San Pedro del Pinatar in Spain mud spa and other attractions

San Pedro del Pinatar is a town located on the Costa Calida coast in the province of Murcia, southern Spain. Costa Calida translates to “Warm Coast” and this name captures perfectly the essence of this place. Costa Calida is known for its high average temperature and dry air, as rainfall is just over 30 centimetres per year.

One of the most popular and frequently visited resorts on the Costa Calida is the town of San Pedro del Pinatar, located on the Mar Menor, the largest lagoon in Europe. It is renowned for its therapeutic mud, which visiting tourists smear on themselves with reverence. San Pedro del Pinatar is an ideal place to experience the unique climate of Murcia, and it has everything a tourist could need for a relaxing holiday.

San Pedro del Pinatar on the Mar Menor lagoon and its history

Beautiful monuments that illustrate the rich history of the region, sandy beaches, extensive promenades, bars with delicious cuisine, and places offering almost every kind of entertainment you can think of. All of this has led to a tremendous increase in the city’s popularity in recent decades. However, the history of the city dates back to ancient times, when Roman soldiers were stationed throughout the Iberian Peninsula.

It was the Romans who discovered the beneficial effects of the local climate on health and well-being. To this day, legends circulate around the area that Roman dignitaries from across the empire came to San Pedro del Pinaras to heal their ailing bodies and souls, as well as to plunder, murder, and rape.

After the Romans came the Muslims, who conquered most of the Iberian Peninsula in the 6th century and ruled it for centuries. They, too, appreciated the properties of the local climate. Olive and palm groves appeared throughout the area, and high-quality salt began to be collected from the local lagoons and bays.

The city of San Pedro del Pinatar has had a tumultuous history, with power changing hands frequently over the centuries. Relative peace was only achieved towards the end of the 19th century, when the political situation in the country stabilized, and the residents of San Pedro del Pinaras could finally focus on their affairs. At the end of the 19th century, the city’s population was primarily engaged in the development of maritime traditions and agriculture, which was challenging due to the dry climate.

The 1960s were a period of growth for the city, as Spain began to be perceived by Europeans as an extremely attractive holiday destination. The tourism boom led to the creation of popular hotels and the entire infrastructure designed for visitors to Murcia. This resulted in a significant increase in the province’s prosperity and improved the lives of its inhabitants.

Attractions in San Pedro del Pinatar

The most popular tourist destination is undoubtedly the Lo Pagan coast, with an extensive and well-maintained promenade. Most of the hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops are located there, surrounding a beautiful beach.

The promenade also runs along the entire Mar Menor lagoon, which is adjacent to all the main sandy beaches, including the most popular ones such as Puntica and Villananitos. On the other side of the peninsula, you will find the charming Playa de la Torre Derribada beach and the tiny Playa de Las Salinas, where sailing, diving, windsurfing enthusiasts, and many other popular water sports lovers gather.

Laguna Mar Menor

Laguna Mar Menor is the largest lagoon in Europe. It was formed when a sandy peninsula separated it from the Mediterranean Sea. The peninsula is over 20 kilometres long and ranges in width from almost one hundred meters to over a kilometre. In fact, this strip of land that acts as a barrier between the sea and the lagoon is an attraction in itself. You can walk along the wide promenade for hours, taking breaks on one of the numerous benches.

The vast expanse that creates the Mar Menor lagoon covers an area of over 170 square kilometres and is filled with warm and devilishly salty water. For this reason, this place is called the largest swimming pool in the world. Swimming in this body of water is pure pleasure, the water is warm (in summer the temperature often exceeds 32 degrees Celsius), and the large amount of salt makes swimming easy and enjoyable.

The depth of the lagoon is also ideal for water sports. The greatest depth is just over 6 meters, but most of the lagoon area is shallow, with a sandy bottom. You just need to remember that a significant part of the lagoon is a nature reserve, so I advise you to look at the map and remember how far you can go.

There are several natural islands in the lagoon, the largest of which is Baron Island. It is also the only inhabited island, where there are many houses, old ruins, and a small cemetery.

If you get bored with mud baths or the water in the lagoon is too warm, you can always cross the peninsula and jump into the cooler waters of the Mediterranean Sea.

Mud bathing in the Mar Manor lagoon in San Pedro del Pinatar

In the Middle Ages, the extraordinary properties of mud from San Pedro del Pinatar were already written about. Allegedly, mud baths help with rheumatism, chronic joint diseases, and skin diseases. Honestly, I did not take advantage of the opportunity and did not smear myself with mud because I still do not have the above-mentioned problems, but as soon as they appear, I will definitely come back here.

