Guadalabón, district of Estepona
by Sinéad Mangan-Mc Hale
The Gudalabón District stretches from the H10 Estepona Palace Hotel on Avenida del Carmen to the Bahía Azul urbanisation on the A-7 coast road. It is the district in West Estepona. Closest to the town centre.
Visitors to Gudalabón can enjoy views of the Rock of Gibraltar and, on a clear day, the silhouette of North Africa as they look out over the Mediterranean Sea. Looking towards the mountainside, Los Reales de Sierra Bermeja shapes the landscape. The mountains are impressive at the best of times, but as the sun sets, they take on a red hue that is spectacular to see.
The mountain side of the coast road of the Guadalabón District is mainly undeveloped, though some of the land is earmarked for new developments and for many years has been cited as the location of a future university campus.
The Arroyo de Gudalabón stream runs down from the mountain and forms the western boundary of Guadalabon district with Valle Romano district and Arena Beach district.
Playa Guadalabón
The hotel is directly in front of Playa Gudalabón (Gudalabón beach), a moderately quiet sand and pebble beach. While not directly accessible by car, there is parking nearby, and it is a relatively short walk to the beach. The beach is popular with divers and fishermen and is a quiet area to sunbathe, swim, or kayak. There are showers but no toilet facilities.
Running alongside the beach is the Senda Litoral (coastal path), which leads from Guadalabón Playa into Estepona town in the direction of Marbella and from the other side towards Sabinillas and Duquesa, towns further along the A-7 coastal road. Along the Senda Litoral, walkers will cross over the Puente Rio Gudalabón (Gudalabón River Bridge). This small wooden bridge crosses over the Arroyo de Gudalabón (Gudalabón stream), which flows down from the Sierra Bermeja into the Mediterranean Sea. Tourists can watch many types of fish swimming around the stream and listen to frogs croaking before the stream reaches the sea.
While there are no chirinquitos (beach bars) along Playa Gudalabón, visitors can buy freshly made bread and other snacks at the Shell petrol station just off the roundabout on Avendia del Carmen. In addition to traditional petrol station services, there is also an ATM and Amazon collection point.
For visitors interested in staying fit, Guadalabón District hosts Bootcamp Pilates at Centro Commercial Bahia Azul, which offers Reformer Pilates classes.
URBANISATIONS
There are many well-established traditional and modern styled urbanisations in the area. Located at the western end of the Avenida del Carmen, the gated community of Riviera Andaluza, with its sienna-coloured residences, is easily accessed from the A-7 coastal road. On the opposite side sits the elevated white homes of the Beverley Hills community comprising apartments and townhouses. Along the coastal side of the A-7, there is a mix of townhouses, villas and apartments, many with uninterrupted views of the sea. Visitors can contact local inmobiliares (estate agents) for rental or sales opportunities in communities such as Bahía de Estepona, Bahía Azul, Bahía Doncella, The Island and the newest construction, The Sapphire.
HOTELS
The H10 Estepona Palace Hotel is a beachfront hotel built in 2003 and renovated in 2015. From the exterior, its Andalusian architectural style fits into the landscape, while the interior maintains all modern facilities, including pools, clubs, beach access and a Spa.
TRANSPORT
One significant advantage of Guadalabón District is that it is just on the outskirts of Estepona Town, making it convenient to the many restaurants, shops, and bars in the town. Being close to the A-7 coastal road, the town is easily accessible by car, taxi, and public transport. And with the Senda Litoral, it is easy to take a scenic walk along the coast directly into Puerto Estepona (Estepona Port).
In addition to hiring a car in Estepona or Malaga Airport or Gibraltar airport, Estepona taxis, and several firms offer minibus car or limousine private transfers to and from the airport and the surrounding areas. The Bolt and Uber Apps also work within the district.
There is an Estepona microbus service operating along A-7 stopping at the entrance to many of the Estepona western districts. E-1 Bus service operates along the A-7 coast road from Buenas Noches, passing Bahia Dorada, Arroyo Vaquero, Arena Beach, Valle Romano and Guadalabón on its way to Estepona town centre and terminating at Avenida Juan Carlos I.
There is also an Avanza-Portillo M-240 service from Estepona to La Linea which can be used to or from Sabinillas, Duquesa, Torrequadiaro, Sotogrande, San Roque and La Linea (for Gibraltar). This M-240 bus is not permitted to issue tickets to passengers for journeys entirely within the Estepona municipal district.More details.
For those who want to enjoy more of the sights of Andalucía, the district is close to the A-7 Coastal highway so visitors can easily access destinations on either side of Estepona. Along the coast to the west these include Sotogrande, Gibraltar, Tarifa and the golden sand beaches of Costa de la Luz. Along the coast to the east these include Marbella, and Malaga. They can also explore inland villages of Casares, Gaucin on the road to towards Ronda. Not forgetting the magnificent cities of Seville, Cordoba or Granada.
Neighbouring Districts
The Neighbouring district to the west are Arroyo Vaquero and Arena Beach.
The Neighbouring districts to the west is Guadalabón.
