ESTEPONA WITH A TODDLER

Where is Estepona?

Estepona is in Southern Spain on the Costa del Sol and a 25 minute drive from Marbella. We flew into Malaga airport and it was a 50 minute drive to reach the hotel. It was 3 hour flight from Newcastle, UK. We visited on Easter weekend in 2026 and considering it was Holy Week (Easter celebratory week) and it was approaching the UK Easter holidays, it was fairly quiet. 

We visited for 4 nights and could have happily stayed much longer. It’s a really gorgeous location and such a hidden gem.

Day 1

We picked up a hire car and drove to our first stop of the day, Castillo de Colomares. This is a fairytale moment which resembles a castle but is actually dedicated to Christopher Colombus’ voyages. 

It’s €3 per adult to get in and €2 for children (our 2 year old was free). It was quite busy when we arrived which was midday on a Wednesday so if you want to get the best pictures you should visit early morning or later in the day. You will only need around 30 minutes here.

Where we stayed

We then drove to our hotel which was in a town called Estepona. The hotel had just opened in 2026 and it was perfect for families. There’s a heated pool (which is really heated! We find often places say their pools are heated but they aren’t actually very warm but this one definitely was). There’s also adult only pools too. We’d recommend doing the typical British thing of reserving a sun lounger early on in the day as there aren’t that many around the family-friendly heated pool.

You can book your own stay at Hacienda Del Mar, Estepona here.

The hotel has a kids club where they offer childcare services for 5-12 year olds. However, we visited everyday with our 2 year old and just stayed with her. She loved the entertainment arranged by the staff, playing with the other children and climbing on the climbing wall. There’s activities everyday so your kids will definitely not get bored. There’s an indoor pool too and a gym and spa. There’s also Pilates and yoga classes and live music in the evenings. To eat there’s a beach club overlooking the sea and à la carte restaurant too. This is Hacienda del mar, a Meliá hotel.

Our first day was spent swimming in the pool and then we walked along the promenade all the way to Estepona. It’s around a 45 minute walk or a 6 minute drive but we walked most days as it’s right along the beach front and the views are stunning.

Estepona is an absolute hidden gem and one of the most picturesque towns we’ve ever visited. There are flowers everywhere and two streets and a square specifically named around the beautiful flowers on show.

We ate at La Casa del rey which is a tapas restaurant. You can sit outside and the food and drinks could not be faulted, it was delicious and I would definitely recommend.

Day 2

Day 2 was spent travelling North to Ronda with our first stop at Almazara El Toro to join the premium olive oil tour and tasting. The tour starts outdoors where you are shown around the grounds and some of the olive trees to learn how the process begins. You are then taken inside to the olive oil museum to learn more about the production process. Stop three you take a walk through the olive groves and get an incredible view of the impressive architecture of the building. It’s designed by a French architect and resembles a bull with one horn inside, one horn outside, half an olive shape representing the ear, the balcony representing the mouth and a tunnel representing the tail. It is really impressive to see. 

The 4th stop is to the production room to see where the olives are pressed and passed through the machines until the end of the journey (and the best part), the tasting. You will try two different olive oils with a bread accompaniment. The tickets are very reasonable at €25 per person and children up to 7 years old are free. 

Next we visited Setenil de las bodegas which is a village built into the side of the surrounding cliffs. It’s really impressive to see and there are lots of quaint bars and restaurants to sit and enjoy the views. You can park here for free but may have to wait for a space as it gets busy. We only had around 30 minutes here but it would be a lovely place to enjoy an overnight stay qs you’d get some incredible photos and local vibes once the tourists left for the day. 

The 3rd stop of the day was Ronda. We parked here for free and walked down hill and through Puerta del Viento. It’s luscious green and there were sheep and lambs in the field. This route will take you to one of the most famous viewpoints in Ronda of the Puerto del Viento bridge.

