Whether you live at Mar Menor Golf Resort, Santa Rosalía Lake & Life Resort, La Torre Golf Resort, or in Torre-Pacheco or Los Alcázares, five shopping centres cover pretty much everything — from a quick weekly supermarket run to a full day out. Here’s what makes each one worth the drive, what to expect from parking, and — importantly — when they’re actually open, since Sunday hours vary a lot between them.

Dos Mares — San Javier (10–15 min)

The closest big mall to the resort, and the one most residents use for everyday shopping. Dos Mares opened in 2004 and has around 70 shops built around a Carrefour hypermarket, plus an 8-screen cinema and 16 restaurants. It’s not the biggest or flashiest on this list, but it’s the easiest to pop into for groceries, a coffee, or a film.

Parking: free surface parking for around 1,250 cars. Usually no issue, but it can fill up on weekend evenings and in peak summer.

Brands: Carrefour hypermarket as the anchor, plus a solid mix of fashion and electronics chains — good for regular shopping rather than a special trip.

Hours: open every single day of the year, including Sundays and public holidays — the only mall on this list with no closed days at all. Shops: 10:00–22:00. Restaurants: until 23:00. Same schedule in summer and winter.

Website: dosmaresshopping.com

Address: Ctra. N-332, 30730 San Javier, Murcia, Spain (Get Location).

Espacio Mediterráneo — Cartagena (25–30 min)

The biggest shopping and leisure centre in Cartagena, combining an indoor mall with a retail park. Alongside the usual shops, it has a cinema and a bowling alley, which makes it a good pick for a half-day out rather than just an errand.

Parking: around 4,500 free spaces, including parking directly underneath the Carrefour hypermarket — rarely an issue even in August.

Brands: Carrefour hypermarket, Media Markt, Leroy Merlin and Decathlon as the big anchors, plus Zara, H&M, C&A and around 125 smaller stores.

Hours: also open every day of the year, with the same hours in summer and winter. Hypermarket 09:00–22:00, shops 10:00–22:00, restaurants 12:00–01:00, cinema from 16:00. Closed only three days a year: 25 December, 1 January and 6 January.

Website: espaciomediterraneo.com

Address: Autovía A-30, Salida 191, Polígono Industrial Cabezo Beaza, 30353 Cartagena, Murcia, Spain (Get Location).

La Zenia Boulevard — Orihuela Costa (40–45 min)

The standout on this list. Unlike the others, La Zenia Boulevard has no roof at all — it’s built as an open-air “village,” with low white buildings, palm-lined plazas and pedestrian streets instead of a typical enclosed mall. It’s one of the largest open-air shopping centres in Europe, and there’s usually something going on — live music, seasonal markets, or events in the central plazas.

Parking: 5,000 free spaces, genuinely one of the largest car parks in the region — though it’s still worth arriving early on weekends given how popular the centre is.

Brands: around 150 stores, including Zara, Mango, Primark, Guess and Decathlon — most major international names are represented.

Hours: shops open Monday–Saturday 10:00–22:00, extended to 10:00–23:00 in July and August. Sundays are the tricky part: from January to June, shops are closed on Sundays (though restaurants and entertainment stay open) — but from July to December, the whole centre opens every single Sunday and public holiday. Restaurants run later in summer, until 01:30.

Website: zeniaboulevard.es

Address: Calle Jade, s/n, 03189 Orihuela Costa, Alicante, Spain (Get Location).

Nueva Condomina — Murcia (45–50 min)

The biggest shopping centre in the entire Region of Murcia, with over 200 stores under one roof, a 15-screen Cinesa and a gym. It’s far enough that it’s worth treating as a full day out rather than a quick trip, but it has by far the widest brand selection of anywhere on this list.

Parking: around 5,500 free spaces — plentiful, and rarely an issue even on the busiest weekends.

Brands: Primark, H&M, Zara and an Apple Store, with Leroy Merlin right outside — genuinely more choice than anywhere else in the region.

Hours: shops open Monday–Saturday only, 10:00–22:00, and are normally closed on Sundays. Restaurants, the cinema and the gym, though, stay open every day (restaurants 12:00–01:00, gym 06:00–01:00). The centre does add around 10 authorised Sunday/holiday openings a year — mostly in mid-August, September, and several Sundays in the run-up to Christmas — so it’s worth checking the calendar before a Sunday trip.

Website: nueva-condomina.klepierre.es

Address: Av. Juan Carlos I, 30110 Murcia, Spain (Get Location).

Thader — Murcia (45–50 min)

Murcia’s other big mall, and the one to pick if IKEA is on your list — Thader sits right next to IKEA Murcia, in the same retail park, so it’s easy to combine both in one trip. With over 130 stores across 67,000 m², it’s smaller than Nueva Condomina but still a serious shopping trip in its own right, anchored by an Alcampo hypermarket.

Parking: free, and typically easier to find a space than at Nueva Condomina since the car park is shared with IKEA’s large surface lot.

Brands: Alcampo hypermarket, IKEA next door, plus Kiabi, Punt Roma, Springfield and Decathlon.

Hours: same pattern as Nueva Condomina — shops open Monday–Saturday and on authorised holidays only, 10:00–22:00, closed on regular Sundays. Restaurants and leisure areas stay open every day, including Sundays: 09:00–01:00 Sunday to Thursday, extending to 09:00–03:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and the eve of public holidays.

Website: thader.net

Address: Av. Juan de Borbón, 30110 Murcia, Spain (Get Location).

Sunday planning at a glance

  • Open every Sunday, year-round: Dos Mares and Espacio Mediterráneo.
  • Open Sundays only from July to December: La Zenia Boulevard (closed on regular Sundays the rest of the year, though its restaurants and entertainment areas stay open even then).
  • Normally closed on Sundays: Nueva Condomina and Thader — both open shops on around 10 selected Sundays/holidays a year (check each centre’s calendar), but their restaurants, cinemas and gyms are open every Sunday regardless.

Quick picks

  • Need groceries or a quick errand? Dos Mares is the closest and easiest.
  • Want cinema, bowling and a proper afternoon out? Espacio Mediterráneo.
  • Want the most unique setting — open-air, village-style, great for an evening? La Zenia Boulevard.
  • Planning a full shopping day with the widest choice of brands? Nueva Condomina.
  • Doing an IKEA run anyway? Combine it with Thader next door.
  • Shopping on a Sunday in spring? Stick to Dos Mares or Espacio Mediterráneo.

Know a great shopping spot we should add? Let us know via the Community Chat or Contacts page.