Guide to the Costa Cálida Region

ALICANTE

Alicante city is the capital of the province of Alicante , in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is also a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city of Alicante was just over 322,000, estimated as of 2006. The city has regular ferry services to the Balearic Islands and Algeria, and the international airport is just located 9 Km to the south.
You will find miles of sandy beaches in Alicante to explore and to choose from and with its mild climate makes beach-life feasible practically all year round.

Amongst the most notable features of the city are its main castle, Santa Bárbara castle.

The Santa Barbara Castle is one of the largest in the Mediterranean region. It dominates the summit as well as a large part of the slopes of Mount Benacantil, a rocky mass soaring out of the sea to a height of 166m. You will be able to see spectacular views of the city and the sea. Its privileged location has been an encouragement to human settlement from distant times, and vestiges of the Bronze, Iberian and Roman eras have been found here. The castle has three clearly differentiated areas:

The highest part contains the oldest remains (11th to 13th century), and of particular interest are the Baluarte de los Ingleses (Rampart of the English), the Sala Noble (Hall of Nobles) and the Governor’s House.

The intermediate part consists mainly of buildings that were constructed in the 16th century, namely the Room of Philip II, the Cuerpo de Guardia (Guard’s Wing), the Baluarte de la Reina (Queen’s Rampart), and the Patio de Armas (the garrison courtyard), along with the ruins of the ancient hermitage of St. Barbara.

The third part of the Castle was added in the 18th century and here you will find the Revellín de Bon Repós (an angular embankment) and the monument to the famous soldier from Alicante, Félix Berenguer de Marquina, who was a Captain-General in the Philippines and a Viceroy of New Mexico.

The castle is free to visit and there are two entrance points. You can walk along the road around the back of the mountain, or you can drive. Apart from the lift, there are two walking routes down from the castle.

Castle Summer Evenings: In the summer months the Town Hall hosts a programme of special ‘castle evenings’. These usually are concerts held on weekend nights in the courtyard of Santa Barbara Castle. Listening to music in this fantastic setting is a unique experience. They’re free and start at 22.00 hrs.

There are fantastic festivals in Alicante. The most important, Saint John Bonfires, takes place from 20th to 24th of June.

Overall, the city boasts a year-round night-life with many bars, pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, theaters and much more to choose from.

ALHAMA DE MURCIA

Nestled at the base of the Sierra Espuna national Park, a market town which has grown over the years and now has a population of approximately 20,000.
Rambling streets offering a full range of shops and bars with some of the best restaurants in the region. With an infant and secondary school, medical centre.The local railway station provides easy access to all parts of Spain.

This ancient town which dates back to the Roman times is very popular with tourists. Many places of interest include the castle and the remains of the Roman and Moorish baths. Alhama boasts it’s own thermal springs and numerous churches. For those who like walking there are many pathways leading to the Sierra Espuna and several opportunities for the climbers. The surrounding area is mainly agricultural. Vineyards and orchards producing some of the best fruits in the region.

Alhama’s proximaty to the excellent motorway network makes the town easily accessable. The nearest airport at San Javier 35 kilometers drive. Alicanti about 1 hours drive. The new airport at Corvera ( due to open in 2010) will increase the regions appeal to property seekers and holiday visitors.

The town of Totana is only a 10 minute drive and the beaches at Puerto de Mazarron just 25 minutes away.

BOLNUEVO

Bolnuevo – an unspoilt paradise: Bolnuevo is a small traditional fishing village to the west of the Puerto de Mazarron. Set between the coast and the foothills of the Sierra de Las Moreras.
There are a wide variety of bars and restaurants where you can enjoy the local gastronomic delights and wines, or stroll and browse along the local shops. The sandy beach is one of the largest in the area. Even in high season when other beaches are crowded, Bolnuevo maintains that much needed feeling of space to feel free and relaxed.

Bolnuevo beach also has the stunning natural phenomenon. Cidudad Encantada: joint mushroom shaped monoliths carved out of sandstone by wind and rain over the centuries.

The whole surrounding area is carved out of the rugged landscape forming individual sandy coves and beachheads of outstanding beauty.

Local Sports & Entertainment: The local area offers many sports and entertainment options as follows:-

Blue flag beaches some of the best in southern Spain, Bowling, Flat countryside suitable for Cycling, many Dive Centres, Fishing, Go Karting, Horse Riding, Jeep Safaris, Quad Biking, Sailing, Snorkelling in the warm waters of the med, Superb golf courses within a short drive from Mazarron, promenades and country walks.

