Hi Mark ... Mar Menor comes under Costa Calida rather than Costa Blanca, and so I have transferred your enquiry here to our 'Spain - All Other Costas, Inland Areas Discussion Forum'. While you wait for some feedback, you should be able to find some previous topics about Mar Menor already here in this forum.

David

You are talking about quite a large area, so I can only generalize.

Although there may be some reasonably priced places to eat and drink, I would say that overall the area is more expensive than adjoining places.

Also, you will not find nearly so many places offering very cheap priced ‘menus de los dias' as you would further north.

I'm not sure i agree although I suppose it depends on where on the mar menor you are staying. I have always found is relatively cheap (1 go at least 3 times a year as my Mum lives there). Pints of beer around 2.50 euros and meals around 7-10 euros. I have found menu del dia in lots of locations for 7-10 euros including wine or beer (only available usually at lunchtime).

I suppose it all depends on the location of the bar, (as I said, Mar Menor covers a large area),but as there are many places farther north on the Costa Blanca that offer a large beer for a minimum of one Euro then €2,50 cannot be considered particularly cheap.

Perhaps 2 years ago it would be normal to expect to pay 7 to 10 Euro for a menu del dia, but competition in the present economic climate has seen the majority of bars on the Costa Blanca drop their prices. I suppose the average would be about 5 Euro nowadays, (at one time you could only get such a cheap meal in a Chinese restaurant) but the bars and restaurants on the Mar Menor, in general, have not entered into this price war.

Times have changed. In most places other than the Mar Menor, so it would seem.
Next time you visit, take a trip up to the southern Costa Blanca and you will soon see the difference.

Thanks for the replies, we are not sure where we are staying yet just looking at options. We are considering either Los Alcozares or La Manga del Mar Menor area how do the prices compare between the 2 areas.

Mark

Generally (again), I would say that Los Alcázares has the edge over La Manga del Mar Menor in regards to overall prices.

But, as has already been implied, there are a selection of places to fit all price brackets in both areas.

Ended up driving on to the spit part of the mar menor last week by mistake was actually trying to get to Cabo de Palos for a meal by the water !

Just wanted to say don't know if the recession is biting over there, but we had 'mixed plate' meals for 6/7 Euros in a restaurant full of Spanish families, they were all still coming into the sqaure where we were to eat at 10.30pm with kids etc, great atmosphere.

Not very exciting or gourmet food, for example I had spanish omlette, calamares, salad & chips, but a bargain none the less. When you start to eat steaks or lamb it is the same price as UK as you would expect, but the portions can be larger. Omlette filled with various choices & chips were 3.5 Euros. Most of the shops were still open at gone 11pm. So it was lively and vibrant, I guess all the Spanish being on their holidays made it so.

There is certainly a traffic problem on the spit though, I guess it's down to road design and the geography of the land.