Costa Cálida
From the warm Mar Menor to the coves of Mazarrón and Águilas: the coast of Murcia that has kept its character.
Living on the Costa Cálida, from the Mar Menor to Águilas
Here the day begins with a sea without waves and almost always ends with dinner outdoors. The Costa Cálida brings together the Mar Menor, a calm, warm-water lagoon, and the open Mediterranean of Cabo de Palos, Mazarrón and Águilas. There is golf, marinas, fishing villages and an international airport half an hour away.
It is a coast for those who want to live in the south of Spain, not just visit it. The winters are mild, the villages keep their everyday life and the area's fish and rice dishes are enjoyed unhurried, looking out to sea. Here that authenticity, that essence and that Spanish character, so sought after and so rarely found, is still preserved.
Areas within Costa Cálida
Each has its own character, its own prices and its own kind of buyer. If one of them interests you, ask us about it.
La Ribera of the Mar Menor
You have breakfast looking at a sea without waves, walk barefoot along a flat promenade and, at eight in the evening, the water is still warm. Life here is on foot and by bike, among neighbours who greet each other all year. Los Alcázares, Santiago de la Ribera and Lo Pagán. South of the lagoon, Los Urrutias and Los Nietos are still villages.
Golf resorts
You wake up with the course in front of you, swim in the community pool and reach the beach in twenty minutes. It is resort life without giving up a real home. Torre Golf (Roldán), La Serena, Roda, Hacienda Riquelme or Condado de Alhama. Also Hacienda del Álamo, Mar Menor Golf, Santa Rosalía, Altaona and Sierra Golf.
La Manga and La Manga Club
Two seas on either side, a marina around the corner and, at La Manga Club, golf, tennis and dinners without taking the car. The feeling of being on holiday all the time, with the security and services of a hotel.
Cabo de Palos
A lighthouse, a harbour of small boats and a table by the water with the Mar Menor rice dish. At night the village smells of the sea and you hear lifelong neighbours. Life here is slow, with the sea for company.
Mazarrón and Bolnuevo
You walk among wind-sculpted sandstone formations and find an almost empty cove a few minutes away. Few towers and a lot of sky: silence and nature without going far. With La Azohía and Isla Plana, fishing villages.
Águilas
A seaside town with a castle, harbour and coves where neighbours know each other by name. A Carnival that is truly lived and the hills a step away. A place with a life of its own, not only in summer. A little over an hour from Vera.
Torre Pacheco and the campo
Inland, ten minutes from the Mar Menor and at inland prices. Torre Pacheco, Balsicas, Roldán and Fuente Álamo have a life of their own all year, schools and shops, and suit anyone who wants space and a garden without paying for the seafront.
Why people fall in love with the Costa Cálida
A sea that invites you to stay.
The Mar Menor is a calm, warm-water lagoon, with flat promenades by the water and a life lived on foot and by bike. It is where children learn to swim without fear and where kitesurfing, sailing and windsurfing are part of the landscape.
Nature without end.
On the other side of La Manga, the open Mediterranean has Cabo de Palos and the Islas Hormigas, one of the best marine reserves for diving, and nearby the Calblanque regional park, with almost untouched coves. Further south await the sandstone formations of Bolnuevo, in Mazarrón, and the fishing villages of Águilas.
Real life, all year round.
The villages of the Costa Cálida don't live only off the summer: they have their own markets, neighbours and festivals. For those who play, this is one of the largest concentrations of golf courses in the Levante, and all of it at friendlier prices than on other Mediterranean coasts. It is a coast that doesn't need to show off: it is enjoyed calmly and the better you know it, the harder it is to leave.
What people ask us most about the Costa Cálida
Where is the Costa Cálida?
It is the coastline of the Region of Murcia, from the Mar Menor (Los Alcázares, San Javier, San Pedro del Pinatar, La Manga) and Cabo de Palos to Mazarrón and Águilas, at the border with Almería. Región de Murcia airport (Corvera) is about 25–30 minutes from the Mar Menor area and Alicante airport about 55.
Why choose the Costa Cálida over other coastal areas?
Because here you find what rarely comes together: calm water, golf, nature and village life, with its own character and friendlier prices than on other Mediterranean coasts. We recommend it to those looking for a serene sea, good golf and the village life of old.
What types of property are there?
Apartments and penthouses near the water on the Mar Menor, townhouses and villas in golf developments (Torre Golf, La Serena, Roda, Hacienda Riquelme, Condado de Alhama), luxury properties at La Manga Club and quieter village houses or villas in Mazarrón and Águilas. There are also new builds.
How much does it cost to buy a property on the Costa Cálida?
There is a home here for almost every way of living the Mediterranean: from very accessible apartments by the Mar Menor to villas and exclusive properties worth several million euros in enclaves such as La Manga Club or on the seafront. Tell us how you imagine your life here and we will show you what suits you.
Is it a good area to invest in?
Many of our clients buy as an investment and as a retreat: they enjoy their home when they come and, when they are away, leave it in our hands to earn from holiday rental. It is a way to own a piece of the Mediterranean that also works for you.
