COSTA Calida (or warm coast in Spanish) is a 250 kilometer stretch of coastline in the province of Murcia of that country. It has one of the warmest climates in Europe with temperatures rising as hot as 22 degrees Celsius during summer. The lowest winter temperature here is only at 10 degrees Celsius. It is inhabited with oleanders, prickly pears and wild dwarf palms. Seagulls and cicada are typically found here too. Other contrasting features of Costa Calida are the following – it is both dry and irrigated land and it has both plain and mountainous areas.

Here in Costa Calida lies what rural Spain is all about. There are about two million inhabitants here. So if you’re adept at the Spanish language already, you should take a rest here for about a week and admire the locals rush to the shore after fisherfolks have garnered their catch for the day. Locals typically buy fish immediately from the shore and cook the catch from the Mediterranean. These fishes are usually cooked or grilled hurriedly as Spaniards hate cooking frozen food or eating cooked food that was frozen. Some of these fish catch are hauled off by restaurant delivery vans to be delivered directly to the restaurant kitchens.

Elsewhere beyond the coastline, Costa Calida features some mines and scenic vegetable gardens. It is also in Costa Calida that Cartagena can be found. Cartagena has ruins of a 3,000 year old Roman architecture – a theatre. Also found there are Roman museum and port ruins. Because of that, Cartagena is declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old Roman port is now home to the biggest naval base in Spain. A midshipman school is also located here. Other featured sights in Cartagena are the fort, the walled city, the Castillo de San Felipe (with daily tours) and the Palace of Inquisition. Playa Blanca is one of the beaches in Costa Calida on the Cartagena side. Another feature in Cartagena is the mud volcano. You can have your mud bath there and then rinse your body in a nearby laguna.

Costa Calida is also home to Mar Menor, the world’s largest natural swimming pool. It is actually a saltwater lagoon-cum-lake depending on how you call it. It is more or less part of the Mediterranean Sea if not for the 22 kilometer long sandbar that separates it from the Mediterranean. The sandbar itself has a width of only 1200 meters. Mar Menor’s total land area is 170 square kilometers. The northern part of Mar Menor is an ecological reserve while the southern portion is for fanatics of water skiing and other water sports. There are also boat tours, eco hikes, gaming facilities and restaurants. Mar Menor encompasses four municipalities – Cartagena, Los Alcazares, San Javier and San Pedro del Pinatar.

Real estate developments have continually sprouted all over Costa Calida. Extras not included in the unit package are the following: swimming pool, independent car port, gardens, heater, and split air conditioning system all around your house, fireplace, a few furnishings, window shutters, satellite television and alarm.