The mud in the lagoon is almost black and does not smell like roses. The reason for this is the high level of potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulphur. However, these inconveniences do not stop thousands of tourists every year from smearing themselves with mud. Practically, all year round, you can meet older people smeared with mud from head to toe. They usually stand on specially prepared wooden platforms or directly in shallow water, right by the edge of the lagoon.

Once, I asked an elderly lady, “How’s the mud today?” She replied that it was fantastic and that she had been taking mud baths in the Mar Manor lagoon for years and every time she returned home younger and in much better condition than when she arrived. The mud-covered lady looked like she was about 102 years old, and according to what she said, she was probably 140.

Before you jump into the mud and splash around in it from head to toe, you need to remember a few tips:

• The mud should be applied in small portions.
• At the beginning, it is recommended to put a small amount of mud on the more sensitive part of the skin and wait for a few minutes. The action of mineral ingredients contained in the mud can cause skin irritation in some cases. In such a situation, the compress should be immediately washed off and the skin rinsed with clean water.
• The mud should remain on the body for no longer than an hour.
• Compresses work best on warm and sunny days, when the mud dries quickly on the skin.
• The mud should come from a place far from the shore.
• Before applying the mud, be sure to check if there is anything sharp in it, such as pieces of shells, sharp stones, or glass.
• The bottom of the lagoon, its edges, and wooden platforms intended for tourists who want to take advantage of the benefits of mud baths can be very slippery. So remember to bring appropriate footwear. What’s the point of smoothing your skin if you break your legs?
• When the mud dries, it can be gently rubbed off with your hands. This is an excellent skin exfoliation.
• After the treatment, you can lie down in the water for a few minutes.

That’s it, have fun.

Quintin mills in San Pedro del Pinatar

For centuries, the Quintin windmill has been a symbol of San Pedro del Pinatar. It is a relatively simple structure consisting of a conical rotating tower, windmill blades, and a sail that allows the windmill to be positioned correctly according to the direction of the wind. Two such windmills have survived to this day. One of them, Molino Quintín, stands near the Los Molinos restaurant, and the other is located at Molino de La Calcetera, along the trail leading through the peninsula.

In essence, these are the same windmills that we know from other parts of Europe, and the only thing that distinguishes them from those is their application. The windmills in the Mar Manor lagoon were used to pump water from the sea to the lagoon. This was done using a bucket conveyor belt located at the bottom of the mill.

Salinas y Arenales San Pedro del Pinatar Natural Park

The Salinas de San Pedro del Pinatar Nature Park is the largest and most important wetland in the Murcia region. It is a breeding ground for dozens of bird species, many of which are strictly protected. The park stretches for 6 kilometres along the Mediterranean coast of Murcia, between San Pedro del Pinatar and San Javier. It is a special bird protection area (ZEPA) and a unique place because various natural formations such as salt flats, dunes, beaches, reed beds, and a small pine forest have gathered on a small area.

The tourist centre is located at the entrance to the park. You will receive a lot of information there about what interesting things await you during your visit, as well as get acquainted with the natural values of the park, tour routes, and bird observatories. It is worth spending part of the day on a trip to this fascinating place.

Of course, the attractions mentioned above are only the tip of the iceberg. I leave it up to you to discover the rest of the interesting places in the area. I also hope that in the future, you will share with us your discoveries and experiences gained during your visit to San Pedro del Pinatar.

Practical information

San Pedro del Pinatar is located on the popular N332 road, just a few kilometres from the popular resorts of La Mata and Torrevieja. There are many ways to get here, and one of them is to take the buses that come from various parts of Spain without interruption (especially in season).

The bus journey from Murcia takes less than an hour, and from Alicante, it takes a little longer. The car journey may be slightly shorter, but during the peak season, I would prefer to leave the car at the hotel and take a coach tour. Firstly, traffic jams, and secondly, problems with parking in the most popular places. The best prices for transport are offered by the Latbus company.

San Pedro del Pinatar facts, information, and curiosities

• San Pedro del Pinatar has a rich history that dates back to the Roman era, when an industrial settlement was established here to extract sea salt, which was then transported to Rome.
• Laguna Mar Manor is the largest lagoon in Europe.
• The sandy peninsula separating the Mar Manor lagoon from the Mediterranean Sea is over 20 kilometres long and is sometimes so wide that a city called La Manga was built on it.
• The mud from the Mar Manor lagoon has been studied by scientists and has been found to contain many more positive chemical and biological compounds for human health than previously thought. It has been discovered that mineral-rich mud absorbs many toxins and cleanses the skin perfectly.
• Several renowned therapeutic centres in Spain use Mar Manor mud in their treatments.
• The Salinas and Arenales de San Pedro Nature Park is home to large flocks of flamingos and other waterbirds. In addition, one of the highest dunes on this part of the coast is located there. It is located on the Torre Derribada beach and is over 3 meters high.

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