We thought this place was lovely. Quite similar in looks to Mazarron but ever so slightly more polished. This is the most southerly port of the Costa Calida, Murcia. It is way off-season but the place is still buzzing, a working town.
This town stands on a coastal area of 35 km, under the surveillance of its beautiful castle of San Juan de las Águilas and on the southern-most tip of the region. This municipality has been inhabited since the Palaeolithic age, and many other cultures, including the Argaric, Phoenician, Roman and Moslem people, have left traces here. Of particular interest are the Roman remains, especially the baths, which date from the 1st to 4th century. As a modern town, Águilas was born of the enlightened thought of Charles III and his ministers Aranda and Floridablanca, who sought a port for the export of the agricultural products of the river plain of Lorca, and Águilas was the natural departure point for the entire region. From Murcia Touristica
The beaches are lovely, kept pristine even off-season and a few people are out enjoying sunshine this afternoon. The rain will stop now for a few days. It rains for a few hours and then the sun comes out, so it is not all day drizzle.
The marina and port area are really attractive with plenty of bars and cafes around. The shops are shut because it is the middle of the afternoon, in spain everything closes between 1.30pm and 5.30pm or thereabouts. They need their siestas in the afternoon as evenings are long, most don’t eat dinner until 11pm.
There is always time to enjoy the beach and a bit of swimming, the water was very warm!
Cabo Cope
Cabo Cope (cabo meaning cape) sits at the most southerly tip of Murcia. It is totally unspoilt and is a protected nature reserve. A couple of villas have made their way onto the headline but otherwise it is pretty desolate.
Reptiles such as the ocellated lizard, the red-tailed spiny-footed lizard, the Bedriaga’s skink or the greek tortoise, which is in a serious danger of extinction and mammals such as wild boar profit from the natural resources of this area. The eagle owl, the Bonelli’s eagle, and the peregrine falcon find the rough topography of Cabo Cope a perfect place to breed. At the foot of the breathtaking promontory of Cabo Cope there still stands the remains of an old fort from the 18th century, and half way the hillside there are some traces of old ramparts. The Cope Tower, built in the 16th century is the most singular historical remains in the area. From http://www.murciaturistica.es
The view across the bay to the mountains is stunning.
Calabardina
Calabardina is a small tourist resort just 9 kilometres from Águilas. From the beach of Calabardina there are lovely views towards the southwest of the Sierra de Cabrera and Mojacar can be seen perched on its hilltop.
This is a new village – rows of townhouses in the Spanish style have been constructed near the beach, whilst the villas on the outskirts are well maintained with trees, shrubs and flowers. It has been done well and is pretty but there are still rows of properties that are all the same.
It is very quiet now and whilst I am sure some people do live here all of the year it seems to be mainly holiday homes. Either that or everyone is having a siesta and nobody has a car!
A Spanish Adventure 