Getting to Novo Carthago Golf Resort

Novo Carthago golf and beach resort is in the Mar Menor area within the Murcia region of Spain. Just along the Costa Calida, the resort can be found to the left of the La Manga strip, and a short 800m walk from the crystal clear waters of the Mar Menor sea (which is actually a lagoon – ‘Mar Menor means ‘little sea’). If you’re flying in from the UK, there are plenty of flights into San Javier airport (also known as Murcia Airport) with a flight time of about 2 hours. From the airport, Novo Carthago is just 20km away and by car will take you a 15-20 minute drive along the N332 coastal road and the AP-7 (Cartagena‚ Alicante) motorway.

The Location

The area in which Novo Carthago golf resort is situated has a protected landscape with mountains to the rear and views across the calm seas of Mar Menor to the front. Five minutes from the resort is the city of Cartagena with its international marina. A few kilometres along the coast you’ll find the old fishing town and resort of Los Alcazares with its first-class seafood restaurants and open air markets. The capital city of Murcia is just 45km away and is where you’ll find Spain’s biggest department stores.

With a rich history, impressive Spanish architecture, festivals, amenities, stunning scenery and the beautiful beaches and seas, Novo Carthago sits within one of Spain’s great regions making it the perfect resort for tourists, residents and golfers.

Novo Carthago Resort Facilities

Once complete, the resort will include some of the finest facilities in Murcia. The 5-star 400 room intercontinental hotel will include a spa plus conference facilities. Over 40% of the resort is given over to sports with numerous tennis courts, swimming pools, football pitches and track and field areas planned. They’ll also be two town centres with bars, restaurants and supermarkets.

Throughout Novo Carthago you’ll find walking and cycle paths offering some of the best scenery of Mar Menor as you weave your way around the resort. You’ll be able to go on a leisurely stroll or ride and take in the views of the sea, the 15^th century San Gines de la Jara monastery and the beautiful windmills dotted throughout the area.

Due to the resort’s unique position next to the coast, and Europe’s largest salt water lagoon of Mar Menor, water sports are a big part of the facilities on offer. Novo Carthago will have its own nautical sports centre offering a great range of water sports including windsurfing.

Novo Carthago Golf

If you’re buying a property at Novo Carthago then the quality of the golf will be high on your agenda. You needn’t worry as you’ll be a resident (or holiday home owner) right next to two of the longest and best courses in Murcia.

Designed and built over 800,000 square metres of land, the philosophy is to create two 18-hole par 72 golf courses that integrate with the characteristics of the resort’s coastal location. For this challenge, the developer has employed one of the world’s top golf course designers Robert Trent Jones Jnr. to create a Championship course and a Resident course both 6,845m in length.

The Championship course at nearly 7km long will include sand and water hazards with spectacular views over the resort’s properties and Mar Menor. The plan is for the course to host PGA competitions and will be a demanding test for the serious golfer.

The Resident course will weave around the resort across the natural topography giving average players a good round of golf while presenting more experienced golfers with a real challenge. This will be achieved with multiple tees for each hole placed at strategic positions helping to create varied playing lines. A round will culminate at the coastal end of the resort in front of the hotel and clubhouse.

If you want to journey off the resort for your golf, the famous La Manga club with its three world-class courses is just 5 minutes away.

Property at Novo Carthago Golf & Beach Resort

The first phase of properties at Novo Carthago have been released so early investors should take advantage of the favourable terms on offer. Properties are situated within an island area of the resort and include apartments, townhouses and villas. Here are some of the highly recommended properties currently available.

	These one-bedroom apartments located on La Isla (the island) are at the centre of the resort and surrounded by water on three sides. The apartments have secure entry, communal swimming pools and underground parking.
	These two-storey, two-bedroom townhouses on La Isla have great terraces, stunning views and are finished to a high standard. Communal swimming pools and variable sized gardens make these Novo Carthago properties highly desirable.
	Three-bedroom villas on La Isla of Novo Carthago offer large private gardens, pools, terraces and a central location so you can access all the resort’s facilities.

