Review Camping Mar Azul in Spain

Camping Mar Azul is a brand new campsite in the south of Spain, near a small town called Balerma in the province of Almería. The beach is only a 1-minute walk. And with the hills (I would call it mountains, but officially they are hills) in its backyard, the location is beautiful. We stayed here for two months and we had a magnificent time. In this review of camping Mar Azul, I’ll explain to you why this campsite is such a great place for location independent families traveling with an RV.

We stayed here for two months and we had a magnificent time. In this review of camping Mar Azul, I’ll explain to you why this campsite is such a great place for location independent families traveling with an RV.

Let’s start with the basic, but most important features of the campsite: its pitches, facilities, activities, and – of course! – the WiFi.

Pitches of Camping Mar Azul

The 220 pitches are neatly lined out in rows. They have special pitches for very large vehicles, like fifth wheels, or motorhomes with a trailer. But even the normal pitches are large enough to host a big caravan. We set up our big awning and it fitted precisely. We didn’t have any space to park our car or to sit outside, but we stayed here during low season and we could take two plots for the price of one. How great is that?!

Sanitary facilities

Camping Mar Azul opened in 2015 so the two sanitary buildings are very new. The toilets, showers, and sinks are all in perfect condition and well maintained. Even during low season, it was cleaned twice a day.

Sanitary facilities for children

Both sanitary buildings have a baby bath with lots of space for a changing mat.

Kids club & other facilities

During July and August, Camping Mar Azul offers an activity program for children. We stayed here in January, February and a part of March, so there were no kids activities organized. But the owners did organize Spanish classes, and those were great! If they put just as much effort in the children activities, then I guess it will be excellent as well!

Camping Mar Azul has a swimming pool with toddler pool, a playground for small children and a big sports area for basketball, volleyball, jeu de boules, and soccer. They are building an indoor playroom, which is expected to be open in summer 2016.

The campsite has a small supermarket with fresh bread all day and a restaurant with terrace where they serve delicious food.

Internet

The WiFi is a dubious point… According to their website and the ACSI CampingCard website their free WiFi is available in all plots. It is not. It is free though, but the signal is crappy. Only at the restaurant and behind one of the sanitary buildings you can receive a decent signal. We stayed at a pitch close to the restaurant and I was able to receive some signal outside (!) our RV, but only during non-popular timeslots, like before 9 am and after 10 pm. My husband has a better receiver on his laptop and had a better signal the whole day, but still, it had its down moments and if it worked, it was very slow.

With a WiFi amplifier, it works great, though. I also worked a few hours per day in the restaurant (I can easily concentrate in noisy places) and the connection there was perfect.

Read more about internet for full time RVing families here.

Surroundings: Almería, El Ejido & Granada

As mentioned, Camping Mar Azul is very close to the beach. Don’t expect a white sandy beach, though, but it is nice for a walk during low season and a refreshing swim during the hot summer months.

Beside the beach, you can do a lot of sightseeing here. For example, the town of El Ejido is charming and although Almerimar is touristic, it has a port to watch boats and a very relaxed vibe.

You can also visit Almería, which is a one-hour drive. If you’re very motivated, Granada (and the Alhambra) is 1,5-hour driving, but that’s unmistakably worth it.

With the beach on one side and the hills on the other, the location seems perfect, but this area of Andalucia is a popular place for the vegetable farming industry. Camping Mar Azul is therefore closed in by greenhouses. This is not the charming view most people expect.

Fee of Camping Mar Azul

In July and August, the price for two adults, a car plus caravan or motorhome, and a pitch with electricity is €26,80 per night. For children, you pay €5,20 per night extra.

During low season (from September till June) the price for two adults, a car plus caravan or motorhome, and a pitch (the smallest one of 70m2, without electricity) is €17,41 per night. For children, you pay €5,20 per night extra and for electricity, the fee is €0,38/Kwh. They offer you lots of discount when you stay longer. For example, the fee decreases to €10,72 when you stay more than 23 nights. But keep in mind that electricity is not included in this fee and when you use a coffee maker, an electrical heater and electrical cooker daily, you can count on approximately €150 to €200 extra per month.

In winter time, they offer you lots of discounts when you stay longer. For example, the fee decreases to €15,00 when you stay more than 23 nights. But keep in mind that electricity is not included in this fee and when you use a coffee maker, an electrical heater and electrical cooker daily, you can count on approximately €150 to €200 extra per month.

If you stay for only a few days, the ACSI CampingCard (with a fixed fee of €17 per night) might be more cost efficient. It is unclear, though, if you pay extra for children and electricity. Either way, do ask the receptionist about this before you put down your RV.

Campsite Mar Azul is open all year.

I did my best to find the accurate prices and facility information, but I cannot guarantee the correctness of it due to any price changes, errors in the camping website or changes on the camping itself. I added info from our experience, which is of course very subjective. Therefore, no right may be derived from the information given digitalnomadwithkids.com.