Mi Caseta and the magic of flamenco in Estepona
Estepona is in the western part of the Costa del Sol, about a twenty minute drive from Marbella. It is a relaxed, safe-feeling town that is very popular with British residents, although Dutch, German, French, and Portuguese can also be heard on its streets, as well as Spanish. There is plenty going on in Estepona. The W2SF team arrived on Easter Saturday and checked into Hotel Mediterraneo, right in the centre of town, on the seafront.
We had some time to spare, so we strolled around the bustling town, with typical Andalusian whitewashed walls and its old town streets adorned with flowerpots. Maybe this helps explain why Estepona is known as the “Garden of the Costa del Sol”. There are plenty of places to drink and eat. The W2SF team chose a super Thai restaurant in town. The food was delicious, and the service was helpful and considerate.
Our stomachs being suitably replenished, it was time to walk to Mi Caseta. We didn’t know what to expect. Would it be a fancy, rather pretentious restaurant? It is a decent walk from the centre of town, around 2 km. We hadn’t walked too far when we ran into a procession. This being Semana Santa, or Holy Week, we should have known this. A band was playing; large crowds were thronging the streets. Easter processions in Spain can be very impressive, but we had to get to our flamenco venue. There was no way we were getting through the thick crowds, so we took something of a detour. Our walk then took us up a main road, past athletics and sports stadiums and tennis courts to the Recinto Ferial (feria grounds). Mi Caseta was on the other side of the recinto. We had certainly walked off that Thai dinner.
Despite the extra walk, we arrived in good time. A super friendly guy took us to our table, right at the front, and we were served our drinks. We took a few moments to look around. And wow, how impressive was the venue. It was a traditional caseta, similar to those we had seen at the Malaga feria. It was definitely not a fancy, pretentious restaurant. It is tricky to find a direct English translation of caseta. Mi caseta literally translates as my little house. The dictionary translates “caseta” as a booth, hut, or shack. However, these terms do not accurately describe the venue here. Mi Caseta is a large permanent structure with ample seating room, a bar, and a sizable main stage, as well as a much smaller raised dance platform in front of the stage. There are impressive lighting rigs and interesting flamenco artefacts adorning the walls. The chairs at the tables are all of the high-back variety that the flamenco performers use on stage.
We got even luckier. One member of our team was asking the super friendly guy about the artists, and he then relocated us to a table directly in front of the stage. This location was ideal for observing the dazzling, stomping, and dancing feet of the dancers. There were eight seats set up on stage, rather than the three or four more typical at a smaller tablao. And there was a grand piano and a drum kit. The drum kit was interesting. It had the snare, hats and cymbals of a rock-style drum kit, but the kick drum was replaced by a box-drum style cajon. Not to mention one or two other percussive instruments that looked rather intriguing.
The venue was filling up now. Some people had ordered a meal, but most seemed content with the drink included with the standard entrance ticket. Then, the performers arrived on stage. The performers included a percussionist, two singers, a guitarist, a pianist, a flautist, and five dancers. Their performance promised to be quite some show. And so it was. The dancing was energetic and high-energy, and it used the whole stage area. The dancers were led by Lourdes Bazán, an accomplished dancer from the Malaga area, with Alicia Guerrero, and three younger dancers who were students at Lourdes’ school. Towards the end of the first half of the show, a sixth dancer entered the stage. It was Lourdes’ small son who treated us to a stunning performance. The audience was captivated.
The musicians were superb too, every one of them excellent. It is not often that you get a flute and piano at a flamenco show, but they worked so well together. The singers, Juan José Alcántara and Diego Moreno, sang both solo lines and together, giving a rich vocal accompaniment to the show. At one point Diego Moreno walked up to the edge of the stage, without his microphone, and gave a powerful performance. It is always impressive when singers can belt out beautiful sounds only with the power of their lungs.
The guitarist, José Fernández, was solid, both backing the group and when he played solo; his exquisite technique was wonderful to hear. What a perfect guitarist, both a team player and enthralling on his own.
The percussion was first-rate, beautifully locking in with the rest of the troupe and providing powerful rhythms. The flute added some lovely, weaving melody lines above the rest of the sound, working in so well with the other instruments. The piano itself was wonderful, adding a majestic sound to the whole performance.
The whole show was around ninety minutes. All the artists on stage got their chance to shine. It was so beautifully arranged, choreographed, and performed. Above all, it was just such good entertainment, with a lovely happy vibe.
So it was finally time to go. This time we found a more direct route back to our hotel, through the lovely streets of Estepona old town. We agreed that we had loved both the show and the amazing Mi Caseta itself.
📍 Mi Caseta – Flamenco Show in Estepona
- Address: Avenida Juan Carlos I, 400, 29680 Estepona, Málaga, Spain
- Phone: +34 680 336 342
- Website: micaseta.com
- Shows: Every Friday at 21:30 (90 minutes)
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/micasetaflamenco
- Mi Caseta is located within the Recinto Ferial (Feria grounds) of Estepona. Parking is available in the underground car park beneath the sports area; from there, it’s a short walk to the venue.micaseta.comFlamencotickets.com