Activities

An ideal benefit of the location is the range of activities there are surrounding the villa with in easy reach.

Golf

Los Alcazares is surrounded by many quality golf course - literally 8 courses are within 20 minutes drive - including the world famous La Manga Course.

Click here to get an overview of some of the courses available.

Walking / Cycling

There are many hidden treasures for those that like to explore.

Sierra Minera - (The mining Hills) - La Union hills are now a forgotten chunk of melancholy dressed in ochres, greens and yellows under the silhouette of the old wheelhouse. With the 19th Century in full swing and mining living it's euphoric boom, this area experienced a real gold rush. The trip on foot / bike is around 24 kilometres long with a maximum ascent of 240 metres.

Calblaque to Cala Reona - Calblanque is one of the few areas along the Murcian coast that still conserves its natural state to a great extent. This area is made up of an untouched coastline with arid mountains, fossil dunes, long golden beaches and a beautiful blue sea and was declared a Regional Nature Reserve in 1987.

The Greenhouse Route - Los Alcazares - San Javier - Los Alcazares - A bike ride on the flat inland, crossing fruit and vegetable crops and immense fields of greenhouses. Length 22 kilometres.

Ascent to Cabezo de la Fuente (Fuente Hillock) - This is an exceptional vantage point at a height of 342 metres, offering the best views of the Mar Menor. From this summit you can view the complete morphology of this unique area.

Restaurants

Within walking distance there are a plethora of restaurants to suit all tastes. Generally food and drink are very good value - even in some of the swankiest restaurants.

Beach bars - there are a host of beach bars running along the coast which provide everything from snacks to traditional Spanish tapas. All the establishments mentioned are local, popular and friendly places.
Most have entertainment, serve food and have TV for all sports. 10 mins walk +

Cocina Asiatica - An exceptional asian restaurant providing Thai and Japanese dishes. London style but at local prices. 5-10 mins walk

Hindustani Roti, - Stylish Indian restaurant. Mercadona precinct Avendia Rio Nalon. Tel: 968583156. 5-10mins walk

Angela pizzeria and restaurant - Pizzeria, Mercadona precinct, Calle Rio Piguena. Tel: 968574288 5-10 mins walk

Chino Mediterraneo - Chinese restaurant, Oasis centre LA Tel: 968582132. 5 mins Walk

Roblemar - A spanish restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere. A must visit. < 5 mins walk

El Patio - Spanish Restaurant with a huge furnace for cooking steaks etc. Has a real interesting atmosphere. Recommend you try cooking the Ox on the hot granite plate. You can cook your own meat just to the way you like it. A mini BBQ! Located opposite the Mercadona Precinct. 10 mins walk

Popular Bars

Fitzers -Los Narajos, 5 mins walk

The Celtic - Mercadona precinct, Avenda rio nalon (opposite the indian) 968574882. 10 mins walk

Gringos - Mexican bar / dinner, Oasis centre. 5 mins walk

Bygons - Oasis centre Tel: 968171541. 5 mins walk

Nightlife

El Buho -Club for the young at heart. Follow the main road through the Los Alcazares high street and look for a neon sign EL BUHO, open 8 till late. 10 mins walk

Cocktail bar Los Alcazares.Just of the high street. 15 mins walk

Karaoke - The international Oasis centre, Amys Oasis centre. 5 mins walk

La Manga Club -The Piano bar, Spikes bar both in the Hyatt Hotel. A good night out but can be expensive. Also it is 25 km away so taxi needed.

Most bars have karaoke in the summer.

Driving

You can use the normal proivders such as Avis and Hertz. We have a contact that can arrange car hire for you at reduced rates. The cars are very driveworthy but not new like the big rental compnaies. The BMW is about 10 years old, drives well but is not a 'showroom' car.

7 Seater Chrysler Voyager 3 Litre Automatic.
Petrol: Unleaded
Rates: Daily 40 euros.
Weekly 200 euros. ( 7 days)

BMW 3 Series 1.8 Manual
Petrol: Unleaded
Rates: Daily 20 euros
Weekly 100 euros ( 7 days)

Both vehicles are fully insured with ITV certificates ( MOT ) and are serviced regularly.

Contact: Nigel or Bodo 0034 628916580, 0034 968582364.
email nigel.spain@gonuts4free.com

Private Tours

Small private tours tailored to your needs for up to six passengers at a time.
Try the popular round trip, viewing the Mar Menor and surrounding areas. Taking in La Manga, Cabo De Palos, Los Belones and the mining hills of Portman to the city of Cartegena.
Private tours also offer airport transfers and private hire for nights out and special occasions.
WE DRIVE YOU ENJOY.
Contact: Nigel or Bodo 0034 628916580, 0034 968582364.
email nigel.spain@gonuts4free.com

Markets

Saturday, Behind Las Velas Commercial centre. 10 mins walk
Tuesdays, Los Alcazares High Street. 10 mins walk

Other activities

Scuba diving - For diving enthusiasts, the Hormigas Islands near Cabo de Palos have been declared a Marine Reserve due to their exceptional beauty and the conservation of the sea floor, but they are also acknowledged by scuba divers as being one of Spain’s premier dive sites. There are dive centres along the Costa Calida and Costa Blanca Coasts at Mazzaron, Aguilas, due to the large number of unfortunate ships that have come to grief in the rocky waters around the area.

