OK, “amazing” is probably a bit of an overstatement, but of all the towns we have stayed in, Estepona has some of the best grocery retail outlets we have come across, including an immense Carrefour Hypermarket. The only thing it is lacking is a permanent indoor market. However, there is a weekly outdoor market on Wednesdays (Mercadillo del Miercoles ) where you can pick up fresh fruits and vegetables.
The following map generally shows you where most of the major grocery stores are in town, and a few smaller ones. The circled blue dot is where we were located for most of our stay, and the arrows point to grocery stores we shopped in with varying regularity. We used the two at the east end of town primarily when we had our three weeks stay in an apartment in the Old Town, close to Plaza de Las Flores, which is marked on the map. There are lots of other grocery outlets scattered through town as well, they simply did not pop up when I searched for grocery stores in Google Maps at this level.
This piece is generally only going to be of interest and benefit to someone who’s thinking they may be staying in Estepona sometime in the future, or for those of you who are simply “grocery curious”. I’m going to begin by looking at how we shop while we are living on the Costa, including a few tips that would apply while grocery shopping anywhere on the Costa del Sol. I have done this before, but things have changed a bit over the years. After that, I will talk about our favourite chain of grocery stores in Spain.
How We Shop & Things You Need to Know
An important bit of information you need to know if you have read any other of my pieces related to shopping on the Costa del Sol is that things have changed dramatically in terms of how we pay for groceries now – especially in the post pandemic era, compared to how we paid prior to that. It used to be that all retailers wanted cash, but now most prefer that you pay with plastic. It must’ve had something to do with the idea that cash potentially could spread Covid.
So now, as the use of charge cards has become ubiquitous on the Costa del Sol, so too has the “Dynamic Currency Conversion” concept spread – raising its ugly head even when you are grocery shopping. I took the following photo one day to capture this, specifically so that I could share it with you.
As you can see, even in grocery stores you will now be asked if you would like to immediately reconcile your payment in Canadian dollars… and provide some organization with an opportunity to skim off a few more of your hard-earned dollars, above and beyond what you are paying in currency exchange fees. Always pay in the local currency, not Canadian dollars.
And things have even gotten a little bit worse around this concept. Frequently we saw a second “ask” after we selected EUR as our preferred form of payment. An additional screen would pop up and ask us to confirm whether we wanted to pay “without conversion” or “with conversion”. A little confusing if you don’t know what they’re talking about. You definitely want to select “without conversion”… in this case to Canadian dollars.
One of the most significant ways in which our grocery shopping habits in Spain are different from at home is that we go “car-less” while we’re there and live the European lifestyle. That means we walk to pick up our groceries. The net result when you do this is that you shop more frequently and must be prepared to carry groceries home. To maximize the amount we can buy and carry in one purchase, I always take a spacious backpack along with a number of light reusable grocery bags from home.
This year, we went even more local in our shopping habits by picking up a shopping cart like the ones just about everybody else uses. In Spain these shopping carts are called “carro de la compra” (shopping cart or trolley) and are simply referred to as a “carrito” (small cart/trolley).
As you will see, they even have special lock-ups for you to safely secure your shopping cart at the front of the store while you are doing your shopping. The stores must have their own reason for wanting shoppers to use a shopping cart rather than pulling these little guys around the store behind them as they shop.
The other thing that you need to be aware of, is that most grocery stores expect you to weigh and price your own fruits and vegetables. They have great in-store systems set up, which are very easy to use fortunately. I wish grocery stores were using these systems in Canada.
You put your item on a scale, and with one type of machine you sort through the images and select the one that corresponds with your purchase. We are now frequently asked to do this sort of thing in Canada at self-checkouts. Another type used in the Costa operates with numbers. After placing your item on the scale, you simply press the number that corresponds to your purchase. Stores that use this system have numbers on cards posted above each of the individual fruits and vegetables on the shelves, so you don’t have to go searching for them.
I will be using photo carousels in this article. Click on the left image and they will pop in a larger, easier to view and read format.
The other thing I would suggest you be aware of is that it is a really good idea to download the Google Translate app and have it on your phone. If you select the “camera” function and simply point at whatever you need to read before buying, it will translate the text, in this case from Spanish to English. I’ve used one of our grocery receipts here to show you how well it works. This allows you to read directions, lists of ingredients, or even special offers as you shop.
And finally, just like at home, many of the grocery chains, publish weekly or monthly flyers offering specials. It’s always a good idea to grab one in store or somewhere else in town where the chains deposit them… e.g. at the entrance to apartment buildings.
Our Favorite Grocery Store
The major players in the grocery chain industry in Spain are Carrefour, El Corte Inglés, Lidl, and Mercadona. El Corte Inglés and Mercadona are Spanish companies while Carrefour is based in France and Lidl in Germany. You may remember Carrefour because it is the French company that the Canadian firm Alimentation Couche-Tard attempted to buy. Apparently, a Francophone company from Quebec was not French enough for the French government, so the purchase was not allowed to proceed.
Of those four, our absolute favourite is Mercadona. And not just because it feels like it is the cheapest. And I would even say that Maradona has some faults. One being, that I sometimes find their stores to be rather “rabbit-warrenish” in that you’ll have to search out the obscure back corners where some items are shelved. And I have never figured out the logic behind what products they group together.
That notwithstanding, I still love the store because they produce several great food products under their own product line called Hacendado. Just a while ago I wrote about some of my favourite products in that line.
But perhaps the most important aspect to me is how they sell their meat. Sadly, I would have to report that it is almost identical to how meats are sold here in Canada. Packaged up and on display so you can easily make your own selection as you wander through the store. Carrefour and some other chains on the other hand, generally force you to go to the meat counter and place your request with a staff member. They do have some choices in a cooler, but most often they are limited.
