Silken El Pilar Andalucia Hotel

A lovely spot in the middle of Estepona Old Town, and only a few minutes’ walk from the beach. Our room was great, especially the ones with a terrace looking over the plaza. Everyone on staff was kind and helpful, with excellent service. It felt like a five-star hotel. Recommended.

What stayed with us most was how the team helped when my wife broke her ankle. They looked after her while we waited for the ambulance, got her to the best hospital in nearby Marbella, and checked on her after surgery. We came back to the hotel for the rest of our holiday, and they helped us enjoy the time we had left despite how traumatic it had been. They also arranged our ride back to Malaga Airport and an upgrade to her airplane seat. We don’t speak Spanish, and they handled all of this without hesitation. Thank you Celia, Ted, Enka, Lourdes, Guillermo, and Alberto, the General Manager. Alberto even phoned the hospital to ask how my wife was doing. The hotel itself is a perfect sized boutique place in the charming old part of Estepona, Spain, right on Plaza de las Flores. There are lots of restaurants just outside, whether you’re after a morning or evening drink, and plenty of shopping if that’s your thing. The streets are mostly for walking, with cars rarely seen except farther out of town. The beach paseo, promenade and embarcadero, is about a two minute walk away. Staff know the Costa Del Sol well and are ready to help with anything. FANTASTIC HOTEL IN EVERY WAY.

We really enjoyed our stay and plan to come back later this year. The hotel is lovely and full of thoughtful details, and every person we met, from reception and the breakfast team to the cleaners and the bartender at Coopers, was cheerful and welcoming. Service was great. My partner also said the Guinness on draught was excellent. Breakfast was hot and tasty each morning, and we could swap or add things to the English breakfast. The first morning I had breakfast tea, but it was weak and tasteless. I doubt an extra tea bag would have helped much, so I chose coffee the next day, which was excellent. We had a bar meal at Coopers that was just okay. Some menu details didn’t match what arrived: there were pickles in my burger, though I may have missed them on the menu, and the listed caramelised onions were missing. My partner ordered a plain hot dog with caramelised onions added, but got raw spring onions on top and something resembling pulled pork underneath. We’d just spent two nights there. From the warm welcome at check-in through to saying goodbye, the whole stay was great.

The only little annoyance was that the two single beds pushed together as the main bed kept sliding apart at night. Apart from that, we felt very well cared for during our week here. The whole staff were professional, polite, and exceptionally friendly. Some days they cleaned the room three times. When we came down with a stomach flu, they paid special attention to us and even arranged for a doctor to check in, although it probably wasn’t necessary. I’m grateful for that. El Pilar is right in the central square, with the beach just a two minute walk away. The main restaurant is affordable, with outdoor plaza tables under awnings that feel cozy. There’s also an Irish bar that gets passersby, plus two other restaurants on site, and cafes and restaurants all around. A parking garage is just around the corner for 19 euros a day. I can recommend this hotel with the highest regards.