I stayed in Las Lomas apartments for 5 nights. We had a 3 bed apartment which surpassed expectations. Rooms were very comfortable, bathrooms as good as you'd get in the hotel, fantastic view, and all round good value for money.
A few observations:
- The pools get quite crowded, and there wouldn't be enough space if they were at capacity. If you don't like the noise of children, go elsewhere.
- We ate at Luigi's. Very average food, very over-priced. Eat in, or eat outside the resort (try Cabo de Palos - 10mins away).
- The supermarkets outside the resort are 20-30% cheaper. Worth it if you've got a car and doing a big shop.
- I stayed at the hotel in 1994 soon after it opened. We went to have a look at the bar on Friday night. I've never been anywhere so tacky...full of washed-up 50-something has-been leather bags (male and female) all getting drunk, ogling each other, and making you cringe at being British.
- Contrary to the last review, there are good beaches on the Mar Menor (including an EU white flag beach in Los Alcazares). But if you want white sand and turquoise water, don't go to Spain!

Recently returned from a lovely week at Las Lomas and would certainly recommend it.

Las Lomas forms part of the luxurious La Manga Club, which is a sprawling development comprising the 5 star Hyatt Regency hotel, the 4 star Las Lomas Village apartments and numerous privately owned villas set amongst golf courses and tennis and football academies. There is no doubt people stay there for the sports facilities but there are many people like us who go there because it is simply a nice place to stay and there are good facilities for children.

The apartments are set in a crescent overlooking a swimming pool and sun terrace and a larger building comprising the luxurious Spa. We stayed in a large and very comfortable apartment which consisted of two good-sized bedrooms each with ensuite bathrooms (with walk-in showers), large tastefully furnished lounge (the TV had UK channels and there was also a DVD player) and a very well equipped kitchen (including oven/hob, dishwasher, microwave and washer/dryer and plenty of crockery etc). The view from the large terrace was spectacular, overlooking the golf courses through to the inland sea, Mar Menor.

We chose to stay at La Manga principally because there is a children's club. The club, located about a mile away in another part of the resort, is a privately run nursery for La Manga Club's permanent residents as well as visitors. It is expensive but the children enjoyed themselves and we were able to unwind as well. Babysitting can also be arranged, but again this is expensive.

There are plenty of eating places dotted around the resort. The best restaurant we ate in by far was La Cala, a mainly fish restaurant perched on a cliff overlooking a small cove. It is a bit scary to get to but well worth the effort.

Other places we tried were Luigi's and India at Las Lomas, and Asia (near the Hyatt). La Cala aside as it was worth it, all the restaurants were expensive for what they were and the food was very average. We also tried a privately owned restaurant called La Finca - again, a nice place, but for the money could and should have been better. A place definitely over-rated is the Deli Cafe - the brochure talked about cooked breakfasts and fresh pastries - well, not when we went. The Deli Cafe definitely needs some urgent attention.

My tips for staying there would be -

1. Stay in an apartment rather than a Townhouse. There seemed to be a lot of stairs in that part of the Village and we would have struggled with the buggy.

2. The Club is very large and we were pleased to have had hired a car. Although there is a frequent shuttle bus, you may need to use it often to get around the resort.

3. Take plenty of money - you'll need it.

Outside the Club there is not a great deal worth seeing. Murcia is not the prettiest part of Spain. We went to Cartagena to see the Roman ruins but these were largely inaccessible due to building work. The town itself is a dump so unless you want to pick up a few bargains at Zara and Mango, I really wouldn't bother.

We also went looking for a sandy beach along Mar Menor but couldn't find a decent one anywhere. This area has been overdeveloped, looks cheap and tacky and has obviously seen better days. How this wonderful natural feature could have been ruined in this way is quite scandalous. Best viewed from the comfort of your terrace!