Estepona

Estepona has a wonderful, quiet cove Playa de Cristo, a long, sandy beach called La Rada (see details at bottom of page) and Costa Natura, Spains first nudist village and beach. The beaches are very clean and well cared for and all have bars on them. In total there is 23km of sand. The harbour, built in 1977 is of two parts and is located a short walk from the centre. Half is mainly fishing orientated, the other mostly sports and modern marina facilities.
The town is of attractive construction, combining modern with old and has many places to see including the Plaza de las Flores and the Torre de Reloj (clock tower). There is a wonderful Wednesday market at which all manners of local produce can be found. Estepona has a good, internal bus system along with ample supplies of local taxis. Hotels are low-rise and quite rare. There are thousands of apartments for sale or rent.

The climate of the Estepona area is a big attraction to tourists for it has an average annual temperature of 18.7o. The golf is also a major attraction as there are 8 courses in this area alone out of over 40 on the Costa del Sol.

If you take time to explore Estepona you will discover the quiet resting place in the centre known as Plaza de las Flores,surrounded by quaint bars and orange trees. The clock tower in Plaza del Reloj, built by Henry V, dates from the 15th century and still keeps perfect time. See the tool museum near the bullring which has an impressive array of tools from the town's history.

The old town is worth a visit with narrow streets and whitewashed houses with flowers on the balconies, bright doorways and street names in ceramic tiles. The port is a busy fishing harbour with sports facilities also, and outdoor restaurants.
Nearby is the Selwo park - a safari park where you are taken in special vehicles around the expansive grounds to see exotic animals.

Historical Note :
The Phoenicians, Romans and Arabs all feature in Estepona’s history.

In the 9th and 7th centuries B.C., the Phoenicians came to these shores, founding settlements and mixing with local tribes.

At the end of the 3rd century B.C., the wars between the Carthaginians and the Romans ended with the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by the latter. The most important settlement of the Roman era is to be found near the River Guadalmansa, where there are remains of baths which may have belonged to the Roman city of Salduba.

At the beginning of the 8th century, the Moslem conquest took place. A fortress, El Nicio Castle, was built, and, later, during the reign of Caliph Abderraman III another was constructed and given the name Estebbuna Castle, which is still an enigma today as nobody has ever managed to decipher the meaning of this denomination.

In 1456, Estepona was captured by the troops of King Henry IV of Castile. After the 1492 reconquest of Granada, Estepona’s strategic position influenced the Catholic Monarchs’ decision to rebuild the old Moslem castle, reinforcing the south side and adding a separate fortress known as San Luis Castle as well as erecting a number of watchtowers along the whole of the Estepona coast.

Accommodation :
Las Dunas Beach ***** CtraN340 150 rooms tel: 952 794 345
Atalya Park Golf **** CtraN340 448 rooms tel: 952 884 801
Santa Marta *** CtraN340 37 rooms tel: 952 888 177

DISTANCE FROM THE CAPITAL (km) : 83

ALTITUDE ABOVE SEA LEVEL (m) : 21

PLUVIOMETRÍA (l/m2) : 900

AREA (km2) : 137

Nº OF INHABITANTS : 39.178

NAME FOR PEOPLE : Esteponeros

POSTCODE : 29680

PHONE NUMBER FOR INFORMATION : Tourist Office: 952-80-20-02