Food and Eating Out

Montana Vista is fully equipped for self-catering and everything you use at home you should find here, if you wish to use it. However if you wish to leave all that behind you then you will find an ever growing number of restaurants close by to suit your tastes. We will provide you with a list of recommended places to eat from traditional Spanish to Oriental cuisine. Locally produced fresh food, fish, and meat can be found in all supermarkets/ markets and is very reasonably priced and great for barbecuing.

Shopping

Shopping can be an enjoyable experience in the Costa Calida region although possibly a little daunting because tourism is still in its infancy here compared to areas such as Alicante. Most of the staff in shops and restaurants in Mazarron town and the Port, speak a little English and combined with some sign language, communication is usually not a problem. Try to be adventurous and bring a Spanish phrase book and have a go. You will find local people appreciate your efforts, and it can be quite fun.

It will take a while to get used to Spanish shop opening hours. They have always been designed around the long siesta time, closing for several hours in the afternoon. Here in Southern Spain where it can get into the high 30's in the afternoon, no person in their right mind should think of wandering the shops at that time. A cold drink and rest is the order of the day. There are a couple of large supermarkets in Puerto Mazarron and one in Campasol (a few minutes drive) which open through the day. They usually don't open until at least 9.30, but often stay open to 9 in the evening and you will find every thing you need. As well as indoor markets in Mazarron and Puerto Mazarron there is usually a large outdoor market in a town somewhere in the local area. These are excellent for buying good fresh vegetables and practicing your Spanish. You can usually get anything from a tomato to a live chicken to a designer (well almost) handbag.

In addition there are recently built out-of-town retail developments both in Murcia and Cartagena

We will of course provide full details of shops and markets in our welcome .