The Clock Tower |
Estepona is one of the most westerly towns on the
Costa del Sol, situated between Marbella and Manilva at the foot of the
Sierra Bermeja mountains. It is thus protected from the cold northern winds
and maintains a mild climate all the year round.
The town centre conserves its old, typically
Andalusian style of architecture and town plan, balconies decorated with
flower pots and whitewashed houses. Estepona is also one of the most
important tourist towns on the southern coastline, with magnificent beaches
and facilities, excellent hotels and restaurants. It has a very prestigious
riding school, the Escuela de Arte Ecuestre de la Costa del Sol; a wildlife
park (Selwo) that is among the best in Europe, and a host of sporting
facilities for both water and mountain. The
Phoenicians, Romans and Moors have lived here, and the area was probably
first settled by the Phoenicians. The most important archaeological remains
in Estepona are those of the river Guadalmansa area, where the remains of
hot-springs, very likely dating from the time of the Roman city of Salduba,
were discovered. The town was conquered by the Moors at the beginning of the
eighth century, and a fortress called "Munt Nis" or the castle of
Nicio, was built. Later, in the time of the Abderramán II Caliphate,
another fortress was built, this time known as Estebunna. It
fell to the Christians in a raid by Enrique IV of Castille in 1456, and from
this time on the town became known by its present name, and the castle was
re-built. For a time, during the reign of Juana La Loca, Estepona was part
of the judicial area of Marbella, the population at that time being 600.
On April 21st,
1729, Estepona was granted administrative independence in a Carta de
Villazgo signed by King Felipe V in Sevilla, and the very documents
pertaining to this signing are still in the municipal archives.
Places
to be visited
 |
Church
of Los Remedios
With its interior recently refurbished, the Church of Los Remedios
is in the Plaza of San Francisco. It originally formed part of the
Franciscan Convent built at the end of the 18th century, but the
religious community left on the proclamation of the Law of
Disentailment (sale of Church lands) in 1835. The interior is
divided into three naves separated by semicircular arches on
pillars. The tower, built in 1795, has four storeys and is topped
by a pyramidal spite with a ceramic roof. The most outstanding
architectural element on the outside is the carved stone doorway,
dating from the year 1772.
Hermitage of El Calvario
The hermitage of El Calvario is a small 18th century building,
square at the base and arris vaulted with a simple exterior. The
tower of the old parish church is the only element remaining from
the primitive church, and was built in a peculiar form into the
main building. It was built in 1818, at a time that other
reconstruction work was also carried out on the whole. The 20
metre-high lighthouse was built in the 19th century.
Museums in Estepona
The Ethnological and Bull-fighting
Museums
Situated in the Plaza de Toros, open Mondays to Fridays from 9 to
3 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 to 2 p.m. In this museum we can see
the tools and implements used in both farming and fishing in times
gone by, since Estepona has a long tradition in both fields. More
recently, the farmers of the area have been producing large
quantities of citrus fruits, and also cultivating newer crops like
avocado pears and aloe, more usually associated with tropical
climes. The Bull-fighting
Museum is also situated in the Plaza de Toros, and this houses an
interesting collection of posters, photographs, bull-fighting
suits and other documentation that brings us back into the history
of the art.
Municipal Paleological Museum
This museum holds a collection of the fossils from the Plioceno
period, about four million years ago, found in the Estepona area.
Archaeological Museum
Here we can see archaeological remains from various periods, most
of the pieces discovered quite by chance or during archaeological
digs.
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| Where
to eat |
El
Albero. Mesón / Tapas. C/Real - Paseillo 952 805 034
El Amanecer. Fried food.
C/San Roque (Beside the bus station)
El Barquito. Fried food . C/
Los Reyes.
El Boquerón. Fried food. In
the marina.
El Capote. Mesón / Tapas - C/
Viento.
Bistro del Puerto.
International cuisine - 952 794 399 - Avda. España, 214.
Casa de Mi Abuela. Argentinian
cuisine - 952 791 967 - C/ Caridad, 54.
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| Where
to sleep |
Hotel
Albero Lodge. Tel: 952 88 07 00.
Las Dunas Beach Resort and Spa (5*)
GL. Ctra. N-340, Km. 163. Tel: 95 2794 345 Fax: 952 794 825.
Kempinski Hotel (5*) GL. Ctra.
340. Km 159. Tel: 952 809 500.
Gran Hotel Playabella (5*).Ctra.
340. Km 165.Tel: 950 627 010.
Hotel Atalaya Park (4*). Ctra.
N-340, Km. 169. Tel: 952 889 000 / Fax: 952 889 002.
Hotel Paraiso Costa del Sol.
Ctra. N-340, Km. 168. Tel: 952 883 000 / Fax. 952 882 019.
Hotel Occidental Costa del Sol.
Ctra.N-340, Km 164. Tel: 952 793 000 - Fax 952 802 652.
Hotel Club Diana Park.Ctra.
N-340, Km. 169. Tel: 952 887 659 / Fax. 952 884 279.
Hotel Dobar (2*). Avda.
España, 178. Tel/fax : 952 800 600.
Apartamentos Albayalde. Ctra.
N-340, Km. 165. Tel: 952 885 959.
Pensión Europa. Ctra. N-340,
Km. 157. Tel: 952 795 579.
Pensión El Pilar. Pza. Las
Flores, 22. Tel: 952 800 018.
Camping Parque Tropical.
Ctra.N-340, Km. 162. Tel: 952 793 618.
Rural
Accommodation in the province of Malaga
(in
Spanish)
|
The marina |
FIESTAS
The festival of Estepona’s patron saint, San Isidro Labrador, takes
place on May 15th, in which the people head for the countryside and hold
processions in the town later on in the day. The Feria and the Fiestas
Mayores of the town take place during the first week of June in the feria
grounds, and there is also feria by daytime in the town centre. Estepona
also had another patron saint, the Virgen del Carmen, and the
corresponding festival is on July 16th, which involves a procession aboard
fishing boats on the sea, carrying the image of the Virgin on board.
GASTRONOMY
The cuisine of the area is typically
Andalusian, with many products used from the surrounding countryside but
with an emphasis on sea foods. Citric and tropical fruits are extensively
used locally, along with sardines on the spit and a great variety of fresh
sea foods and fish. The area is known for its excellent restaurants.
SIERRA BERMEJA
Although Estepona lies at sea
level, the greater part of the municipality is mountainous. The Sierra
Bermeja mountain range is right behind the town, its highest peak being the
Pico de los Reales, at 1,449 metres. This area is of important ecological
interest, within which we find the exceptionally beautiful Paseo de los
Pinsapos. This is a nature park filled with a species of fir tree very rare
in Europe, the pinsapo. It is a favourite picnic area, and the drive up
provides quite spectacular views over the coast and Africa.
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