Mercadona Stores in Estepona
There are three Mercadona stores in Estepona, one of which is a very large, brand-new outlet out in the burbs in a “drive-to location”. It has very wide aisles, products are offered in a range of choices and are prominently displayed. It is a great grocery shopping experience… I am assuming there is such a thing of course. 🙂
Unfortunately, because it’s out in the burbs, we only went once because it required us to take a taxi to get out there and back home again. We probably could have walked out to it, but we visited late in our stay, so didn’t get in the habit of shopping there.
Other Grocery Stores and a “Pricing” Guess
El Corte Inglés would be the higher-end shopping choice in grocery stores in Spain, if that’s your preference. Carrefour is kind of in the middle of the pack while Mercadona is probably at the lower end of the big three in terms of pricing. Typically you will find one Lidl grocery store in most towns on the Costa, but we don’t really shop there at all, so I can’t comment on where they sit in the pricing continuum.
Perhaps some photos can demonstrate our perceived differences between these grocery chains. First up, El Corte Inglés.
El Corte Inglés
As you will see, presentation is a major focus in these stores – kind of a, “let’s make this look like it’s a high-end, specialty food store” sensibility. If that is the type of shopping experience you’re looking for, then El Corte Inglés is the place for you.
El Corte Inglés bought out another Spanish chain, SuperCor, which they are in the process of converting to El Corte stores. SuperCor is not to be confused with SuperSol, another small chain that you will also see scattered around up and down the Costa del Sol.:-)
Carrefour
Carrefour is generally more of a “Plain Jane” shopping experience. You can certainly find whatever you need there. There is one thing about their stores that really annoys me. That is, as I previously mentioned, in most of them there is only a limited number of prepackaged meats available for you to go in and grab quickly. More often than not, you must go to the butcher counter and make your protein purchases there.
We did a lot of our shopping at two Carrefour stores when we were in the apartment that sat right on the beach down near the port. We would only venture a long way out to a Mercadona occasionally to get the products we could only get in those stores. The store in the photos is the one where we started doing most of our shopping, but then mostly abandoned it to shop at one near the Port.
Oddly enough, the one we abandoned, had more prepackaged meat available than any other Carrefour I can recall being in. The second was nicer and had better selections, but it had absolutely no prepackaged meat. You were forced to go to the butcher counter.
The first did have an excellent selection of wines though. Pick your poison. 🙂
Speaking about wine and other adult beverages…
Adult Beverages
If you enjoy an occasional adult beverage, you will be very happy when purchasing them in Spain. Relative to what we pay in Canada, booze is incredibly inexpensive. A few specialty shops scattered about the Costa sell wine and liquor; they probably bring in much higher quality beverages, but you can find everything that you will want in a grocery store, including liquor. And each week lots of items are on sale.
Sunday shopping
And now for the bad news. All the large grocery stores are closed on Sunday! Not to worry, you can still buy groceries in the smaller grocery/variety stores scattered around town. Choices include, a number of the “Express” stores then set up by a couple of the chains, along with a few independent ones.
Other Places
I would be remiss if I did not point out the other places you can pick up groceries in Estepona. You will find Fruteria’s in every neighborhood. These are small stores that specialize in fruit and vegetables. It appears that most of these are only open for fairly limited hours, but they are great places to shop. Typically, the vendor picks out the products for you after you tell them what you want… so try to learn some Spanish words before you head into one, or have your Google Translate app fired up. 🙂
Likewise, if you prefer to shop at a butcher shop, many of these are scattered around as well. I can only recall shopping in one of these once because I was looking for lamb, and oddly enough, lamb is hard to find in grocery stores, in southern Spain anyway.
And finally, as I mentioned, Estepona has a weekly market on Wednesdays. Weekly markets are great places to buy fruits and vegetables. They are typically cheaper than anywhere else… No overhead for the vendors I suppose.
Carrefour Hypermarket
I have saved the MEGA grocery shopping experience for last. Estepona is one of the few towns on the Costa del Sol that has a Carrefour Hypermarket. When I try to explain what these enormous edifices are all about to anyone, I often refer to them as a Real Canadian Superstore-Best Buy-Winners all rolled into one. I used to say Canadian Tire instead of Winners, but I don’t think they sell tires… but I’m not absolutely certain of that. 🙂
You should be able to buy virtually anything you need during your winter getaway at these stores. My guess is that the overall pricing would be in the fair to less expensive range, but don’t hold me to that.
I will attempt to show you what they are all about in a photographic walk-through. We begin by walking up to the building. We walked there each time we went, but this really is a drive-to site out on the edge of town.
Just inside the front door, we check the situation to the left and then to the right. Let’s head up the escalator and check out the “Best Buy” section of the store.
Next let’s head into the main part of the store and check what is on offer at the West End of this huge structure.
Time to head eastwards to the “Winners” section of the store and check out some fashions and some kitchen wares.
Clothing and kitchen purchases made, we are back on the move… until we finally come to the “Real Canadian Superstore” grocery section. 🙂
And now some interesting specialty in-store stores.
We finally arrive at the east end of the store, turn around, and peer back towards the west end somewhere off in the distance. This end of the store is where you find most of the conventional grocery store items that you will typically shop for at home.
I love how our shopping experience ends when we go to the Carrefour Hypermarket. We walk out the front door and immediately see the mountains off in the distance, framed by palm trees. Then we stroll back along the Mediterranean on our way home. Not a shabby way to do your grocery shopping. 🙂
