Ricote Valley, thermal water, lemon trees and the last Morisco valley.

The Ricote Valley is the stretch of the river Segura that runs wedged between mountain ranges north of Murcia, from Blanca to Archena, with four small villages in between: Ojós, Ricote, Ulea and Villanueva del Río Segura. It is a market-garden valley, with lemon trees, orange trees and palms irrigated by channels and waterwheels, and it was one of the last places where the Moriscos continued to live after their expulsion in 1609–1614; that is why it is called the Morisco valley. At its southern end, on the edge of Archena, is the spa, with its own spring of water at about 32 degrees. Together, the two make a full Sunday or an unhurried weekend.

How to get there from Murcia

By car, about 30 minutes on the A-30 motorway towards Madrid as far as the Archena exit; the spa is on the edge of the town, on the carretera del Balneario. From Archena, the MU-522 road climbs the valley to Villanueva, Ulea and Ojós, and from Ojós a short road climbs to Ricote. Blanca, where the rafting ends, is at the other end, about 15 minutes from Ricote. From Alicante allow a little over an hour on the A-7 and the A-30; from Albacete, around an hour and a quarter going down the A-30. These are estimated times: check the route on the day.

Without a car, Interbus line 36 links Murcia bus station with Archena every day, including Sundays, and some services leave from or arrive at the spa itself. For Ojós and Ricote you need a car or a taxi.

Where to park

At the spa, in its paid car park: €2 an hour and €8 a day, with electric chargers. In the villages, at the entrance: Ojós and Ricote have narrow, steep streets, and driving into the centre is not worth it.

How long do you need?

A day is enough for the essentials: a morning bathe in the thermal pools, lunch in Ricote and a walk in the afternoon. With a night you can add the Moriscos trail or rafting on the Segura. Two nights, in one of the spa's hotels, make a full thermal break, with the Balnea circuit, a treatment or two and the valley in between.

What to do

The thermal water. The spa's thermal pools sell day tickets from €25 on weekdays: an indoor pool with current rivers and jets, an outdoor one with views of the valley and a children's pool. From age 14, the Balnea circuit adds saunas, a steam room, pools from 20 to 34 °C and an igloo, in two-hour sessions.

The river. The rafting from Cieza to Blanca runs 14 km of the Segura by raft, with instructors and lunch, from age 6. It is a gentle descent, to do as a family.

The villages. In Ricote you will find the Casa de la Encomienda, the Llamas mansion and an olive tree about 1,400 years old. From there the Moriscos trail starts, an 8 km circular route through market gardens and pinewood with viewpoints over the Blanca reservoir. In Ojós, the bridges walk crosses the Segura by a suspension bridge and a Tibetan one.

When to go

From February to May and from September to November, with mild temperatures for walking. In spring, for a few weeks, the orange blossom in the orchards flowers and the whole valley smells of lemon blossom; the villages organise visits and workshops on those days. In July and August it is very hot in the valley: that is the time for the spa, which opens until midnight, and for the river first thing. In winter the thermal water is enjoyed more than ever; check each pool's maintenance closures, which the spa publishes in advance.

Where to eat

El Sordo, in Ricote since 1917, is the place for the long Sunday lunch: kid and suckling pig roasted in a wood oven, game and chargrilled meats; it opens on Sunday lunchtimes and is closed Monday to Wednesday. In Villanueva, Jardines de Villanueva serves wood-fired grill and tapas from the valley, such as zarangollo. If you don't want to leave the spa, the Restaurante del Agua has a menu and dishes for children.

Where to sleep

Inside the spa, the Hotel Termas, a 19th-century four-star hotel with a dome and neo-Nasrid courtyards, or the Hotel León, a three-star with a buffet; both include the thermal pools and let children up to 11 sleep free with two adults. For a couple who prefer the orchard, La Joya del Valle de Ricote has three adults-only apartments among lemon trees, with a two-night minimum stay.