The Costa del Sol continues to be upmarket ( or "money-raddled" as Laurie Lee put it ) until you reach ESTEPONA , about 30km west of Marbella, which is a more Spanish resort. It lacks the enclosed hills that give Marbella character, but the hotel and apartment blocks which line the front are restrained in size, and there's space to breathe. The fine sand beach has been enlivened a little by a promenade studded with flowers and palms, and, away from the seafront, the old town is very pretty, with cobbled alleyways and two delightful plazas. The fish market is definitely worth seeing: Estepona has the biggest fishing fleet west of Malaga, and the daily dawn ritual in the port, where the returning fleets auction off the fish they've just caught, is worth getting up early for - be there at 6am, since by 7am it's all over.

From May onward, Estepona's bullfighting season gets under way in a modern bullring reminiscent of a Henry Moore sculpture. At the beginning of July, the Fiesta y Feria week transforms the place, bringing out whole families in flamenco-style garb. Beyond Estepona, 8km along the coast, there's a minor road leading into the hills to Casares , one of the classic andaluz White Towns. In keeping with the genre, it clings tenaciously to a steep hillside below a castle, and has attracted its fair share of arty types and expatriates. But it remains comparatively little known; bus connections are just about feasible for a day-trip ( details from the tourist office ).