2 bedroom first floor apartment, Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort
If you are looking for some luxury and real peace and quite for a truly relaxing holiday and some of the best sunsets in the area, then you will not be disappointed with your stay here.
Accommodating four people very comfortably, this well furnished apartment is the ideal base for enjoying the fabulous golf courses in the area including the Polaris World courses. Non golfing will enjoy the quite location, sports facilities nearby and the lovely shared pool.
Golfers and Non Golfers
Keen golfing will be delighted to learn that they will be spoilt for choice, with no less than 18 golf courses in the area with more being built. These include La Torre, El Valle, Roda and Torre Del Rame in Los Alcazares itself, and Hacienda del Alamo,Mar Menor, Condado, Serina, Mosa Trajectum, La Manga (which actually has three courses), Campoamor and Villamartin, all within a 25-30 minute drive. Adjacent to the Hacienda course is the new Seve Ballesteros course, La Peraleja.
Whilst you are a guest in our apartment, you are entitled to discounted green fees at any of the Polaris courses (called the Nicklaus Trail). Current green fees are 45€ at La Torre, El Valle and Hacienda Riqueleme. Hacienda Riquelme is a par 72, 18 hole course and is the largest of all the courses on the Nicklaus trail. The fairways of the Hacienda Riquelme course run between olive trees, wild flowers and five lakes. Both Hacienda Riquelme and El Valle have gained reputations for being some of the finest golf in the area.
Special Golf deals are often available and typically include twilight golf for €30 or discounted rounds for two people with a free buggy, please check the Polaris website for the patest offers.
The resort town is is now completed and offers a well stocked pro shop, supermarket, two bars and a restaurant.
We have provided two sets of golf clubs should you not wish to bring your own.
Ask about any competitions that are available as there is usually a competition each month that resident’s can enter.
For non golfing, Hacienda Riquelme is a great place to use as a base for exploring the area or for just taking a break and relaxing by the pool or at one of the many local beaches. Everywhere is close by within 15-25 minutes drive you’ll find the airport, beaches, restaurants and bars, towns, Murcia city and much more.
The Intercontinental Hotels at the Mar Menor resort and La Torre are very luxurious and the restaurants at the Hotels are excellent. If you are feeling very extravagant and your partner doesn’t play golf, we would recommend the Spa at the Intercontinental Hotel for a pampering session, or even the whole day. Outside the hotel there is a lovely pool area and bar where non golfing could spend the day.
There are two tennis courts, two paddle tennis courts, two boule pitches and an all weather court close by. You will find rackets and balls and a set of boules in the apartment for you to use and it will cost €9 per hour to hire the tennis courts.
For diving enthusiasts, the Hormigas Islands near Cabo de Palos have been declared a Marine Reserve due to their exceptional beauty and the conservation of the sea floor, but they are also acknowledged by scuba divers as being one of Spain’s premier dive sites.
The shallow waters and warm winds of the Mar Menor make it ideal for both Windsurfing and Kite boarding, both of which can be hired from various shops and schools along the Mar Menor shoreline. Jet skiing is also very popular and these can also be hired from ABC La Manga sports centre. Pedallos can be hired from the centre of Los Alcazares.
Between 15th June-15th September, the Mar Menor Ferry picks up from the pier in the centre of town and visits other towns and the islands of the Mar Menor, at which you can stop off and enjoy a delicious lunch of freshly caught and bbqd sardines
Aquapolis Fun Park near Torrevieja, open from 15th June to 15th September, is an excellent fun day out for all the family, providing a welcome opportunity to do some serious cooling off during the height of the summer when the mercury hits the top of the glass in the thermometer.
The Spanish dont need much of a reason to have a party and/or set off some fireworks and theres hardly a month goes by during the year when there isnt a celebration of some kind or another going on.
Places to Visit, Things to Do
Eating Out
The apartment is very well equipped for your self catering holiday and there are plenty of local restaurants for you to enjoy. As well as the restaurant in the attractivey restored Hacienda, there are several restaurants nearby in Sucina. La Torre also offers a range of excellent restaurants from Tapas to Italian and local specialities especially rice dishes.
A little further away, there is a wide choice of restaurants at San Javier (fine dining, fast food and oriental) and a host of restaurants and bars at Los Alcazares. The apartment has a guide to help you find local places to see, where to eat and where to play golf.
Beaches
There are numerous beaches that can easily accessed from the apartment (starting from 15 minutes drive away). Some of the most attractive include:
Villa Nanitos – near the mud baths of San Pedro del Pinatar with various sporting facilities such as wind surfing, volley ball, kayaking and water skiing.
La Llana – long, sandy, blue flag beach, with foot showers during the main season. Mild water, with some waves in parts.
El Espejo – another blue flag, sandy beach on the Mar Menor with wind surfing. Volley ball and kayaking. Calm waters.
Los Nietos – 4km long grey, sandy beach with showers, lots of restaurants and calm waters.
South of Cabo de Palos – a group of three beaches – Cala Medina, Las Melvas, Levante – small beaches with slightly wavy water, ranging from sand to gravel to rock, great all round beaches. There are restaurant services and some good opportunities for snorkelling.
Inland
The interior of the Murcia Region is ideal for those in search of relaxation, nature, sport and good food. The mountains here are full of wild game and woodland, and crowned with castles, fortresses, hermitages and convents. Stories and ancient legends enshroud these evocative, welcoming parts, inviting you with their robust, tasty cuisine to enjoy a few days relaxation in the fresh country air.
Quiet, sleepy towns, such as Moratalla, Mula, Bullas, Cehegín, Caravaca, Jumilla, Yecla, and numerous other localities open their doors to visitors in search of new, tranquil sensations, those who want to lose themselves for a few hours among holms, pines, oaks and junipers, visit archaeological sites, experience traditional lifestyles, and, to get their strength back, sit down to a hearty stew, some migas or a tasty dish of game, accompanied by a fine bottle of local Denominación de Origen wine.
The more adventurous can paddle down river by canoe, go potholing, climbing, hiking, horse riding and cycling. Those who prefer can learn to knead bread, make homemade cakes, distil essences and liqueurs, cut honeycomb or make cheese. It is a question of taste.
Sierra Espuña contains Murcia’s largest extensions of forest, as well as being one of its most exemplary areas of outstanding natural beauty. Its modern greenness is due in large part to reforestation campaigns carried out towards the end of the 19th century by Murcian philanthropist Ricardo Codorníu, known by the nickname the Tree Apostle.
Places to Visit
The regional capital and University City on the river Segura is around 20 minutes away by car. This vibrant city was founded by the Moors in 825AD and boasts a attractive Cathedral and University, as well as Botanic Gardens, Museums and other historic buildings around its narrow, but characterful streets.
The fabulous cathedral in Murcia city is well worth a visit. You can spot it from miles away because of its 96-metre tower which houses no less than 25 bells. Construction work on the cathedral started in the mid 14th century, on the site of a Moorish mosque, and lasted for another four centuries.
The city’s 18th century convent church of Santa Ana is another tourist attraction, partly because the sisters of the convent’s closed order bake cakes and sell them to the public through a revolving hatch (to avoid breaking their vow of no contact with the outside world).