Mazarrón beaches: Playa Negra

A semi-urban beach close to the Puerto de Mazarrón

A hidden 160 metre long cove close to the Puerto de Mazarrón

Playa Negra is the third beach encountered when entering the Mazarrón municipality from its neighbour Cartagena, is closer to Puerto de Mazarrón than Isla Plana and is considered to be the first of the semi-urban beaches running into the port of Mazarrón.

It’s very much an “invisible beach” as it is completely hidden from the gaze of passers-by in spite of the fact that it lies just metres from the much transited E-22, which links the Puerto de Mazarrón to Cartagena via the coast, and the N-332, which also leads to Cartagena via an inland route, as it is completely hidden behind a small headland.

Roman remains have been found on this outcrop and on the shoreline, dating from the period when the port of Mazarrón was a production centre for the "garum" fish sauces which were widely produced along the Murcia coastline for export to Roman settlements and Rome itself, and it is only logical to imagine this small and attractive cove being transited by Roman settlers, garum manufacturers and fishermen.

Playa Negra is 160 metres long and averages only 10 metres wide, with relatively coarse natural sand and shingle shoreline.

It also accumulates posidonia seaweed deposits during the winter months, as substantial meadows of this valuable and important ocean grass are to be found just offshore, but the beach is cleaned during the summer so these are not noticeable during the busy summer season.

It enjoys relatively low occupancy as the municipality has such an extensive offering of fine sandy beaches that occupants of the many tourist apartments in the port itself tend to gather on the vast beaches closer in to the port and alongside the paseo and restaurants.

This beach joins with that of El Alamillo, which is opposite a large area of residential and holiday accommodation and tends to absorb most of the bathers walking down from the urbanisation and onto the beach and which also offers services and a beach bar for refreshments. There is a restaurant less than 100 metres from this beach and at the end of El Alamillo beach a larger selection of restaurants and pharmacy are available (500 metres).

Parking is another consideration, as although there is some room on the unmade parking area above the beach, the walk down to the beach is over rougher surfaces, which makes the carrying of chairs and picnics harder work. In the summer of 2019 plans have been announced to replace the old concrete steps with a wooden structure, but even so many will continue to park alongside the Alamillo beach instead and walk around the headland. It is possible for those with limited mobility to access this beach via this path.

There are basic services during the summer with bins, footwashes, toilets and a snack bar during peak weeks, and sun loungers are usually available for hire at the "chiringuito" bar which is set up every year.

Bathing advice:

The neighbouring Playa Alamillo is popular with windsurfers and during the summer a jet-ski hire service is in operation there. For this reason care should be exercised when swimming offshore on windy days; inexperienced sailors can be dangerous as it is extremely difficult for a sailor on a windsurfing board to spot a swimmer snorkelling just below the surface in choppy water. There have been instances of swimmers being very seriously injured or even killed by windsurfing boards, which have a long, sharp-edged skeg beneath designed to slice through the water and if a board runs over a swimmer, can easily slice into a bather as well, particularly if travelling at speed.

Connections

There is a bus-stop nearby is on the urban Mazarrón-Murcia route. For the latest timetable and further information about the Mazarrón municipality go to the Mazarrón municipality section of Murcia Today (see Tourist info for bus timetables).

Click for an overview of all 33 beaches in the municipality of Mazarrón, or for more information relating to Mazarrón.