We did a small trip to southern Spain to a not that famous area of the Iberian Peninsula. We got to visit Calabardina, Murcia (Spain). Although Calabardina is one of the most beautiful towns we have seen in Spain, it´s still undiscovered by many. Even people in the country still don´t know about it. That´s one of the best things of it. Nowadays, it´s one of the few empty towns in Spain where you will be without thousands of tourists.
Why should you spend the holidays in Calabardina, Murcia, Spain?
The main reason why we visited Calabardina, Murcia, was it´s location. We did a trip to Murcia´s region, many years ago. We wanted to come back and know more about the area. It´s right in the border of Murcia´s province in South of Spain, close to a beautiful and quiet natural park. It´s forbidden to build anything there, which makes it a quiet and great destination to get some rest. It could also offer us some beautiful landscapes. Everything combined, makes Calabardina, one of the best holiday places to go in Spain.
Calabardina tourist information
Before going to Calabardina we didn´t have any type of tourist information, and our first impression didn´t disappoint us at all. Calabardina had everything we were looking for: a nice and almost empty beach and some impressive landscapes that amazed us. Even before arriving, we could tell we would find some amazing hikes and viewpoints.
After spending some time there, we found Calabardina is a perfect place for any kind of tourist, and there are many reasons why you should visit Calabardina, Murcia:
Calabardina, Aguilas, Murcia,Spain
As we said Calabardina is a really small town, and that has many advantages but also disadvantages. Being a small town means that there are not many places for shopping, restaurants, pharmacies or other needed places. Luckily, Calabardina is really closed to Aguilas, which is also in Murcia. Aguilas is a bigger city with supermarkets, a lot of shops, medical centers and they even have places for sport activities like a paddle club, which is a very common sport in Spain. So, if you are staying in Calabardina, and you need to get some groceries, once you go there, take the opportunity to see all the many things to do in Aguilas and go for a walk through their old town, try some different restaurants with more variety of food and enjoy their great view points.
Snorkel and scuba diving in Murcia:
We spent hours on the water, its geographic situation added to its warm and clear water, makes it the perfect place to spot some mediterranean wildlife.
If you are one of those who are scared, or simply prefer to dive with more people, don´t worry, you will find many scuba diving schools in the area and in Aguilas, which is the closest “big town” near Calabardina.
This area is consireded by many profesionals one of the best places to snorkell in the mediterranean sea.
Cabo Cope y Puntas del Calnegre
The main reason why we came here was also our favourite part of the trip. The Parque Regional Cabo Cope y Puntas del Calnegre of Murcia offers many different hikes. On the one hand, the ones that will take you to the top of the cape, from where you will be able to enjoy both the view of the town and the impressive landscapes at sunset time. If you rather go during sunrise time, you can go from the other side and enjoy the view of the ocean.
“Tortuga Mora” of Murcia (the Moorish Tortoise)
This natural park is also the habitat of the “Tortugas Mora” and many different animals and plants. The moorish tortoise, is an endangered specie, and we would like to ask you to be mindful and take care of it´s habitat. If you see any turtle, it´s okay to observe it and take some photos, but please always respecting them.
Calabardina, a mountain and volcano area.
Calabardina is probably the area most surrounded by mountains in Murcia, so finding a new and unexplored hike is not very hard, we went to the top of the mountain next to “Playa de la Cola”, it didn´t take us long, and it didn´t have any difficulty to climb it, so everyone would be able to do it. Anyway, the small effort it would take you, is totally worth it, as once you arrive to the top of it, you will be impressed by the view.
We didn´t have much time, so we couldn´t make more of these hikes, but if you happen to stay there longer, make sure to go explore a little bit. We are sure you would love it.
Isla del Fraile, Aguilas
Just about 10 minutes by car from Calabardina, you will find “La Isla del Fraile”. Although it is impossible to visit it, unless you have a boat, or you don´t mind swimming a bit, the views from the other side are great too and you can get a perfect low angle shot playing with the sand.
Another reason why you should visit it, is the beach in front of “La Isla del Fraile”, called “Playa Amarilla”. We literally spent a whole day there, it was empty just for us and we couldn´t get enough of those views.
Calabardina beach –
Best beaches near Murcia Spain
On your trip to the town don´t forget to visit the Calabardina beach. Of course, if you are in Spain, you need to go to the beach, it´s a must! And the great advantage of this town is that on the area,you will find some of the best beaches near Murcia, Spain. As we told you before, we found what we were looking for, a nice quite beach. But what we didn´t know, is that it would just be 5 minutes from where we were staying. The town is so small, that no matter where you are staying, you´ll always be close to Calabardina beach.
In case you get tired of the 2 beaches in the town, jut by driving 10 to 20 minutes you will be able to go to many other small coves. Some of them are trully beautiful. They say there is close to 200 coves! Will you be able to see them all?
Out of all of them there was one, that caught our attention:
Playa de los Cocedores, Murcia (or Almeria?)
Just about 20 minutes from Calabardina, the Cala de los Cocedores, is one of the most beautiful beaches in Spain. In despite of the clear and warm water of this beach, what impressed us more, are the beautiful formations in both sides of the beach and the caves in one of them. The caves used to be the home for many people, many years ago, where they would make esparto (that is why the name of the beach).
Althought the beach is amazing, the most interesting fact of it, is more related to who own this beach. Playa de los Cocedores is located right in the border between Almeria and Murcia, so no one really knows where it really is. We can´t tell neither, so for the moment, let´s just say, it is beauiful!
Trying some traditional food from Calabardina, Murcia, Spain.
Although there are not many restaurants in Calabardina, there are two that you should go. Both of them are located in the beach, that´s why we love them so much. In one side, you will find the Restaurante Calabardina. The only problem we had with this restaurant is that it´s always crowded, and therefore the service is not so good, you´ll have to wait longer. But in terms of food, we loved it, it´s perfect to try some delicious spanish food.
On the other side, you will find the other famous restaurant, and our favorite, Restaurante Miramar. Great service, better location and delicious traditional Murcia food. If you can, try to go to both of them, but if you have limited time, we would rather go to Miramar. No matter which one you choose order spanish paella, one of the most famous spanish meals, you would love it.
How to get to Calabardina, flights to Murcia, Spain.
If you are planning to visit Calabardina anytime soon, you should know the best ways to get to Murcia.
The new way to get to Murcia is getting direct flights to Murcia airport. That means it will be easier to get there. This could cause an increase in the number of tourists, so hurry up don´t wait to long.
If you are already in Spain, you will always have another way to get there, and probably cheaper. From most of the big cities you can get a bus to Murcia or Águilas.
And of course, the last and most common option is driving there with you own car, lol!
Calabardina Hotel
Although Calabardina is a really small town, and most people prefer to stay in Aguilas because there are more markets there, staying in Calabardina has many advantages, the main one is that you can enjoy your vacations without thousand tourists during the whole day. There is only one problem, there are just two main hotels in Calabardina, the rest are all rented houses.
These two hotels are: The Hotel Mayarí which is located near Cabo Cope and El Paraiso right by the beach and perfect to be calmed and relaxed.