Going Native in Alicante [Paperback]

Susan Bearder (Author), Debbie Jenkins (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 26, 2008

Say Alicante and most people either think of the airport, the Costa Blanca or "tacky" Benidorm. Look closer though and you'll find that Alicante offers a whole range of geographical and cultural delights to be discovered and enjoyed. Much more than a tourist guide Going Native in Alicante goes further to give you a native's eye view of the province. Inside you will discover: * hidden Spanish treasures beyond Benidorm * a brief look into Alicante's past and future * intimate guided tours of key towns and cities * personal photographs from the author's travels * a guide to Alicante culture and celebrations * the inside scoop on Alicante's culinary delights * tips on 'going native' yourself and living there * much, much more... 'Going Native' guides are written with a rare type of traveller in mind... longer term visitors who want to become a true part of their new home. So, whether your stay is a month or a lifetime this guide will give you everything the tourist travel guides won't.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This is the third book in our "Going Native" series. The first was "Going Native in Murcia", the second was "Going Native in Alicante". Look out for more titles and get in touch at NativeSpain.com if you'd like to be one of our authors.

About the Author

Susan Bearder has lived and travelled extensively in Alicante province but currently lives on the Murcian-Andalucian border where she shares her love for Spain from her home in the Rambla de Nogalte.

She shares her little piece of Spain with partner Steve, his widowed mum, 3 dogs and 2 cats.

An exhibiting photographer and avid blogger Susan originally moved to Spain for a healthier environment to help with her MS symptoms.

Susan won a NativeSpain.com competition to get her book on Spain published.

Product Details

• Paperback: 196 pages
• Publisher: Lean Marketing Press (September 26, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1905430361
• ISBN-13: 978-1905430369
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,578,628 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A little misleading, September 11, 2009

By 

Nicole F (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Going Native in Alicante (Paperback)

I ordered this book because I will be moving to Alicante, Spain for about 8 months. I was surprised that there was even a book for people planning on moving to Alicante, as it's not a huge city (I hadn't even heard of Alicante before I got placed there for a job). There weren't any reviews on it (which I usually take into great consideration before buying anything on Amazon.com), so I felt I was taking a slight risk, as I think this book is a bit pricey, at $18.99. However, this seemed to be the only book specifically for Alicante, so I figured I would buy it for tips, etc.

But when I received it, I was baffled to find that there were really only about 6 pages in the book (out of about 165) that talked specifically about Alicante! Now, when I say Alicante, I mean the city/capital of Alicante, and not the region. As Alicante (city) is the same name as the region, I just guess I didn't realize that the book would be covering the whole region and not only the city. Of course, there is nothing wrong with this, but when I bought it I figured (as I'm sure a majority of people looking at this book will think as well) the book would be on the main city people go to live/visit, and there was nothing on the description of the book that pointedly stated that the book would be on the Alicante, the region.

I feel it would have been much better to have a more clear or specific title (= The Region of Alicante, or something simple like that), or at least a bigger emphasis in the description on the page that it's not specifically on the city. I probably didn't play close enough attention, but as a person who didn't know much about Alicante, that didn't occur to me. For example, it gives summaries of little towns around the region, such as Benijofar, Petrer, Los Montesinos, etc. All very helpful if you're planning on doing a lot of travel in the region, but not if you're just looking for stuff to do/see in the actual city. The 6 pages on the city in the book is nice, but you can find the same info and more on the internet searching for "Alicante".

The first 47 pages give a basic overview of the region, such as history, climate, economy, etc. (which is kind of helpful, but none of which I'm sure you couldn't just find on the internet). I feel the rest of summaries about small towns might help if you're looking to pick a town to live in - like buying property and moving there (not just studying abroad), and need an overall view of the towns there. But since it covers lots of towns, there's nothing too in depth; just a broad overview of them (each description ranging from a paragraph to a few pages).

I'm only writing this to perhaps help others who are looking to buy this, under the impression that you'll be getting a load of information and advice about the city of Alicante. That, you will not. But, if you need a book about the whole region, and want to road trip it through the entire Alicante region or something, this may be for you.

I won't even be bringing this book with me on my trip now, because it's not specific enough to my needs of the city. It will save me space (not much, because it's a small book) in my luggage, but I still feel disappointed I spent $19+ on it for nothing. And as I plan on doing more travel outside the region of Alicante, I'll just be bringing a more broad travel book, which covers the more main areas I might be visiting.

I hope this helps, good luck with your travels!