Other Water sports - The shallow waters and warm winds of the Mar Menor make it ideal for both Windsurfing and Kite boarding, both of which can be hired from various shops and schools along the Mar Menor shoreline. Jet skiing is also very popular and these can also be hired from ABC La Manga sports centre. Pedallos can be hired from the centre of Los Alcazares.

Water Park - Aquapolis Fun Park near Torrevieja, open from 15th June to 15th September, is an excellent fun day out for all the family, providing a welcome opportunity to do some serious cooling off during the height of the summer when the mercury hits the top of the glass in the thermometer. 30 minute drive.

Mar Menor Ferry - Between 15th June-15th September, the Mar Menor Ferry picks up from the pier in the centre of town and visits other towns and the islands of the Mar Menor, at which you can stop off and enjoy a delicious lunch of freshly caught and barbecued sardines.

Horse Riding - Horse riding stables on the airport road past Avenida Justo Quesada, located on the right hand side past the final row of white houses.

Go-karting - Located on the airport road. 5 minutes drive

Museums

Los Alcazares
Aeronautics Museaum, Avda de la Linertad, 37 Tel: 968 582 107

Cartegana
Cartegena Archaeological Museum, Ramon y Cajal Tel: 968 539 027
Cartegena Naval Museum, Menendez Pelayo Tel: 968 127 138
Sea Archeology Museum - Submarine Research National Centre, Dique Navidad Tel: 968 127 166

La Union
Mine Museum, Pza Liceo, Edif, del Liceo do Obreros Tel: 968 541 463
Minesongs Festical Museum, Noria Tel: 968 541 614

San Pedro Del Pinatar
Sea Collection Museum, Casa de la Cultura Tel: 968 181 920

Fiestas and Carnivals

The Spanish don't need much of a reason to have a party and/or set off some fireworks and there's hardly a month goes by during the year when there isn't a celebration of some kind or another going on.
Here are some of the main public holidays and celebrations, although there are others.

January 5th – Festividad de Los Reyes Magos (The Festival of the 3 Kings arrival in Bethlehem ) Celebrated in most towns and cities across the whole of Spain .

February – Los Alcazares, along with most of the towns on the Mar Menor has it's Annual Carnival. The most historically spectacular Carnival in the Murcia Region take place an hour down the coast in the town of Aguilas , where the whole town comes out to celebrate and to choose their Carnival Queen.

March 24 th – 27 th. The Tamborada Festival in the Murcian towns of Moratalla and Mula celebrates the Passion of the Christ with the pounding of a thousand drums over three crazy days in March.

Easter – Semana Santa (Saints week or Holy Week)

Celebrated across the whole of Spain , but easily the biggest Semana Santa celebrations in the region are in the Capital Murcia. Smaller, but no less colourful festivities take place in nearby Cartagena and San Pedro del Pinatar.

April - The Burial of the Sardine , the climax of the Spring festivities, is Murcia 's wackiest night of the year. On the first Saturday in April, and looking like a cross between Rio's famous carnival and ‘It's a Knockout' a crazy cavalcade of giants and big-heads, torch-bearers and entertainers, demons and Brazilian samba groups escort a fleet of some twenty floats, which will throw hundreds of thousands of euros worth of toys and gifts into the crowd in the space of just a few hours.

Over the previous days, there are marches through the streets with brass bands and on the night of the eve of the Burial, the Testament of Doña Sardina (Ms Sardine) is read from the balcony of the Town Hall. The fiesta ends in the early hours of the morning, when, a papier-mâché effigy of the Lenten sardine is burnt in the Plano de San Francisco amid public rejoicing.

May – La Manga Fiesta incorporating the La Manga Ladies Windsurfing Championships.

1st – 5th May. The Festival of the Holy Cross in Caravaca de la Cruz includes the famous ‘ Race of the Wine Horses' where the horses used in the Vineyards are raced through the streets to the Castle at the top of the town.

July – The San Javier Music Festival runs throughout the whole of July featuring leading Jazz & Blues artists, but there are some rock, pop & folk acts appearing as well from time to time.

The Festividad de la Virgin del Carmen (The Festival of the Virgin Madonna of the Sea) includes street processions, fireworks and the symbolic burning of an artificial castle as well as a procession of boats which scatter flowers on the sea. Celebrations of this festival take place on the 16 th in Los Alcazares, Santiago de la Ribera, Lo Pagan, Cabo de Palos and Cartagena and again on the 25 th in Santiago de la Ribera and Cartagena .

August – A month-long International Festival of Theatre, Music & Dance takes place in San Javier.

A Flamenco Festival takes place in the former mining town of La Union .

There is a folklore festival in Cartagena and there is week long Festival of La Huerta (The Market Garden) in Los Alcazares.

