Guardamar, where Lighthouse has its Costa Blanca South office, is a pretty, low-rise seaside town, popular among foreign and Spanish holiday makers and expats who own apartments and villas in the town. The population increases notably during summer months but out of season it's a relaxing, Spanish town with lots of restaurants serving local cuisine attractive features such as its sand dunes, separated from the town by parkland covered in pine trees.

Beaches here - 14km of them - are among the best on the coast and relatively uncrowded.

The Centro and Roqueta beaches are the busiest, while Moncayo and Los Tusales (a nudist beach) are less crowded.

You can't help noticing the cranes popping up around Guardamar, with 35 apartment blocks currently under construction, but building is not too obtrusive and, besides heading for the beach you can seek refuge in Reina Sofia Park, with its waterfalls and trails.

There are good watersports facilities and the local leisure centre caters for indoor football, tennis, swimming, basketball and handball. The new sports marina near the mouth of the Segura river attracts many visitors to the area and there are five golf courses within 20km of the town.

Property is reasonably cheap here, with small apartments starting at £60,000, large two-bed apartments for around £100,000, luxurious modern penthouses overlooking the sea for £200,000 and houses for £260,000. Large luxury villas in a quiet residential area of Guardamar cost from £250,000. New off-plan two-bed apartments near the beach and golf course are available for £60,000. Inland, the town of Rojales has a lot of off-plan and recently-built properties for sale, including on the large Ciudad Quesada urbanization near the La Marquesa 18-hole golf course. A two-bed apartment here costs from £80,000.