Murcia, and its coast known as the Costa Cálida, “warm coast”, is becoming more well known as its year-round warmth, affordable property, attractive coves and generally relaxed vibe wins fans among holiday home-hunters. Even the city of Murcia itself is Spain’s largest least-known city, with 440,000 residents including a large number of students who certainly keep the atmosphere lively.
Murcia starts just south of the Costa Blanca but is considerably less developed. It has some classy, purpose-built resorts, however, both on the coast and inland, some of which were planned before the financial crisis and are still both highly desirable and affordable for property hunters.
The Polaris World developments such as La Torre and Hacienda Riquelme, or the Mazarron and Camposol golf resorts, offer a ready-made holiday lifestyle and social connections, all with swimming pools that the management looks after and golf courses within putting distance.
Murcia’s most interesting feature is a 22km long spit of land called La Manga behind which is the Mar Menor, a huge, warm and shallow lagoon at the most south-easterly tip of Spain. It’s the perfect spot for sailing and watersports, with many adventure holiday companies operating from around it. Nearby is the famous La Manga Club, a golf resort with three courses, 28 tennis courts, 1,600 homes and a private beach, very popular with retired British sports stars.
You don’t have to buy on a purpose-built resort though. There are some delightful villages around the Mar Menor that have gradually become more touristy and welcoming without losing their traditional appeal. They include San Pedro del Pinatar, Santiago de la Ribera, Los Alcázares and Los Urrutias.
Further west beyond La Manga is the old Roman city of Cartagena, with 220,000 people and a major naval base. The city grew rich 100 years ago from silver mining and you can see much of that money went into its grand Art Nouveau buildings.
Further west you come to some of the last long stretches of undeveloped Mediterranean coastline in Spain at the end of long and winding roads. There are also fishing villages and marinas such as Puerta de Mazarrón and Aguilas. These attractive seaside settlements are packed in summer but can be very quiet off-season, and the local countryside has been given over to agriculture behind plastic polytunnels.
The countryside can certainly look arid, but every few months after the rain falls the plains are suddenly carpeted in flowers and the hillsides are bright with oleander.
Where to Buy Property in Costa Calida and Murcia
Situated in the hottest and driest corner of Spain, like Almeria, Murcia is a region that has been steadily growing in popularity as a more affordable and less developed option to the Costa del Sol. Sandwiched between Valencia and the southern Costa Blanca to the north, and Andalusia to the south, it includes the Costa Calida and the Mar Menor, a salt-water lagoon bordered by a 22km sandbar or “Strip”, La Manga.
Thanks to the Murcia International airport, the area has to become a major gateway to southeast Spain and has increased choice of airlines and the frequency of flights for homeowners in the region.
Bargain hunters will find plenty of choice of homes near good beaches and golf courses – so where to choose?
La Manga Club
The region’s flagship resort is the La Manga Club, a world-famous and prestigious sporting destination that boasts some of the top sports and leisure facilities to be found in any self-contained tourist complex in Europe.
It offers every type of leisure facility imaginable including three championship golf courses, a 28-court tennis centre, eight FIFA-approved football pitches, a huge spa and fitness centre. The 1,500 acre resort offers 20 international bars and restaurants, water sports facilities, children’s activities and around 2,300 residences spread over 37 communities.
Polaris World resorts
Polaris World is another big name in Murcia, with a total of six golf resorts, many of which offer homes at prices drastically reduced from their 2007 peak. They passed into the hands of the banks yet are now being managed well – and the Nicklaus Design courses are an attraction.
The resorts include Mar Menor, La Torre and Hacienda Riquelme – between the Mar Menor and Murcia city and the most popular trio – but also El Valle, Contado de Alhama and Terrazas de la Torre.
The golf courses and the vast majority of assets owned by Polaris World were given to the banks a few years ago and are now well-managed and popular with property hunters. If you want an affordable, easy to maintain lock-and-go home, there is plenty of choice of apartments if you have a budget of €75,000-€100,000.
Mar Menor beach towns
Turning to other hotspots around the Mar Menor, at its apex there’s the busy town and lively tourist centre of San Pedro del Pinatar, with a long promenade, marina and extensive beaches, including Lo Pagan. Two-bed resale apartments cost from around €95,000 – or new-build being sold offplan for €120,000. Prices are similar in the next stop south, the former fishing village and popular sailing resort of Santiago de la Ribera, which also hosts the San Javier International Jazz Festival.
Then there’s Los Alcazares, another lovely seaside town and popular watersports centre with 7km of beach with spas and golf featuring strongly.
Also definitely worth a mention is the village of Mar de Cristal with its little marina, good sandy beach backed by an attractive promenade. There are a fair few holiday complexes with apartments available, two beds at around €70-€80k, and new build three-bed villas for €250,000.
Mazarron and Puerto de Mazzaron
Head further south along the Costa Calida and you’ll find the inland town of Mazarrón, and on the coast the popular beach area known as Puerto de Mazarrón. This low-key harbour town has proved a popular destination for ex-pat buyers in recent years due to relatively low property prices and an absence of mass market tourism. It’s a family friendly resort and isn’t lively enough for stag parties.
Apartments in Puerto de Mazarrón and the development of Condado de Alhama (the Polaris World golf resort mentioned above) start from as little as €60,000, or even less at Camposol. Detached villas in the area start from €90,000. Right at the south of the region, before the border with Almeria, is Aguilas, a charming port and seaside town that is also worth a look.
Camposol
There’s also Camposol golf resort, a purpose-built resort 10 minutes from Mazarron where there are nearly 4,000 properties. Here two-bedroom villas start from €50,0000, €130,000 for a large two-bed, two-bath villa, or a three-bedder for around €1750k. But the average price is around €120,000 for buyers, reports a local agent.
Much less inventory is on the market in the attractive Roman port city of Aguilas, a popular resort area with town beaches, great scuba-diving and famous lighthouse at the lower end of the gulf. A traditional four-bed townhouse in the centre might cost €180k.
If you go inland, your money goes far in the attractive old spa town of Fortuna – four-bed villa for €150,000 or five-bed farmhouse amongst the olives groves for around €275,000; or Albacete seems to offer a good choice for those seeking an inland base close to an historic city.
The areas around the town of Totana and Lorca (inland of Mazarron) have also been attracting interest, especially Purias, Aguaderas and La Parroquia – character properties from €100,000.