There are also many Nightclubs, Bars and Restaurants both British and Spanish.

COSTA CALIDA

Isla Plana is a small and friendly costal village still mainly inhabited by the Spanish. This means that the pace of life is relaxed and the bars and restaurants offer good value for money. Isla Plana offers a good base to explore the region with the historic naval port of Cartagena a scenic car ride away over the mountains.
Isla Plana itself has a picturesque church and several bars and restaurants offering a choice of dining out. Its southerly location and the shelter of the mountain range to the north mean that the area enjoys a microclimate and is often in sun when the rest of Spain is not. Its position on the eastern corner also means the sea temperature remains higher than that part of the Mediterranean which is fed by the colder Atlantic. With access to miles of beaches in the area this location will provide a relaxed beach or walking holiday to remember.

GRANADA & Skiing in the SIERRA NEVADA

Granada is located in the eastern part of Andalucia (Southern Spain) at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains only 100 km away from the Mediterranean Sea. The town is also located near Malaga and it’s within a 4 hours’ drive of Madrid. It is one of the eight regional capitals of Andalusia and the town has a population of nearly 300.000. Granada has a great diversity in its climate from a sunny Mediterranean summer to rain and snow in the winter. The most important industrial sectors in Granada are the agricultural and the tourism industry. The many mountains in the province of Granada makes it a good location to produce Olives, as it is one of the only agricultural products that can grow in these conditions. In the part of Granada closer to the Mediterranean Sea there is also a large production of tobacco and sugar. Apart from the above industries Granada town is known for its craftsmanship producing handmade quality products such as guitars, pottery, board games and other products in wood.

The history of Granada is one of the most fascinating of Spain. The town has been settled by moors for nearly 8 centuries and was the last Moorish town to be conquered by the Christians in 1492. This interesting history is still very visible in the town where you can find famous monuments like the Alhambra Palace and Generalife or the zone Albaicin with its mixture of typical Mujahardin and Spanish architecture.

Granada is also a popular university town with more than 60.000 students a year, which is about 20% of the total population of the town. If you like going out at night Granada is the perfect place to be. The many students living in Granada makes the atmosphere by night very cheerful and active every day of the week. Apart from the students there are many tourist visiting Granada all year around. Granada is full of different types of establishments, which make it possible for everybody to find something they like.

Spanish nightlife in general starts very late no matter if you are going out for dinner or for ‘fiesta’. Restaurants tend to start serving dinner at 20.00 until 23.00/24.00 and bars normally don’t get busy until after 24.00.

Bars and Discos: In Granada you can find all the bars and discotheques you desire. There is everything from traditional Spanish bars, reggae bars, funk bars, jazz bars to gay and techno clubs. The different places to go out at night in Granada are divided by zones.

In the area around the street Pedro Antonio de Alarcn Spanish youngsters starts around 22.00 Thursdays to Saturday with the classic “botellon” (people meet and buy drinks, ice, cups in the nearby shops and then drinks in the square). After 23.00 the bars and during the summer the terrace’s starts to get busy and carries on until about 6.00 am in the morning. Plaza Nueva is an area that attracts the more mature public. Here you can find a number bars with live music like jazz, blues or rock. Another area for the more mature public is the Cuervas de Sacramonte were you can find a great number of Flamenco clubs with Flamenco dancing and singing of a very high quality.

Many people only associate Spain with sand and sun and are surprised to find that Spain also offers a wide range of winter sports. Spain’s number one location for winter sports, the Sierra Nevada is located just two a half hours away from the Costa Calida. It has the best snow and the longest season in the country. One can look forward to five months of snow. Sierra Nevada has 61km of ski slopes with 45 pistes and 6 off-piste routes. There are 2 cable cars, 12 chair lifts and 5 ski lifts. The ski resort is open from 9am to 5pm although you can ski at night at weekends and bank holidays. Night skiing was introduced in 1994 with lighting along the El Rio slope (3km/545 vertical drop).

