Duquesa Suites: Our penthouse is on the fourth and fifth floor in the Duquesa Suites complex. It has two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Upstairs is the master bedroom with its en suite bathroom and Jacuzzi bath and bidet, two balconies off, one on either side to follow the sun. Downstairs is the main living room with satellite TV, DVD player and stereo, dining for 4. The twin bedroom is at the front and there is another shower room here. Off the living room is another balcony with patio furniture for alfresco dining. The kitchen is fully fitted with everything you could need including a dishwasher and washing machine. The apartment is fully air-conditioned with marble floors throughout. The complex has three pools, a children's pool and small playground set in beautiful tropical gardens. There is a designated secure parking space beneath the block and a lift.
The complex is in a quiet area yet only a short walk from the marina and port area of Puerto de la Duquesa.
Puerto de la Duquesa: There you will find numerous shops and bars. There are some great restaurants with cuisine from France, Italy, Thailand, China, India, Scandinavia, Great Britain and Ireland as well as Spain. There’s a shop to rent DVDs, fishing gear and bikes. It is one hour's easy drive from Malaga airport and 25 minutes from Gibraltar.
The marina has more than 300 berths. There are no high rise hotels here to spoil the view. The blue flag beach stretches as far as Sabanillas and on to Estepona. On the other side, it winds around the coast to Sotogrande. The waterfront is closed to traffic making it very safe for children. La Duquesa is well situated on the road network, 10km south west of Estepona on the N340 highway. There are plenty of beautiful places to visit in Andalucia. Granada is about 2 hours drive away and Seville 2.5 hours.
Marbella and Puerto Banus are easy to visit about 25 minutes along the coast.
Estepona : The well-known resort of Estepona is only 10 minutes away. It is a pleasant seaside town with many shops and restaurants, especially good for fish. There is a lovely promenade and a huge Carrefore supermarket on the far side of town if you are self catering.
There is a market on a Wednesday with a good choice of local produce. You can get a taxi from the rank outside the Duquesa supermarket for around €16, recommended if you are taking in some of the night-life.
In the hills behind Estepona is Selwo safari park, which comes highly recommended. Allow at least half a day. Other family attractions include a combined water and theme park called Prado World with water slides, mini golf, roller-skating and other kids’ activities.
Golf:
There is a long tradition of golf tourism in Andalucia and more than 60 golf courses within easy driving of our apartment. There is something to suit all pockets and abilities, which is why the Costa del Sol is sometimes known as the 'Costa del Golf.'
La Duquesa golf course and country club is 2 minutes drive or 5 minutes walk from our apartment. It is a championship 18 hole Robert Trent Jones course constructed in 1989. It overlooks the Mediterranean with views out to North Africa and Gibraltar.
It is a challenging course for golfers of all standards with a mixture of distances and hazards. Some holes can be a little tight, more suitable for a long iron than a driver. The feature holes include the eighth with a vertical drop of 10 metres to the green only 108m away.
This is a friendly course and a good clubhouse with changing facilities, a bar and restaurant with a large terrace. There is ample parking and buggies and trollies for hire. It is par 72 with a total length of 5,672 metres from the yellow tees.
Other recommended golf courses in Andalucia within a 30 minute drive include:
• Los Arqueros in Marbella
• La Quintain Marbella
• Los Flamingos in Benahavis
• Monte Mayor in Benahavis
• Estepona
• The San Roque Club near Sotogrande
• Valderrama in Sotogrande
• Almenara only 500 metres from Valderrama
• Royal Golf Club Sotogrande
• Alhaurin in Fuengirola
• Alcaidesa in La Linea
