Towns of South-East Spain - Costa Calida

Los Alcazares

Los Alcazares is a tricky one to pronounce – try 'los-alcath-ares' the name comes from the Arabic word ´Al Kazar´, which means ´palace´.

It’s a really nice town with wide avenues, lots of palm trees and the most fabulous views. Situated in the Murcia region, part of the Costa Calida in south-eastern Spain on the western shore of the Mar Menor. Very close to Murcia (San Javier) Airport, about 5 km and another 30 km to Alicante Airport. Murcia City is about 30 km inland to the west and Cartagena can reached driving south for about 30 minutes.

The Mar Menor is a beautiful saltwater lagoon separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a 22 kilometer long strip of land called La Manga. Mar Menor is rich in minerals and famous for its health-giving properties, indeed the town still has thermal baths which have existed since Roman times. There are many historic points of interest in Los Alcazares including the 9 m tall Torre del Rame, the Arab fortress built during the Castilian resettlement period and redesigned to keep pirates out.

30º in August is not uncommon here and the average annual temperature is around 17ºC and during the summer the average is closer to 25ºC. Winters are mild, rarely falling below 10ºC and rarely raining. An ideal climate for many water sports that are enjoyed throughout the year. The area averages 320 days of sunshine each year – so plenty of opportunity to make use of the open air eating areas belonging to the many cafes and restaurants in the area. When you are strolling along the esplanade look out for this fantastic restaurant – La Encarnacion – you really must try it! – 0034 968 57 50 48

In October 1983 the town was afforded municipal autonomy so each October the town puts on a week-long outdoor festival with live music, shows and spectacular firework displays. The last three days in March is also a great time to be in Los Alcazares as the town goes back to medieval times with a themed market and lots events celebrating the towns defense against Barbary pirates during the 15th century. La Huerta is held during the last 2 weeks of August and you will see large groups of market gardeners gathering to display their produce and celebrate with gastronomic feast and displays of craft work.
The countryside (la huerta) inland is very fertile and supplies the local markets with fresh produce which is also exported to Europe.

In addition to the typically Spanish shops and restaurants in the town there is a great new shopping & leisure complex just near Los Alcazares - Dos Mares with large supermarkets, shops, and a variety of restaurants and bars plus a cinema and ten pin bowling. There are good schools in the area and overall we would say that this is a good area if you are planning a permanent move to Spain.

Golfers will be delighted that no less than seven golf courses can be found within a short drive from the town.

There is a really good choice of property in the area ranging from typical 1 bed studio apartments to large villas with big gardens and good views. This is an extremely popular location but it never seems really busy, maybe because you’re never far from the Mar Menor with its wonderful views. The return of capital invested in Costa Calida is definitely up there at the highest end of the profit range across the Costas and understandably the location makes rental income potential in the area very good.

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