El Presidente: a buyer’s guide to the New Golden Mile’s garden community by the sea

Most buyers looking at the New Golden Mile start with the new apartment developments between San Pedro and Estepona: glass balconies, rooftop pools, five years old or less. El Presidente is the opposite. It has been there for decades, it is low-rise, and its gardens have had forty years to grow.

El Presidente is a large residential urbanisation on the beach side of the coast road, at the eastern end of Estepona. It is a place of apartment blocks of two and three floors, townhouses and a few villas, set among tropical gardens, fountains and pools. From most of it you can walk to the sea.

This guide is for someone deciding whether El Presidente suits them. That means setting out how it is laid out, what it costs to buy and to run, and the questions worth asking before an offer.

We will not give you a single figure for what buying here costs. Taxes, community fees and running costs depend on the property and on the buyer, so the figures below are orientation rather than legal or tax advice.

El Presidente sits at the eastern end of Estepona, between the coast road and the sea. Its western edge is the Arroyo de Dos Hermanas, beyond which lies Benamara. To the east, Avenida Hacienda del Sol separates it from Atalaya and Isdabe, and further east again are Casasola and the Guadalmina river.

It is one of the communities that make up the New Golden Mile, the stretch of coast between San Pedro and Estepona. Inland, across the coast road, are Cancelada, El Paraíso and the golf valley.

The position suits buyers whose life runs between Estepona and San Pedro. It is west of Marbella's traffic, which helps for Estepona, Sotogrande or Gibraltar and costs time for Málaga.

El Presidente is above all an apartment community. Most homes are in low-rise blocks of two or three floors, with ground-floor garden apartments, middle floors and penthouses with roof terraces. Around them are townhouses and, towards the beach, a smaller number of detached villas on their own plots.

The urbanisation was built in phases from the 1980s, in a traditional Andalusian style: white walls, terracotta roofs, arches and wooden balconies. What sets it apart is the communal ground. The gardens are mature and tropical, with lawns, palms and pines, and a sequence of water gardens and fountains modelled on the Alhambra in Granada.

Apartments and penthouses in El Presidente

The apartments are generous by modern standards, usually two or three bedrooms and 110 to 160 m² built, with covered terraces facing the gardens. Many are original and dated inside. The best have been completely renovated, which is the main reason for the very wide range of prices.

Recent examples give a sense of the range:

• Unrenovated two-bedroom penthouses of 110 to 144 m² have been asking €545,000 to €650,000.
• An unrenovated three-bedroom middle-floor apartment of 129 m² was asking €675,000.
• Our renovated three-bedroom penthouse, MH9377, 204 m², is asking €995,000.
• Our fully renovated three-bedroom apartment, MH9425, 130 m² plus a 30 m² terrace facing south-east over the gardens, is asking €1,550,000.
• Our fully renovated four-bedroom frontline beach townhouse, MH8942, 255 m² over three levels plus 54 m² of south-facing terraces with sea views, is asking €2,100,000, reduced from €2,599,000.

Villas in El Presidente

The villas are fewer and come up rarely. A five-bedroom villa on the second line to the beach, 539 m² built on a 1,260 m² plot, was recently asking €3,950,000. At that level buyers also look at Casasola and Guadalmina Baja.

These are asking prices from listings in 2026, not completed sale prices.

Life in El Presidente is quiet, green and centred on the gardens and the beach. Many owners live here all year, which gives it more of a neighbourhood feel than most holiday developments on this coast.

The gardens, pools and courts

The communal grounds are the reason most people buy. Paths run between the blocks through lawns, palms and old pines, past ponds and fountains. There are five communal pools, one of them heated, and tennis and padel courts for residents.

The beach

The beach is about 5 to 10 minutes on foot from most blocks. It is quieter than the beaches nearer Puerto Banús, with darker sand and stones in places, and good for swimming and snorkelling on calm days. Beach bars along the shore and in neighbouring Saladillo serve lunch and drinks.

Golf

El Paraíso, Atalaya and the courses of the golf valley are a few minutes inland, and Guadalmina is about ten minutes east. Club membership is separate from owning a home nearby. Our guide to El Paraíso covers the nearest golf community.

Schools

Several international schools are within about 10 to 20 minutes by car, in Estepona, El Paraíso, San Pedro and Nueva Andalucía. Fees, curricula and waiting lists are covered in our guide to international schools.

Healthcare

Clinics and pharmacies are in Isdabe, Cancelada and San Pedro. Estepona has a public hospital, and the larger private hospitals are in and around Marbella, about 20 to 30 minutes away. Our guide to healthcare in Marbella explains how the public and private systems fit together.

