I am thoroughly confused by this post because loads of (probably most of) the recommendations are for places which are still holiday destinations favoured by Brits, just slightly less touristy (I’m hesitating to say more upmarket) than the usual costa resorts.
I may have misinterpreted the original post but I wouldn’t have thought places like Nerja, Moraira, Calpe, Denia etc would tick the box.
I would also suggest you go north OP - it’s like a totally different country, in a good way. You want destination tourism rather than mass tourism.
Beautiful beaches, lakes, mountains, greenery, gorgeous fishing villages and stunning scenery plus amazing food and drink. You absolutely won’t find any restaurants with photos of food outside but you will find lots of amazing restaurant featuring the typical ‘menu del dÃa’ with three courses and wine for around €9.
Just don’t go expecting TGI Friday style food, happy hour etc and you’ll be fine. But then, I expect that’s not what you’re after anyway.
I’ll be there for a month this summer and we probably won’t come across any ‘brits abroad’ and that’s absolutely perfect for me.
ps the times article someone linked to above is really good - two of my own favourite fishing villages near our family home are listed there.