The Spanish sandbar that ‘looks like Florida’ and gets 300 days of sunshine a year
IN the south of Spain is a sandy strait with palm-tree lined promenades and high rise hotels that looks like Florida.
You’ll find La Manga less than an hour away from Murcia – and it even has its own salt water lagoon where you can take a mud bath.
La Manga is a 13 mile long strip of sand which offers a ‘two seas experience’.
One being the actual Mediterranean Sea, the other the Mar Menor.
Visitors have compared La Manga to Florida thanks to it’s thin sandbank as well as sunny weather and high rise apartment buildings.
With its bright blue seas, it especially looks like parts around West Palm Beach and even Miami.
La Manga de Mar Menor literally means ‘The Sandbar of the Minor Sea’ – and the strait splits the Mediterranean Sea from Mar Menor lagoon – the biggest salt water lagoon in Europe.
The lagoon has also been referred to as the ‘Spanish Dead Sea’.
This is because the lagoon has healing mud – visitors smear it all over their bodies and its said to have properties that are good for damaged skin and arthritis pain.
The water is shallow year round and is a popular spot for sailing.
Swimming is allowed at certain times of the year, but there are occasions when the water is off limits – like when there are jellyfish spotted in there.
La Manga is a great spot for holiday makers looking for sunshine too.
Due to its position, it gets a Mediterranean climate and over 300 days of sunshine a year.
This week, while the UK is sitting under 10C – La Manga is enjoying highs of 19C.
Peak months of July and August can see average highs of 30C and no rainfall.
It’s a hit with visitors too, one wrote on Tripadvisor: “It’s just a splendid destination! Beautiful climate, warm water on the “mar menor” side and warm on the “mar major” side and a place not very touristic so perfect for a holiday.”
Another added: “Perfect in every way, walk around the Mediterranean and the Mar Menor, and enjoy its mood and tranquility.”
Hotels on La Manga aren’t expensive either – you can stay for 5 nights in April at the Poseidon La Manga Hotel & Spa from £36.10pppn.
All rooms have air conditioning, TV and private bathroom – in the hotel there’s a spa with a sauna, steam room, gym, hot tub and experience showers.
There’s also a buffet restaurant and cafe-bar.
Outside of the hotels are plenty of beach bars like El Parador del Mar Menor which sits at the very end of the strait.
A popular restaurant is Maloca which serves up Mediterranean dishes like clams, mussels, tuna, or cod with grilled vegetables with one visitor saying “it was spectacular, and nothing expensive!”
The closest airport is Murcia which is two and a half hours from the UK – plus a 30 minute drive.
At this time of year you can get direct flights to Murcia from Birmingham from £15.
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