Another fantastic holiday in La Manga, staying in Janet’s MonteBlanco apartment for the second year in a row (something we’ve never done before). We very quickly got into a relaxing holiday routine because of the familiarity. The apartment is spotlessly clean and very well appointed (books, games, sunbeds, inflatables, sun brolly, DVDs, a stack of sunhats, everything you could ever need in a kitchen and wonderful, WONDERFUL air con in both of the bedrooms and the living room).
The area seems to be a holiday destination for Spanish families, so you’ll hear very little English being spoken around the pool or in local nightspots, but shops and restaurants have English language menus tucked away if you need them. The area feels very safe.
The pools and gardens are very well maintained and the pools are never packed, so there’s pretty much always a sunbed available (pick a sprig of rosemary from the poolside shrubs for your cooking!). Both pools are equally good – only one has a baby pool – and they are open 10am – 11pm. Parking is underground and the spaces are tight, so don’t rent a big 4x4.
Location-wise, you’re on top of a hill, but this means that you are away from any noise and the views are pretty good too (investigate this yourself via Google Earth if you think that hills might be a problem). It does mean that you have the uphill walk to get back home after an evening at the very nice Plaza Bohemia, but if you take the sea view path, you get the breeze and the views to keep you going. Peke Park fairground at the foot of the hill was a lot of fun yet again, especially the go-karts, trampolines and air-hockey.
Janet and the local agent are very friendly and responsive (we managed to lock ourselves out of the apartment one Friday evening, but it was all resolved within half an hour and the Murcia Villas office is only 20mins away in Los Belones).
We wouldn’t hesitate to come back again and I am happy to recommend the apartment and the MonteBlanco complex to others – not just families, but solo travellers and couples.