Hotels in San Pedro del Pinatar

San Pedro del Pinatar sits at the northern tip of the Mar Menor, Europe's largest saltwater lagoon, in the Murcia region. It is a working town of holiday apartments and Spanish family summers rather than a polished resort. Its standout asset is the Salinas y Arenales regional park, where active salt pans attract flamingos and sand dunes back onto the open Mediterranean beaches of La Torre Derribada.

Lo Pagán, the seafront district, is known for its therapeutic mud baths, where bathers coat themselves in black lagoon mud and rinse off in the shallow, warm water. Be honest: the Mar Menor has suffered serious pollution and algae problems in recent years, the lagoon beaches are flat and muddy rather than golden, and the place empties out noticeably outside summer. The landscape is flat and largely residential, so don't expect old-town charm. Stay in Lo Pagán to be within walking distance of the promenade, the mud baths and the edge of the salt-flat park.