The MAR AZUL Resort is an exclusive, luxurious and peaceful oasis in a prime South-facing beach-side location next to the Kempinski Hotel Estepona & Laguna Village, with panoramic views over the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlas mountains on the African Coast. 

MAR AZUL is comprised of only 72 ultra-luxurious apartments arranged in a 'V'-shape, facing South, and designed so that each apartment is provided with both their fair share of the Sun, but also the intimate privacy that one may expect from a private villa.

The open end of the 'V' is purely beach & sea !   Within the 'V' is a totally unique area of exuberant & colourful tropical gardens, and within that lies an inner world of spectacular sculptured swimming pools, flowing canals, fountains, cascading waterfalls, a giant overflowing bowl, sunken deck-chairs, jacuzzi beds, and romantic thatched cabanas with lovely comfortable armchairs & settees.

At the sharp end of the "V" is the Mar Azul Aparthotel with an indoor health & leisure centre providing a heated pool, fully equipped gym, spa, Jacuzzi, sauna, solarium, steam-rooms, thermal baths, beauty salon and sports injury treatment centre offering massage, osteopathy, reflexology, chiropractics & acupuncture.

I paid my first of four stage-payment for my off-plan purchase of my apartment on Mar Azul in September 2003, and the last in March 2006.  Building work was completed on the last of the blocks in 2008, and peace and quiet returned to this wonderful location.  Mar Azul is now a stunningly beautiful and relaxing haven where the blue water of our infinity pool apparently merges with the even bluer water of the Mediterranean as if it was always meant to. 

Most of the Mar Azul apartments are privately owned, and only some of those owners choose to make them available for holiday rental.  

Being able to walk to Cruisos Beach Bar, Laguna Village, and The Kempinski Hotel Estepona is a big advantage, but it is also only a 30 minutes walk to the start of the characterful Estepona promenade, and there is a choice of routes.  The easiest is along by the side of the main A-7, and every time I visit, that route improves.  We used to have to walk right next to that road as far as the A-7 roundabout, but now you can walk away from the road most of the way, in front of the newly built complexes.  The walk from the A-7roundabout to Estepona Carrefour Supermarket roundabout is pleasant enough as you're in the shade of trees bordering the attractive boulevard.  Then at the Carrefour roundabout you turn left, following signs to an Italian Restaurant and down steps to the start of the promenade near the "Belgian Bar".  Apart from those steps, this route is child-buggy friendly.  

Walking along the beach is another option, which is very pleasant but a little harder !  The surface of the sand varies, and some of the coastline is stony.  Occasionally in the Winter, passage along the beach is disrupted due to high tide.  Not suitable for buggies !

The third option is varied !  Start off on Mar Azul's own promenade. Yes, we have our own, it's just that it doesn't quite join up with anyone else's !  Walk to the right, in the Estepona direction, to the end of our promenade, and take a few steps down the slope towards the Sea. Look to your right, and you'll see a path through a large hole in a fence, which takes you to the nicest wooden promenade you've ever likely seen.  This takes you along by the beach in front of the new complexes. Unfortunately the last time I walkled along, it was blocked at a bridge, but may not be now.  All good things come to an end, and this promenade does when it reaches a more mature complex through which an extension to the promenade has not been provided.  Instead you'll have to cut up through pathways to the main road, which you will join before the main roundabout mentioned earlier.  But you don't need to !  For the more adventurous, keep going through that complex to the next.  But then you DO need to cut in towards the beach, to follow an unclear beach-side footpath which eventally leads into a low-budget park with terraced contours supported by railway sleepers !   Don't follow the coastline from here, even though a fenced pathway tempts you onwards  !  My advice is to head up to the road, where you'll find yourself well on the way to Carrefour.             

If you have a child in a buggy, and a hire-car, then your best plan may be to drive into Estepona, and park in the massive underground car-park UNDER the promenade.  You can get a lift up from there, and you're straight onto the magnificent promenade.  It's sprinkled all the way to the marina with bars, restaurants, childrens playgrounds, wrinkleys playgrounds, fountains, pools, shelters & seats. A delight for all ages !  

It's about a further 30 minute walk to Estepona Marina, but if you've got kids it might take 2 hours because they'll keep wanting to stop !  If you let them on the beautiful beach, well supplied with showers and sun-shelters, it may take all day !  But isn't that what holidays are all about ?

Estepona Marina is well worth a visit, but don't expect rows of chic boutiques alternating with ice-cream parlours and trendy bars like at Puerto Banus.  Here you have a good selection of reasonably priced cafes, restaurants and tapas bars overlooking a good selection of small to medium-sized boats.  From here you can hire a choice of boats with a skipper.  One that I can recommend will take 6 people or a great day out, for about 550 Euros.  (This includes drinks & snacks, but not fuel)   You could go dolphin-spotting to Gibraltar, or spend an hour or two at Nikki Beach and pretend to be a millionaire (if your not already), or just relax in the Sun with a spot of snorkeling.   Telephone Louise on 0031651614492 or 0031651259093  or email her at ruitercl@euronet.nl

So, Estepona's Marina isn't as chic as Pueto Banus, but there's room for a Sunday Market here, and a big surprise round the next corner !   

Carry on walking out of the Marina, through a car-park, and through an area we call "no-mans-land".  We call it that because it's a prime tract of coastal ammenity ground but it's as if no-one's prepared to admit owning it.  

And just beyond.....there it is.....the jewel in the crown....."Horse-shoe Beach"  !  The nicest beach on the coast, and great for kids as it's sheltered, the Sea is shallow and the sand fine.  Two good beach-bars provide good-value food & drinks, relaxing background music, loungers & umbrellas.  Just perfect. 

For photographs of Mar Azul and holiday rental opportunities visit www.marazul-resort.com