Mazarrón beaches: Playa del Rihuete

A large, sandy, fully serviced "no smoking" beach in the town of Puerto de Mazarrón

Blue Flag and Q for Quality at this 600-metre-long sandy beach

Playa Rihuete is an urban Mediterranean beach at the easter end of Puerto de Mazarrón, on the way out of the town towards Cartagena and facing across the bay to La Azohía and Cabo Tiñoso.

It is a vast urban beach, 600 metres long, and is very popular in summer. A wide range of facilities are available, as at other beaches in and around Puerto de Mazarrón, with the reasons for its popularity also including its location close to large apartment blocks, the fine sand, its size and the palm-tree-lined Paseo Marítimo which runs behind it, packed with restaurants and shops.

The Playa del Rihuete enjoys both Blue Flag beach and Q for Quality status, indicating that it has been recognised by both the Spanish Tourist Board and an international body set up to encourage environmentally friendly beaches, the FEE. Both flags are a recognition of the quality of the services on this beach as well as its cleanliness and the water quality.

Services

During peak months there are lifeguard and first aid facilities, drinking water, toilets, specially adapted toilets for those with disabilities, bins and recycling containers, footwashes, and volunteers from the Red Cross to assist disabled bathers, although there is not a specific disabled bathing area.

A number of sporting and leisure items can be hired including pedalos.

There are ramps down onto the beach and wooden slatted walkways onto the sand: access is easy with ramps and steps down from the Paseo.

Children´s play facilities are available on the Paseo and there is plenty of shaded seating beneath the palm trees, both in public areas and in the restaurants located here and in the streets behind the beach.

The Paseo runs right along the seafront of Puerto de Mazarrón from El Rihuete to the fishing port and marina, with plenty of shops, bars and restaurants, all in easy walking distance of the apartments crowding this stretch of urban beaches.

No smoking

In the summer of 2019 this beach was nominated by the Town Hall of Mazarrón as a "no smoking" beach. No official ban was in place, but bathers and other beachgoers are urged to refrain from lighting up on the sand, not only for the sake of their own health but also in order to prevent discarded butts from remaining on the beach and then contributing to marine pollution. 

Parking and access

Parking is always a problem for users of these high density urban beaches during the summer, when the population of the municipality increases from 30,000 to 150,000 for two months.

This beach is serviced by a car parking area at the El Alamillo beach end, near to the Petanca Club, but in summer this is totally inadequate as most of the spaces are taken by holidaymakers renting the apartments opposite. Those who have vehicles may prefer to drive to one of the lower density beaches where more parking is available.

In the autumn, winter and spring this is still a relatively popular beach, especially among locals who enjoy a stroll along the sand from the marina, about a kilometre, then wander back along the Paseo stopping for a drink or a bite to eat.

There are 4 parking bays reserved for disabled vehicles.

The beach is also serviced by the urban bus on the urban Mazarrón-Murcia route. 

Playa Rihuete joins seamlessly with the Playa del Puerto which continues as far as the sporting marina and fishing port, creating a vast area of fine sand, which is always busy during the summer.

For more local information go to the home page of Mazarrón Today, or click here for an overview of all 33 beaches in the municipality of Mazarrón.