Hotels La Manga
Geography of La Manga
    
La Manga means 'The Sleeve', and that has become one of the symbols that best
identifies the coast of Murcia as a tourist resort. It is a chain that stretches
approximately 24kms from Cabo de Palos to the Punta del Mojón, and is the
natural limit of the salt-water lake known as the Mar Menor.
Originally, what is now known as La Manga del Mar Menor was a bay open to the
Mediterranean. At either end, volcanic reefs gradually held back the sand and
sediment that was dragged along by the sea currents. This sediment eventually
formed a sandy column of dunes and rock vegetation, as well as the long beaches
in contact with the Mediterranean and the Menor.
La Manga is a narrow piece of land with a width that varies between 200m and
1.5kms. It is cut off by natural channels (golas) that keep the two seas in
contact with each other; the golas allow water from the Mediterranean into the
lake. Thus, the space was kept virgin until the 1960s when La Manga was discovered
as a tourist resort and underwent a transformation. This included the urbanisation
of the area and the construction of a tourist infrastructure.
The water in the lagoon is very salty and maintains a high temperature (5C
above the average Mediterranean temperature). It has four openings or passages
that lead to the sea.
The mountainous scenery of the region is full of foothills that roll in from
the Penibetica and Subbetica ranges and help create the Guadalentin River and
Sangonera depressions. The most outstanding part of the area is, without doubt,
the Revolcadores massif, which reaches an altitude of 2,027m. The El Caruche,
Espuna, La Pila and Ricote sierras are all over 1,000m high.
Summers in the region are hot; while winters are mild and short, with average
temperatures during these periods varying between 16C and 19C. The rainfall
is irregular, and the lowlands maintain an annual average level of 300mm. Spring
and autumn are the wettest seasons.
Selection of hotels in this region:
Sol Galua | | Entremares Hotel | |
Click below for a
full list of hotels and online booking
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