Salinas at San Pedro del Pinatar

San Pedro Del Pinatar shares a border with the province of Alicante, is only 46km from Murcia city and is located between the Mar Menor and the Mediterranean Sea. In the nineteenth century San Pedro del Pinatar was transformed into a summer resort and became the home of many famous Spanish figures. Today, San Pedro del Pinatar is one of the most prosperous municipalities in the Region of Murcia and one of the major tourist destinations in the Costa Cálida.

There are fourteen kilometres of coastline between the two seas (the Mediterranean and the Mar Menor). The beaches on the Mar Menor side are Villananitos, La Puntica and La Mota. In the Mediterranean are the beaches of La Llana, which are the Playa de las Salinas, Barraca Quemada and Punta de Algas. Next to Las Salinas is the port area. Across the harbour are the Playa de la Torre Derribada and El Mojón.

Beaches at San Pedro Del Pinatar

Playa Puntica: 500m, urban, high occupancy, calm waters, dark sand, SOS, rescue, Red Cross, local police, parking, bus, toilet, showers, umbrellas / deckchairs, anchoring area, disabled access, sailing, windsurfing, surfing, kite-surf, catamaran. Club Náutico de Lo Pagán 200 meters.
Playa Villananitos: 700m, urban, high occupancy, calm waters, dark sand, SOS, rescue, Red Cross, local police, parking, bus, toilet, showers, parasols / sunbeds, anchorage area, disabled access, sailing, windsurfing, surfing, kite-surf, catamaran. Club Náutico de Lo Pagán 150 meters
Playa Torrederribada: 2200m, isolated, average occupancy, moderate waves, golden sand, SOS, rescue, Red Cross, local police, parking, bus, toilet, anchorage area, sailing, wind-surf , surf, kite-surf, catamaran. Club Náutico de San Pedro del Pinatar 1km.
Playa Playuela: in the protected area of the Regional Park of Las Salinas, 350m, semi-urban, average occupancy, dark sand, moderate waves, anchoring area, SOS, rescue, Red Cross, local police, parking, bus, toilet, showers, anchoring area, disabled access, next to the Yacht Club of San Pedro del Pinatar.
Playa La Llana: in the protected area of the Regional Park of Las Salinas, where the Mediterranean and Mar Menor meet, 1,500m, isolated, high occupancy, golden sand, moderate waves, anchoring area, SOS, rescue, Red Cross, local police, parking, bus, WC, cleaning, paper, kiosk spa anchorage area, San Pedro Marina 1km.

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Playa Derribada at San Pedro del Pinatar

The Salinas at San Pedro del Pinatar

The most important wetlands in the Region of Murcia are found here in San Pedro: the Parque Natural de Las Salinas y Arenales de San Pedro del Pinatar, with almost 900 hectares. You’ll see flamingos, gulls, albatrosses, herons and owls. There are dunes with sea lilies, sedges and reeds.

Along with the salt production, fishing has been a major source of income for this area. They use the fishing system brought by the Arabs, that of the weirs. A maze of reeds, sticks and nets divert the fish from one part of the Mar Menor to another. The visitor’s centre for Las Salinas is on Avenida de las Salinas, 968 178139 / 649 227395

Boats & Diving at San Pedro del Pinatar

There’s a main port with a couple of marinas in the Salinas area. There’s the Club Náutico Villa de San Pedro on Avenida Puerto, www.clubNáuticovillasanpedro.com, 968 182678. This is where we keep our boat. It’s got great facilities, a swimming pool and reasonable prices. For the bigger boats (and there are some very big ones over here!) there’s the Marina de las Salinas, www.marinadelassalinas.es, 630 422126, 968 182880, 676 388790, right next door.

If you find yourself at the port enjoy a big breakfast at The Yachtsman, 600 749181. They do a great value menú del día and Sunday carvery, and of course fish and chips. Loads of outdoor seating space and if you fancy a boat trip they can organise that too.

There are a couple of diving clubs in the San Pedro area. We’ve dived with StingraySub, www.stingraysub.com, based in the Puerto Marina de las Salinas, 639 631072 or 606 375235. They have a lovely fast rib and are efficient and friendly. There’s Turkano, www.turkana.org, 617 355636, also based in the port, but a little further down. They offer a wide range of activities including scuba, learning to sail and kitesurfing. The diving is fine around here, but if you want something more adventurous head down to Cabo de Palos. Frequently these dive clubs will put on a trip down there, but it’s a bit of a trek.

What To Do in San Pedro del Pinatar

Whilst you’re in the area stop off at Thalasia for a bit of R&R. The Thalasso Centre is next to the Thalasia hotel in San Pedro Del Pinatar. They have 34ºC seawater pools with different underwater massages, jacuzzis, waterbeds, cascades, etc. You can enjoy the “marine circuit” with wet and dry saunas, bithermal showers, the ice cave or the relaxation pool. Or have a treatment in one of the 40 individual rooms for beauty, aesthetic and physiotherapy programmes. For more on my adventure at Thalasia with my crazy mother-in-law take a read of The Spa!

If you fancy some sporting activities there’s Pinatar Arena Football Center on Avenida del Mojón, T: 968 11 60 60, info@pinatararena.com. They have 3 grass football pitches, a gym with plenty of classes, 5 padel courts, a spa and swimming pool. They’re open seven days a week and have the list of classes posted on their website. If you fancy something to eat enjoy their restaurant, ArchiBB, with a summer terrace and varied menu.

They have their weekly market on Monday mornings on Calle Víctor Pradera and Calle Libertad. It’s a big market and if you like to have a browse and pick up some good value fruit & veg or a flamenco frock it’s worth a visit.

For more information from the Ayuntamiento of San Pedro del Pinatar and tourism, take a look at: www.sanpedrodelpinatar.es

El Mojón Cyclist

El Mojón

El Mojón is the furthest point in the Murcia region and uniquely one half of this town is situated in Murcia and the other in the Alicante province (belonging to Pilar de Horadada, which is well worth a visit!) A quiet town in the winter, with a population explosion during the summer, like many of the towns along the coast.

For some entertainment there’s a great music bar called The Corner in El Mojón, T: 689 049 152 . They do hamburgers, sandwiches & pizzas and serve Guinness & Murphy’s beer. It’s a kind of Irish pub that plays live music a couple of times a week, have a look on their website or facebook page to find out what they’re hosting. They usually have rock tribute bands.