We had carefully chosen this resort , while looking for a place that what would be appropriate for a mixed age group, as the vacation was a family reunion.
The resort looked very impressive on the internet photos and had some very good reports.
I had booked 8 ! rooms directly at the hotel and was promised very nice rooms with sea view. Unfornately, not all rooms were up to the standard and we had to insist to change some of them, which was quite anoying to start a vacation.

The resort itself is beautiful, very nice pool area with several pools merging into each other and lustrous plants around it.
The beach was very disappointing, I should actually have been warned by a traveller here, who pointed this out in his review.
The water was extremely cold in beg. September and full of algues, nothing one likes on your skin. The sand with little stones.

The breakfast buffet is up to the expectation, but food in the other restaurants cannot be recommened. After one dinner and one lunch we always went to other places, which means,taking the highway and going to another place some 15 min. drive away.

We stayed in room 730 (a "Diamond" direct ocean view room) May 26-29, 2007. It was a good sized room with a King bed, chair, desk with chair, TV, nicely furnished and with plenty of storage space. Had a marbe tiled bathroom with a tub, separate shower, and separate toilet with bidet. The room was very quiet and was separated from the public hallway by a long hallway into the room.

This hotel has many very large rooms with very large balconies. It appeared that the majority had large balconies. Ours was quite small, lacked much sun, and was set back. I wasn't terribly happy with it but the front desk staff said it was impossible to change, although the resort looked far from full. Our balcony was about 6' x 10' with 2 chairs and a table. The staff, otherwise, was excellent and friendly and everyone spoke perfect English.

The beach is very rocky with pebbles; the surf does not appear to be swimmable and I saw no one swimming in the sea. There is a great view of Gibralter from the beach (and probably from some rooms) and of the Morrocan coast in the distance. There were comfortable chaise lounges fronting the beach and in a lawn area, and all were adequately spaced to avoid crowding.

An outstanding buffet breakfast was included with everything you could think of beautifully displayed. There was an egg/omelette station and even a separate buffet on a low table for kids. The Italian restaurant was so-so. A friend accompanying us returned one of her entrees and it had poor quality meat which had been overcooked.

There is really nothing else in Estepona and traffic going towards Malaga was very congested. I could recommend this resort only if you intended to just stay put there.

My wife and I stayed for two nights in this place. Before that we had very good Kempinski experiences in Istanbul, Fuerteventura and Adlon in Berlin. But this place needs refurbishment quickly. The rooms resemble good old 80ies flair including the carpets. The hotel is noisy from the freeway right behind the venue. One night there was a party until lates 03:00 a.m. with all the hits -guess what- form the 80ies like "in the navy". For additional sleeplessness we experienced a flamecco night until midnight - all steps and yellings very audible in our room on th 2nd night. The food was not 5 star standard, esp. the buffet-breakfast which is ok for a 3-4 star business hotel, but not for the 5 star standard promised and payed for. My wife had a cesars salad for lunch, with aged leafs. The pool area is very good, the beach-front ok. After our escape on the 3rd day we discussed what to do with this place.

For reasons nothing to do with the hotel I had an awful experience here... and yet... 5* all the way. This is a great hotel.

One thought, mostly Brits as guests, so don't expect to hear too many people speaking Spanish. Estepona is an Expats-type place... kinda like Rosarito Beach in Mexico.

Spain it is, but Spanish it is not.

About location... no car, prepare to stay onsite, nothing worthwhile is close by.

Still... these complaints aside, I gave them a 5star rating, this is a beautiful property, and treated like a resort (meaning you stay onsite), its the poshest place I've seen in Spain.