We spent two weeks in Spain a couple of years ago and we chose the town of Estepona as our “home base” while we were there. We had rented a car, so it was the perfect location to launch from to get to all of the surrounding cities and towns. In addition to being able to get out to the surrounding area, it was a gorgeous destination in and of itself. Estapona is a short drive from Marbella, which is the playground for the rich and has vacation homes for many celebrities in the area.

The beaches are wonderful and there are resorts all along the coast from Malaga to Estepona, but we were there during the off-season, as usual, so it wasn’t too crowded.  There are plenty of opportunities for shopping in the area as well with shops that offer everything from clothing to souvenirs.  We could have spent hours just wandering through the various shops and talking to the owners who were extremely friendly and welcoming.

It isn’t all just sunbathing and shopping, though, the food in the area is absolutely fantastic.  We’re huge lovers of seafood and it is truly a food-lovers paradise.  We were told by everyone that we had to visit the mountain town of Benahavís, which is located a short drive from Estepona as you drive toward Marbella.  It is renowned for its restaurants and is considered the gastronomical center of Costa del Sol.  We were not disappointed, we only wish we’d have had time to go there more than once as there were several restaurants that we wanted to try, but ended enjoying dinner at a lovely little family owned restaurant.

Eating and drinking our way through Estepona, Marbella, Benahavís, and Malaga was truly a wonderful experience.  Although we spent a lot of time driving and going to cities like Granada and Seville, when we were at the resort area, it was more of a true vacation than actual travel.  We were able to truly relax and decompress, which made our trip to Spain an incredibly rewarding experience.  Clearly we hope to visit there once again and, when we do, we will make it one those vacations where you simply sit on the beach, get tanned, eat and drink too much, and watch the sun set over the Mediterranean Sea.