The beautiful Mar Menor (which translates in to 'the little sea') is an undisputed gem in the Costa Calida. The Mar Menor is the largest salt water lagoon in Europe, an inland sea, separated from the Mediterranean by a long narrow strip of land, the Manga del Mar Menor, what is now called The La Manga Strip.

The Mar Menor has warm (a constant 18 deg C), still, shallow waters no more than 7-8 m deep, often only a few metres deep with gently shelving sandy beaches. The water in the Mar Menor is rich in iodine and minerals, and on its northern shores is the Salinas de Cotorillo marine and nature reserve, a haven for thousands of migrating birds. Nearby is the most natural ‘health spa’ for those interested in an authentic mud bath, as the therapeutic mud is simply taken from the shallow waters of the Mar Menor itself and applied direct to the skin!

13 scuba schools, 19 sailing clubs and 8 marinas line the shore. It is dotted with tiny islands and around its shores are some very Spanish settlements, with the notable exception of the famous (and hugely expensive) international La Manga Club Resort on its southern shore. There are other ‘British Enclaves’ on its western shore, but in the main it is more ‘old Spain’ than an English tourist trap. There is a road-train that travels up the Med/Mar Menor coastline and numerous ferry crossings from one side to the other.

The strip of land between the Mar Menor and The Med called the La Manga Strip was totally undeveloped until the 1960’s, but has now become a favourite with wealthy Spaniards, especially those from Madrid who own holiday homes here. Today it is full of hotels, apartment blocks, restaurants (fish is a speciality in this region) and café bars.

The La Manga Strip is unique in the world. On one side is The Mediterranean Sea. On the other side is The Mar Menor sea. In places it is The Med, beach, pavement, road, pavement, beach and then The Mar Menor… all within 100 metres, one side to the other! It is one of our all time favourite places in this part of Spain, we love it there. Great beaches, good road access, hundreds of café bars and restaurants, good shops, numerous marinas, ferry crossings and boat excursions, water sports galore, La Manga Strip seems to have it all.

When it comes to properties on the La Manga Strip, stunning 2 bedroom apartments with communal swimming pools and private secure car parking can be had front line beach with private direct beach access from only 150,000 Euros. But location, orientation and the higher up in the apartment block brings the price up (we have 2 on the 8th floor at one luxury development at 340,000 Euros on our books). Exclusive and truly massive front line beach villas can reach well over 2 million Euros here.

So if you are in the market for a beach property the La Manga Strip is well worthy of consideration. And you don’t need to be a millionaire to buy into this lifestyle, good quality and brand new apartments start at just 200,000 Euros. The La Manga Strip is so narrow that not buying front line beach is not such an issue here. You’ll either love it (as we do!) or you'll hate it here!

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