Day trips
The Mar Menor is a 170-square-kilometre lagoon separated from the Mediterranean by a 22 km sandbar, La Manga. Warm, shallow and flat, it is the best place within an hour for small children, paddleboards and learning to sail or kite.
The lagoon rarely exceeds seven metres deep and the beaches shelve almost flat, so children paddle fifty metres out in water that is warmer and calmer than the sea at Torrevieja. Pedalos, paddleboards and small sailing boats are easy to hire. The promenades have playgrounds and ice cream every hundred metres.
The Mar Menor suffered serious pollution from agricultural run-off in recent years, with algae blooms and fish kills at their worst in 2019 and 2021. It has improved and the beaches are monitored and usually fine to swim, but check the municipal water-quality flags, especially in late summer after storms. The Mediterranean side of La Manga is always open sea.
Step-by-step guide to the free open-air mud baths at Lo Pagán, San Pedro del Pinatar: the routine, where to park, best time of day, the salt-flat boardwalk, the flamingos and the beach afterwards.
Read the guidePlan Cartagena from Torrevieja or Orihuela Costa: the one-hour drive, the Roman Theatre museum, the Concepción castle lift, the Naval Museum and Peral submarine, the modernist Calle Mayor, lunch spots and a Cabo de Palos detour.
Read the guide
Family guide to Torrevieja and Orihuela Costa: water parks, the real submarine, shallow beaches, pirate boats, karting, trampolines, bowling, mini-golf, flamingos, markets and rainy-day backups.
Read the guideCheck live availability and book Casa Fragata directly. No payment is taken online, and you get our full guest guide by e-mail the moment you book.