What
To Do
Golf
La Manga:
For those who dream of playing golf on beautiful, top
quality courses in an ideal, year-round climate, La Manga Club is the perfect
golf destination.
La Manga Club has always been synonymous with golf and, with its three
championship courses and outstanding practice facilities, it is perhaps
hardly
surprising that it has been voted Europe's top golf resort three times in the
past four years*. The resort has also recently been chosen as the official
winter training base of the German PGA in Spain.
Many international tournaments have been hosted at La Manga Club, including the
Spanish Open, Spanish PGA Championships, Spanish Junior Championships, Ladies'
Spanish Open and Senior Spanish Open for men, not to mention countless televised
corporate and celebrity golf events.
With a choice of three superb, 18-hole championship courses, each with its own
unique style and terrain, but all offering tranquil surroundings and many
outstanding views, there is something to challenge golfers of all ages and
abilities.
Visit La Manga Club for more
information.
The North and South Courses at La Manga are located in a valley surrounded by
mountains and with stunning views of the Mar Menor. Palm trees abound in these
two courses, while the West course, sited in a mountain was carved out of a
pine forest. The Club offers an excellent golf shop, caddies and one of the
best practise areas to be found in Spain, with 90 driving range bays, 3 putting
greens, short game area and practice bunker. The La Manga Club Golf Academy
organises comprehensive training courses for all levels of players, and private
tuition.
There is also a luxury spa and gym available for those less inclined to golfing!
History
La Unión, City of Minerals
- http://www.discoveringcartagena.com/disclaunion.htm
The history of La
Unión is interwoven with the varying fortunes of its lead, silver, zinc and iron
mines, which have shaped the history of the town. Until the early years of the
1990s, the varying fortunes of the mines dictated the economic growth and the
social and cultural life of the area. The exploitation of the mineral
resources of the hills around the town, known as the Sierra Minera, dates back
to prehistoric times. The Mina Balsa, Atalaya and the Iberian-Roman village of
Cabezo Agudo are some of the earliest settlements.
In the Roman
period, hundreds of slaves worked in the rich metal industry of the hills. The
archaeological remains of the Roman villa at Portmán (then named Portus
Magnus), are a memory of the peak of Roman activity. Over the centuries
that followed the end of Roman rule, mining and processing decreased and almost
disappeared. At the start of the 19th century, the villages that
were later to combine to form La Unión, Portman, El Garbanzal and Los Roches,
had to rely on the poor resources of the surrounding countryside and hills and
on animal herding.
Mineral fever took
off in 1840. The mineral wealth beneath the earth gave rise to the
metallurgical industry, particularly foundries. The population incr
eased,
above all due to the arrival of immigrants from other areas of Spain. Large
numbers of people came from Almería. At that time, the area was under the
jurisdiction of Cartagena. The increase in mineral exploitation activities and
the growth of the populations of Garbanzal, Herrerías, Portman and Roche, led to
a separation from Cartagena and the setting up of a municipality and town hall
named Villa de El Garbanzal, on January 1, 1860. Friction between the
populations of the main settlements, Garbanzal and Herrerias, led to a change in
the name of the new municipality, which was known as La Unión from 1868.
However, the
mineral economy was fragile and under capitalized. It depended on the movement
of prices on the London metal commodities markets, and there were repeated
crises that kept the population in a constant state of anxiety.
The “golden age”
for La Unión came at the end of the 19th century and in the first
years of the 20th century. In 1908 the population reached 38,000
people, making it the fourth biggest centre in the region of Murcia. During this
time there were important urban developments and many significant buildings were
built. These included, the Public Market, the Piñon House and the Rosario
House. However, there were outbreaks of violence in the period from 1898 to 1916
as a result of the social tensions caused by the poor working conditions.
A crisis in the
minerals sector was made much worse by the First World War and the problems
continued into the period of the Spanish Civil War. By 1950, the population had
been reduced, largely by migration, to only 10,000 inhabitants. From then on,
however, there was a modernisation of the methods of extraction, with the
introduction of open-cast quarries and differential flotation washing.
However, in 1991 all mining ceased and two millenniums of activity came to an
end.
Sports
Picturesque walks from the apartment
Diving at Cabo:
Planeta Azul is
very modern, open year-round, and can supply nitrox and trimix. Club Islas
Hormigas is more traditional and supplies only air. Both offer two morning dives
and one in late afternoon. Diving the Sirio needs advance notice and a medical
certificate.
Checkout:
Planeta Azul
Club de Buceo Islas Hormigas
The centre at San
Pedro del Pinatar is the
Turkana for
diving and other watersports.
Cycling - bikes can be hired from La Manga golf course.
Resorts
Beaches - local beach 5 min drive or 10/15 mins to bigger beaches;
Cartagena - click on the link to access the Caragena web site:
Discovering Caragena
Murcia - click on the link to access the Murcia web site:
Murcia
Cabo de Palos - click on the link to access the Cabo de Palos web site:
Cabo de Palos
Restaurants
In the village:
Santana café and bar (English spoken)
Casa Cegarra, specialising in traditional paella and local cuisine
A little further
a field:
La Cala, La Manga beach restaurant (through the golf course and down to secluded
beach, with great restaurant overlooking beach for lunch)
Los Bollones; Indian/Spanish etc.
Several good Spanish restaurants on the main road into Portman
NB it is traditional to eat at lunch time, given the hot summer climate
Why not visit Portman's Local Information Website , click
on the link here è Bahia
De Portmán
