La Manga No, not the Japanese cartoons. La Manga
is the most important tourist centre in the
Murcia region. La Manga means sleeve, and it
stretches between the Mar Menor and the
Mediterranean. It’s basically a big sand pit of
roughly 24km of double beaches from Cabo de Palos
to the Punta del Mojón, and is the natural limit
of Mar Menor, which isn’t actually a sea, it’s a
salt lake, formed when the sediment from the sea
was forced to the surface by volcanic activity,
cutting it off from the sea. Getting there is
easy, it’s 40km from Murcia airport along the
A37, or if you’re coming from Alicante, it’s
about an hour’s drive down the A7. If you don’t
have a car, then catch a train to Cartagena
(RENFE 902 24 02 02), then catch a bus from
there.The first human habitation of La Manga can
be attributed to Neolithic Man. No, not Total
Property Solutions, the prehistoric people from
5000 years ago.
They built a village in the area of Las Amoladeras, at what is now the entrance to La Manga. It has been established from the sunken ruins at "El Estacio" that La Manga was used in pre-historic times as a "fish factory", and must have smelled a bit like Grimsby Docks at high tide. Like today, La Manga was historically used as a hangout by the international crowd, but instead of Brits and Germans, it was the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans nicking the sunbeds before the crack of dawn.Then the Arabs came and spoiled all the fun, although they did introduce a new method of fishing known as "las Encañizadas" (cane enclosures), a method which is still in use today and can be seen in many areas of the Mar Menor.
In the middle of the 18th century, in line with the policy of flogging large tracts of land by public auction, the Maestre family acquired the northern part of La Manga. Then, at the beginning of 1960, Tomás Maestre bought the rest of the peninsular from the Celdran family and in 1963, and inspired by the newly created "Law of Centres of Tourist Interest" decided to develop La Manga as a tourist resort. One year later the first apartments were built at the very beginning of La Manga, quickly followed by the opening of the first two hotels, the Entremares and the Galúa. The enormous tourist complex La Manga Club, owned by MedGroup, was opened in October 1972. As a tourist, you’ll be spoilt for choice here. You can choose from the five-star Hyatt Regency La Manga hotel, luxury self-catering apartments in Hyatt Las Lomas Village and The Peninsular Club, a sophisticated members' vacation club.
There’s also around 1800 privately owned apartments and villas. If being sporty is your thing, then there’s three championship golf courses, a 28-court, multi-surface championship tennis centre and a tennis academy. Get wet at the 2000-square-foot Spa La Manga Club, and practice your keepy uppies at the 8 pitch Centre for Professional Football. Spin bowl like a pro on the two cricket grounds, but remember you’ll make no friends running out screaming “Howzat!!”. You’re not Shane Warne, you’re just a showoff. The shallow waters and the absence of tides make the Mar Menor the ideal place for all types of water sports. With a total surface area of 170 square kilometers, it is the largest salt water lake in Europe, and a magnificent natural swimming pool with temperatures rising to 30ºC at the height of the summer.
The waters register a saline content of 50% (the highest in Europe!) and are scientifically recognised as being therapeutic in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis and many other ailments. Smother yourself in the black mud, and run around scaring small children and the elderly, or learn how to kite surf at one of the many surf schools. Wash off the silt and stroll down to the market in Cabo de Palos on Sunday morning to stock up on fresh produce, then stick around in Cabo de Palos to fill up on fresh seafood at the many restaurants. Once the sun goes down, this is the place to be for nightlife. The triangle formed by Calle Salero, Calle Marín and Plaza de Los Arcos is filled with bars for you to get quietly drunk in. If you need a taxi to stagger into, then call Radio Taxis on 968563863.
They built a village in the area of Las Amoladeras, at what is now the entrance to La Manga. It has been established from the sunken ruins at "El Estacio" that La Manga was used in pre-historic times as a "fish factory", and must have smelled a bit like Grimsby Docks at high tide. Like today, La Manga was historically used as a hangout by the international crowd, but instead of Brits and Germans, it was the Phoenicians, Greeks and Romans nicking the sunbeds before the crack of dawn.Then the Arabs came and spoiled all the fun, although they did introduce a new method of fishing known as "las Encañizadas" (cane enclosures), a method which is still in use today and can be seen in many areas of the Mar Menor.
In the middle of the 18th century, in line with the policy of flogging large tracts of land by public auction, the Maestre family acquired the northern part of La Manga. Then, at the beginning of 1960, Tomás Maestre bought the rest of the peninsular from the Celdran family and in 1963, and inspired by the newly created "Law of Centres of Tourist Interest" decided to develop La Manga as a tourist resort. One year later the first apartments were built at the very beginning of La Manga, quickly followed by the opening of the first two hotels, the Entremares and the Galúa. The enormous tourist complex La Manga Club, owned by MedGroup, was opened in October 1972. As a tourist, you’ll be spoilt for choice here. You can choose from the five-star Hyatt Regency La Manga hotel, luxury self-catering apartments in Hyatt Las Lomas Village and The Peninsular Club, a sophisticated members' vacation club.
There’s also around 1800 privately owned apartments and villas. If being sporty is your thing, then there’s three championship golf courses, a 28-court, multi-surface championship tennis centre and a tennis academy. Get wet at the 2000-square-foot Spa La Manga Club, and practice your keepy uppies at the 8 pitch Centre for Professional Football. Spin bowl like a pro on the two cricket grounds, but remember you’ll make no friends running out screaming “Howzat!!”. You’re not Shane Warne, you’re just a showoff. The shallow waters and the absence of tides make the Mar Menor the ideal place for all types of water sports. With a total surface area of 170 square kilometers, it is the largest salt water lake in Europe, and a magnificent natural swimming pool with temperatures rising to 30ºC at the height of the summer.
The waters register a saline content of 50% (the highest in Europe!) and are scientifically recognised as being therapeutic in the treatment of rheumatism, arthritis and many other ailments. Smother yourself in the black mud, and run around scaring small children and the elderly, or learn how to kite surf at one of the many surf schools. Wash off the silt and stroll down to the market in Cabo de Palos on Sunday morning to stock up on fresh produce, then stick around in Cabo de Palos to fill up on fresh seafood at the many restaurants. Once the sun goes down, this is the place to be for nightlife. The triangle formed by Calle Salero, Calle Marín and Plaza de Los Arcos is filled with bars for you to get quietly drunk in. If you need a taxi to stagger into, then call Radio Taxis on 968563863.
