Thader

Introduction

The Thader shopping centre, is located in Murcia, on the outskirts of the city centre, at the end of Juan de Borbón avenue. This shopping centre, together with another which is very close by, Nueva Condomina, are the most important shopping and leisure areas Murcia has to offer.

The Thader shopping centre opened its doors in October 2006, shortly after that of Nueva Condomina. I still remember the boom that happened in Murcia, since prior to this, I had only been in shopping centers in large cities such as Madrid, Valencia and La Coruña.

The name 'Thader' is the old Latin name for the Segura river.

The Commercial Complex

The shopping centre is located in a space consisting of two floors, with an additional underground one where the car park is. Also, it comprises of two zones, an outside one, which has a main square right next to the entrance, and another smaller one on the left which is made up of various sections; and, another inside area which makes up the back area of the shopping centre, and is medium-sized.

The outside of the shopping centre is quite attractive, as it is made up of different blocks, especially in the cinema area, which consists of various colourful blocks.

Thader's outside squares

The first square you come to when arriving at the complex is outdoors, at the front of it, there is a kind of empty area, decorated with water fountains and crowned by large orange letters that spell out "THADER".

If you keep walking, you'll come to a water wheel, which is a nod to Murcia, as in one of the Murcian towns, La Ñora, there is one of these old water wheels (which you can read about in one of my previous posts). It's quite large in addition to being very photographed. I personally love this detail and it gives a more relaxing and natural atmosphere to the shopping centre.

Close by to the water wheel, there are various paid attractions for children, such as merry-go-rounds or video games. This is also where you can find the escalators leading down to the underground parking and a coffee and confectionery kiosk with outside seating.

Also on this square, are various benches where you can sit down and relax for a while.

On the first square, you will find the following shops:

• Decathlon (shop specialising in sports goods)
• Hobby Modelismo (a puzzle shop also selling more specific hobby-related products)
• Kiwoko Mundo (pet shop)
• Kiabi (women's clothing store)
• Arte Joya (jewelry shop), to name a few

Here you'll also find the following restaurants, on the first floor:

• Foster's Hollywood (an American diner which is very famous in Spain)
• Muerde la Pasta (unlimited pasta and pizza buffet)
• Confitería Maite

On the lower floor of the outside square situated on the left to the entrance, which is smaller than the first one, you will find shops such as Poly (a fairly large gaming shop), Mayaka (a shoe shop), and a Marvimundo (perfume and cosmetics shop). And, in the centre, there's a little water fountain.

If you go up to the first floor, you'll come to an area consisting of various restaurants and fast food chains, such as McDonald's, Burger King, 100 Montaditos (on Wednesdays and Sundays everything on their menu is 1 euro), Straperlo, La Jijonenca, Lizarrán, Rey Ríos Hot Dogs, Pasta City and La Buena Tapa.

All of these places usually have outside seating, on the outside square, and there is a gigantic screen, which is on the side of the cinema, and projects important sporting events.

Lastly, on this square, on the first floor, you will find the cinema, which has more than 14 rooms, two of which have 3D cinema capabilities, and another for VIPs. Also, in the cinema lobby, there is a popcorn and sweet shop, so you don't need to go into the actual cinema if you want to buy some to satisfy a craving. Just at the cinema's exit, there is a waffle and sandwiches stall, which sell waffles from the Maneken Piss chain, which in my opinion are amongst the best waffles in Spain.

Inside square

The inside square is divided into two areas, one for the Alcampo supermarket, and the rest for the shopping zone.

The Alcampo supermarket originated in France, and although I first encountered it in Murcia, I later found it during my Erasmus stay in Strasbourg. It's quite well-known amongst Murcians for its low prices compared to other large supermarkets such as Carrefour or Eroski. This supermarket also has a large selection of food, clothing, accessories, books, electronic and games, including a place where you can leave your kids, and toilets at the end of each entrance.

From the supermarket you can access the rest of the shopping area, but there are also entrances from each one of the outside squares, as well as in both of the two levels and the underground parking.

On the lower floor, you can find the following shops: Douglas (cosmetics and pefume shop), La Caja de Pandora (accesroies), Zara (clothing and accessories for men and women), Oysho (lingerie, pyjamas and bikinis), H&M (accessories and clothing for both men and women), Sfera (men and women's clothing and accessories), Calzedonia (bikinis, hosiery and lingerie), Rumbo (footwear) o KIKO (cheap cosmetics).

