Going for Golf

InterContinental Mar Menor

Not far from Hacienda del Alamo is the InterContinental Mar Menor Golf Resort & Spa. Measuring just under 6,700 yards, its golf course started life as a nine-hole design by Dave Thomas in 2006 and was then expanded three years later to a full 18 by Jack Nicklaus.

Now, this par-72 course, near the village of Torre Pacheco, demands a wide range of shots to deal with the obstacles so unhelpfully placed by the Golden Bear. Not only do lakes intrude, the lush Mediterranean landscape, full of palm trees, native grasses and flowering shrubs, adds to the beauty, and difficulty, of the layout.
 
The resort is ideally located – just five miles from Murcia San Javier airport and less than three miles from Mar Menor’s beautiful beaches. Nearby is the village of Los Alcazares, overflowing with  tapas bars, restaurants, tennis courts, beach bars and facilities for water sports like scuba diving, wind surfing, snorkelling, paragliding and jet skiing. It also offers routes for cycling, horse riding, mountain climbing and fishing.

The climate on the Mar Menor is the healthiest in Spain, according to the World Health Organization. With an average year-long temperature of 17 degrees, every day should be the right time to visit.