Área Los Alcazares

As the Mar Menor is a lagoon right off the eastern coast of Spain separated by a 22-kilometre strip of land called La Manga, it’s usually warmer in its water than out in the sea. Spend days swimming in the salty lake while on a hol at Área Los Alcazares or have a go at some of the aquatic activities available, from kayaking to paddleboarding. Once you're dried off, turn thoughts to inland expeditions: Murcia, the capital of the region, is a 25-minute drive away for cavorting around a cathedral that took 300 years to build, drinking coffee in cute cafés and skipping around grand squares. On a longer day out, wander around the Floridablanca Gardens for floral displays and ancient ficus trees, or mosey on over to the Monteagudo Castle just outside the city to see the ninth-century building sitting on a limestone hill. If animal attractions are more your bag, the Terra Natura Murcia is a humane zoo home to endangered species like the European lynx and brown bear; head back home via the Salinas y Arenales de San Pedro del Pinatar bird observatory where you can sneak a peek at wildlife like the little tern and stork. Both are 15 minutes' drive away.