Playa El Arenal, almost two kilometres of sandy Mediterranean beach in the San Javier section of La Manga

1.8 kilometres of broad, sandy Mediterranean beach in La Manga

Playa El Arenal is a long Mediterranean coastal beach in La Manga del Mar Menor, offering 1.8 kilometres of unbroken sand, and averaging 18 metres in width. It runs between kilometres 8 and 10 of La Manga, in an area where the land widens out sufficiently to permit the construction of substantial blocks of residential apartments on both sides, although mainly on the Mar Menor side of the coast, with the Gran Vía running up the centre of the spit.

The main residential areas using this beach are the those which lie between Virgen Blanca, El Pedrucho and Pueblo Cálido.

The surface is the fine golden sand which is so typical of the Mediterranean coast, and due to the large number of residential properties close by it teends to be occupied by a large number of visitors in summer: nonetheless, due to its sheer size, it can rarely be described as crowded.

Services and facilities include toilets, footwashes, bins, wooden walkways and chiringuito beach bars, and there are also plenty of bars, shops and restaurants in the area.

Access: a bus service runs right along the length of La Manga throughout the day, with several stops near El Arenal, and there is generally plenty of parking in the built-up areas except at times in July and August.

The Mediterranean beaches of San Javier

San Javier has two distinct sections of beaches, one being in Santiago de la Ribera on the shore of the Mar Menor, close to the main centre of San Javier town, and the other on the opposite side of the Mar Menor on the spit of land called La Manga de Mar Menor (or "the strip", as it is often referred to by holidaymakers), where there are both Mar Menor and Mediterranean beaches.

It is important when choosing a beach to understand that the Mar Menor beaches offer shallow and calm bathing conditions, whereas the Mediterranean beaches are wider, longer, windier, and are susceptible to wave conditions and currents.

The internal area of the Mar Menor is divided among several municipalities, or local councils. The La Manga strip is divided into two sections for administrative purposes, although there is no geographical difference, the northern end belonging to San Javier and the lower section which limks with Cabo de Palos falling within Cartagena.

Almost the entire length of La Manga del Mar Menor is lined with holiday apartments, hotels and summer properties, although it does also have a significant year-round residential population. But towards the northern end the land narrows, and the concentration of properties is lower, so the beaches are emptier.

The location of La Manga del Mar Menor beaches is generally defined by kilometre reference. Kilometre 0 is the tourist information point at Cabo de Palos and km 18 is the far end of La Manga by the Esculls de la Llana y Encañizadas, which is where dry land runs out! The northernmost end of the strip is marshy and largely inaccessible, before it finally just fails to join up with the salt flats of San Pedro del Pinatar.

Click to see an overview of the beaches in San Javier, or to go to the home page of San Javier Today for more local news, events and other information.