1 Take the A-7 towards Algeciras/Cadiz. This road runs parallel to the coast.
Stay on the A-7 (Toll free) or take the AP-7 (Toll road) which is faster and less busy. If you choose the AP-7, the fee is about €12 in total and there are two pay stations, one in Malaga and one in Marbella. We recommend you pay by credit card and use the dedicated lanes for credit cards as these are a lot faster than the ordinary pay lanes.
When you reach Estepona you will be on the A-7 as the AP-7 merges back in to the A-7. Take exit 153.
Exit 153, Estepona
2 At the first roundabout, take the fourth exit towards Algeciras/Cadiz. At the second roundabout, go straight.
Entering Costa Natura
3 Just before the third roundabout, Costa Natura is on your left. Take the third exit.Costa Natura is just next to Gran Hotel Elba Estepona.
- Time 57 minutes
- Distance 87 km / 54 miles
1 When exiting the airport, take N-351 towards San Roque.
Stay on A-7
2 After 9 km, turn right onto the A-7 towards Estepona/Malaga. After about 20 km, take exit 133 and stay on the A7.
Entering Costa Natura
3 After about 31 km you will come to a roundabout where Burger King is on your left.
Take the first exit and you will see Costa Natura on your right (look out for the white tower with the Costa Natura sign). Costa Natura is just next to Gran Hotel Elba, Estepona.
- Time 40 minutes
- Distance 41 km / 25 miles
Renting a car at the Airport
Renting a car in Spain is often a very attractive option and provides more flexibility for the same cost as public transportation. The standard of rental cars is often very high, at least with bigger companies. There are a couple of things we have learned over the years, which we would like to share:
– Choose a rental company that has an office in the airport building. This way you will get your car much faster than with other options.
– Many rental companies, if not all, offer a basic rental package with the government required insurances. You then have a choice of buying the offered full coverage when picking up the car or depositing a security of €1 000 or more, depending on the type of car. We have chosen to go without the full coverage because if often doubles the rental cost and instead accepted to deposit a security amount on our credit card in case of any damage to the car. The risk with this is that if the car is damaged, you have to pay for the repairs when you return the car and depending on the damage this can be quite expensive.
– With respect to fuel options, you have two choices. Full-full means that you rent the car fully fuelled and return it fully fuelled. You pay a deposit for the full tank which is returned if the car is returned fully fuelled. Full-empty means that you rent the car fully fuelled, pay for the full tank, and return it with whatever is left in the tank. We always choose the full-full option as we find this to be much cheaper.
– Parking in Spain often leaves scratches or dents, so make sure to check that all marks on the car have been registered when you pick it up.