Punta Plata - Estepona Eastern districts
by Sinéad Mangan-Mc Hale
Punta Plata is the first district in the Estepona Eastern Districts. It starts east of the Arroyo de la Cala (Cala Stream), which runs just right of the Colegio San José (St Joseph’s College) along the coast until the Rio del Padrón (Padrón River) which froms the easter boundary of the district.
The district on the coastal side offers uninterrupted views of Gibraltar and North Africa and is within walking distance of the old town of Estepona. Visitors can enjoy the liveliness of the many restaurants, bars, and shops in Estepona town while still being within a short distance of Punta Plata.
An attractive cultural area in Punta Plata is the Museo al Aire Libre de Santiago de Santiago (Outdoor Statue Museum by the sculptor Santiago de Santiago) located in the Playa de Ángel park. This open park is decorated with striking sculptures by the Spanish postwar and contemporary sculptor Santiago de Santiago, born in 1925. The park with picnic tables dotted around, is popular with families and dog walkers and hosts open-air yoga sessions. It is at the end of Calle Santacana, beside Carrefour. There is good car parking beside the park.
Urbanisations
The residential area of Punta Plata consists of a mix of well-established as well as more current developed villas, apartments and townhouses. At the start of the district lies the Punta Plata and Jacaranda apartment blocks conveniently located next to Carrefour. Other urbanisations and apartment buildings include Playa de Ángel Apartments, Villas Andaluzas, Maria Luisa Gardens, Alcabaza Beach, Isabel Gardens, Los Granados del Mar, Bahía de la Plata, Bahía Beach Apartments, and Mar Azul Resort. These compounds and apartment blocks are of various sizes with different communal facilities, and while some might be road-facing, all are within walking distance of the beaches and the Senda Litoral (Coastal Path). Most of the properties are considered high-end luxury accommodations. They are available for short—and long-term rent through Airbnb, Booking.com and other similar booking agencies. However, visitors can contact local agents in Inmobiliarios (real estate agents) to get local knowledge and assistance.
Beaches
The coastline along the Punta Plata district is a mixture of rocks and sand. The popular beach is Playa de la Punta Plata. This playa (beach) is narrow and approximately 4k long and stretches along the Punta de Plata headland to El Padron, in the eastern part of Estepona. It is known for its fine dark sand, gentle waves and transparent and crystalline waters. Despite being beside a residential area, the beach is quiet and a nice place to relax and enjoy the views. The beach does not have immediate parking but is accessible by foot.
Visitors can also enjoy the Playa de Padrón, which stretches from the Padrón District into the furthest end of Punta Plata near the Kempinski Hotel Bahía Estepona. This popular beach with tourists and locals alike has dedicated parking for easy access.
The Senda Litoral (Coastal Path) enables visitors to walk along the Punta Plata coastline from Pasaje Punta Paloma de Piedra (near Villa Andaluzas). The path is very popular with locals and visitors; many use it as a hiking, running or cycling trail.
Facilities
Within the Punta Plata district, there are a series of commercial centres and strips as well as several medium to large supermarkets. The area offers a range of different services, such as restaurants and cafes, furniture and accessories shops, medical facilities, and garages, making it convenient for visitors and locals.
The biggest commercial centre, Carrefour Estepona Hypermarket, is close to the start of the Punta Plata district on the western side, opposite the Palacio de Exposiciones (Exhibition and Conference Centre on the mountainside) on Avenida Litoral. The hypermarket offers a full range of products, from food, drinks, household cleaning items, electronics, household items, pet food and equipment, sports equipment, toys, books in multiple languages and a small selection of DIY tools. Shoppers need to select a ticket to buy fresh fish, meat or delicatessen items, of which there is an extensive range. Select carniceria (meat), pescaderia (fish), or charcuteria (deli) from the ticket machine. The supermarket opens seven days a week during the high season but closes on Sundays and holidays during the rest of the year. The shop is popular with locals and visitors and can get busy, but the cash desk queuing system is efficient. In addition, the commercial centre has cafes, jewellers, florists, hairdressers, photoshop, ham shop and opticians, as well as several ATMs, mobile phone kiosks and a garden hardware store.
