Bolnuevo is, above all, a seaside holiday resort for the Spanish (particularly from Madrid) with all that implies for Things To Do. So for a start you have swimming and sunbathing, not only on the beach and nearby coves, but also right outside your front door around the private gardens and pool of Marina de Bolnuevo. In addition on the beaches and particularly from the many small coves you have of course snorkelling and spearfishing.
All the main beaches in the area, including the beach at Bolnuevo, have lifeguards.
If you are a keen fisherman, make sure you brings some rods as this is a superb area for beach fishing; so good in fact that National and International fishing competitions are held here.
And if you like rock fishing, then the many headlands around the coves are ideal. One very popular spot is the remains of the Roman Quay in Playa de la Grua.
Boat fishing is to be had from the Port in Puerto de Mazarrón.
But if you like to see you fish closer to, then Diving trips with SCUBA equipment hire also run from there. For the beginner, several dive schools offer instruction and PADI qualification.
A number of beaches in this area have facilities designed for specific purposes. Bolnuevo beach has been designated as the 'Sports Beach' so has arenas on the sands for beach football, volleyball, basketball etc. complete with spectator seats.
Other things to do in Bolnuevo include walking and cycling along the promenade and the road to the coves, and also (for the energetic) walking up the mountain behind the village. To the top takes about an hour and the views are superb. There are several other walking routes for which itineraries are available.
For relaxation in Bolnuevo there is an ice cream parlour and numerous bars, cafés and restaurants. Among the attractions in these are live music, dancing, pool table or internet terminals and several are favourite meeting places for the younger generations.
Just across the bridge over the rambla to the east of Bolnuevo (and hence close to Marina de Bolnuevo) is Playa Grande. The beach here has been designated as the 'Children's Beach'. Along the front at is a new Paseo (promenade) with seats, fountain, children's playground with rubber flooring, and vending stalls for ice cream etc., For the funseekers there are pedalos with water slides on them. A little further back from the front there is a group of clubs and bars etc. and also a sports club with tennis, squash, badminton etc.
A little further along in Puerto de Mazarrón there is an open air cinema and many more clubs and bars, while for the serious party go-er there are all-night discos half way between Mazarrón and Puerto de Mazarrón. There are also two marinas for sailing, the newest (complete with boutique-style shops) being by the fishing a harbour from where, as already mentioned, boats can be hired for deep sea fishing and diving, or even just to see the bay.
Also in and around Puerto you can find fitness clubs, ten pin bowling, Go Karting, and bikes for hire; while if you are looking for more relaxing activities there is a beautiful Paseo. This has numerous bars, cafés and ice cream parlours for anything from a peaceful coffee or beer in the sun, to a late night meal (Spanish families come with small children and sit down to eat as late as midnight!)
A part of the main beach in Puerto has been designated for the older bather. A rather unusual feature here is a large sunshade with seats underneath - all in the sea!
Puerto also has a very large selection of shops to suite all tastes, a covered market and a huge open air market every Sunday morning.
For those who want to go exploring, on a high headland just to the east there are 'The Guns'. These were for the defence of the naval Base in Cartagena but have now simply been abandoned. The biggest guns are huge, with a bore of 381 mm (15"), just like those that were fitted on battleships. They fired a shell weighing nearly a ton to a range of well over 30 kilometres (20 miles). The guns were built by Vickers of Barrow in Furness and installed in the 1930's. It is possible to go underground into the maze of tunnels and magazines where much of the machinery for moving the huge shells is still in place. You can even climb up ladders into the gun turrets and see the loading and breech mechanisms of the guns. Everything was hydraulically powered and the remains of the huge hydraulic pumps and accumulators still exist in big underground chambers. But as with everything in Spain (where a 'compensation culture just does not exist) you need to take extreme care. Everyone who goes underground must have their own torch and examine the way at every step if they are to avoid breaking a leg in the various holes and channels in the floors.
Similarly you can explore the old mine workings on the volcano just behind Mazarrón - though again extreme care is needed to avoid falling down an open shaft! (There are over 300 shafts, and tunnels dating from Roman times have been uncovered by recent open-cast workings.)
In the summer months the Tourist Office runs guided walks every evening. These take in such things as the Mazarrón mines, Roman remains in Puerto (including the fish-salting works in the Museum), the neolithic village above Bolnuevo, and walks along the coves to the west of Bolnuevo and over the mountains behind. (For some of these, such as the evening walk along the coves from Percheles, a free bus is provided so you can then walk back along the coast with a guide to point out the features.)
If you like walking or mountain biking in somewhere a little cooler (especially in summer) there are many kilometres of forest roads amongst the pine trees of the Sierra Espuña Natural Park. On the northern slopes of the park you can even find Ice Houses where ice was keep all year! But the highest parts of the Natural Park are above the tree line so are great for climbing and mountain walks. A radar station sits on the highest peak (higher than Ben Nevis!). Despite this the Park is less than an hour from Bolnuevo.
In the Park there are Arruís that were introduced from the Atlas Mountains of Morocco (where they are known as Mouflon). They are like very big dun-coloured sheep with short tails and huge curled horns. Mature males like this one have big shaggy beards. As numbers increase they are becoming less difficult to see.
There are many species of birds including Golden and Booted Eagles and occasionally even the rare Bonelli's Eagle. You can also see the rather unusual Crossbills that can only live on pine nuts (their bill being specially adapted for prising open the cones), red-billed Chough and other small wildlife such as a particular sub-species of red squirrel that is unique to Espuña.
You can be virtually guaranteed a sighting of Wild Boar if you eat at the restaurant in the middle of the forest where the food scraps are put out every afternoon so the boar come down for a feast. It is unusual to see wild boar so close but in Espuña, despite being completely wild, they have little fear of humans because hunting is completely banned.
