In the Area
Locally
{{zoomimage|in-the-area-4|Punta Marina centre from house's roof terrace|right}}Your holiday home is about a 5 minute walk from a sizeable Mercadona supermarket, which will provide for all your day-to-day needs.
Shopping, eating, drinking
About 5 minutes walk further on is the main local shopping area, including the Punta Marina shopping centre – here you will find a full range of shops, bars, restaurants and takeaways. The Punta Marina centre includes an Eroski supermarket, a pizza restaurant, a McDonalds, numerous small shops and bars and a Spanish restaurant featuring flamenco dancing most evenings.
On both sides of the N332 just alongside the Punta Marina centre are many more shops, bars and restaurants. There are Carrefour and Aldi supermarkets, a good Spanish restaurant serving good tapas (the Asturias), and a good Indian restaurant (the Gandhi), as well as Chinese, Italian and many others.
Heading in a different direction from the townhouse, a 5 minute walk through a residential area brings you to the nearest pub and the Central Grill, which serves excellent fish and chips, chicken and chips, pies etc to take away.
Street market
Once a week on a Saturday morning an enormous street market opens up about 5 minutes drive from the townhouse, which is well worth a visit to pick up a bargain or just have a look around.
{{zoomimage|in-the-area-7|Torrevieja|left}}{{zoomimage|in-the-area-2|Torrevieja|left}}Go-karting
Just along the N332 is a go-kart circuit. This has several different tracks, allowing everyone from 5 years old to have fun. There are different karts and tracks for 5 to 10 year olds, 10 to 15 year olds, and adults (16 and over)
Torrevieja
The bus to Torrevieja goes from near the Punta Marina shopping centre, or it’s about a 10 minute drive if you have a car. Torrevieja is a lively town, with a good mix of places for the tourist but big enough still to retain a Spanish feel.
The coast
There are loads more beaches here, and a promenade right along the seafront which is a good place for a stroll at any time of the day. This takes you from the marina in the south, through a lively street market (open every evening), past the funfair, past loads of bars and restaurants, alongside the main town beach and then in the north past the innumerable smaller beaches at the northern end of town.
{{zoomimage|in-the-area-5|Torrevieja street market|right}}{{zoomimage|in-the-area-3|Torrevieja central square|right}}Inland
Torrevieja also has a characterful central square with an old church and gardens, as well as lots of side streets with small shops, restaurants and bars to explore.
As well as the street market that is open every evening on the coastal promenade, Torrevieja also has a huge street market every Friday morning. With over 1,000 stalls, it is reputed to be one of the largest in Spain.
The waterpark
There is a very large waterpark in Torrevieja, with loads of water-slides for the adventurous amongst you. This would make a great place to take the children for the day.
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Further Afield
Alicante
{{zoomimage|in-the-area-1|Alicante|right}}Alicante is a large city and a port, but is well worth a visit. It’s about a 45 minute drive north from your holiday home. It has a lively pedestrianised main street running up the hill from the coast (La Rambla de Mendez Nunez) and loads of narrow streets in the old quarter (El Barrio) around the cathedral. At the eastern end of the seafront, behind the main beach, the 16th century castle (Castillo de Santa Barbara) stands on a promontory. It’s well worth going up for the fantastic views of the city and surrounding countryside. This is made easier by the lift that goes up from behind the beach.
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Elche
Elche is a few kilometres nearer than Alicante, and is a World Heritage Site for its extensive (Europe’s largest) palm groves. There is a 3 kilometre long signed walking trail that takes you around some of the over 200,000 palm trees that grow in the town.
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Murcia
Confusingly nowhere near the airport of the same name, Murcia is about a 40 minute drive inland from your holiday home. It has an interesting old town alongside the River Seguro to wander through, and the sumptuous Catedral de Santa Maria to look around.
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{{zoomimage|in-the-area-6|La Manga|right}}La Manga
About 30 minutes drive south from your holiday home past Murcia airport brings you to the extraordinary 22 kilometre long peninsula of La Manga. In places only a few hundred metres wide, it encloses the saltwater lagoon of Mar Menor. With a lighthouse and rocky coves at its southern end and plenty of places to stop and eat and drink, it’s worth the trip down.
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