On the first floor there is another selection of shops, of which the most important are: Bershka (clothes and accessories for men and women), Stradivarius (women's clothing and accessories), Pull&Bear (men and women's clothes and accessories), Ulanka (women and men's shoes), Mango (women's clothing and accessories), Jack and Jones (men's clothing and accessories) or MARYPAZ (cheap women's shoes).

In addition to this, in the centre of the square, there is a cafeteria kiosk, kids play area, sofas where you can pay for a massage, and an area with IKEA furniture where you can have a sit down for free.

Other services

The shopping centre, as you know, has a car park, but I forgot to mention that the parking is completely free; it is divided into two areas. On one side is the outdoor parking, at ground level, which has almost 4, 000 parking spaces; and on the other side, there is the underground parking, which has some 2 000 spaces and is divided into colors, to help you remember where your car is parked.

Plus, they offer 24 hour security, a breastfeeding room, a customer service desk, and cash machines.

In Thader's outside park, a few metres away, there is an IKEA, Toys R'Us, Asian supermarkets, where you can buy all sorts of products at a low price, and there is an Asian restaurant, which has an unlimited buffet and is quite famous.

I forgot to tell you that in the main square, they usually hold events of all kinds, musicals, sports, car shows, etc. I have seen people up there taking part in a dancing thing called Zumba.

And, at Christmas, everything is decorated in the Christmas style, they put up a large Christmas tree, as well as mail boxes for the children to send Christmas cards to Father Christmas or the Three Wise Men.

Opinions and experiences

Since the Thader and Nueva Condomina shopping centres are very close to each other, but far enough away to have to drive, I am going to make a small summary of the differences so you know which one to choose.

• For buying clothes and shoes, I recommend Nueva Condomina, as it has more shops, and they are also larger in size. Also, Nueva Condomina has a Primark, whereas Thader does not. Another option, which is what I always do, is go first to Nueva Condomina, and then to Thader to find what I was not able to in Nueva Condomina, especially during the sales, as they have some of the same shops, but with different ranges.
• When it comes to buying electronic goods, Nueva Condomina is the better option, as it has far more shops, whereas those in Thader are always closed.
• To buy sports-related items, Thader is best, since there is a Decathlon there, but not in Nueva Condomina.



• For buying food, the only option is Alcampo in Thader, as there as wan Eroski initially in Nueva Condomina, but it closed as it was not profitable.
• When it comes to leisure activities, there isn't much difference, as both have their own bowling alley and recreational activities.
• To eat or drink, I'd always opt for Thader too, as I like having the option to eat outside or inside the building, instead of only being able to eat inside as is the case in Nueva Condomina. The restaurants themselves are practically the same, but Thader does have the Manken Pis waffles and Nueva Condomina has a Tommy Mels, whereas Thader does not.
• When it comes to the cinema, I always go to Thader, I like the NEOCINE cinema more than the CINESA cinema, mainly for the popcorn and sweets stalls. Neocine has a better variety, and the prices are a lot better than those in Cinesa.

Opening hours of the shopping centre

The opening times of the shopping centre are not universal, as it varies between shops, restaurants and the car park.

The opening hours of the centre itself are from 9 in the morning until 10 at night, although some shops open at 10 in the morning rather than at 9.

The opening hours of the restaurants are far more spread out, from 9 in the morning until 1 in the early hours of the morning from Sunday to Thursday, and from 9 in the morning until 3 in the early morning on Fridays, Saturdays and on the eve of bank holidays.

The hours of the car park are from 9 in the morning until 2 in the morning from Sunday through to Thursday, and from 9 in the morning until 3 in the morning on Fridays, Saturdays and on the eve of bank holidays.

How to get to Thader

To get to the Thader shopping centre, you can either go by car, bus or tram.

By car, it depends where you're coming from, as there is a different exit depending on which zone you're in. If you're coming from Murcia, you follow Juan de Borbón avenue, and take the exit on the right, which is hard to miss as it is very well signposted.

Bus lines 1 and 57 go towards the shopping centre. But I recommend the tram more if you have a stop very close to your house, as the service is more direct than the bus route. The stop for Thader is called Infantas, and you take the tram in the direction of 'Nueva Condomina'.

I hope you'll like it as much as me!