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We traveled in July 2023 with Jet2 in a party of four families. The apartments are obviously privately owned and whilst they are well sized each apartment has differing furnishings and kitchen equipment.  The rattan  garden furniture in three of the four apartments our party occupied was perished and breaking up on either the chair arms or the top of the back of the chairs.  Some didn’t even have cushions. 

The pool area has an overpriced restaurant bar and pool activities are overly subdued by the lifeguards who enforce the “no balls” and “no inflatables” rules.  This seemed to be at the bequest of the residents as although Jet2 and Cortijo Del Mar websites claim the resort is family friendly there isn’t actually a lot for kids to do. So the restrictions on “no balls” and “no inflatables” in the pool seem to fly in the face of this family friendly claim.  Neither website highlight these rules. 

The rules however seem to be flexible for residents as although there is a sign at the resort entrance highlighting dogs are not allowed there are signs around the resort highlighting that residents are responsible for cleaning up their dogs waste.  During our trip we saw dogs in the resort and at the pool area on more than one occasion which surely must raise questions on the cleanliness of the pool area. 

The water in the pool seemed clean enough, however the plastic overflow grating around the pool is degrading due to exposure to the sun and whist some of it has been replaced, this seems to be in response to it breaking rather than a preventative measure. 

The sun beds around the pool have also seen better days and also show signs of degradation due to sun exposure with some of them exhibiting cracks which could make them dangerous.  In fact one of or party sat on one and it collapsed under them and luckily they were not injured. 

Pros - comfortably sized apartments
          - apartments frequently cleaned
Cons - not a lot for kids
                  No pool table 
                  No table tennis table
                  No entertainment
                  (which we knew)
           - Wi-Fi was extremely poor and struggled with social media let alone web searches 
           - No Balls and Inflatables allowed in the pool
          -  Pool overflow grating breaking up and possibly dangerous 
          - Sun beds some cracking and possibly dangerous

Run for residents, not for tourists.

This is a lovely resort, great rooms, be weary it’s very hilly and lots of steps especially if you at the back. The worst thing is the pool area, there seem to be substantial drainage issues the grass around the pool where people walk and put their sunbeds on is constantly wet and muddy, nearer the pool the water is green and smells it’s pretty awful, the concrete area near the water is never cleaned from the mud consequently mud getting into water. This is unacceptable for the price you pay. The cafe and restaurant is nice but VERY expensive, for two adults and two kids with drinks we paid for lunch £75!!!! There is a serious issue with sunbeds as there is nowhere near enough for half the residents let alone majority. Typical British behaviour of putting towels down at dawn and going back for breakfast. Nice place but badly managed and overcrowded, drainage massive problem won’t be coming back here and would not recommend. 

Not great 

Our apartment itself was gorgeous, spacious and had everything we needed. The reception staff were very helpful and quick to respond to what’s app messages.

Not enough sunbeds around the pool, and families were reserving them all day, despite not being there for hours and the lifeguards didn’t do anything about it. They were just sitting playing with their phones. There was a little bit of mud by the pool but didn’t bother us too much. 

The bar/restaurant was pricey and closed early at 9pm. Not even a happy hour like most places we have been too, and the staff weren’t too enthusiastic. 

Nothing for teenagers at the resort (or nearby). Could have benefitted from a pool table, ping pong table or just even board games. There’s no entertainment which we were aware of but as there isn’t much in the area, it would have been nice for something a couple of times a week.

There are a few nice restaurants nearby but we didn’t find anything traditionally Spanish. As a family the area wasn’t for us - it was quite a residential area and it didn’t quite have the ambience that we like. Didn’t help that there was a busy dual carriageway alongside and there wasn’t any chintzy shops to browse in the evening. 

We were not confident enough to hire a car, so used buses and Ubers. Most things to visit are a fair distance - Estepona town is lovely but is still a good drive. Would recommend Selwo Zoo for a day out. 



Not right for us

Just back from a one week stay. The appartment and complex are very nice ,well maintained grounds. The appartment itself was well equipped and spacious .We were two up and overlooked the pool and pool bar and you could see the sea. The staff at reception are very helpfull. I broke a couple of things and there was no microwave and within fifteen minutes maintenance had arrived and all sorted. The cleaners and ground staff are friendly too.The pool bar is way overpriced for what it is. Got a tuna salad,chips and two beers,45Euros. Do not know how families with kids do it.

There is a ten minute walk down a lovely road with some beautiful villas to the main road where there is some bars and restaurants and a supermarket. Highly recommend Masala Indian and Cabana was lovely for drinks. We went a walk over the bridge, which was quite daunting as theres traffic speeding fast underneath, so not for the faint hearted, and headed to the Robin Hood Inn which was closed. It was early in the morning but there is a long alley there that takes you to the beach. Not much of a beach as no one there and no sunbeds. Walked quite a bit along to the right and it is just villas and Hotels. No bars or restaurants looking out to see which was disappointing.

Would recommend going into Puerto Banus for the day. We met up with family for lunch at La Sala by The Sea,a beach Club. Food was amazing and a walk to the Marina is eye opening with the Yachts and cars.

Overall we had a lovely stay and it was boiling hot. The Complex is in a lovely affluent residential area but just  a bit too far out for us. You need to go into Estepona for nightlife and shopping. We are used to places like Palma Nova and Playa Blanca with everything on your doorstep. 
If you are looking for a quiet relaxing holiday then this is the place for you.

Overall a lovely stay. Some pros and cons.

We were a party of 6 ladies who travelled to the Estepona area for the Solheim Cup (Ladies Professional Golfers from Europe and USA), which was being played at Finca Cortesin Golf Course.
We were delighted with our very spacious, comfortable and clean apartments which were situated close together. We had 2 x 2 bedroom apartments for the 6 of us. Each apartment had a main shower room and and en-suite jacuzzi bathroom. The apartments were very well equipped and benefitted with free WiFi and electric shutters to keep the place cool when needed. There were TVs in the master bedroom as well as the lounge.

Although we were in the area primarily to watch the golf, we spent time in and around the pool which was beautiful. The resort is handy to shops and restaurants, within walking distance.

Any help we needed was swiftly dealt with by friendly and polite staff.
We would certainly recommend this resort.

Beautiful resort and excellent service

Cortijo del Mar Resort is located between Estepona and Marbella, in the heart of Costa del Sol. They offer one, two or three bedroom apartments very modern, luxurious and well decorated, with all neccesary utilities for living and cooking.
This resort offers daily cleaning (except Sundays), free underground parking and courtesy amenities on arrival.
It has a bar and an outdoor swimming pool opened from Easter until November. All apartments have heating and aircon.  Tehy are open all year round.

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Cortijo del Mar Resort