Condado de Alhama Golf Resort

The Polaris World Condado de Alhama golf resort is in the Valle del Guadalentín area of Murcia, Spain. Situated in the foothills of Sierra Espuna and Carrascoy-El Valle (two regional nature reserves) the resort is divided into three areas: Los Jardines de Alhama, Los Naranjos de Alhama and La Isla del Condado.

Los Jardines de Alhama

Translated this means ‘The Gardens of Alhama’ and the area, as you’d expect, is spacious and green with properties built around landscaped gardens and swimming pools. The Los Jardines complex is pedestrianised with dedicated cycle lanes enabling residents to stroll or cycle around the parks and enjoy the vast variety of plant life. Los Jardines de Alhama is extremely family friendly with its separate play areas for children and it also has excellent sports facilities including tennis courts, football pitches and basketball courts. The properties are built in a traditional Mediterranean style with architecture that blends in perfectly with the manicured surroundings.

Recommended properties:

	Ground floor apartment situated on Los Jardines de Alhama  within the resort of Condado de Alhama.  Great position close to the communal pool.   It is situated within a short distance from the town centre where there will be many bars, restaurants and all the facilities expected within such a resort.
	First floor apartment situated on Los Jardines within the resort of Condado de Alhama.  Great position overlooking the communal pool with West facing orientation. Property construction is to first floor level only, and this apartment benefits from a great roof solarium.

Los Naranjos de Alhama

‘Naranjos’ is the name given to a native orange tree of the region and this area of Condado de Alhama is lined with the ornamental tree on its streets, within its gardens and around its squares. Los Naranjos is in the heart of the golf resort and once had its own town centre called El Agora. This town centre has been extended to encompass the new resort town centre called El Foro providing an even greater range of facilities just a short walk away along the leafy avenues. Properties in Los Naranjos have a stepped architectural design and the penthouses look out onto the Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course (under construction – due for completion in December 2009).

Recommended properties:

	First floor apartment situated on Los Naranjos within the resort of Condado de Alhama.  Situated close to the communal swimming pool, the property faces to the South-East, however the solarium will provide a great place to sunbathe throughout the day
	Constructed in blocks of four staggered floors in the traditional white Mediterranean architecture.  Within a short distance to the town centre where there will be many bars, restaurants and all the facilities expected within such a resort

La Isla del Condado

Condado de Alhama translated means ‘Alhama County’ which is where the resort is situated in Murcia. La Isla del Condado means ‘The Island of the County’ and this area is an apartment complex on an island on the lake in the centre of the golf resort. La Isla is a waterfront setting that stretches down to the main town centre of El Foro. Residents benefit from stunning views from their apartments across the lake as well as three infinity pools that give the impression of being part of the lake itself. La Isla has tranquil boulevards and green spaces that incorporate children’s play areas. Around the lake are several piers from which a ferry service runs to the town centre.

Recommended properties:

	First floor apartment situated on La Isla within the resort of Condado de Alhama.  Great position with lovely views over the lake facing towards the South-West with only one immediate neighbour.
	Lovely penthouse apartment situated on La Isla within the resort of Condado de Alhama.  Great position with lovely views across the lake to the South.  With accommodation of approx. 66.8m2 and terrace of 18.10m2.

El Foro & El Oasis Town Centre

The focus of activity at the Condado de Alhama golf resort is within the El Foro and El Oasis town centres. El Foro means ‘The Forum’ and this vast 12,000 square metre complex includes the relocated El Agora town centre which initially served the Los Naranjos complex. Designed in a Hispanic-Arabic style around a courtyard with a large central water feature, the El Foro town centre is due to open this month (July 2009) and along with the 60,000 square metre El Oasis town centre provides bars, restaurants, banks, stores, supermarkets, hairdressers, launderettes, pharmacies, restaurants, cinemas and healthcare services to residents.