September – In Cartagena you can watch colourful mock battles in the street re-enacting the struggle between the Carthaginians and the Romans .

October – From 8 th to 13 th October, Los Alcazares has a week long celebration of the town's municipal autonomy, during which there are fireworks displays, processions, the Mar Menor Surfari Windsurfing competition and the ‘Caldero' Festival where the local fisherman light fires on the beach and cook their catch in hanging cauldrons for the consumption of the public.

November – Cartagena Jazz Festival takes place.

December – on the 3 rd December there is the Fiesta de San Francisco de San Javier (Saint Francis of San Javier) during which there are sports, games, exhibitions and concerts.

Christmas!

Other Areas to explore (will need a car)

Murcia
The regional capital and University City on the river Segura is around 40 minutes away by car. This vibrant city was founded by the Moors in 825AD and boasts a beautiful Cathedral and University, as well as Botanic Gardens, Museums and other historic buildings around its narrow, but characterful streets. The municipal Casino on Calle Traperia might look like a gentleman’s club from the outside, but it’s open to the general public - just ask the commissionaire for a look around and he will gladly oblige.
Shops include El Corte Ingles, (the Spanish equivalent of Selfridges or Fenwicks etc) and numerous designer label shops on the Calles Traperia and Plateria, dozens of great restaurants and a lively nightlife, especially during fiestas and carnivals.
In recent EEC research, the region of Murcia was singled out as the most economically dynamic in Spain and this is being reflected in the rapid development of Murcia as a tourist and cultural destination.
For lovers of nature, the Sierra Espuna National Park is 25-30 minutes drive away. Also nearby on a hillside about 5 miles from Murcia is the ancient Santuario de la Fuensanta, the home of Murcia’s patron saint.

Cartagena
Head south for about 25kms and you will come to Spain’s oldest port. Cartagena is one of Spain’s oldest cities, and still of major maritime importance to Spain, both commercially and militarily. A multitude of civilisations have left their mark on the city as numerous archaeological sites and museums will testify. In the heart of the city is a modern shopping area, which spills down past the tapas bars to the recently revitalised harbour. Here you will find the World’s oldest submarine on display, built in 1884 by a local man Isaac Peral.

Santiago de la Ribera & Lo Pagan
 Two traditional Spanish seaside towns at the Northern end of the Mar Menor. The beach of Santiago de la Ribera is lined by tall palm trees along the promenade and there are numerous shops, bars and cafes to explore. There is also a new out of town shopping centre called Dos Mares on the outskirts of Santiago de la Ribera, whilst Lo Pagan has a lively fish market on the Esplanade every morning except Sunday.

La Manga Club
Just a 20 minute drive from Los Alcazares is the world famous resort of La Manga, which boasts 3 championship golf courses, 28 tennis courts and a football academy set in a 1400 acre corner of the Costa Calida. It also contains the 5 star Regency Hyatt Hotel where the rich and famous spend their vacations. Look carefully and you might some premier league footballers or a TV star. La Manga is where the BBC series ‘Superstars’ was filmed.

Cabo de Palos
Immediately recognisable by its famous lighthouse, Cabo de Palos is situated at the mainland end of the La Manga strip around a quaint harbour. It has plenty of bars and seafood restaurants and a great view of La Manga. On Sundays there is a market, where you can find plenty of fresh local produce and other bargains. For diving enthusiasts, the Hormigas Islands near Cabo de Palos have been declared a Marine Reserve due to their exceptional beauty and the conservation of the sea floor, but they are also acknowledged by scuba divers as being one of Spain’s premier dive sites, due to the large number of unfortunate ships that have come to grief in the rocky waters around the area.

Orihuela & Orihuela Coast
About 45 minutes North East of Los Alcazares is the city of Orihuela. In centuries past, Orihuela was the Political and administrative capital of the region and still displays many remnants of its proud cultural and religious heritage. Inland from the coast, Orihuela is one of those cities that doesn’t look much from the outskirts, but which blossoms on closer inspection, with a medieval centre stuffed full of historic treasures. Every week in July they stage a mock battle in remembrance of the battles between the Moors and Christians. There are still lots of traditional narrow streets, plus bars and a busy market for you to browse. The Orihuela Costa boasts the beaches at La Zenia and Cabo Roig, plus the marinas at Campoamor and Pilar de la Horredada as well as 3 of the Costa Blanca’s most popular golf courses at Campoamor, Villamartin and Las Ramblas.

Lorca
About 1 hour West of Los Alcazares, Lorca, Spain’s largest town, is a lively and busy place all year round and it Semana Santa (Holy Week) celebrations are the most lavish in Murcia. Huddled around the ruins of its castle, Lorca retains many beautiful buildings such as the Collegiate Church of San Patricio and impressive town houses and mansions that remind us of it’s opulent past. Lorca also plays host to an annual Rock Festival, Lorca Rock, featuring bands such as Iron Maiden, the Scorpions, Slayer, Lacuna Coil and Dream Theatre etc.