Here are the essential places, beaches and survival local tips to go around and have a good time as I did to spend a nice week on the coast of Murcia.
As a foreigner, I’ll have to say that Murcia is not one of the top of mind places in Spain, however when you’re lucky and know people from this southeastern region you’ll find is a great place to visit.
I was hosted by a friend of mine in Santiago de la Ribera. My timing of the year was in mid August and overall I didn’t felt it was crowded. In general if I’d have to describe, that’d be a very familiar atmosphere and not expensive at all compared to other more popular areas in Spain attracting a larger local and foreign crowd.
Our first evening started with dinner in one of the restaurants along the saltwater lagoon known as mar menor. Large beer is a must before chosing what to eat…
For starters we had marineras, which are basically a tapa made of Spanish style russian salad with an anchovy on a bread stick.
Another typical starter in the region are Tigres, these are fried breaded mussels stuffed with bechamel sauce. Really worth trying although I’d say to go easy on them if you plan to keep space to continue eating afterwards.
Along we the starters we had this strange bread.
Along came some lamb chops…
As well as the typical Spanish chopitos…
After dinner you’ll have good views around the bay …
And make sure to leave some space after dinner if you cross by la Jijonenca, a typical ice cream spot.
It was hard though to pass on churros… but one has to make sacrifices in life
A typical summer morning for locals is all about getting ready for spending a day at the beach. In town you have a very traditional place called Confiteria Montesinos, famous amongst other things, for their empanadillas de pisto.
A closer shot to the bakery and sweets, very typical for breakfast in Santiago de la Ribera.
Hand Packed tray of empanadillas… and we’re ready for the beach.
Next stop is Cabo de Palos, a cape in the Spanish municipality of Cartagena, in the region of Murcia. This is a great place to dive or snorkel.
From Cabo de Palos you’ll have a creal view of La Manga, a seaside spit of Mar Menor. The strip is 21 km long and 100 metres wide, separating the Mediterranean Sea from the Mar Menor lagoon.
Snack time…
Another day, another beach… this time we spent the day at Playa el Mojón. This is more a residential district of the same name, sandy Mediterranean coastal beach.
Conveniently right at the beach we had el chiringuito de Ramòn y Marisol (chiringuito, by the way, stands for Beach Bar), ideal for an aperitivo, as well as lunch or early dinner. Of course, when in Spain you can’t pass on a good jar of sangría.
Followed by paella…
Closer look to get you hungry…
And of course, a mediterranea summer can’t be complete without a ride on a boat…
And a surprise pit stop at La Manga del Mar Menor for lunch at El Pulpito. I’m sure you’ll recognize some of the pics below, starting again with delicious marineras…
Followed by pulpo al horno (baked octopus), for which I have to make a special note to say that it’s delicious, different recipe than the more traditional and known pulpo a la gallega.
And of course a couple of large paellas… seafood and lobster to make everyone happy.
Close up…
Plus a shot of coffee to get back sailing…
And off we go…
For more information on how to make the best of a week in the coast of Murcia, please visit their official site at: https://www.murciaturistica.es/
