Los Alcázares beaches: Playa de Las Palmeras

The Las Palmeras beach in Los Alcázares is wide and sandy with good facilities

This urban sandy beach is a kilometre long and is located to the north of the town centre of Los Alcázares, moving towards the area of Los Narejos. At 30 metres it is the widest on the Mar Menor shoreline of Los Alcázares.

It is backed by a residential area and there are small public gardens offering ample shade and seating areas along this stretch of the 7-kilometre promenade, as well as parking for bicycles and a children's play area.

There are also several bars and restaurants, although these are closer to the urban centre and thin out as the beach stretches towards Los Narejos. The beach has shower facilities, toilets, adapted toilets for disabled bathers, recycling collection points and wooden walkways onto the sand, and it is possible to hire sunbeds and umbrellas. There are also amphibious bathing seats for disabled users, lifeguards, auxiliary medical care and Protección Civil during the summer months.

Logically, during the summer it can be difficult to park close by, so walking to the beach is recommended where possible. However it is often possible to park in the streets behind the beach and there are several disabled parking bays nearby. From there, access is flat and easy, and there are wooden walkways to facilitate mobility.

This stretch of beach lies between Avenida Carril de las Palmeras and Avenida Mariano Ballester, with the Paseo lo Sola behind it. The promenade stretches all the way along the coast of Los Alcazares, a distance of 7km, and is very popular with walkers, joggers and cyclists throughout the year.

Safety precautions for Mar Menor beaches

Most of the Mar Menor beaches have very gently sloping shelves, meaning that bathers can walk a considerable distance from the shore and still only be waist high in the water. These shore fringes are also very warm, heating up more than the deeper water and the Mediterranean, particularly during the hot summer months.

Many beaches are also protected by netting to exclude jellyfish. This creates safe bathing areas for families but there is also a danger as the calm water means that many elderly bathers bathe alone. This in itself is not dangerous, but every year there are unnecessary fatalities when bathers suffer heart attacks, strokes, faints or dizzy spells, slipping into the water without anyone else being aware.

The transition from hot beach to cold water can shock the body, causing dizziness or fainting, so it is advisable to splash the body with water to cool down before wading out!