Yes, getting a look at the "renters" in each campground -- or hotel or motel -- should definitely be part of the reconnaissance mission, especially if you're alone or alone with kids.

That "inner voice" is surely a learned response, a skill honed by time and experience, but its seeds, I believe, were planted in us at creation. We're hard-wired, I think, to be able to tell a teddy bear from a rat. Our "animal instincts." Incredible gift.

And, rockgarden, we, too have stayed in Nerja, Spain, at the El Capistrano Villages ( www.elcapistrano.com ). Spain's Costa del Sol is a great destination, and Nerja, I think, is the most beautiful of the Costa del Sol resort towns. Some of the towns on the Costa del Sol, like Torremolinos, are heavily developed and chock-a-block with high-rise apartment and hotel complexes. Nerja retains much of its old-world appeal. It's picturesque and offers quiet, languid glimpses into local history, architecture, culture and traditions that are lost in the sprawl of other coastal towns. Nerja has managed to keep its heart and soul intact.