the only ones.
The orchids were amazing in the Orchidarium, especially the aptly named slipper orchids. We also loved the street murals – there are so many that I have done a separate post about them. Estepona’s mayor seems to be very go ahead with fantastic projects for improving the town. I want him for my suburb!
Loved this tiny ‘supermarket’ – so different from the larger places around town.
Feeling totally relaxed and well fed, we were ready for La Linea and a visit to Gibraltar.
