Playa Banco del Tabal, the southernmost Mediterranean beach in the San Javier section of La Manga

A 1400-metre Mediterranean beach with soft golden sand 

Playa Banco del Tabal is one of a series of glorious wide, open Mediterranean beaches which run down the Mediterranean coastal side of La Manga del Mar Menor, is 1400 meters long and 15 metres wide. It is the southernmost Mediterranean beach in the municipality of San Javier, since the southern end lf La Manga lies within the municipal boundaries of Cartagena.

Banco del Tabal beach is close to the beginning of this long strip of land enclosing the Mar Menor and lies between kilometres 3.5 and 4.9, servicing the urbanisations between Star Alfa and Gaviotas.

At this point La Manga del Mar Menor is densely built up on both sides, and the beach therefore has high occupancy during the peak summer months as well as a fair sprinkling during the whole year due ot the presence of residents and off-season visitors.

The beach is fine and sandy, becoming more “natural” as it nears the Gola de Marchamalo, a protected area which is one of the channels between the Mar Menor and the Mediterranean. The canal, which has been artifically widened, allows boats in and out of the lagoon. 

Services and facilities at the beach include toilets, telephones, beach grooming service, bins, wooden walkways, footwashes and chiringuito beach pars, and there are plenty of bars, shops and restaurants in the area.

Playa Banco del Tabal is well-adapted for disabled users, offering parking spaces, access ramps, wooden walkways, adapted toilets, bathing chairs and amphibious crutches. There is also an assisted bathing service, offered by the Protección Civil during the months of July and August.

Access: a bus service runs right along the length of La Manga throughout the day, with several stops near Banco del Tabal, and there is generally plenty of parking in the built-up area 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.