Spain – Sonora Beach (En)

We went to spend the winter at Sonora Beach, a quiet beach where dogs are welcome, in the municipality of Estepona, with spectacular views of Gibraltar and Africa. The area is between Marbella and Estepona, very convenient for seeing my friends and family and visiting the different towns in the surrounding area. It also has many places with activities and events, such as Christmas markets, 70s and 80s parties, and much more.

Donde quedarse

We stayed at Camping Parque Tropical (36.453999, -5.08067 latitude, longitude), opposite Sonora Beach, where we usually spend the winter months. Many of our friends stay there, like Jorgen, Helen, and Rob. The campsite costs €14.75 per day for a month. Short stays cost €25, and with the ACSI card, €22 per day. It has grey and black water filling and emptying points, as well as a drinking water station. The facilities are old; they’re renovating the toilets, so right now everyone is using the women’s toilets and showers, which has led to a few embarrassing situations. The plan is to replace the showers so the water temperature can be regulated, because so far, sometimes it’s too cold or too hot. There’s a washing machine and dryer that cost €5, and a dishwashing area with hot water. The best thing is its heated swimming pool surrounded by trees and sun loungers. There’s a small shop at reception with essentials and gas bottles. The staff speak good Spanish and English and are very friendly. There’s also a restaurant on the campsite, which I think is quite expensive, and another restaurant at the entrance with a set menu at more affordable prices. You can walk to Estepona along the beach (7 kilometres) or take the bus that stops outside the campsite to reach Estepona, San Pedro, or Marbella. There’s a supermarket 2 kilometres away and many more in the surrounding area.

Things to do and things to see

Take a stroll along the beach and enjoy the incredible views of Gibraltar and Africa. My friends Fina and Rafa came to visit us from Madrid after a disastrous Saturday, including a broken-down car. They finally arrived on Sunday around lunchtime, and we had a barbecue with Helen and Rob for lunch. Afterwards, we took them to the beach, where Rafa even went for a swim in the freezing sea. They also saw the Sonora beach bar and enjoyed the amazing views from the beach. They loved it!

Street markets

There’s a big street market in Estepona on Wednesday mornings where you can find just about anything. Another Christmas market is held at The Sun Inn, a cool bar and restaurant that looks like a beach bar but is on the mountainside. Helen, Rob, Jorgen, and I went there to check it out and enjoy some drinks and live music.

Concerts and events

On Halloween, we went to Loui Loui in Estepona to see a rock band at night, and where people’s costumes were quite peculiar.

Last Saturday we went to a 70s and 80s party at The Sun Inn. They had a really cool game: everyone chipped in a euro, and half of the winnings went to an animal shelter and the other half to the winner. The game involved choosing heads or tails; a coin was tossed, and if it landed on heads, everyone who had chosen heads stayed in the game until only one winner remained. Ben made it to the finals! The woman who won donated all the money to the animal shelter. We ended up being recorded by the party’s DJ because we got hold of a guitar, a keyboard, and a microphone, and we really let loose, hahaha.

Other things to do

Go for breakfast or lunch at Venta del Perejil. Visit the Russian Orthodox Church of the Transfiguration or go to Selwo Aventura, an animal and adventure park.

Our next visit will be to Istán, a town of Arab origin located in the Sierra de las Nieves Natural Park, which you can see in the next blog.