San Pedro del Pinatar

WHY - Good beaches and the famous mud baths

HOW TO GET THERE -

•  Leave Roda and turn left, at the roundabout take the 3rd exit, continue to the next roundabout and take the AP 7 to Alicante / Murcia
• Continue on the AP 7, exit at junction 774 , follow signs for Las Salinas. This will take you to Av del Puerto. Continue down to the mud baths and beaches

WHAT TO SEE - Harbour, beaches, mud baths

San Pedro del Pinatar, located in the northern part of the Mar Menor, is 22 km2 in size. It is one of the most appreciated tourist places of the Mediterranean with 3.000 hours of sunshine a year and has an average temperature of 17C, It is only 46 km far from Murcia, on the border of Alicante Province.

The Regional Park of Las Salinas covers a third part of the Municipality, the most important wet area in the Murcia region and has been exploited from Roman times to nowadays, There are many ponds, hills, dunes and pine trees and we can observe pink flamingos, colimbos, gallinetas, sea gulls, herons, owls and the small "fartet", original to this part of the coast.

Inside the Regional Park, we can enjoy the famous mud baths, in one of the Salinas' ponds. Thousands of people have been using the mud made of clay in order to alleviate rheumatism illnesses, arthritis, skin pathologies, therapeutic rehabilitation etc.., This mud has a very high therapeutic value which is the result of action of sun on highly salted water with the clay deposited at the bottom of the pond.

An ideal complement is a bath in the mineral waters of the Mar Menor

There are hotels which offer specialized treatments

Two Public Holidays of Regional Tourist Interest: Holy week and The Virgen del Carmen festivity (July 16) complete the festivities in connection with the Saint Patron of the town, San Pedro del Pinatar (June 29)

Cuisine is varied and tasty. The most famous dish being "Caldero", which consists of rice cooked in an iron pot, according to sailor's tradition.

Fish is excellent, the most famous being the dorade and mullet as well as fried fish and other varieties of "pardetes" and "galupes". Mar Menor prawns are also very appreciated.

And for a dessert: a portion of "Tocino de Cielo" (egg and sugar cake) and "cordiales" (almond cakes).

MUD BATHS

 

Windmill at the start of the Mud Baths

 

Bather waiting for the mud to dry

 

You can combine shopping with your mud bath

 

The wooden jettys make it easy to get to the mud

 

 

The therapeutic properties of mud and clay have been known since antiquity. For centuries the Chinese used them in poultices to cure inflammation, Hippocrates        ( 460-337 BC), one of the fathers of western medicine, recommended this treatment, as did many other doctors of old, such as Empedocles (490-430 BC), Galen, in the 2nd Century AD and Paracelsus, in the 16th Century, who all mentioned various popular remedies based on the use of clay and mud in their natural medicine treatises.

These remedies provided the body with basic ions for its health, such as calcium, magnesium, silicon, iron or potassium.

The special climatic conditions of the Mar Menor, with a high percentage of sunshine hours per year and high salinity, have brought about the deposit of clay over the centuries, which is highly indicated for therapeutic treatment in various areas of the Mar Menor, The most recent analyses conducted by the University of Murcia (1995 study), show that these sediments contain a high percentage of positive ions: calcium, magnesium, potassium and fluoride, in addition to negative ions: chlorine and sulphate, and are found in much higher levels than are even expected in water with this degree of salinity. Furthermore, the measurement of the grains of sand in the area reveals high percentages of fine and very fine sands (mud and clay), that are the true artifices of the healing properties attributed to the mud. The pH is basic and ranges between 7,12 and 8,45.

The foundation of mud's therapeutic action is its great power of absorption, its mineralising action, its capacity to neutralise acidity and its stimulating wound-healing effect, For this reason it is recommended for many types of skin pathologies. One layer of clay applied to the skin absorbs all the toxins of the peripheral connective tissue system and eliminates lymphatic toxins from the dermis,

 

 

It acts as a kind of blotting paper for the skin. Its high calorie conductivity also makes it appropriate as an anti-inflammatory element in cases of rheumatism, arthritis, gout and for rehabilitation following a broken bone, it is also recommended for throat infections,

It is recommended to start the application of mud baths on a few small areas, leaving it on for about an hour at first. If there are no side effects, the time can be gradually extended and thicker layer applied. It is best to apply the mud in the sun and when it is hot, so that the layer of clay will dry quickly and thoroughly. Between one application and the next, the affected limb should be washed with salt water.

The Mar Menor is a very salty lagoon in all its areas. The characteristics of its water are determined by its exposure to the sun, wind, and above all, its communication with the Mediterranean through its channels. The recordings of ion concentrations of certain elements present, such as magnesium, calcium, sodium, bromine, iodine and fluoride, are much higher than in the Mediterranean.

It has been demonstrated that thermal treatments using this type of salty water produce an osmotic effect on the body's interstitial tissues, thus stimulating overall blood circulation. As a result, toxic particles are eliminated and the muscles relax, which is good for arthritis, rheumatism, tendonitis, nervous disorders and all types of joint pathologies,

For mud baths treatments, the traditional and best-known zone is Las Charcas de Lo Pagan, in the north of the lagoon, where the seabed houses a great treasure of medicinal sediments. Saltwater baths can be taken anywhere in the Mar Menor.

 

If the weather is poor but you still want some Spa treatments

then go to the THALASIA Hotel & Spa