If you've ever wanted to travel independently and don't know where to start to plan, haven't travelled for a while or are just looking for ideas for your next trip and the Costa del Sol is on your list, then this book is for you. Most independent travellers will probably have given the Costa del Sol a wide berth but all I can say is you're missing out. Fuengirola is a lovely, flat and compact seaside town and is well worth putting on your list if you want a low stress, urban beach holiday in any season. It has friendly people, English is widely spoken, there's sunshine all year round and it has more bars and restaurants than you could ever hope to visit. It may not have the sheer relaxation of the tropics but for spending some time in the sunshine for a short break, you can't beat it. This is a guidebook with a difference. It lists a selection of the sights to see when you're bored with sitting in a bar in the sunshine (is that even possible?). They're grouped into 3 different walks, so you can explore the town over separate sessions or just use the guide as a pick list of things you want to see. There's tips and tricks when preparing for independent travel, practical information about the town, pictures of the sights so you know what you're looking for, details on the many festivals held during the year, a list of child friendly places and it includes a comprehensive list of Spanish food, so you'll never have to puzzle over unfamiliar menu items again. If you combine the walks in this book with the local custom of Ir de Tapas, you'll get the best of what Fuengirola has to offer - eating, drinking, walking in the sunshine and looking at things. Really, what more could you want from a seaside holiday?
About the Author: The writer behind Alexia lives in England and has been wandering the world looking at things for far longer than she should admit to. She's been lucky that she's had a career that has enabled her to elude the pull of normalcy. She's travelled to interesting places, done unusual things, had articles published in newspapers, met engaging people and generally lived an unconventional life. When she was 20 years old, she went on her first independent solo trip. In those days it wasn't quite as commonplace as today, there was no internet or mobile phones and she didn't even have a travel guide. She just booked a ticket, ordered a passport, grabbed an old army kit bag that she'd somehow acquired and packed it with everything she thought she'd need. She even packed an iron and they were solid metal in those days! She then put on her kitten-heeled shoes and spent the next 3 months travelling with her camera, checking things out. These days the shoes are more sensible and the iron is left at home but the wanderlust is still there. Since morphing into Alexia, there's an added layer of a digital life. These days, Alexia is a game texture artist as well as a 3D sculptor. Her last exhibition piece was a SL8B exhibit called "Through the Looking Glass" in 2010. She has a listing on the credits for "The Gate", which was the first major art installation for Yannick Antoine, who uses technology as art to bring down the walls between people and avatars. The final exhibition was in Shanghai, China in February 2011. Alexia has previously released four books "The Independent Traveller's Guide to Cambodia", "The Independent Traveller's Guide to Tropical Getaways", "Securing Your Email From Prying Eyes. Using Gpg4win on Windows" and "Preparing and Publishing Your First Kindle eBook".