Santiago de la Ribera is a small "Spanish" town on the Northern shore of the Mar Menor on the Costa Calida. The Mar Menor (minor sea) is the largest salt water lagoon in Europe, separated from the Mediterranean by the ‘La Manga’ strip. The shallow sloping waters of the lagoon are calm and clear and noticeably warmer than the Mediterranean making it a haven for water-sports enthusiasts.

There are plenty of bars and restaurants in the old town and new ones are opening up in the newer residential areas.

Heading inland from the Southern side, Santiago adjoins the town of San Javier. There are two major roads which serve the area, the AP-7 (Motorway) and the N-332. These are just a few minutes drive away and are ideal for accessing the wider area. On the Northern side Santiago adjoins the town of Lo Pagan where you can walk/cycle out around the top part of the Mar Menor past mud baths and salt flats. You can reach the Med or go across walkways through the salt flats to reach the bird sanctuary and new harbour.

About 5 mins drive along the N-332 Northwards towards San Pedro de Pinatar is the Dos Mares shopping Mall which includes a bowling alley & cinema (not sure if they show English language films). There are Aldi & Lidl supermarkets about 15 mins walk from the apartment.

There is a local street market every Wednesday just 5-10 mins walk from the apartment which provides fresh produce and high quality leather goods and clothes. Nearby towns have markets on other days.

The area is a traditional holiday destination for the Spanish and mainly gets going from May to September, outside of the main season it returns to being a quiet town, but is still open for business.

A ferry crosses the lagoon between Santiago & the Tomas Maestro port on La Manga strip.

The airport is a few kilometres South of the town, it initially belonged to the Spanish military air academy but has been developed as a commercial airport and is now shared with civilian flights using it in the afternoons. This makes for an extremely convenient local airport and yet there is no noise pollution heard in the surrounding area. On top of this you get the occasional free display by the Spanish aerobatic team.

There is a very good tourist office in the town.