Introduction to La Manga Club
Luxury accommodation, superb sports facilities and top level service are at the heart of the La Manga Club brand
Over the last few decades, and particularly the last ten years, a number of resort-style developments have been built (and, in some cases, sold) in the Region of Murcia, but among the huge selection now on offer only one stands out: La Manga Club.
The first properties were handed over here over fifty years ago in 1972, and ever since La Manga Club has grown steadily and organically. From the outset the commitment was to quality, both in terms of the homes built and the facilities on offer, and in this sense the branding of the resort has not wavered over the years. Even today, in times of crisis, La Manga Club continues to expand, with new properties being built and, in stark contrast to the market conditions which have caused the failure of other projects, sold.
This continuing success is due to the prestige which has been built up over the years, and this in turn comes back to the excellence of the different components making up the whole. Forty years ago golf was practically unknown in the Region of Murcia, but as early as 1972 La Manga Club hosted the Spanish Open. This was by no means a minor event, and course co-designer Arnold Palmer, one of the legends of the sport, won the event two years later. There are now three courses, all of them held in high esteem by pros and amateurs alike.
Other sports are also well catered for within the resort. Twenty-eight courts are used in the Tennis Centre, and if none of them are grass it may because the greenkeepers from the golf courses are already doubling up attending to the bowling green and the eight full-size football pitches which are included in the la Manga Club Football Centre. The facilities here are also used by rugby, hockey and Gaelic football clubs, and there is even a full-size cricket pitch! The sports on offer also include diving, netball, lacrosse, cycling, squash, paddle-tennis, horse-riding road cycling and mountain-biking.
But don’t get the idea that La Manga Club can only be enjoyed by sports freaks: the sporting facilities are simply one of the more visible symptoms of the quality which underlies the whole resort. A wide variety of restaurants provides ample opportunity for eating out without leaving the resort, and even those who wish to cook for themselves will find that, unlike some of the Region of Murcia’s newer resorts, there is also a choice of shops and services on-site. This includes not only a small supermarket but also banks, solicitors, a medical centre and chemists, and anyone needing help can always call in at the La Manga Club offices.
On top of that the Spa Centre boasts a range of pampering treatments, and the offer is completed by kids’ clubs and activities to ensure that parents can de-stress during their stay here!
Back in the 1980s the Murcia tourist board produced aerial photography posters of this area, including the Mar Menor in the background and La Manga in the foreground. At that time the name of La Manga was probably better known to the British public than that of Murcia, and the oasis of green shown in the posters thirty years ago still remains as attractive as it was then, if not even more so. Even if you’re not staying in La Manga Club, a day out there is highly recommended!