If you have never been to Sierra Nevada because you haven’t got the essential gear, then that’s no longer a valid excuse for everything you need can be hired on a daily basis. If your excuse is that you can’t ski then forget that too for there is no shortage of schools that will assist everyone from beginners to experts. Because the area has such a pulsating nightlife, the slopes tend to be less crowded between 9am and 11am and between 1pm and 3pm, presumably the time when the skiers are sleeping off the effects of the night before.

Over recent years the resort has turned to technology to extend the season by investing in artificial snow machines and now the resort has 16 of them that generate snow round the clock. The resort has the best groomed snow in Europe. With the resort being just 30 minutes away from the city of Granada, nowhere else in the world can you be playing golf in the sun then within such a short time, be skiing or snow-boarding at a top resort.

LA HOYA

We are in the process of constructing 10 villas on 5,000m2 plots of land which all have beautiful Mountain views at our site La Hoya.
Only 5 minutes from the motorway this site is also only 5 minutes from the village of La Hoya and 10 minutes from the town of Totana where you will find all necessary local amenities.

La Hoya is just 15 minutes from the city of Lorca and the beaches of Mazarron and Aguilas are both only 40 minutes away.

LA PARROQUIA

We are constructing a total of 37 new country houses on plots of 20,000m² and larger, just 6km from the town of La Parroquia, nestled in the foothills of the mountain ranges between Vélez Rubio and Lorca.
Our plots include a section of the pine woods that run on the edges of the valley where they are situated and are not far from the Natural Park of María Los Vélez, where you can find some of the most beautiful and unspoilt countryside in the South East of Spain, including areas like the Sierra Espuña.

Just 20 minutes from the city of Lorca and the motorway, this site is just a couple of minutes from the village of La Parroquia which has all the necessary amenities you would need on your doorstep including bars, restaurants, pharmacy, doctors, schools, bread shop, butchers, supermarket and garage.

SIERRA GOLF

Residencial Sierra Golf, the new development from Grupo Masa, is near Balsicas and is considered one of the finest golf course developments. Sierra Golf will have its own 18 hole golf course with the usual recreational amenities, such as club house, hotel and commercial shopping centre.
This town is perfect for tourists and locals who want to engage in golf, recreation and more.

BALSICAS

Located only 15 minutes away from the Mar Menor and Murcia or San Javier airport in Spain, Balsicas is a typical Spanish village having its name originate from rafts constructed centuries ago.
In 1983, a territorial division took place which resulted in the division of the town in two.

The town of Balsicas demonstrated its misfortune by this division and requested its independence, but the city council of Pacheco declined their plea and constructed an artificial border between the two parts of the town, which resulted in Balsicas belonging to two.

CARTAGENA

We present an exceptional historical patrimony that bases its attractiveness on the presence of important Punic, Roman, Byzantine, and paleochristian remains.
Its privileged geographical situation, protected by five hills and at the edge of a closed port, attracted all these cultures which have left their legacy. Cartagena Puerto de culturas is the start of a future supported by a valuable past.

The City Of Murcia

The city of Murcia is situated in the South East of the Iberian Peninsula. It’s the capital of the Autonomous Community of the same name that, with an area of 11,317 km2, is, the largest autonomous community of only one province in Spain.
The metropolitan area of Murcia spreads over 881 km2 and it is made up of the capital city and 54 towns and villages. It consists the urban quarters, including the downtown centre of 3 km. in diameter, its old quarters of 1.5 km. in diameter, and the 54 administrative districts of the Murcia City government, which encompass half of the population in the municipality.

Geographically it’s divided into two very different areas: the Huerta, which spreads along the banks of the river Segura and the countryside, dry land situated to the Northwest, Northeast and South of the region. The average height above the sea level is about 43 meters.

Murcia is an open and dynamic city with a privileged situation in the Mediterranean, making it very attractive for congresses and cultural activities.

According to census figures from the first of January 2007, Murcia and its nearby towns had a total of 424.452 inhabitants, placing it in the group of the seven most populated cities in Spain. Of this population, 45% live in the city.

Situated in the meridian border of the Temperate Zone, it enjoys a pleasant Mediterranean climate, as its proximity to the sea acts as a thermal cushion. The average annual temperatures in Murcia stay around 18 ºC. The winters are mild with an average in January of 10.2 ºC and the summers are very hot with an average of 25.7 ºC. The rains are scarce and irregular, as are cloudy days, as there are more than 2800 hours of sun annually. The constant good weather is a reason for many to visit us at any time of the year.