Our trip to Polaris World Spain - an independent review

Polaris World Spain, Murcia – Finally John Anthony from Ashford Middlesex did it, he packed his bags and went to Polaris World in Spain. After much procrastination and all the adverts on TV he thought let’s take a look for ourselves.

One night in a five star hotel and a guided tour is, on reflection, not too much of an ordeal in fact I have to say it was not really an ordeal at all but a rather a very pleasant break. It was interesting to see first hand what’s going on. It is without doubt a huge project and now well under way with the first development “Mar Menor” already open and phase one completely sold out. I guess the first thing I learned is that Polaris World is not one big development but rather 6 big developments all located within 15 minutes drive of each other and here they are:

Jardines De Alhama | Mar Menor | Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort | Las Terrazas de la Torre
El Valle Golf Resort | La Loma Resort

The point is that for the golfers, like me, you can benefit from different courses at each different resort.

Another interesting point is that the Murcia region is not your typical Costa’s type resort with English pubs and “tea like mum makes” it is in fact a market garden producing oranges, lemons and a variety of fruits and olives, but with more than 320 days of sun a year and mild temperatures it does have a very agreeable southern Spanish climate but it not your typical Spanish beach resort. I guess if one is looking for lots of night life and English pubs then Polaris World does not work. The architecture and feel is very Spanish and although each resort will have their own restaurants and shops they will be Spanish.

The general geography is flatland with the sea, to the East, barely visible but just 15 minutes drive away. To the West there are mountains, although in the distance, they do provide a scenic contrast and a good place for interesting walks, if you are so inclined. “Mar Menor” actually means minor sea and the resort is named after the local lagoon which creates a huge enclosed area of sea so big they have named it the minor sea or small sea.

Beyond the small sea is the Mediterranean. The two seas are separated by a narrow strip of land known as ‘La Manga’ which translates as ‘the sleeve’. This strip is home to numerous hotels and holiday accommodation primarily frequented by the Spanish during their summer holidays in June, July and August, it reminded me of Bournemouth. The point is that if you want the beach then it is not far from any Polaris World resort and in fact Polaris are building a beach resort club for use by residents on the sleeve or as they say in Spanish ‘La Manga‘ and will provide a shuttle bus service from each resort to the beach club.

There are other developments in the area that seemed to have tried to copy Polaris World but on a much smaller scale and the impression we got was if you are going to the area then really Polaris World is the place to be, if for no other reason than because of its sheer scale. The size of the entire project and the financial resources behind Polaris World mean that this project is here to stay and for anyone investing in Spain this has to be an important consideration.

Polaris World is seen as a long term project not just in building new developments but in operating and maintaining them. The evidence is there, you can see Polaris World petrol stations and garden centres and furniture stores and they are establishing Polaris World car hire and holiday rentals they even have Polaris World Olive Oil, so this is a big long term operation with a powerful brand name and for any prospective investor or resident this has to be important.

Their size also gives them influence with the local government as they are seen as a big employer and significant contributor to the local economy; they are building their own desalination plant to provide fresh water not only to the Polaris resorts but also to the local community.

The stay in the hotel was very pleasant, it is part of the Intercontinental Group and provides very spacious rooms with nice decor, the bathrooms are large and one interesting feature is that there is a window between the bathroom and the main room so you can sit in the bath and watch TV, if the fancy so takes you. Service was excellent and our Polaris World guide was not a pushy salesman but an ex school teacher who had worked in America teaching Spanish for 3 years, so was excellent in English, without too much of an American accent, he was very pleasant and knowledgeable and is apparently regularly invited to the UK by many of his satisfied customers. As part of the tour we visited not only ‘Mar Menor’ but also all the other developments, although this is not necessary I was curious, in fact most of the developments are still at the very early stages so there is nothing much to see except a plot of land with flag poles that denote the area is being developed.

I would say that for anyone considering Polaris World as an option the inspection visit is well worth the time, it is a pleasant and interesting experience without any high pressure sales tactics but is full of useful information.

The overall impression was good and the experience was well worth the trip.
Further reading Polaris World Spain Golf Resorts