History

Further south and in the centre of the large curve formed by the Mar Menor is the town of Los Alcázares, a former fishermen’s village which is spread around 20.3 Km² and has 15.500 inhabitants who are mostly dedicated to services and tourist promotion. During the summer season there are up to 150,000 people in this town. .

The Arabs chose this city for their holidays and named it after the Arabic word Al Kazar, which means “palace or aristocratic house”, as the Arabs reused the old Roman baths in the city and were blessed with the wonderful therapeutic properties of their waters.

Thanks to the Christian repopulation, Los Alcázares gained importance as a fishing and merchandise port, provided its excellent strategic position. However, at the beginning of the century the inhabitants of the Huerta Murciana, the Murcia market garden, started to go to Los Alcázares for the famous “novenarios” (taking at least nine baths), during the month of August.

We can also find a witness of the boom of this town, the La Encarnación Hotel and Spa, which was built in 1904 and has preserved the typical style of the beginning of the century. The hotel houses the famous thermal baths whose wonderful therapeutic properties were so popular in former times..

Find out more information in: http://www.ayto-losalcazares.es