The Costa Calida

A guide to the Costa Calida

Cartegena:

Categena is the capital of the warm coast comonly known as the Costa Calida. The captital has 168,000 thousand people living in it's region. Cartegena founded, by the Carthargenians in 227 became Hannibal's capital city on the Iberian Peninsula. It is truly a modern city nowadays, although it's history lives on and can be seen today. You will find beautiful quaint cobbled streets of the old town, these were built aroud the historic 13th century cathederal. There are several sites of historical interest including the remains of the Roman road, an old Roman theatre and the Literna (an ancient lighthouse of Moorish origins). Cartagena hosts a fantastic ancient seaport and naval dockyard. The sea port in Cartegena has a very deep bay and also has a natural harbour, hence the town's historical importance.

Cartagena has plenty of shopping facilities,large supermarkets, sporting facilities, a hospital and all the other essential ameneties a large town needs.

Cartegena is considered a central service station for the whole population of the Costa Calida and all of the property innvestment that continues to develop around it.

Cartegena is only 30 minutes drive from Murcia via the N301 San Javier airport isjust 15km drive away from Cartagena center.

The excellent golf courses at La Manga, which has 3 18-hole courses of international standard, are 20km away.

La Union

La union is a small town based slightly east of Cartagena and is named as such due to an amalgamation of 4 similar but separate villages. These villages then formed a union in 1859. Famous for mining, there is a Museum of Mining in the town and in August, there is a special fiesta and celebration when everyone in the are gets together, including choirs from different parts of spain.

La Union has a population of 15000.
The town is 7km from Cartagena and 13km from San Javier airport.
Murcia is a just 30 minute drive away by car.
La Union is very close to the coast and situated near to the well known golf courses of La Manga which are only 10 minutes away by car.

Portman

A short distance from La Union, perched on the coast, is the tiny village of Portman. The road from La Union to Portman takes you through areas of dissused mines and ends up at Portman Bay.

1100 people live in Portman.
Portman is just 4km from La Union and 15km from Cartagena.It is only 10 minute drive to La Manga's well known golf courses.

Mar Menor & La Manga

The Mar Menor, is separated from the Mediterranean by a strip of sand 22km long, which forms a small barrier and has turned itself into an amasing shallow water lagoon. The beaches here stretch for over 40 kilometers and have many protected bays and beautiful coves that give this area such huge character. The water is very shallow and no more than 7m at its deepest point, making this a great place of safety for children.There are little if no current or tides and this makes the Mar Menor an excellent location for all types of water sports. Mar Menor's waters are very warm and make this such a great resort for holiday makers. Mar Menor coasts are fast becoming popular as a property investment area. Apartments and villas are in high demand on La Manga, the strip of sand that separates the lagoon from the sea. Close by you will find, La Manga golf resort, which has three 18 hole championship golf courses. La Manga is 20km from San Javier airport and 25 minutes drive from Cartagena center.

San Pedro Del Pinatar

San Pedro Del Pinatar actually means "St Peter of the Pinewoods, this saying is what the area was like in the past, Today, San Pedro Del Pinatar has a growing population of around 16,000. This however can grow ypto around 50,000 in the summer months, especially August, when Spanish holiday makers come here on there vacations from the north of Spain. Positioned on the dividing line of the Mar Menor, to the north, its famous mud baths in the salt flat area are a well known cure for skin diseases and rheumatism. There can be several nature reserves found in the area, and the mud and salt flats are of special ecological importance in Murcia, these are frequented by many species of wild birds, The area is also a well used as "stop off" for migratory flamingos on their way to Africa. These beautiful birds can been seen here every September and make San Pedro Del Pinatar a great place to visit for bird watchers and naturists alike.

San Pedro has many different shopping facilities and local markets.

San Pedro is easy to get to, 4km north of San Javier airport, 20km south of Torrevieja and 35km from Murcia. La Manga is only 30 minutes away by car.

San Javier

Situated opposite to the famous Mar Menor, the airport is just a few minutes drive outside of the town. Its has a Very strong traditional feel and has some beautiful old streets and Spanish churches. With a population of approximately 17.500 it is a fairly well established community.

In the town you will find banks,restaurants, hairdressers, grocers, supermarkets and shops, as well as a local hospital. San Javier airport is just outside the town and is conveniently positioned just a few minutes away. You can get to Murcia in half an hour.

Torrepacheco golf club is ten minutes away and you can also get to Las Ramblas golf club in a smilar time. Basically the area is very well placed to visit all areas north and south, east and west in under 30 minutes and is now well known to holiday makers.

Los Alcazares

The quaint town is one of the best known and largest on the resort of the Mar Menor, it used to be a small typically Spanish town and although it retains many of it's originality, it is much more well known nowadays to travellers and tourists.Every October Los Alcazares has a huge fiesta in the old town with a combination of music fireworks and shows celebrating the towns independance which was granted back in 1983. The town has a permanant poulation of 5,600 people but this figure rises during the summer months between May and September. The promenade at Los Alcazares is over 1 mile long and sits alongside the cleanest and best beaches that can be found anywhere in the Costa Calida. There is also a very large marina to be found here. Los Alcazares has a number of shops, cinema, bars restaurants and coffee shops plus traditional chiringuito's on the beach.

Cartegena is 15km to the southwest and Murcia is a half hour drive away. Torrepacheco Golf Club is 10km away, there are a number of top class golf courses in the area.

Torre Pacheco

Situated just a few miles drive inland from the Mar Menor, Torre pachco has a population in the region of 25,000 and this area is expected to grow at a very quick rate.

Torre Pacheco has an ubundance of facilities in the area including local swimming pool, tennis club, leisure centre, a very well adapted education college, a secondary school for local children and a library that is open to the local community.

Torre Pacheco is very well situated, it is 37km from the capital of Murcia, a short drive, just 17km from Cartagena and 9km from the glorious beaches of the famous Mar Menor. You can also get a train locally. The Madrid-Cartagena railway line passes through Torre Pacheco and there is a train station in the town.

San Javier airport is 11km away.
Torrepacheco Golfers can be found just outside the main town.

Mazarron

Mazarron is divided into two parts, one is a rural fishing town, the other is Puerto del Mazarron, situated by the coast. Mazarron is becoming more and more developed, however is still retains it's natural charm even when the visitors come in the summer months. The inland town has a population of over 18,000 people. The port is becoming a very popular place to visit and many people that have moved over from the United Kingdom, tend to congregate here in the local area. The seafront at Mazarron is still very beautiful and although there has been some development here over the years, the area is still a very quaint Spanish town. Outside Mazarron, tracks lead from the main road to more than 35km of unspoilt beaches and coves. The beaches in the area are quite unspoilt and stretch for miles. Some you can not get to by car and can be discovered on foot only, which makes the area a great place to find new bays and coves. There is a naturist beach in the area. There is less development in this area and Mazarron remains unspoilt in comparisson to other costal areas.

The most popular beaches are at Cabo Thioso and Punta Calnegre. Mazarron has everything you would imagine, shops, bars, restaurants and a supermarket. The town is situated just 15km from Cartagena and 40km from the capital of Murcia city. The San javier airport is just a few minutes drive away also, so it is very well connected. The nearest golf club can be found at La Man