Shops and everyday life

El Presidente itself is residential. The nearest supermarket and cafés are at the Isdabe shopping centre, a few minutes east, and there is more choice in Cancelada, San Pedro and Estepona. Most errands mean the car.

El Presidente falls in the Benamara–Atalaya district of Estepona, where asking prices averaged €4,314 per m² in September 2026, up 9.8 per cent on the year. Estepona as a whole averaged €5,021 per m², up 17.1 per cent.

Inside El Presidente, the average hides a wide spread. Unrenovated apartments work out at roughly €3,800 to €5,900 per m², while a fully renovated apartment in a good position can reach €9,000 per m² or more. The gap is mostly the cost and quality of renovation, plus orientation and the view over the gardens.

Asking prices are not sale prices. Your agent can get completed prices from notary and registry data for the blocks you are looking at.

El Presidente is a resale market, so buyers pay transfer tax rather than VAT.

Resale property in Andalucía attracts Impuesto de Transmisiones Patrimoniales, ITP. The rate is a flat 7 per cent. In September 2026 the Junta de Andalucía announced a cut to 6.75 per cent from 2027, but it still has to be approved with the regional budget. Because the rate may change, we keep the current figure on one page: see property purchase tax in Andalucía.

On top of the tax, budget for notary, land registry, your lawyer and, if you are borrowing, the lender's costs. One to one and a half per cent of the price is a reasonable working figure.

The tax authority can assess ITP on the cadastral valor de referencia rather than the price you paid, if the reference value is higher, so check it before agreeing a price. Buyers who are not tax resident in Spain should take advice on non-resident income tax, IRNR, which applies to a second home whether or not you let it.

In El Presidente you pay for the gardens. Large grounds, several pools, courts and fountains are expensive to run, and community fees reflect that.

Community fees. On our current listings they run from about €330 a month for a three-bedroom penthouse to €814 a month for a frontline townhouse. Ask for the current charge in writing, what it covers, and whether security, gardens, pools and courts are all included. Fees depend on the size of the apartment and its share of the community.

Derramas. Blocks built in the 1980s and 1990s reach the point where roofs, facades, pipes, lifts and pool plant need capital spending. Ask whether a special levy, a derrama, has been raised recently or is planned. The minutes of the last three general meetings will tell you.

IBI. The municipal property tax is set by Estepona. On our current listings it runs from about €1,070 to €1,300 a year. Ask the seller for last year's receipt.

Renovation. An original apartment will need a new kitchen and bathrooms, air conditioning, glazing and electrics. Price that work before you compare it with a finished one.

None of these is a reason to avoid El Presidente. All of them vary from one block to the next, so check the home, not the urbanisation.

1. Noise

The coast road runs along the top of El Presidente. Blocks nearest it hear the traffic, especially at rush hour and in summer; those towards the beach and the middle of the gardens are quieter. Visit at eight on a weekday morning in July and listen from the terrace.

2. The age of the building

Most blocks are 35 to 40 years old. Ask about the state of roofs, facades, pipes and lifts, and whether the community has a maintenance plan. Check that what you are buying matches the land registry and the Cadastre, especially enclosed terraces and roof structures on penthouses.

3. Flood and the coast

The Arroyo de Dos Hermanas runs along the western edge. Have your lawyer check the specific property against Spain's national flood-zone viewer (SNCZI), and confirm it can be insured on normal terms. Homes closest to the beach may also fall within the protection zones of the Ley de Costas, which can limit what you may change outside.

4. What you may renovate

Inside an apartment, a modest refurbishment is usually straightforward. Anything that changes the outside, such as windows, enclosing a terrace or work on a roof terrace, needs community approval and has to match the rest of the development. Ask before you budget.

El Presidente is bought mainly to live in, but it rents well in two markets.

Holiday letting is strongest in summer, when a garden apartment a short walk from the beach, with pools and courts, suits visiting families. It needs a tourist licence from the Junta de Andalucía. Since 3 April 2025, an owner in a community generally needs the community's prior approval to start tourist letting, by three-fifths of owners representing three-fifths of the participation quotas, so check the statutes before you buy.

Long-term letting suits families and professionals moving to the coast. Demand for well-kept apartments between Estepona and San Pedro is steady all year.

On a net basis the yield is modest. Community fees, IBI, insurance, management and empty periods all come off, and non-resident owners pay Spanish tax on rental income. A renovated apartment lets faster and at a better rent than an original one.

Roads. The coast road runs along the top of El Presidente, and the AP-7 toll road is a few minutes inland. Drive your regular route at the hour you will use it before you buy.

