Located on the Costa Calida, La Manga is nestled between the Mediterranean and the Murcian hills. This upmarket resort boasts three world-class golf courses, Europe's biggest salt-water lagoon, an abundance of water sports, a glitzy casino, fine restaurants, luxury hillside villas and beautifully manicured gardens. Holidays in La Manga have an air of exclusivity, and as a result are not suited to those on a very tight budget - you should expect to pay more than in Benidorm and Torremolinos.

La Manga del Mar Menor means 'the sleeve of the minor sea' and it is the strip of land separating the Mediterranean from the Mar Menor, (minor sea). The Mar Menor is Europe's biggest salt-water lagoon and boasts a 45-mile coastline, which is sprinkled with traditional Spanish villages. Water sports enthusiasts flock to Mar Menor's shores every year, as do thousands of migrating birds, including flamingos.

Holidays in La Manga offer popular excursions. Visitors can drive 43 miles northwest of La Manga to the historic city of Murcia, which is bursting with museums, monuments and beautiful 19th-century architecture. Alternatively, the ancient port of Cartegena features archaeological museums and the ruins of a Roman theatre. Holidays in La Manga are popular with golf enthusiasts. The resort boasts three championship golf courses, including Roda Golf Course, Club de Golf Torre Pacheco and La Manga Club Golf, which are strewn with palm trees, lakes and pine-clad hills.