We found a playground for our toddler in the centre of Ronda here which kept her entertained for a while! We also managed to catch a procession in the centre of Ronda as we visited during Holy Week. Then we grabbed some snacks from the nearby supermarket and sat overlooking Ronda from a viewpoint steps away from the playground.

Other sights to see in Ronda are: 

• Puente Nuevo de Ronda viewpoint
• Mirador de Aldehuela
• Jardines de Cuenca
• Mirador de Aves
• Mirador de Ronda

It was an hours drive back to our hotel after a long and busy day. This evening we decided to eat in the El Burladero restaurant and had a delicious meal of Iberian ham croquettes and meatballs.

Day 3

Day 3 we stayed more local and enjoyed the facilities in our hotel. There are complimentary activities for adults such as Pilates and yoga so I joined one of the classes with a glorious view of the hotel surrounding and the beach. We then had breakfast in the hotel and played in the swimming pool 

We walked 5 mins from our hotel for lunch at Byoko. This is farm to table, 0km restaurant. We sat on the terrace in the sunshine and the food was delicious. Our toddler had scrambled eggs and avocado and we both had chicken burgers which had mango and goats cheese on them, they were delicious! 

We carried on along the promenade all the way to Estepona. It’s an hour walk so if you have a toddler I would recommend bringing the pram as their legs will get tired. There’s a playground along the promenade around 40 minutes into the walk which our toddler adored. You’ll then reach a huge Carrefour supermarket which has everything you could possibly want! We got our daughter something fresh from the counter a couple of days during the trip.

We then explored the flowers streets in Estepona and found the hidden slide which is a must if you’re visiting with kids. You’ll find the slide here ‘Pasaje Manuel Sánchez Bracho.’ It’s such a gorgeous little town and it feels really traditionally Spanish. We loved it here.

We ended the day with a visit to the rooftop bar at the top of El Pilar. Our toddler had her bedtime milk here overlooking Estepona and it was perfect! We got our toddler to sleep in the pram again on the way back to our hotel and managed a successful transition into her bed.

Day 4

Our final day we drove 15 minutes to the Acequia del Guadalmina trail in Benahavís. It’s great for families with easy to navigate paths, a circular route meaning you can’t go wrong, waterfalls to see and wildlife too. We saw a grass snake and frogs on the way! From researching I thought the route was around 5km long but that was either incorrect or we went the longer way as our route was 7.5km long. Our toddler walked most of it though at 2 years and 10 months. 

Next we drove into Marbella which took another 20-25 minutes and had the most delicious lunch at Lobito del mar. It’s not the cheapest by any means but the fish is extremely fresh and they really put on a show, preparing an avocado salad and the fish in front of you at the table. Our daughter tried calamari rings for the first time and loved them.

We spent the rest of the day in the play area at the hotel and then drove to Estepona this time which only took 6 minutes. Another trip to the playground before walking into the centre which took around 15 minutes. 

Alternatively, explore Marbella and Puerto Banús. The top toddler friendly attractions are:

MARBELLA

Parks & Playgrounds

• Parque de la Alameda
• Parque de la Represa
• Parque de la Constitución

Indoor / Soft Play

• Kids Arena Marbella
• Happy Times Kids Club Marbella
• Pirate’s Park Marbella

Beaches

• Playa de la Fontanilla
• Playa de Venus

Animal / Nature (nearby)

• Bioparc Fuengirola
• Mariposario de Benalmádena

PUERTO BANÚS

Mini Rides & Entertainment

• Sould Park Puerto Banús
• Camelot Park Marbella

Simple Activities

• Puerto Banús Marina (walk, boats, open space)

Seasonal

• Costa Water Park Marbella

We visited the Mercado de Abastos indoor market, had a drink on a comfortable sofa and watched some live music. A glorious way to end the day.

 

We were so pleasantly surprised by this area and really feel as though we’ve discovered a hidden gem. Everyone talks about Marbella but Estepona is the town all the locals have been gatekeeping, it’s stunning and we would 100% recommend you visit with your children. 

Next post: 4 Days in Mallorca