Theres nothing wrong with going electric to avoid all the ground tackle hassles. Lots of folks have gone that way. But it comes down to do you want to just zoom around under power or learn to soar by seeking and riding thermals. The Alps, Fantasy Angel and Kunlun are all what many would call hotliners. Or at least "warmliners". They are at their best when flown under power for much of the flight. They can catch thermals but their higher wing loading will produce flying speeds that make it harder for a thermaling newbie to read the disturbances that indicate lift and to fly into that lift and stay there. Also having heavier wing loadings these models will not be able to take advantage of lighter lift.
The only model I see in the Nitromodels lineup that I would say is suitable and reasonably compact is the Easy Tiger.
From Tower there's a ARF Vista and Upstar that I would suggest. Although polyhedral and rather "trainer like" the challenge of finding and riding thermals will prove to be all the challenge you need and these planes would give you a good beginning on this aspect. Being easy to fly in a sailplane is a good thing. It allows you to follow the lift further downwind and not run into flying issues due to "controlling a speck" vs having to actually see the model to fly it well when it's a full house sort of model.
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXMUY1&P=0
http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXMCL0&P=0
From Hobby Lobby there's the Easyglider
http://www.hobby-lobby.com/easyglide...18688_prd1.htm
There's other options from other suppliers but these should provide you with something to chew on. And keep in mind that while the glider itself will and SHOULD be a breeze to fly it is the challenge of finding and riding the lift that you're looking at. So despite the fact that you may think these models are boring to just fly you'll find that they prove to be effective because they allow you to focus on the air they are flying through and how they are interacting with that air.