Hacienda Riquelme Resales

The Hacienda Riquelme Polaris World golf resort is apartment only which means a low-density of buildings – indeed the first thing you’ll notice is how expansive this resort feels with its stunning gardens and apartments modelled on the existing colonial architectural style. Some of the best Hacienda Riquelme resale properties currently available are listed below:

	This beautiful 2-bedroom apartment is situated on the second-floor and served by a lift to a private underground car-park. It’s ‘L’ shaped terrace is south-east facing and overlooks the golf course, private communal swimming pool and resort lakes.
	With views across the 17th fairway of the golf course, this first floor 2-bedroom apartment is situated within landscaped gardens and offers air-conditioned living spaces with double bedrooms opening out onto a rear terrace.
	Those looking for ground floor living will find this apartment situated at the 13th hole with views across the golf course and pool. 2 bedrooms and air-conditioned living areas plus a private underground parking space make this property an attractive purchase.

Hacienda Riquelme facilities

The golf resort is benefiting from ongoing development providing residents with an ever expanding selection of new facilities. The main focus is around the restoration of the Hacienda building which will eventually be the site of a new clubhouse, shops and restaurants (the building itself will be home to two themed Italian and Mexican restaurants). Once completed the resort will have a 5 star town plaza but in the meantime residents can take advantage of the excellent facilities within the other nearby Polaris World resorts of Mar Menor, La Torre, El Valle and Las Terrazas.

The highlight of the Hacienda Riquelme development is the Jack Nicklaus designed golf course. One of the longest courses on the Nicklaus golf trail, Hacienda Riquelme is a good test for golfers with plenty of lakes and olive-tree lined fairways.

There are plenty of discounts to be found on green fees and annual memberships. A year’s annual membership to play on all of the Nicklaus Golf Trail courses (9 in total) costs around 2,500 Euros or you can get a round of golf during the spring summer months on the Hacienda Riquelme course and other Polaris World courses after 3pm (twilight) for about 30 Euros. A shuttle bus service links the Polaris World resorts should you want to leave the car behind.

Hacienda Riquelme currently has a Sports Area under construction which will contain tennis courts, paddle tennis courts and and a floodlit multi-sport area as well as a playground.

Out and about

Outside of the resort you’ll find plenty of activities and places of interest. The Murcia region has some fantastic local markets to visit in the nearby towns and villages of Sucina, Los Alcavares, San Pedro del Pinatar and Torre Pacheco. Each town hosts a market on different days of the week typically between 9:00am and 1:30pm. Sucina is the closest town but all the other locations are within a short 20-30 minute drive from the resort.

For the film-lovers among you, the shopping centre complex at Los Najeros (just north of Los Alcavares and a 25 minute drive away) has a cinema showing English-speaking films as does the cinema at Pilar de la Horadada on alternate weekends (about 30 minutes drive from the golf resort).

If you love the beach and water sports, the Mar Menor coast with its crystal clear water and pretty beaches is just a 20 minute drive away.

Getting to Murcia – Flights and Airports

Murcia is just 75km south of Alicante and both cities have their own airport from which you can travel to Mar Menor. Currently there are 10 airlines flying to both these airports which means plenty of low-cost flights. In 2010, another airport will open in Corvera just 20 minutes outside of Murcia city.

With a flight time from London to Murcia airport at just under 2 hours, and many UK regional airports also providing daily flights to the region, Mar Menor is simple to get to making it a great golf resort for long breaks or a short weekend trip.

If you’re flying into Alicante you’re just a 45 minute drive from the Polaris World Mar Menor resort via the A7, AP7 and A30 motorways. From Murcia airport, which is actually situated near the town of San Javier (45km from the city of Murcia) it’s a mere 10 minute car or taxi journey.

Getting to Mar Menor Golf Resort – Taxi or Car Hire

If your flight lands at Murcia airport then your best options for getting to the Mar Menor Golf Resort are by taxi or hiring a car – public transport does not serve the area well.

A taxi from Murcia airport will cost around €20.00 and take approximately 10 minutes. If you’re landing at Alicante, expect to pay around €70.00 for a 40 minute journey into the Mar Menor Golf Resort.

