5 plans for a summer in your villa at La Manga Club

With vaccination campaigns moving forward, spending the summer in your villa at La Manga Club has become a real possibility. While you’re doubtless anticipating the delights of the Mediterranean climate, you’ll still want to choose your activities carefully so as to avoid crowds and use as many safety precautions as possible. With optimism firmly in hand and sights set on the middle of 2021, we’ve selected 5 plans that will let you return to normalcy both joyfully and carefully. This is thoughtful, responsible, and local tourism at its best, and you’ll be able to discover heavenly corners of the Region of Murcia in total relaxation.

A breath of fresh air on Sierra Espuña

With a European Sustainable Tourism Certification (CETS), the Sierra Espuña Regional Park and its surroundings are the most important protected natural area in Murcia. Here, you’ll find thousands of native trees in one of the most leafy areas in the southeastern part of the Region. If you like history, you’ll love exploring the sites of ancient battles between the Moors and the Christians, and if you’re a nature lover, there’s nowhere better to go. The clean atmosphere, the varying levels of difficulty of the hiking trails, and the well-marked paths make this Regional Park a true green oasis. Just an hour by car from your villa at La Manga Club, you’ll find the Ricardo Cordoniu Visitor Centre, where the staff will be happy to orient you on your excursion. And if you’d like to stay for more than a day, you can book accommodation in one of the charming mountain towns in the area: Aledo, Alhama de Murcia, Mula, Totana, or Pliego.

First-class wine tourism

If you love good dining, you’ll know that the Region of Murcia has three denominations of origin: Bullas, Jumilla, and Yecla. Take your time and enjoy all their vineyards. All three wine routes that offer tastings and visits to the production centers, so the choice is yours. You can begin with the Bullas Wine Museum and learn the secrets of this industry that began in the XIX Century. From there, have a walk through any of the more than 200 traditional bodegas that will offer you personalized service. A bit further to the northeast, you’ll find Jumilla, where restaurants and bodegas have come together to offer exclusive gastronomic experiences for their visitors. And finally, Yecla offers guided tours with wine experts if you like, or you can choose to explore on your own and at the pace you set.

Mountain and sea on the Cuatro Calas route

If you can’t imagine a summer without the beach but you want to avoid crowds, this is the plan for you. Cuatro Calas is a protected natural landscape that forms part of the Costa Cálida. Located at the far southwestern border of the Region of Murcia where it meets Almería, this area boasts volcanic topography with sand and cliffs that occupy 222 hectares of the coastal beach. Thanks to the area’s microclimate, there are unique species that live here year-round, including the Greek tortoise and the spiny-footed lizard.

Besides the clean, tranquil sea and the virgin surroundings, you can explore the mountain via a well-known trail that is 4 kilometers long and of low-medium difficulty. And if you like adventure, discover the marine caves that have made this part of the Mediterranean coast famous.

Sail on the Mar Menor

If you’re captivated by the idea of captaining a ship and designing your own excursion but you’re not an expert navigator, the waters of the Mar Menor that lap the Costa Cálida are the perfect place to begin. There are companies that can rent you a sailboat and point out the multiple routes to explore.

We highlight one of these in particular, beginning at the port of San Pedro del Pinatar and circling around Isla Grosa. At the start, you’ll cross the Salinas Regional Park and the Arenales de San Pedro del Pinatar, protected wetlands that are home to an impressive community of flamencos. Afterwards, you’ll get a chance to compare navigation in a laguna and on the open sea. Near the Isla Grosa, you must respect the buoy demarcation of the ZEPA-protected space. Enjoy an open-water swim or stopover in the Galerotas cove to pass the day in a truly heavenly oasis.

Eat like a king and relax in Mazarrón Bay

You know that Murcia is called “Europe’s orchard”, but if you want to experience a true Mediterranean meal on the coast, don’t miss Mazarrón Bay. Order a monkfish or grouper à la mazorronera, discover ajotomate, savor some hake meatballs, or try sardine moragas. There are a number of beaches to choose from to pass the day, but if you want to avoid crowds, head to Cala Desnuda. It’s 9 meters of fine, grey sand located in a protected area and only accessible by foot. There are also various trekking routes located in the area around Mazarrón, but if you seek something truly spectacular, you must visit the Gredas de Bolnuevo, located in the Sierra de las Moreras protected natural area.

Adventures await you this summer in the Region of Murcia, with all the safety precautions and social distancing you know you’ll want. Your villa at La Manga Club puts you in the perfect location to take advantage of your beautiful natural surroundings, as well as discover the culture and gastronomy of an area with a spectacular climate.