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DEWhat is Costalita / Saladillo?
Costalita is a masterplanned, gated beachfront community on the New Golden Mile, straddling the boundary between Estepona and San Pedro de Alcántara. The development is built out in phases — Costalita, Costalita del Sol, Costalita del Mar, Villas de Costalita, Terrazas de Costalita and a sixth phase — giving the area a mix of apartment blocks and townhouses within a single walled perimeter with shared landscaped grounds and communal pools.
The project is associated with the architect Villarroel (sources differ on the first name, likely reflecting a father-and-son or firm partnership), and the built quality and layout are consistent across the phases. Costalita sits directly opposite Playa del Saladillo, a roughly 3 km stretch of beach about 35 m wide — one of the longer uninterrupted sandy stretches on this part of the coast, with several chiringuitos along the promenade.
Villa Padierna Racquet Club is located within the Costalita development and is open to residents and the wider community. It has 15 padel courts along with tennis courts and croquet facilities, making it one of the larger dedicated padel venues on the New Golden Mile — padel's popularity in the area has grown quickly in recent years, and the club is a fixture for local leagues and tournaments.
A Masterplanned Community That Works
Costalita stands apart because it was conceived as a coherent whole rather than a collection of unrelated buildings. The pedestrian-priority layout means cars are kept to the perimeter.
A Padel and Tennis Destination
The Villa Padierna Racquet Club, located within Costalita, is one of the largest racquet sports facilities on the western Costa del Sol.
Costalita and El Saladillo in 2026
The beach is the reason to buy here, so start with it. Playa del Saladillo is about 2.5 kilometres long and 10 to 40 metres wide, with pines and protected dunes between the sand and the urbanisations and the 16th century Saladillo watchtower at one end, and in summer 2026 it is one of only five Estepona beaches with a lifeguard, from 15 June to 15 September, with a Google rating of 4.0 from 502 reviews. All 16 beaches are compared in our Estepona beaches guide, the terraces where people watch the sun go down are in our sunset terraces post, and the Senda Litoral coast path that runs past Costalita towards Guadalmina and San Pedro is in our coastal path post. Stock inside the gates is small. At the time of writing (October 2026) we have four homes tagged to Costalita, three bedroom apartments from about 1.5 million euros and a three bedroom duplex penthouse at about 5 million, on our Estepona property page. There is no new development inside Costalita; the nearest are at Bel Air, Imagine from about 2.4 million and Ocean 11 from about 2.55 million, with the rest on our Estepona new developments page. Estepona cut property tax for 2026 after clearing its debt, in our post on the tax cuts, which applies here because Costalita is inside the municipality even though San Pedro is closer. The neighbours have their own guides: Bel Air behind the A-7, Atalaya and Casasola towards Marbella, Guadalmina Baja across the municipal line, and Guadalmansa and Cancelada towards Estepona, with the town as a whole in our Estepona guide.
Where is Costalita / Saladillo?
Who lives in Costalita / Saladillo?
Costalita attracts a mostly international buyer base — both full-time residents and holiday-home owners — drawn by direct beach access, the gated setting, and the on-site racquet club. The community includes a mix of permanent residents and seasonal owners across its six phases; no single verifiable source breaks the buyer mix down by nationality, so we don't quote a specific ranking here.
What can you do in Costalita / Saladillo?
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Property for sale in Costalita / Saladillo
€1.5M
Ground Floor Apartment · Costalita
Price on request
Apartment · Costalita
Price on request
Apartment · Costalita
€5M
Duplex Penthouse · Costalita
All property for sale in Estepona →
Looking for a new build instead of resale? See new developments in Costalita / Saladillo →
Want to be right by the sea? See frontline beach properties for sale →
New developments near Costalita / Saladillo
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Los Miradores del Sol I
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Imagine
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Solaia Residence
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Essence Residence Phase I
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See all new developments in Estepona →
Frequently Asked Questions
How many padel courts does Villa Padierna Racquet Club have?
15 padel courts, along with tennis courts and croquet facilities. Earlier versions of this guide cited 11 courts, which was incorrect.
How many phases does the Costalita development have?
Six: Costalita, Costalita del Sol, Costalita del Mar, Villas de Costalita, Terrazas de Costalita, and a sixth phase.
How long is Playa del Saladillo?
Approximately 3 km long and 35 m wide, directly opposite the Costalita development.
How far is Costalita from Málaga airport?
Málaga Airport (AGP) is approx. 75 to 80 km away, around 60 to 70 minutes via the AP-7.
What types of property are there in Costalita?
Apartments and townhouses across the Costalita phases: Costalita, Costalita del Sol, Costalita del Mar, Villas de Costalita and Terrazas de Costalita.
Is Costalita in Estepona or Marbella?
Estepona. Costalita is the last gated urbanisation on the Estepona side of the municipal boundary with Marbella, so the town hall, the property tax and the lifeguards are Estepona’s, while the nearest supermarkets and schools are in San Pedro de Alcántara, about five minutes away on the Marbella side.
Is there a lifeguard at Playa del Saladillo?
Yes. El Saladillo is one of five Estepona beaches with a lifeguard service in summer 2026, from 15 June to 15 September, 12:00 to 20:00 daily, with two lifeguards in the water and one on land. Outside those dates there is no service, as on every beach in Estepona.
What does an apartment in Costalita cost in 2026?
In our stock, three bedroom apartments start at about 1.5 million euros and a three bedroom duplex penthouse is listed at about 5 million. Costalita apartments sell above the Estepona average because of the beach access and the gated grounds. We do not list townhouses in the estate at the moment.
Can you walk from Costalita to San Pedro along the coast?
Yes. The Senda Litoral runs along the beach from Costalita past Casasola and Guadalmina to the San Pedro de Alcántara promenade, and from there the finished link to Puerto Banús. Some stretches are boardwalk and some are sand, so it is a walk rather than a cycle path for most of the way.
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