Hiya, we are going to Murcia next week, staying at Mazarron which is about 45 minutes from the airport. We dont know much about the area, no-one seems to report back on it, apart from Los Alcazares and La Manga, both of which I think may be nearer the airport than Mazarron.

Hi,I have been to this area twice,first time to the la manga strip which is about a 3/4 hour drive from Murcia airport on good roads.We stayed near the marina which is about 3/4 distance up the strip(to understand the"strip"etc go on Google earth and find the Mar menor then you can explore the area.This year we stayed in Los Alcazares which is 5 mins by car from the airport.

This area has In the past catered more for Spanish tourists then northern Europeans but with the low cost carriers using San Javier airport more northern Europeans are living ,buying holiday homes and holidaying there consequently there are more English speaking bars and restaurants opening but it is quite common to go to a bar /restaurant where English is not understood(get out the phrase book,always a good laugh!).

The area is different to palma nova /magaluf or benidorm type holidays as it is quite and not as hectic but it is busy.If you have any specific questions don't hesitate to ask or p.m me

Hi looking for a good hotel or apartment in los alcazares,can you recormend anywhere? we need it to be near the beach,shops,supermarkets etc as we do'nt drive.

Hi I stayed in Los alcazares last July in a rented apartment from holiday-rentals.co.uk/los-alcazares/s/2155/fa/find.squery .The area in which we stayed would seem to fit the bill for you as we did not rent a car and easily walked to the supermarkets, bars ,restaurants and the beach (if you go to google maps and find los alcazares there is a road in yellow called av de los libertad ,coming from the airport end go a couple of roundabouts and leading off the roundabout is ave del rio nalon.There is a plaza there with banks ,shops and a mercadonna supermarket, there are two other supermarkets within easy walking . Leading off the plaza is an other area with at least ten restaurants and bars. Walking down that street will also lead you to the beach.) Los alcazares is about ten minutes from the airport which is a couple of euros in a taxi ,being that close to the airport also means that there is aircraft noise but it is not a very busy airport.

I saw two hotels in the area we stayed in. Hotel 525 4 or 5 stars with a rooftop pool looked very nice and hotel los narejos which is 3 or 4 star near to the beach and very popular with Spanish families. We enjoyed the area ,it was quite compared to say Palma nova in mallorca but there were plenty of bars and restaurants the mar menor beaches are nice and uncrowded.Los alcazares is popular with Spanish and by all accounts gets busier in august. The older part of los Alcazares has bars and restaurants and is a short walk along the beachside prom. The prom also has beach bars etc.

Hope this will help and if you need more info just ask or p.m

I would also reccomend Los Alcazares to you... it is exactly as Noonies describes. (although I suspect that there is a small type - I think they mean that it is 'quiet' compared to Palma Nova rather than as stated).