Property Net Spain - Murcia - Cartagena - Towns and Maps

Cartagena

The capital of the region with a population of 168,000, Cartegena was founded, as its name suggests, by the Carthargenians in 227 BC and it became Hannibal’s capital city on the Iberian Peninsula. Today it is a modern, industrial city although relics of the its past are still highly visible. The narrow streets of the old town were built around the ruined 13th century cathedral. 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’s ancient seaport and naval dockyard is where the first submarine was built in 1900 and where submarines are still built today. The port consists of a deep bay with a natural harbour, hence the town’s historical importance.
Cartagena has a large shopping centre, plenty of supermarkets and other amenities you would expect to find in a large town including a hospital, schools and sports facilities.
The town is the major service centre for the Costa Calida urbanizations that continue to develop around it.
Cartegena is 30 minutes drive from Murcia via the N301
San Javier airport is 15km from Cartagena.
The excellent golf courses at La Manga, which has 3 18-hole courses of international standard, are 20km away.

La Union
This little town east of Cartagena is named as such due to an amalgamation of 4 separate villages which formed a union in 1859. It has a history of mining, there is a Museum of Mining in the town and in August, a popular fiesta is held when mining choirs from all over Spain gather for a Mining Festival. The interior of the Old Market is worth seeing with its huge vaulted and intricately decorated ceilings.
La Union has a population of 15000.
The town is 7km from Cartagena and 13km from San Javier airport.
Murcia is a 30 minute drive away.
La Union is a few kilometres from the coast and the golf course at La Manga are less than a 10 minute drive.

Portman
A couple of kilometres south of La Union, perched on the coast, is the village of Portman. The road from La Union to Portman winds its way through an unattractive landscape of abandoned mines. At the sweeping Portman Bay, evidence of the environmental damage caused by mining residue is plain to see. The damage is of such extent, with the bay almost completely blocked by the residue, that local fishermen have to use a channel to the east of the bay.
1100 people live in Portman.
Portman is 4km from La Union and 15km from Cartagena.It is a 10 minute drive to La Manga’s golf courses.

Mar Menor & La Manga
The Mar Menor (the minor sea) is separated from the Mediterranean by a strip of sand 22km long, which forms a barrier and has created a shallow, warm lagoon. There are over 44km of beaches with protected bays and coves on the sides of the Mar Menor. The water is no more than 7m at its deepest point, this and the absence of tides make the Mar Menor an excellent location for all types of water sports as well as an ideal place for children. Longer, wider expanses of pure golden sand front the Mediterranean. Mar Menor’s waters warm up early in the spring and stay at a fairly consistent temperature throughout the year, on average the waters are 2 degrees warmer than the Mediterranean. Traditionally a holiday resort, the Mar Menor coasts are becoming popular as a residential area. Apartments and villas are in high demand on La Manga, the strip of sand that separates the lagoon from the sea. The 30km peninsula, often likened to a miniature Miami beach, is currently roughly 80% developed. The concentration of salt and iodine in the water of the lagoon is reputed to be beneficial to sufferers of rheumatism and skin complaints.
La Manga boasts a golf club of international standard, with three 18-hole courses.
Right on the tip of the Iberian peninsula, La Manga is 20km from San Javier airport and less than 20 minutes drive from Cartagena.

The shores of Mar Menor:

San Pedro Del Pinatar
The name of this town means “St Peter of the Pinewoods, reflecting the surroundings of the area in the past. Today, San Pedro has a population of 15,200, although this can swell to up to 60,000 in the summer months. Located on the dividing line of the Mar Menor, to the north, its famous mud baths in the salt flat area are said to heal skin complaints and rheumatism. There is a nature reserve on the salt flats that is one of the prime areas of ecological importance in Murcia, serving as a resting place for migratory flamingos on their way to Africa. This spectacular event can be witnessed each September, along with numerous other species of nesting and migratory birds.
San Pedro has a good shopping centre and a weekly street market takes place each Monday.
The suburb of Lo Pagan has a promenade with a marina and a lengthy beachfront.
San Pedro is easily accessible, 4km north of San Javier airport, 20km south of Torrevieja and 35km from Murcia.
Las Ramblas, Campoamor and Villamartin Golf Clubs are a 20 minute drive away, whilst La Manga is 30 minutes away on the other side of the lagoon.

San Javier
The town enjoys an excellent location next to the Mar Menor with the airport just outside of the town. Its lovely church and narrow streets make it a pleasant town to wander through. With a population of 16,700, it is a medium sized town with a number of conurbations that continue to develop.
The town has all the usual banks, supermarkets and shops, as well as a hospital.
San Javier airport is directly adjacent to the town.
Murcia is a half hour drive away.
Torrepacheco Golf Club is less than 20km away, Las Ramblas and Campoamor about the same.

Los Alcazares
The town is the largest development on the Mar Manor, originally a typical Spanish town, a week long outdoor fiesta with fireworks, music and shows takes place each October in celebration of Los Alcazares’ municipal independence which was granted in 1983. The town has a permanent population of 5500 which increases dramatically during the summer. It boasts a mile long promenade next to the gorgeous beaches of the Mar Menor and a large marina.
Los Alcazares has many shops, restaurants and bars as well as a new shopping mall and a cinema.
Cartegena is 15km to the southwest and Murcia is a half hour drive away.
Torrepacheco Golf Club is 10km away and there are 4 other golf courses within easy reach.

Torre Pacheco
A few kilometres inland from the Mar Menor, Torrepacheco is a town of 24,300 that is rapidly expanding. It is a tourist centre but also an agricultural town whose importance has increased with a huge hydraulic scheme that pumps water into the surrounding area via the Tajo and Segura rivers.
Facilities include a public swimming pool, tennis club, leisure centre, a further education college, a secondary school and a public library.
Torre Pacheco has excellent communication links, it is 37km from the capital of Murcia, 17km from Cartagena and 9km from the beaches of the Mar Menor.
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 Golf Club is just outside the town.

Mazarron
A rural fishing village, Mazarron is divided into Mazarron town and Puerto del Mazarron, by the coast. Mazarron is becoming more developed but it is still a peaceful place, even in the height of summer. The inland town with a population of 17,800 is has an attractive centre with a pleasant plaza. The port itself is fast becoming a popular destination, drawing a number of expatriates to the vicinity. Yet the seafront remains picturesque, it is not overcrowded by buildings as most of them are set back from the shore and the development that has taken place is low key. Outside Mazarron, tracks lead from the main road to more than 35km of unspoilt beaches and coves. Very little building has been allowed in the area and the tracks can be difficult to access in a vehicle, meaning that the beaches have remained relatively untainted. There is a naturist beach in the area. The area lacks the space for developments on the scale of those on the Costa Blanca, although Mazarron will probably continue to expand over the next few years.
The most popular beaches are at Cabo Thioso and Punta Calnegre.
Mazarron has supermarkets, English shops and some excellent seafood restaurants.
The town is 15km from Cartagena and 40km from the capital of Murcia.
San Javier airport is 40km away.
The nearest golf club is La Manga, 40km away.