Los Alcazares

Situated beside the tranquil Mar Menor, only 6m above sea level and with a beach which extends 7km the length of the town. The town has a large, buzzing market on a Tuesday morning very close to the newly restored Town Hall or Ayuntamiento.

There are a wide range of facilities available in Los Alcazares, in addition to water sports, an ancient spa which has been recently fully restored.  The land around is flat for ideal for horse riding or cycling and exploring the landscape.

Taken from the Arabic word Al Kazar meaning Castle, from the Moorish invasion of the area in the 8th century because of the number of castles and palaces they saw around the area. 

The area was originally populated by the Romans who built spas in order to take advantage of the therapeutic properties of the waters of the Mar Menor.  Over time it became a custom to take the “Novenarios” or nine baths here. 

At the beginning of the 20th century the local people of Murcia began to use the Mar Menor as a holiday resort area.  Los Alcazares is half way along the inland coast of the Mar Menor so easily accessible from surrounding villages and towns and it has been a busy bustling fishing port for centuries. 

Places and monuments of note include Torre del Rami, an Arab fortress that was later used by the Spanish to keep a look out for any pirates that came into the Mar Menor.  The bronze monument on the Espejo (mirror) beach is dedicated to the fishermen, who have provided the main stay of the economy over the past centuries.

Carnival celebrates the end of winter and jointly with San Javier and San Pedro del Pinatar is known as the Carnival of the Mar Menor. A fiesta is held in honour of the Virgin del Carmen during the second half of July and on 15th August there is a procession that takes place on both land and sea for the towns patron saint, Virgin de Ascension.