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Published: February 16th 2024
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Front Patio of Villa
It’s on the ground floor of a Condo building with shared common area that has a pool and other facilities. We have arrived in Estepona which is about an hours drive from Malaga on the “Costa de Sol” (Sunshine Coast). Our Villa is only a few steps from the beach with easy access to a long, well maintained stone walkway that hugs the coast for miles. So far the weather has been comfortable with daytime highs around 18-22 C and the abundance of sunshine makes outdoor activity very pleasant. The Villa is somewhat compact, particularly in the kitchen, however, with 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, it provides adequate space and is complimented with large back and front patios that includes a hot tub, barbecue and numerous pieces of outdoor furniture.
Within a few minutes drive, there are a good selection of grocery stores, golf courses and restaurants etc. Of course, as with many places now, the traffic is heavy and driving is a little challenging. This time of year is the shoulder of peak tourist season therefore the traffic congestion is likely to intensify as we move into March and April. It’s a scenic area with the Mediterranean Sea back dropped by mountain ranges and the “rock of Gibraltar“ visible in the distance on clear day.
Our friends from
Path along coast in Estepona
Lots of plants and trees that adds to the enjoyment of the walk
France, Susan and Harry, coincidentally are staying a few minutes away and they hosted us for an enjoyable lunch soon after we arrived. They have travelled extensively and we have crossed paths with them in Australia, South Africa and France. It was such a pleasure to re-connect. We knew they were going to “winter” in this area but didn’t realize they were so close. The four of us took a day tour to Tangiers in Morocco. If you look at a map, north west Africa is very close to the coast of Spain, so an hours ferry ride, departing from Tarifa, hurled us into a completely different cultural experience. Tangiers was far more developed than what we expected, at least in the parts of the city we explored. The people were very friendly and even the ”trinket and trash” hawkers were entertaining and humorous. One watch peddler promoted his goods as “original fakes” and many knew of Canada particularly Montreal. Of course, as a former colony of France, the French language was prevalent and many also spoke English. Morocco has a reputation for their exotic spices in which our niece Victoria, who is well versed in many culinary areas, gave
Musical entertainment in Tangiers
Lunch was included in the tour and we were entertained by this “fab four” Debra suggestions for the ones to bring back home.
We have played two rounds of golf so far and will probably play a couple times per week. It’s a bit expensive, particularly with the exchange rate, and it will be a challenge to find courses that offer as good a value to the courses at home. The area has experienced some drought conditions so even the upscale courses have struggled to maintain the quality expected for the rates charged.
The first week ended with a tapas lunch in old Town Estepona, a beautiful area full of decorative narrow streets, a long promenade parallel to the beach and numerous restaurants and shops, definitely a return visit to explore further.
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