The apartment is in a small village in Murcia about 10 minutes inland from the Mar Menor on the Costa Calida. This is an area with quite a few ex pats but not the commercialisation of the Costa del Sol or Benidorm. So you will find menus in English and the odd Irish pub but it’s not ‘Blackpool in the sun’ crowded with larger louts. It’s relatively quiet and predominantly Spanish.

 

It’s an area where the Spanish take their holidays. Apparently it is very busy in August when Madrid closes and they all come to Murcia. The Mar Menor is like a small inland sea. It’s bordered on one side by La Manga which is a very narrow strip of land about 10 kms, highly developed with lots of apartments. The Mar Menor itself is about 5 kms wide and 10 kms long, with miles of beaches and very shallow safe bathing. Ideal for water sports and sailing.

 

As well as the beaches, there are a number of towns to explore; Cartegena and Murcia are the largest and most accessible.  We enjoy exploring the smaller places along the coast. There are also a number of very good golf courses in the area.  In the dresser of the apartment there are maps of the area and some of the larger towns, as well as a few local guides.

 

The apartment is in a small block in a village. So if you want a taste of Spain, rather than a British enclave in the sun, this is for you. Within the village there is a small supermarket, a lovely Panaderia (Bakery) for breads and pastries, and several bars, as well as banks and a number of other small practical shops. 

 

The apartment block has just 26 apartments, (some of them not yet sold) and is protected by a locked door and phone entry system. There are relatively few apartments permanently occupied, so it’s very quiet. It always feels like the shared pool is for our exclusive use!

 

There are two bedrooms - a double in one and two singles in the other - a fully equipped kitchen (except a dishwasher) and air conditioning. There is a lounge area, dining area and a full bathroom with shower. There is a balcony outside the lounge: a pleasant place to sit in the shade during the day or on a balmy evening. If you want full sunshine, the pool area is a sun trap during the day.  There are a couple of sun loungers in the apartment for use in the pool area.

 

If you use the apartment, someone will meet you when you arrive and show you around. They will then see you just before you leave, clean the apartment after you’ve gone and wash all the linen. All linen, towels beach towels etc are provided.

 

If this sounds like a place you would enjoy and you are interested in staying there and want to check availability and cost please use the Contact Us link with 'Spain' as the Message Subject.

 

 To see more pictures, click here or here

 

Weather  If you want to know what the weather might be like at the time you are planning to go, try this website .  Of course, one thing we cannot guarantee is the weather.

 

If you want to know about golf in the area, this link is very informative about the courses, how to get there, as well as giving you the opportunity to book tee times at competitive rates.

 

You will need a car to get around, but the driving is easy and the traffic light. This is a good site because it gives you quotes from all the car hire firms in the arrivals area at the airport.

We have also used Victoria Cars who operate from the car park outside arrivals: a bit less sophisticated but their cars and service were fine

 

The closest airport is Murcia, actually it’s in San Javier not Murcia city. It’s about 10 minutes from the apartment and is small and easy to negotiate. There are a number of budget airlines who fly into Murcia, in particular Ryanair and BMIBaby.

 

Alicante airport is about 50 minutes drive (all motorway). It’s a much bigger airport with a greater variety of airlines and flights.

This is just a sample of activities on offer – they are not recommended by us, this is just a source of information. There will be many other similar activities and providers which you can find with a good search engine.

 

There is 10 pin bowling in Dos Mares Centre and an English cinema in Pilar de Horada.