About La Manga Strip & The Mar Menor - General

La Manga, or La Manga del Mar Menor is a seaside spit in the Region of Murcia, Spain. The La Manga strip is 22 km long and 100 metres wide, separating the Mediterranean Sea from the Mar Menor lagoon, from Cabo de Palos to the Punta del Mojón.

It is a unique natural strip of land which is 22 km in length with an average width of 300m. The strip separates the Mediterranean Sea from the Mar Menor (the Little Sea), which is Europe's largest salt water lagoon with a surface area of 170 km sq, and a maximum depth of 8m.  The 73 km of coastline contains various volcanic islets and islands and is considered to be the World's largest swimming pool, due to its calm and warm waters which are rich in salts and iodine, maintaining a temperature that is never lower than 18 degrees.

The average annual weather temperature is 17 degrees and the average for the months of June, July, August and September is above 21 degrees with over 320 days and 3000 hours of sunshine a year. Winters are very mild with the average temperature of the coldest months not falling below 10 degrees.
Sandy beaches run the length of the Strip both sides on the Mar Menor and the Mediterranean. The water is safe for the children and older people alike.

There are any other places to visit including Los Alcazares, San Pedro de Pinatar, El Algar, La Union, Los Belones, Santiago de la Riberia and San Javier. Some of which have nice beaches or other interesting places to explore.
In the area you can find many areas of conservation including Calblanque Regional Park

All along the Strip on both sides, there are beautiful beaches with white sands, rocky outcrops, marinas and plenty of water sport schools. A great selection of bars, cafes, restaurants, hotels and tourist shops amongst other facilities line the road. There is an impressive marina, called the Tomas Maestre Marina where you can sit and admire the boats, as well as a couple of boat trip options across the Mar Menor or out to the Mediterranean Sea.

If you're planning on looking for holiday rentals in Murcia this summer make sure you explore the local area and visit the many beautiful beaches on offer. Murcia, also known as the Costa Calida in Spain offers over a hundred beaches for everyone to enjoy, whether you want to travel by boat to a picturesque deserted cove, or relax on a stretch of sandy beach to soak up the sun.

Simply travel a short distance from Murcia city to the coast to explore popular areas. Beach towns to visit include Mar Menor, San Javier, Cartagena, Mazarron, Aguilas, San Piedro del Pinatar and Lo Pagan. The Mar Menor in particular ( a large salt water lake effectively) is a really popular area to visit, with its warm Mediterranean waters and vast, golden beaches, shallow waters and small waves; Murciabeaches really cater for everyone.

Mar Menor beaches

Villa Nanitos

Located on the Costa Calida above Lo Pagan, the Villa Nanitos beach offers water skiing, volleyball, windsurfing and sea kayaking. Nearby are the mud baths of San Pedro del Pinatar; well worth a visit.

La Llana

Located on San Pedro de Pinatar, Mar Menor, this is a blue flag beach and can get busy during peak season. It is a long, sandy beach and foot showers are available during the peak season. The waters here are mild and so perfect to take a dip.

El Espejo

Another blue flag beach, El Esperjo can also be found on the Mar Menor coastline. This sandy beach is perfect if you fancy a spot of surfing, volley ball and kayaking. The waters here are calm.

Los Nietos

This is another popular Mar Menor beach. It offers 4km of long grey, sandy beach with shower facilities, as well as lots of restaurants and calm waters.

San Javier beaches

Euromanga

Euromanga beach is located in San Javier, Murcia. It's typical of the La Manga stretch, which means its golden sands and pleasant waters attract many tourists and locals.

Castillicos

This San Javier sandy beach offers a picnic area, snack bar, accommodation, showers, beach cleaning and houses a Red Cross station. Lifeguards also patrol the area, and it's also one of the safest beaches as it's patrolled by local police.

Cartagena beaches

Cala Cortina

Close to Cartagena, this Murcia cove is located just a couple of minutes drive away. The locals will cycle and walk to Cala Cortina to enjoy a day of relaxation; spend a peaceful afternoon here with friends or family.

Calblanque

Calblanqueis a protected nature reserve, home to sandy beaches and coves. This beach is one of the few you are allowed to take dogs down to, so it's advisable to keep away from the lower end of the beach if you wish to avoid the family pets. As it's a protected area, there are no facilities like restaurants or bars, but there is a car park.

Cala Medina, Las Melvas and Levante

This group of three beaches are small beaches, with slightly less calm water. They range from sand to gravel to rock. There are restaurant services nearby, and it's the perfect location if you fancy a spot of snorkelling.

El Portus

This is a very quiet beach in Cartagena. It's sandy, and does offer showering facilities, but has limited disabled access as it's difficult to reach.

El Belonte Grande and Salitrona

These two beaches in Cartagena are short and sandy, and are only accessible by boat or on foot, so they're perfect if you're looking for a quiet spot. These coves are very beautiful, surrounded by mountains with wild vegetation.

La Calera and San Gins

La Calera and San Gins are gravel and sand beaches, with calm water making them suitable for families. They offer reasonable facilities such as showers, as well as a few restaurants and shops nearby.

Mazarron beaches

Also located at Mazarron, Murcia, this golden sandy beach is great for children with its calm waters and shower facilities.

El Castallar

Facilities available: This beach is located near the town and harbour of Mazarron. El Castallar is a sandy beach, with lovely clean, calm waters. Although popular with families, this beach does not get quite as crowded as some other Blue Flag beaches in this region. Facilities include snack bars, restaurant, showers, telephones, beach cleaning, and a Red Cross point.

El Rihuete and Puerto de Mazarrn

These sandy beaches are perfect for families exploring the Mazarron area, with plenty of local shops and restaurants.

Aguilas beaches

Las Delicias

The sand and pebble beach of Las Delicias can be found in Aguilas, Murcia. It offers many facilities such as a snack bar, restaurant, showers and it also has a Red Cross station, is manned by life guards and patrolled by the local police, so it is an extremely safe beach to visit.

Poniente

This urban-setting beach offers a snack bar, restaurant, toilets, showers and parking. It's a very popular beach in the summer months.

Calabardina

This beach is also located at Aguilas, Murcia. Its waters tend not to be as calm as other beaches in the region, making it more exciting for water sport enthusiasts. It offers a Red Cross point, parking and beach cleaning, and again, Calabardina can get quite busy.

Levante

Sizes at just over 440 metres, Levante beach offers a snack bar, restaurant, showers, a Red Cross station, lifeguards. Ideal for children, this popular beach is sandy, with calm waters.

Abejerro and Las Pulgas

If you're after quiet sand and gravel beaches, head to Abejerro or Las Pulas in Augilas. These are both quiet, unspoilt beaches, unfortunately there are no facilities at either location.

Punta del Fraile

This beach is only accessible by foot and offers great, clear water for snorkelling.

Lo Pagan beaches

Villanitos

Villanitos can be found in San Piedro del Pinatar, Lo Pagan, Murcia. It has plenty of facilities available for use, such as snack bars and restaurants, toilets, showers, parking and if you want to take part in water sports, there is equipment available for rental. Calm waters and it's large, mostly sandy beach make it very popular.

La Puntica

This is a sandy beach, with calm waters. Like many beaches in Murcia, La Puntica offers a restaurant, snack bar, showers, toilets, beach cleaning and a Red Cross station, and is patrolled by lifeguards and local police.

Lorca beaches

Bao de las Mujeres and El Ciscar

These beaches are located further south of the coast, at Lorca. They are both short beaches, offering fantastic fishing opportunities as well as being perfect locations for swimming and snorkeling.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6256267

Further information coming soon