If your search for a golf property at Mar Menor is over a few days why not take advantage of hiring a car so you can get around and visit some of the fantastic attractions, mountains and beaches the region has to offer. Spanish car hire is relatively cheap and you’ll find a good choice at both Murcia and Alicante airports. Book ahead and then pick up your keys from the terminal rental office on arrival. You can get some great deals using online internet car hire brokers such as Sky Cars or Car Jet.

Once you become a Polaris World Mar Menor Golf Resort resident or owner you’ll be able to take advantage of Polaris World’s own car rental service. You’ll find the service offers some competitive rates and exclusive services such as collection from the airport and your car being delivered to your golf property. Prices for this exclusive service for a small hatchback begin at around €40-50 per day.

Staying at Mar Menor Golf Resort

Given that your golf property search is at Mar Menor it makes sense to try and stay in the heart of the golf resort to soak up the atmosphere, play a round of golf and see for yourself all that this quality resort has to offer. Mar Menor has its own 5-Star hotel with all the facilities you’d expect from a world-class hotel including a pool, gym and a number of bars and restaurants.

A short car journey west of the Mar Menor Golf Resort is the municipal of Torre Pacheco where you’ll find some quality accommodation for your stay in Murcia. A few miles East of the resort is Los Alcazares, a village on the coast of the Mar Menor sea famous for its therapeutic waters. Here you’ll find some great 4-Star hotels ideally placed for water sports and your journey to Mar Menor to check out some golfing properties.

Polaris World Mar Menor Golf Resort Properties

Once you’ve arrived safely in the sunny region of Murcia you can begin your search for the ideal golf property at Mar Menor. The resort boasts a Jack Nicholas designed golf course surrounded by lush green vegetation and palm tree lined pathways which will guide you around this magnificent resort. Created as place for complete luxury, relaxation and a healthy lifestyle for its residents, you won’t be disappointed by the unique atmosphere Mar Menor has to offer.

Here’s a selection of the great Polaris World golf properties currently available at Mar Menor.

	Mar Menor Golf Resort – 2 Bed Villa A beautifully furnished 2 bed villa with 2 bathrooms and a living/dining room area. West facing with air-conditioning, central heating, a glazed terrace area, private swimming pool and solarium.
	Mar Menor Golf Resort – 2 Bed Villa West facing semi-detached 2 bedroom villa with large rear garden that’s well-established with plants and borders. Both floors have their own terrace and the property comes complete with its own Jacuzzi.
	Mar Menor Golf Resort – First Floor Apartment Ready for late 2009, this first floor apartment boats south facing views over the golf course. 2 bedrooms and constructed over two floors this is effectively a penthouse that offers a great value way into property on the resort.
	Mar Menor Golf Resort – Ground Floor Apartment Only 9 of these large terraced apartments are being built at present and will be ready late 2009. South facing with views over the golf course, the property offers 2 bedrooms and a great internal design.

La Manga is well worth a visit, 3 excellent courses and owners accommodation arranged in the style of small villages across the estate ensure that you will never be short of choice for things to do. Add to this 28 tennis courts, 2 cricket pitches and numerous pools and you can understand why La Manga is popular with sports personalities – both Nigel Mansell & Kenny Dalgliesh own property there and the England football team often take mid season breaks to use the extensive training facilities.

However, Murcia has many more options to offer the visiting golfer whether on holiday or those looking to invest in property with golf at hand. Served by a local airport from where flights depart daily to the major cites of the UK, Murcia is easily accessible for the regular visitor and makes Mar Menor golf property highly desirable.

Moving slightly wider afield, Costa Calida property in general has enjoyed strong interest from UK owners looking for the benefits of this desirable area but perhaps wishing to live in more traditional Spanish developments. Whatever your inclination, the area has a number of specialist property agents familiar with all the options available including the extensive portfolio of Polaris World property across the region. They will have first hand knowledge of local market conditions and the key things to look for when buying or selling property in Murcia.