Close to Carrefour, on Calle Santacana, there is a car hire firm, Espacar Rent a Car (which also operates out of Malaga Airport), located behind the BP petrol and carwash station.
A short distance from the BP station on the Avenida Litoral coastal side, Natural-Mercado de Vida is a supermarket that offers organic products and natural medicine.
Before you reach Natural-Mercado de Vida on the corner of Calle Punta de Los Mármoles, a furniture store, CASA, specialises in small household items and garden furniture. Further along, there is another garden outdoor furniture shop, Serrano Garden Outdoor Furniture. Continuing down Calle Punta de Los Mármoles, there is a laundry, Ilumion Lavandería. A dry cleaner also operates in this district, Tintorería Rosy, close to the Serrano Garden Outdoor Furniture store.
Further along the Avenida Litoral, staying on the coastal side, visitors can enjoy a range of Scandinavian-Swedish groceries and delicatessen at Spisa Foodmarket (Opposite McDonald’s on the mountainside).
Restaurants and Cafes
There is a good selection of restaurants and small cafes within the Punta Plata district, including those within the Carrefour Hypermarket. Visitors have many choices, from restaurants to chiringuitos (beach bars), providing traditional and international cuisines and beverages. Along the Avenida Litoral at the corner to Calle Punta de Los Mármoles, the owners of Café de Theresa (Avenida San Lorenzo in Estepona town centre) opened a second restaurant in 2024, the Birdie Café. Further along that commercial stretch there is the well-established Café Litoral and continuing down that road onto Calle del Mare Nostrum, there is the Wild Café and Restaurant. While on the beach side, visitors can enjoy at the most western point of Punta Plata, Bar Coctelería La Buena Vida, located at the back of the Jacaranda Apartment block and a short walk further down, La Gamba, close to the Playa de Plata urbanisation. Beside the Museo al Aire Libre de Santiago de Santiago, visitors can find the Restaurante Trocadero on Calle Terral. Back onto the Senda Litoral (Coastal Path) is the Plata Beach Chiringuito, and in front of the Kempinski Hotel, visitors will find Spíler Beach Club.
Hotels
Two hotels within the Punta Plata districts are Kempinski Hotel Bahía and Mar Azul Resort. The Kempinski Hotel Bahía Estepona is a five-star luxury hotel and resort on the beachfront. Several restaurants, including the Spíler Beach Club, offer a selection of Andalusian and international cuisine. It also provides subtropical gardens, three pools and SPA facilities. The Mar Azul resort, located on Calle Atlantíco and facing the beach, is an aparthotel, giving visitors access to typical hotel facilities such as an outdoor and indoor swimming pool, SPA facilities, gym, sauna, restaurant and well-kept gardens, while also being able to cater for themselves. Booking is through typical travel agencies such as Booking.com.
Transport
In addition to hiring a car in Estepona, Malaga Airport, or Gibraltar Airport, Estepona taxis and several firms offer private transfers by minibus car or limousine to and from the airport and the surrounding areas. Bolt and Uber Apps also work within the district.
There are also public bus services passing Playa de Punta Plata: L-79 Estepona town to and from Marbella and the E-3 Microbus to and from Estepona town. The main bus terminal, Estación de Autobuses de Estepona, is located on the Avenida Litoral, near the main Carrefour shopping centre in Punta Plata. There are bus stops along the Avenida Litoral: opposite Carrafour, opposite McDonalds and at Calle del Mar Nostrum near Mar Azul Resort.
For those who want to enjoy more of the sights of Andalucía, the district is situated close to the A-7 coastal highway and within a short distance of the AP-7 toll road (this road is typically quieter, but there are multiple tolls along the way in both directions – tolls can be paid in cash, by credit card, or contactless) 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 the inland villages of Casares and Gaucin on the road to Ronda. Not forgetting the magnificent cities of Seville, Cordoba and Granada.
Neighbouring Districts
The neighbouring district to the east is El Padrón.