The other Costa del Sol

For a basic beach holiday, where you just want sun, sea, an inexpensive hotel room and lots of cheap beer (and aren't too snobby about your fellow holidaymakers), then the Costa del Sol is fine. Personally, I find lying on beaches for hours intensely dull, although a refreshing swim on a hot day and the chance to read a good book without feeling guilty do have a certain appeal. In fact, where we're staying now gives us ample opportunity to do both, but we're also getting the chance to meet the local English/Spanish community - not the people who have moved from the UK to sit in smart villas and restrict their mixing to fellow ex-pats, but the people whose lives have become woven into the fabric of southern Spain.

Patty, our landlady, has been here for twenty five years or more. When we went into Estepona with her, it took ages to get from one side of the street to the other as numerous friends and acquaintances kept stopping to say "hola" and exchange news. Estepona itself is quite an attractive town with some charming cafe-lined plazas, smart shopping streets and a busy fishing port and marina. Mind you, the shops aren't so smart they don't include the odd front room-grocery seller. We stopped in one complete with sofas, sideboards and TV, where an elderly woman was selling fruit, veg and free-range eggs. We bought a big bagful of goods for less than five euros.

Back at Patty's Paradise our fellow campers include Heicke, a German traveller with her two old-style Mercedes cars (which she uses interchangeably, depending on which one happens to be working), her beautifully painted blue bus and her three energetic dogs, one of which is an improbable cross between a chihuaha and a husky.

Also, newly arrived in his long wheelbase Volkswagen truck is Andy, who we'd already encountered at the Rocket Festival. He's recently quit his job in the UK and sold most of his possessions to move out here. The seed was planted when his friend Kerine (who gave us Patty's flyer at the Rocket) moved to this area around five years ago. Last year Andy spent a few months doing a solo motorbike tour of Western Europe and that was that, going back to life and work in the UK didn't hold enough attractions anymore, so here he is. It gets you that way. I wonder if Theo and I will ever slot back into our former lives, but we shall see. Plenty of time yet.

Kerine herself has also visited a few times, sharing funny tales of her life in Spain and the people she meets in her upholstery job at Estepona Port. Patty's daughter Rosie is currently taking time out from her own travelling (Central America so far, the UK then other parts of Europe are next) to see her mum - Rosie's boyfriend Raffa is also here. He's from Madrid originally, but she met him while they were both in Belize. We've also met Patty's ex, Steve (christened the patron saint of vans since he fixed the busted fuel pump on Andy's vehicle), a lively Spanish family friend called Jasmina and another mate called Simon. We joined the ensemble up at Patty's house for late night wine, chat and bread and butter pudding. As you do in Spain. If we're not careful, we'll start feeling rather at home here ourselves.