Beaches, historic cities, markets and fiestas. There's plenty beyond the golf course.
Los Alcázares: 10 minutes away, a long sandy beach on the Mar Menor lagoon. Shallow, warm, calm water, ideal for families and paddleboarding.
La Manga del Mar Menor: the famous strip between lagoon and Mediterranean, beach on both sides. ~25 minutes.
Lo Pagán: natural therapeutic mud baths. Wonderfully bizarre and genuinely enjoyable. ~30 minutes.
Cabo de Palos: charming fishing village, rocky coves, excellent snorkelling. ~30 minutes.
Cartagena: 25 minutes south. One of Spain's great historic cities with a remarkable Roman theatre and naval museum. Worth a full day. Visit Cartagena
Murcia city: 30 minutes north. Baroque cathedral, brilliant tapas, good shopping. Visit Murcia
Lorca: 60 minutes west. Historic town with a dramatic hilltop castle. Visit Lorca
The Mar Menor lagoon: Europe's largest saltwater lagoon. Kayaking, paddleboarding and boat trips from Los Alcázares.
For much more, the regional tourist board is excellent: murciaturistica.es
Torre-Pacheco Saturday Market: around 160 stalls of fresh produce, bread, clothes and more. A proper Spanish market. There's a smaller market on Wednesdays too.
Fiestas Patronales (early October): Torre-Pacheco's biggest celebration, famous for its parade of floats decorated entirely with hand-rolled paper flowers, a tradition unique to the town, and the inspiration for the little flower you'll see across this site. Plus live music, fireworks and a melon-throwing competition. Yes, really.
Romans vs Carthaginians, Cartagena (September): one of Spain's most spectacular historical festivals.
Lo Ferro Flamenco Festival (summer): authentic flamenco, running for over 40 years.
We'll be adding our own personal recommendations as we spend more time at Casa Calida. Watch this space!