About Los Alcázares
Los Alcázares is a coastal town on the western side of the great Mar Menor lagoon in the province of Murcia. The Mar Menor Lago is the largest lagoon of its kind in Europe and it is ideal for water sports as the water is warmer than out in the Mediterranean itself and the wind does not rip up any particular lake either. Walking along the coast and noticing the softness of the sand and the pleasant temperate waters of the Mar Menor, gives a wonderful feeling. In Los Alcázares you can enjoy a dream climate. With an annual average temperature of 18 °C and over 300 sunny days, it offers a climate that means that many northerners choose to stay here for parts of the year.
Historical recreation
The characteristics of the Mar Menor meant that 2,000 years ago, Roman baths were built where the users partook of the Mar Menor's water. At that time the Iberian Peninsula was under Muslim domination and Arabs built "Al Kazar" or Arab Palace. This is where the city's name comes from. "Al Kazar" was a place of rest and enjoyment. At the beginning of the 20th century, Hotel-Balneario "La Encarnación" was built and it is still possible to visit the hotel and its restaurant today. All the fine decor is preserved and my wife and I actually took our wedding photos here.
Los Alcázares today
With its characteristics and over the years, the area has become a place for water sports, golf, medicinal mud baths, relaxation on the idyllic beaches of the Mar Menor.
The infrastructure is now well developed with national roads,
N-332 and the motorway, AP-7 which takes you to and from Alicante airport. Or if you use road RM-19 to the recently opened Región de Murcia International Airport. Wherever you live in Los Alcázares, you never have more than 1.5 km. to the beach. There are three entrances to town. Sur, centro or norte. The first exit is therefore north and then you first enter Los Narejos, which is a "suburb" or "district" grown together with Los Alcázares. From there it is 10 minutes to the center by bicycle.
Outdoor life & beaches
The Los Alcázares area has expanded significantly since 1990 with lots of urbanizations (as the residential areas are called) There are plenty of golf courses nearby, for example Roda Golf which is just on the other side of the highway, AP7. Here there are up to 50 golf courses within an hour's drive.
Of Los Alcázares' seven kilometers of beaches, most have blue flags. At regular intervals you will find many beach bars and kiosks where you can have a drink while looking at the sea. Along the coast there are many different water sports schools for e.g. windsurfing, SUP paddling, water skiing, kitesurfing, canoeing, diving, sailing, etc.
Cultural life
Los Alcázares hosts many festivals throughout the year. Among other things, a large medieval market at the end of March each year and during the last two weeks of August. It is called La Huerta and is an international folk festival.
Updated information is available at the tourist office:
https://turismo.losalcazares.es
Or Murcia's equivalent:
https://www.murciaturistica.es/en/los_alcazares
Where to live
Los Alcázares is a bit of the Spanish summer resort. It is not quite as developed as, for example, down on the sunny coast, up on La Zenia or closer to the city of Torrevieja. The area is also not as visited and populated by nationalities that drive the economy upwards. This makes the area an affordable area to live and stay in, but also to buy a property in. It is enough to go to the aforementioned La Zenia or out on La Manga and you will notice that, for example, lunch is a little more expensive. This text was written in 2023 and it can of course change over time. Services are generally cheaper than at home; to get a haircut, to get tiling or other craft services. Taxis don't make much of a difference, food in shops is slightly cheaper and eating in a restaurant is cheaper than at home.
It is very easy to cycle and walk in Los Alcázares as the geography is almost flat. If you like riding blades, electric scooters or skateboarding - it is also easy to work with for the same reason.
Below is a modest overview of what Los Alcázares looks like, divided into smaller zones. NORTH-WEST , NORTH-EAST , CENTER and SOUTH to outline how to live and find. At the bottom of the page you see the zoning on a map.
Throughout the area there are a number of hotels - search for them in another way.
NORTHWEST
If you go inland via the AP7 motorway exit 786, past Roda Golf, on a road called RM-F27, you will come to a classic Spanish, rural village called Dolores de Pacheco, approx. 5 km. from the sea. It is of course possible to cycle to the sea from here, but the feeling is that here you want access to a car - if nothing else for the slightly larger household purchases. Dolores is a small town with mostly older Spanish architecture and classic Spanish summer houses and a few small shops. On the road to Dolores - right after you drive over, or off the highway - is Roda Golf with its own urbanization and a really good golf course (see the tab with golf courses). In addition to the restaurant on the golf course, there are a couple more bars and restaurants in the area.
NORTHEAST
We move to the sea side of the highway. An area with lots of different house types. Much was built around 1990 and 2000. The north-east zone is very close to the sea and it is quite possible that
staying here with only access to bikes. The distance to the sea varies between 0 and 2 km. It's close to everything with a 3-4 minute bike ride to the sea (ie the lagoon; Mar Menor, 5 min to shops and 10 min to the pedestrian street full of restaurants, bars and boutiques.
To the center of Los Alcázares you have maybe 15 minutes by bike. In the area, there are both single- and two-story houses with or without their own pool, as well as solutions with a community pool. Within the area there are several restaurants and bars and therefore within reasonable walking distance.
CENTER
Within the center zone is of course the old city center - the center. There is a pedestrian street with a number of shops and restaurants and Hotel-Balneario La Encarnación. Inside, you are transported 100 years back in time with the interior design and the entire environment. The hotel houses a restaurant and since the entire establishment is right on the water, there is of course a sea view. Within the center zone, it is to a much greater extent furnished with apartments .
It is close to the water - Mar Menor - from anywhere.
So – walking distance.
SOUTH
In the southern zone are, among other things, La Serena Golf. This is one area that seems to have stalled. Streets and central electricity look prepared - but the construction itself has not started.
PLAYAS
The seven kilometer long coastline is divided into the following beaches from north to south:
Las Salinas, Playa Los Narejos, Playa Las Palmeras, Playa Espejo, Playa Manzanares, Playa Carrion and Playa La Shell. This list comes from the Tursitbyrån and can be found with further links here:
https://turismo.losalcazares.es/playas-2 /