What lifestyle can you expect?
A village-paced life with plenty of outdoors: walks by the water, golf, water sports, rice and fish restaurants and local markets. A typical day: a walk or bike ride by the Mar Menor in the morning, rice or fish at a beach bar at midday, golf or sailing in the afternoon and a terrace as the sun goes down.
What is life like in winter?
Winters are mild: in January the average temperature is around 11–12 °C, with highs of about 17 °C, and during the day you walk without a heavy coat. The towns and villages carry on with their everyday life, and the second-home and golf developments slow down a little: it is the season of calm, unhurried walks and having the sea almost to yourself.
Is it suitable for families moving to Spain?
Yes, with international options: a British school on the Mar Menor itself (King’s College, in Roldán) and others in Murcia city, such as El Limonar International School, with international awards for its teaching staff and CIS accreditation. And the calm waters of the Mar Menor are a gift for growing up with children. Schools and healthcare below.
How far are the beaches and services?
On the Mar Menor almost everything is done on foot or by bike; from the golf developments, the car takes you to the beach and the shops in minutes.
What sets the Costa Cálida apart from other areas?
The Mar Menor, a calm, warm-water lagoon hard to find elsewhere on the Mediterranean, and a more natural, less built-up coastline towards Mazarrón and Águilas. Life here is lived at a more local pace: less bustle, more nature and a calm sea for the children.
Is it a good place to live long term?
For those seeking tranquillity, climate, services and good air connections, it is a coast to stay on: one of those you arrive at as a visitor and end up feeling you belong to.
First purchase in Spain? We answer the NIE, the regional purchase taxes and getting a mortgage as a non-resident.
Where to eat in Costa Cálida
The places we recommend by name: where we have breakfast, where we have lunch and where we end the day. A personal selection by CALA, not a directory.
Mar Menor
La Manga and Cabo de Palos
Mazarrón y Bolnuevo
Águilas
Healthcare and hospitals
The Region of Murcia has public healthcare with emergency hospitals and a growing private offering. Many foreign residents combine both.
Mar Menor (Los Alcázares, San Javier, San Pedro del Pinatar, Roldán)
The main public hospital for the Mar Menor.
An alternative for the southern Mar Menor area.
Private hospital in Cartagena, just over half an hour from La Manga.
Foreign residents are usually referred there for tests.
Private hospital in Murcia city, with a wide range of specialities.
Mazarrón and Águilas
Since October 2024 it has served foreign patients with private insurance from international companies, with direct billing to the insurer and an international care area with multilingual support.
The public hospital closest to Águilas.
Residents with a health card can use public healthcare at the health centres in their municipality.
Private, bilingual and international schools
Each municipality has state and state-subsidised schools, and the Region of Murcia stands out for its bilingual teaching. For families seeking a British or international curriculum, private provision is concentrated around the Mar Menor and in Murcia city.
On the Mar Menor
British school with IGCSE and A-Levels, native teachers and teaching in English, Spanish and French. It is inside the golf resort itself, about 30 minutes from Murcia city.
Spanish curriculum with bilingual teaching split equally between English and Spanish.
In Murcia city (about 30–45 minutes from the Mar Menor)
Cognita Group. English national curriculum with IGCSE and A-Levels, and Spanish qualifications (Bachillerato). Bilingual: about 80% of the day is in English. An award-winning school: its teacher Raquel Sánchez was named best international school teacher in the world in 2026 at the Pearson International School Teacher Awards, and since 2023 it has held Council of International Schools (CIS) accreditation, the first in the Region of Murcia.
British curriculum with a Montessori approach.
In Cartagena, Mazarrón and Águilas
Bilingual Spanish-English public school.
In Cartagena, Mazarrón and Águilas provision is mostly state and state-subsidised schools, many with bilingual teaching. Families seeking a British or international curriculum usually choose schools on the Mar Menor or in Murcia city, and those settling permanently also value the integration a local school provides.
Ten reasons to choose the Costa Cálida
- The Mar Menor: calm, warm water, ideal for children, sailing and kitesurfing.
- Two seas: at La Manga you can choose between the calm of the Mar Menor and the open Mediterranean.
- Golf: one of the largest concentrations of courses in the Levante.
- Nature: Calblanque, the Islas Hormigas, the San Pedro del Pinatar salt pans and the Bolnuevo rock formations.
- Villages with a life of their own: Los Alcázares, Santiago de la Ribera, Cabo de Palos, Mazarrón and Águilas.
- Good air connections: Región de Murcia airport about 25–30 minutes away.
- Friendlier prices than on other Mediterranean coasts.
- Food: rice dishes, fish and the cuisine of the Murcian huerta.
- British schools in Roldán and Murcia, and public and private hospitals nearby.
- Authenticity: a coast that still keeps its essence and its Spanish character, with the sea always close.
Download the complete guide
The PDF guide gathers taxes, purchase costs, neighbourhoods and local tips for the Costa Cálida.
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