Playa de La Mata
Playa de La Mata is the largest beach in Torrevieja: almost two and a half kilometres of fine sand, about 50 metres wide according to the town council. It has a Blue Flag, lifeguards, sunbeds for hire, beach bars and an accessible area with assisted bathing. A promenade runs behind the beach, and to the north there are dunes where native plants have been able to recover.
Torre de La Mata
At the northern end stands Torre de La Mata, a 16th-century defensive tower protected as a heritage site. Next to it was the old salt exchange, as the salt from the lakes was shipped out from here.
The natural park with the pink lakes
Parque Natural de las Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja covers 3,743 hectares and became a natural park in 1996. It has two salt lakes: the Torrevieja lake of 1,400 hectares and the La Mata lake of 700. The pink water of the Torrevieja lake comes from a microscopic alga, Dunaliella, that thrives in salt water. At the park entrance there is a visitor centre with maps of the walking trails.
Torreblanca
Torreblanca is a quiet residential area in northern Torrevieja, right next to La Mata. From Casa Borkeby it is 800 metres to Playa de La Mata, about a ten-minute walk, and the supermarket and pharmacy are 100 to 200 metres away.
Getting here
Alicante airport is about 40 kilometres from the house. Buses run to central Torrevieja, and the town bus line A runs along the beach.