Spain

BATHE YOURSELF IN ORANGE BLOSSOM (NOT SUN)

The Costas are among the most beloved destinations for tourists, but some slices of the Spanish shore are better known than others. On name alone, the Costa del Azahar (Orange Blossom Coast) sings to the soul and the senses. It also offers tangible joys, too, such as the resort towns of Peniscola and Benicassim and the city of Castellon de la Plana, with its grand 15th-century cathedral. Valencia, with its incredible fine food scene, sits just outside the region, but is no less enticing.

BE A CITY-BREAKER IN TARRAGONA (NOT BARCELONA)

Catalonia is forever defined by its swaggering capital. Yet for those seeking a less popular base than Barcelona, there is much to be said for slipping 60 miles south-west along its shoreline, to a city which has just as much history, but nothing like the crowd numbers. Tarragona – once the Roman settlement of Tarraco – wears its ancient heritage openly in its Unesco-listed amphitheatre, but does not forget the sea on its curved Playa El Miracle.

BE AN ISLAND ESCAPE ARTIST ON FORMENTERA (NOT IBIZA)

The smallest of the four main Balearic Islands has generally played second fiddle (or second DJ set, to be more accurate) to its neighbour Ibiza, but Formentera is starting to emerge as a destination in its own right. Its development will continue next month with the opening of Casa Pacha Formentera - a hotel offshoot of the Spanish nightclub group that will bring 14 rooms and a dozing-on-daybeds vibe to Platja Es Arenals, on the long southern shore.