The province of Murcia lies in the south east corner of Spain and the capital of Murcia sits on a large flat plain which is surrounded by mountains. It is home to some beautiful, historic buildings including the city's cathedral built in the 15th century and the architecturally impressive Church of San Juan de Dios. It is now a very popular university city that attracts both Spanish and international students.
The coastline called the "Costa Calida" (warm coast) features 150 miles of beautiful unspoiled, sandy beaches and thankfully the coast and the interior have managed to remain unscathed by tourism with no mass property development.
Getting there is easy, low cost airlines such as Ryanair and Easyjet operate regular flights to the regions main airports at San Javier (Murcia) and Alicante and a new airport at Corvera is due to open in 2009. Getting about is even easier with a new high speed train link to Madrid meaning the capital is only a two hour train ride away and a new motorway network which connects the main cities and tourist resorts of the region.
The Mar Menor is a popular holiday destination, it is a unique coastal lagoon of warm sea water separated from the Mediterranean by a long spit of land called La Manga. This skinny strip of land juts out into the sea and is home to popular residential properties and the sophisticated Tomas Maestre marina with its busy bars, restaurants and nightclubs. As it is tideless, it is very safe for children and great for all kinds of water sports.
Hacienda Riquelme is 2 min drive from the village of Sucina which has a good selection of bars, restaurants, shops and banks.There is also a picturesque Roman Catholic Church.
The Regional City of Murcia is a 20 min drive away for restaurants, night life, sight-seeing, shopping. Set along the river it has been described as one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the country. Its Cathedral is the most prized among many monumental buildings.
Cartagena is another wonderful historic, walled city with great shopping facilities. The local train from Balsicas station (10 min drive) can take you there or to Murcia through fantastic scenery or to drive there takes approx 30 mins.
At San Javier just 20 minutes drive away is the Dos Mares shopping mall, which includes 10 pin bowling, cinema and an extensive food hall.
Nueva Condomina near Murcia City is a shopping mall with 200 shops, including many U.K high street chains that you will be familiar with. This complex also provides a huge range of restaurants, 10 pin bowling and 6 screen cinema.
The New Water park (Terra Aqua Murcia) and Animal park (Terra Natura Murcia) provide a wonderful family day out, with something for all ages just 25 minutes from the resort. Also for the football fans, a new stadium at Nueva Condomina is the home of Real Murcia who currently play in the second tier of the Spanish league.
This area is known as the garden of Spain and has many national parks and areas of outstanding beauty. There is an abundance of wildlife and birds to be discovered.