The Area

La Costa Cálida - Murcia :

Note : The following information has been extracted from www.murciaturistica.es Please follow its link for further details.

Impressive cliffs, heavenly beaches of endless white sand, lively ports and wild coves with crystal clear water, more than 3,000 hours of sun a year and mild temperatures - even in winter - with a yearly average of more than 18ºC. This is the Costa Cálida, the ideal place to spend some days relaxing both in winter and summer.

From the fishing town of Aguilas to the white dunes of the beach of El Mojon in San Pedro del Pinatar, stretch kilometre after kilometre of beaches and deserted coves awaiting the arrival of the bather, the sailor, the diver or the fisherman. In addition, there are delightful picturesque fishing villages , like Cabo de Palos where you can lose yourself for a few days; ports like the one in Mazarron where you can spend a lively evening and enjoy its magnificent gastronomy after a day on the beach; heavenly areas of natural beauty, unique in the whole Mediterranean, at the beaches of Calblanque or Calnegre... and one of the most highly considered tourist complexes in the Mediterranean: La Manga del Mar Menor, a paradise between two seas with infinite beaches, sandy sea beds and crystalline waters, and endowed with an excellent hotel infrastructure.

Furthermore, fans of water sports will find one of the best places in the world for practicing sailing, canoeing, swimming, water-skiing, jet-skiing, fly surfing, windsurfing, catamaran, and every other type of water sport activity in its numerous clubs, ports and sailing schools. The Nautical Resort on the Mar Menor offers the chance to hire out equipment, book sailing courses and reserve accommodation at extremely interesting rates.

Mar Menor, Large pond, Small sea, throughout history, the so-called Mar Menor has had different names, all of which coincide in the description of a phenomenon that nature designed as a great coastal lake (originally, an open bay) of 170 km2 of warm saltwater.

Since distant times, the wealth of its water, the kindness of the climate and the beauty of the area as a whole attracted many people. The Iberians and Phoenicians and, later, the Arabs have a part in the history of the Mar Menor. In the Moslem period, it was known as the Mar Chico, and the place known today as Los Alcázares (from the Arabic ´Al-Ksar´, literally translated as "place of residence") was chosen for their recreational houses. The continuous skirmishes with pirates from Algeria led to the need to construct watchtowers, some of which are conserved today, such as that of El Ramé or Rami. Until the 18th century, the area was occupied only by inhabitants dedicated to fishing and to the exploitation of the salt flats. From the 19th century, these centres gradually became centres for recreation and relaxation for the inhabitants of La Huerta, who established their summer residence next to the coast, attracted mainly by the curative properties of its brackish water. Even today, the Mar Menor remains faithful to the concept of ´residential area´ characterised by rest and tranquility.

The warm waters of the Mar Menor, with a maximum depth of 7 metres, hold the ideal conditions and means for those who enjoy open or group sailing. Furthermore, visitors to this area can enjoy all the advantages of the Sailing Station of the Mar Menor, which in keeping with the ski station concept, offers a set of sailing, sports and tourist infrastructures together with hotels, accommodation and establishments for leisure and learning grouped together in one place: the entire Shore area of the Mar Menor and La Manga. This large saltwater lake has ideal climatic conditions (315 days of sunshine per year and an average annual temperature of 18ºC) for the continuous practice of water sports.

Note : The following information was translated from some of the information provided at www.ayto-losalcazares.es Please follow its link for further details (Spanish only).

On the south east coast of Spain within the region of Murcia, and in the centre of the Mar Menor coast line the traveler finds Los Alcázares, named after the various castles that were built here in previous centuries.

Its territory occupies almost 20 square kilometres and counts with a population of a little more than 15.000 residents in constant growth. Given its condition of preferred destination for vacation period, the population of Los Alcázares rises to 100.000 people during the high season that come every year to enjoy the pleasures of the Mar Menor thanks to its good accommodation offer in hotels and second residences. The economy of Los Alcázares has evolved in the last few years from essentially agricultural to now mostly a service industry related to the support of tourism.

Los Alcázares offers 9 kilometres of sea shore with the centre of town practically reflected in the waters of the Mar Menor. Seven kilometres of beaches, an average temperature of 18 degrees centigrade, a different sea and the warmth of its people makes of Los Alcázares a paradise for whom comes to visit during the year.