Perhaps you prefer small villages and towns? You'll stumble on hundreds as you drive through the region. Each one has its own unique charm. Algorfa, near Torrevieja, nestles in the shade of the Escotera Mountain and is surrounded by orange and lemon groves. Rojales is a small town on the River Segura with a huge personality. Almoradi is a lovely town with Moorish influences. Visit the huge market on Saturday, and check out the trees in the town square. Each one is hollowed out in the centre of the foliage, with a floodlight set into it. I've never seen anything like it anywhere else.

If you like beaches, you'll be spoilt for choice. Most of the beaches on the Costa Blanca boast fine golden sand. The jewel in the crown is Guardamar, with its 14 kilometres of unspoilt shore. Not a skyscraper hotel in sight! Then there's La Marina, Punta Prima, Playa Flamenca - the list goes on. And with 320 days of sunshine a year, you should find time to sample as many beaches as you want.

For the Shopaholics, there are the huge shopping centres in Alicante, Murcia and Torrevieja. Murcia boasts over 300 major stores, many of them familiar English names such as Primark, Ikea, Zara and H & M. Then there are the daily markets. There are at least 3 to choose from every day, including Sunday, when the huge Zoco Market, near Torrevieja, attracts people from all over the region. It's a day out on its own. As well as everything you might wish to buy, there are several cafeterias and bodegas where you can enjoy drinks, breakfast and lunch at very reasonable prices.

The area around Torrevieja is dominated by 2 large salt lakes, La Mata and Santa Pola. Salt has been extracted here since Roman times, and you'll see big white mountains of it as you travel around. The salt lakes are home to dozens of species of water fowl, and there is a big nature reserve at Santa Pola. You can walk all around the lake, and there are hides for you to observe the wildlife unnoticed. As the lake is right on the coast, you can go for a swim to cool down after your walk. If you're in Spain in a motor home, you can even park up for a night or two at Santa Pola, free of charge. With the salt lake on one side of you, and the Mediterranean on the other, you'll go a long way to find a better view!

For a really relaxed way to view the Costa Blanca, book a coach tour. They are very reasonable - between 10 and 15 euros (£8 -£12) for a full day - and there is a varied programme on offer, with pick up points all across the area. Visit Guadalest, a beautiful village in the mountains above Benidorm. All the houses and shops are set into the mountains, and the views are stunning. This is the place to buy your souvenirs, as the prices are cheaper than on the coast. If you want to visit the larger towns and cities in the area, a coach tour is probably your best option, as parking can be virtually impossible between June and October. In addition, the coaches will drop you off at the main tourist attraction, saving you a lot of walking in the Costa Blanca heat.

Terra Mitica, on the outskirts of Benidorm, is the area's main theme park. With themed areas Egypt, Greece, Rome, Iberia and The Islands, it's educational as well as entertaining. There are rides and shows to entertain you, but Disney World it isn't. Then again, the prices are very reasonable, and you can spend a full day there. If you're staying in Benidorm, it's better (and cheaper) to make your own way there rather than book an excursion.

For an extra special night out, try a dinner and cabaret at the Benidorm Palace. It will cost you around 40 euros (£32), but you get a fabulous evening's entertainment, and the food is great. However, you don't need to pay for entertainment at all, as even the smaller resorts have a wide variety of live entertainment, discos, karaoke and quiz nights throughout the season.

These are just some of the diversions on offer in this lovely part of Spain. I hope I've inspired you to try it for yourself.

When most people see a commercial for Florida, they see the pictures of beautiful beaches, the space shuttle, and the theme parks (I’m leaving out the names because of the legal stuff ). What if you take all of that away? Now you have the real Florida.

Contrary to popular belief, Florida is not just some place to bring your big giant motor home (while pulling a twenty foot trailer, while pulling a car); but it’s a lot more. I wish to shed light on the pro’s and con’s (yes we sure have con’s).

Let’s start with the pro’s. I mentioned beaches. We have miles of beaches, on both sides and on the bottom. In fact Key West is only 90 miles from Cuba! As far as beauty; that of course is in the eye of the beholder. Miami Beach for instance has fame and fortune often associated with it, and on the flip side has some of the most overpriced real estate in the country. Hard to believe this was a tiny town at one time.

One other thing about the beautiful beaches: In some of the bigger cities, they are often plagued by litter (sometimes medical waste and even hypodermic needles), overcrowding, and depending on what time of year- jellyfish that sting!

Now let’s look at some more fun facts. Florida has more than a thousand people a DAY moving here. So as you could imagine, this opens up the door for many fields of employment. For example: Real estate, construction, trades, and don’t forget travel agencies (BIG MONEY).

Here I am going to share more of my first hand experience with a seldom heard of part of Florida (at least not in the t.v. ads). Florida is in the “Deep South,” and some of the true Floridians (sometimes referred to as “Florida crackers”), are hard working farmers, and another fun fact- we are home to one of the largest cattle producing states. Our beef is the pride of many dinner tables.

As far as farming, we have quite a little tobacco growing sector, along with of course citrus (orange juice by the ton).

In closing, I’ll share some con’s. Like bugs? We definitely have you COVERED there! I don’t know if scientists will ever be able to identify all of them (at least in my area).

Like heat? No sweat. (Far from it). I once spent a Christmas day at 89 degrees! Last but not least: HURRICANES! I’m not sure, but I think we pretty much have the record there.

Thanks and welcome to Florida.