Historic 'boutique' hotels in the heart of Estepona make use of abandoned ruins

ANOTHER hotel in the series of 16 planned for Estepona's 'Garden of the Costa del Sol' project has opened – this time in the central Plazoleta Ortiz, with 36 bedrooms.

The Málaga-province coastal town launched plans to build a string of independent, or 'boutique' hotels throughout the main hub, aimed at attracting visitors seeking 'town tourism' as well as, or instead of, the usual beach holidays, given that Estepona's stunning beauty as a municipality tends to be overlooked when it is just seen as somewhere to bask in the sun and get a tan.

With 16 of these hotels eventually set to open, the most recent, Hotel Estepona Plaza, is based in an existing building in the old town which has been refurbished, with a roof-top swimming pool, 36 bedrooms over seven storeys, panoramic views across the whole of the historic quarter, and a café and restaurant on the ground floor.

As part of the overall plan to attract visitors to the town itself, the 'Garden of the Costa del Sol' project has involve a complete revamp, repair and upgrade of 130 streets in the centre.

So far, this and the 16 hotels now ready to open have involved investment of over €40 million, but on the whole, have not involved any buildings constructed from scratch.

Estepona's hotel network, until now, was mainly based upon the modern seafront block design, but these 16 quaint and attractive new 'boutique-style' structures are 'completely different to anything the town had before', the council explains.

The intention was to 'do up' old buildings in the historic quarter, restoring them, giving them a new life and purpose, especially those which were in ruins, abandoned or generally in a poor state.

As well as making the town look more attractive and reviving its historic architecture, the hotels' location means they are perfectly placed for guests to pop out to local cafés, bars and restaurants, offering a trade boost to business-owners in the heart of Estepona town rather than just those close to the beach.

The project has also incurred considerable savings for the council and investment for local property owners – proprietors of ancient, unused and crumbling old-town buildings were keen for them to be renovated and put to use, meaning Estepona and its visitors and traders benefit from them, but the buildings remain in the original owners' hands, now worth considerably more.

Others, belonging to chains, have recently opened near the beach and in the town itself, including Ikos Andalusia – the first-ever top-end all-inclusive branch of the Greek hotel firm – El Pilar, in the heart of Estepona town, and the Mett Hotel & Beach Resort, a five-star complex right on the beach set to open this coming year.

International chain Globalia is working on a luxury sustainable tourism complex in Estepona, with plans to invest €630m in two high-end hotels with leisure facilities on site, in what is described as one of the largest and most ambitious holiday accommodation ventures in progress in the whole of Andalucía at present.