There's nothing like a short break in the sun and getting away from the city is always a bonus. This quick flashback to a long weekend in Torrevieja makes me long for the heat of summer, especially when I look out of my window and see thick sheets of frost and fog.

Torrevieja sits beside Alicante in the South East of Spain on the breezy coast. With bright pink salt lakes, rocky beaches and fish restaurants a plenty it would be hard not to relax. The best food can be found far from the busy streets, silent during siesta time, buzzing in the cool evening. There's also a night market to pick up some treasures to take home (I'm hinting to the espadrilles here) and farmers markets in the day to explore and fill your bellies. Make sure you pick up some of the juiciest olives, but watch out for the garlic - they get pretty hot! And if all this gets all too much don't forget to make a mid-day pitstop for an espresso, beer or sangria. Of course there'll be a small plate of tapas to tide you through here too.

Looking back a weekend out of the hustle and bustle and catching the last September rays was just deserved. Sipping sangria and consuming more paella and tapas than humanly possible is the perfect way to wave goodbye to summer.