Public transport. Buses along the coast road stop nearby and run to Estepona, San Pedro and Marbella. Otherwise this is a car area.

On foot and by bike. Within El Presidente and down to the beach, walking is easy. Estepona's coastal path runs along much of the shore, so you can walk or cycle by the sea.

Internet. Fibre coverage is generally good, but confirm it for the specific home.

Buyers looking here usually also look at three neighbours on the New Golden Mile: Benamara to the west, Casasola to the east, and El Paraíso inland.

Who El Presidente suits

It suits buyers who want an apartment by the beach in mature, green surroundings rather than a new block. It suits families and retirees who value communal pools, courts and gardens, second-home owners who want to lock up and leave, and anyone happy to renovate to get a good apartment at a lower entry price.

It does not suit buyers who want a new building with modern energy standards, anyone who needs to walk to shops, buyers who want a sandy, lively beach, or those who want a private garden and pool at apartment prices.

Things to establish before you offer, roughly in the order they tend to matter:

1. Which block and community is the home in? Fees, rules and statutes can differ.
2. What are the community fees, and what do they cover? In writing, with last year's actual figures.
3. Is a derrama pending? Read the minutes of the last three general meetings.
4. How close is the block to the coast road? Listen at eight on a weekday morning in July.
5. Which way does it face, and what does the terrace look over? Gardens and pools, or a road and car park.
6. Is it legally as built? Compare the registry and Cadastre with what stands, especially enclosed terraces.
7. What would renovation cost? Get a builder's price if the home is original.
8. Is there a lift? Important for upper floors and penthouses.
9. Does the community permit tourist letting? If that is any part of your plan.
10. What is the IBI and the energy certificate?
11. What did comparable homes actually sell for? Not what they were asking.

Comparing prices without comparing condition. A renovated apartment and an original one in the same block can be twice the price apart.

Ignoring the community's finances. Old buildings and big gardens cost money; a pending derrama changes the real price.

Judging noise on a quiet day. Traffic on the coast road sounds different on a summer weekday.

Expecting a sandy beach. The beach here is calmer and stonier than further east.

Assuming the terrace can be enclosed. Exterior changes need community approval.

Where is El Presidente?

At the eastern end of Estepona, between the coast road and the sea, between Benamara to the west and Atalaya to the east. It is part of the New Golden Mile.

Is El Presidente in Marbella or Estepona?

Estepona. Marbella begins further east, across the Guadalmina river.

What types of property are there?

Mainly apartments and penthouses in low-rise blocks, with some townhouses and a small number of villas.

How much does an apartment cost?

Recent asking prices have run from about €545,000 for an apartment to renovate to about €1.55 million for a fully renovated three-bedroom apartment. Villas start at about €3.9 million.

Can you walk to the beach?

Yes, from most of El Presidente, in about 5 to 10 minutes on foot.

Is it gated?

The apartment and townhouse communities are gated, with controlled access. Detached villas rely on their own walls and security, so check what applies to the specific home.

What facilities are there?

Mature communal gardens with fountains, five communal pools including a heated one, and tennis and padel courts.

What taxes will I pay when buying?

Transfer tax (ITP) of 7 per cent (6.75 per cent from 2027 if approved with the regional budget), plus roughly 1 to 1.5 per cent in notary, registry and legal costs. See our property purchase tax page for the current rate.

Can I let my apartment to holidaymakers?

Only with a tourist licence from the Junta de Andalucía, and only if the community's statutes allow it. Long-term letting is generally simpler.

In our view, El Presidente is one of the best-value addresses on the New Golden Mile for an apartment by the sea. What you buy is not a building but a setting: forty years of gardens, space between the blocks, pools and courts, and the beach a few minutes away.

It is not new, and it should not be bought as if it were. Many apartments need work, and the community's buildings need looking after. The difference between a good purchase and an average one usually comes down to three things: the position of the block, the condition of the apartment and the health of the community's finances.

If you want a new building with a rooftop pool, look at the newer developments nearby. If you want to walk through gardens to the sea, look here.

El Presidente is a place where local knowledge changes the outcome. Which blocks are quiet, which communities are well run, and whether a price reflects a finished apartment or a project are not in the listing.

We sell property across the New Golden Mile and know El Presidente well. We would rather tell you before an offer that a home is not right for you than afterwards.

You can browse current properties for sale in El Presidente, including our renovated apartment and penthouse. If you would like us to show you the gardens, a few blocks and the walk to the beach, or to give you an honest opinion on a particular apartment before you make an offer, contact us.