The Park has many places where BBQs are already set up so at the times of year when BBQ's are permitted, all you need to take is some fuel, food and of course plenty of Sangria!
On the way up to the western end of Espuña you pass La Santa (with a wonderfully decorated old chapel and 'Way of the Cross' up to the 'Christo'), and can explore the Medieval Village of Aledo. Aledo sits spectacularly on a rocky promontory and has a fortified Tower built by the Moors.
Lorca too has a very large castle high above it but you don't have to walk up. There is a Tourist Train that takes you on a guided tour of the town and its Roman remains, and then climbs all the way up to the Castle. Here multi-language audio guides enable you to take a self-guided tour and learn all about the Moors versus Christians conflicts in which the occupants of this castle played a vital part. There are reproduction war machines and opportunities for youngsters to take part in mock duels etc.
On Good Friday Lorca has s spectaccular Easter Parade with the most wonderful embroidered costumes. Lorca silk embroidery is world famous and can be seen all year in the Embroidery Museums. If you go to the "Paso Azul" Museum, after a guided tour you can visit the workshop where a number of ladies are permanently empñoyed to repair old costumes (some are several hundred years old) and to make new ones. A moderated-sized new costume can take two ladies a year to make; while the biggest, such as the 4 metre long train pictured here, take a lot longer!
If you go on a Thursday, you can combine a museum or castle visit with one of the biggest markets in the area.
Cartagena is only 45 minutes away and has a large natural harbour. This was recognised first by the Carthaginians who founded the city of Quart Hadast. It was from here that Hannibal set out with his elephants to try to conquer Rome. He failed but that resulted in a Roman force coming by ship a few years later to take the city.
The 'Carthaginean vs. Romans' Festival each year in early Septemebr re-enacts this ancient history. This 10 day spectacular has thousands of local people in wonderful costumes that they make themselves (even small children are dressed up). They all belong to one of the many Carthaginean or Roman Regiments, each of which has its own pavilion in the huge encampment near to the Stadium (in which they have Roman Games - though not quite as bloodthirsty as the Coliseum!). There is a big parade almost every night and near the end of the festival there is a big battle with arrows flying everywhere - even into the spectators. Finally, this being Spain, there is of course a huge firework display.
Easter is of course another huge festival, with massive floats being carried by over 100 men - even up to 144 for the very biggest in Lorca!. There are parades everywhere including Puerto, Mazarron, Lorca, Murcia and Cartagena.
But at any time of the year there is lots to do and see in Cartagena with several museums showing Carthaginian and Roman things ranging from tiny but beautiful jewellery to a full size ship that was recovered from the harbour, and even a big section of the Punic (i.e. pre.Roman) Walls. Almost everywhere in Cartagena when foundations are dug for a new building roman remains are discovered and many are on display - for instance the Casa Fortuna and Roman street in the basement of a Bank!
But there are also more modern museums such as the Naval Museum, the Artillery Museum and the Civil War Bunkers where the population of Cartagena sheltered from the bombs of the Condor Legion. You ascend to these shelters and to the gardens above in a Panoramic Lift that affords views over the city.
For many years Cartagena was starved of funding as reprisal by Franco for being one of the last bastions of the Republicans, but now huge amounts are being spent to make the city into a major tourist attraction and big cruise liners are calling there. But you don't have to wait for a liner to get out into the bay. A Tourist Catamaran takes you around the harbour and the bay, with commentaries in Spanish and English on what you can see.
As you would expect with a modern city, Cartagena has a huge variety of shops including the El Corte Inglés department store and big supermarkets such as Carrefour and Eroski. And there is of course a big out-of-town Shopping Mall (Meditrrania - on the north side of the city by the A-30 motorway to Murcia and San Javier).
On the way to Cartagena via Isla Plana there is a restored 'Don Quixote' style windmill that, on open days, can be seen working.
Murcia , the capital city of the Region, is also well worth a visit. While perhaps not quite as attractive to the tourist as Cartagena, it has some beautiful artefacts including the Cathedral, fabulous Moorish decorations in the Casino (in the past a Gentlemens' Club, not a gambling haunt!) and the Hydraulics Museum.
Murcia too has a lot of shops and several huge out-of-town shopping malls (Nueva Condomina, Thader and Ikea) on the north western side right by the A-7 motorway.
And just in case you have not had enough over Easter week, Murcia has a huge "Festival of the Sardine" in the week *after* Easter!
Murcia now has a new Animal Park and Water Park to rival Terra Mitica at Benidorm, but much closer.
All this is a mecca for painters and many people come to paint the local scenes and scenery. At one of the many local Fiestas, this one in Mazarrón, there is a Painting Competition where artists have just the one day to produce a picture of some local scene. Artists travel from all over Spain for this, attracted by top prizes of thousands of Euros each.
This being the hottest, driest corner of Spain, Europe's only sand desert is nearby. Only just over an hour away is the Mini-Hollywood Wild West Theme Park where many Spaghetti Westerns were made by stars such as Clint Eastwood.
If you are prepared to drive a little further, then day trips are possible to the Terra Mitica and Mundo Mar (Sea World) Theme Parks near Benidorm, both of which are under two hours away.
But if it is Water Parks you prefer, then there is Aqulandia also at Benidorm, or somewhat nearer, there is the Aquapark at Vera.
There is so little traffic on Spain's motorway system and it is so good that even the Alhambra in Granada can be reached in about two and half hours. Near Granada you can also go skiing in the Sierra Nevada.
For Golfers there are so many courses within an easy drive from Bolnuevo that we have a separate section for that activity.