Watch Cheltenham from Benidorm

Brits sack off Cheltenham Festival to watch the racing in sunny Benidorm

People working in the bars in Benidorm have revealed Cheltenham races is now one of the busiest weeks in the Spanish city's calendar and have declared it the start of the summer season

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/brits-sack-cheltenham-festival-watch-34773008

Brits are binning off buying Cheltenham Festival tickets to watch the racing in Benidorm.

Horse racing fans say flight prices to sunny Spain are actually cheaper than a day ticket to the race festival so are opting to jet abroad to enjoy the racing.

Droves of fans are now flooding bars on the Spanish city to enjoy a pint watching the races in the sunshine instead.

Ellie Fowler works in Morgan’s Tavern in Benidorm and said: “It’s one of the busiest weeks we have.

“We all know of Cheltenham week. It’s the start of the summer season to be honest. We are all called back into work as it gets so busy.

“It started after Covid. People wanted some sunshine and they literally plot up in the bars and put bets on each race like they would there, they’re just in Spain!”

And Benidorm blog Benidorm and Beyond added it was fast becoming one of the biggest weeks in the Spanish calendar.

They say: “If Cheltenham is not part of your holiday planning this year, then head for Benidorm. It’s the next best thing. You have bars and big screens, outdoor terraces and an electric atmosphere.

“St Patrick’s Day caps off the week so it is always rammed. Everyone gets dressed in green, the music and the craic gets louder with the Boy’s Only groups and the Girls on Tour long weekenders. All having fun in the sun.

“Watching the Cheltenham Festival in Benidorm – who ever thought that would be a thing!

“You just need a passport to get to this one.”

One punter Scott McDermott, said: “Basically, it’s Cheltenham in the sun. Those early bird prices for Cheltenham 2025 are trying to entice you in at £86 per day. That’s JUST for your race ticket. Times that by four days and you’re at £344 before you’ve got transport or a place to stay. Then you’ve got your spending money - for food, drink and gambling. Suddenly, you’re over a grand.

“Our Benidorm return flights from Glasgow were £200. Three nights The Marina Hotel was £140 per person. And with some bars offering a pint for just 2euro? That was our biggest winner of the week.”

Scott from Glasgow will be missed I’m sure.

I'm off out there next Saturday for the week, a crowd of about 12 of us from the local all going
I've been going to Benidorm for Cheltenham week for the best part of 20 years, bar covid year and one other

Good for u Reg nothing like enjoying urself with the company of a few mates

I get it
but personally I,d rather stick pins in my eyes than  watch football,racing in a pub with a gang of loud bordering on drunk lads,never watched a race at the course on tv and if I ever do it will be like next week on the TV in my living room, some loudmouth screaming  a horse home as it falls out the back of even a 200inch tv screen as your trying to watch the race/finnish  ain't for me,
I always get stuck surrounded by the RA RA,s who when England/EPL club  who havnt won a tournament/title in 60 yrs are 3 down at halftime say no worries we,ll win this 4 3, when you tell them its you 10,000th   game and we've never come back from more than 3 down  to win in any of them,they say they will today , 10,000 and 1 45 mins later

Superb….

got pulled of the subs bench to take grandson to BORO match yesterday his dads working away, 1st game in years in lower west stand family end,woman 50+ behind us with 2 young kids my grandsons 9, said a 100 words 70 of them were the word FOOKING right in the grandsons ear,  who needs it,you pull ,m up and you get dragged in to a slanging match especially with women involved

Women? Thought that place full of ladies

1ST TP

finished at 3 today popped into the club for a quick pint on the way home sat on my own reading  the rp I pinched  2 couples  with 2 young kids sat a few feet  away every  other word was blue.no respect these days .
Hope you are well.

Ronnie

Sounds like ticket sales are on their @rse at Cheltenham, apparently the paddies are staying at home.

1TP, get yourself down to the rugby with the grandkids. 
Grandparents take young children every week, home and away supporters all sitting mixed together and not a swear word uttered all match.  Great atmosphere and great fun. 
And none of the wimps lying on the floor rolling around crying because they tripped over a blade of grass.

yeh I,m fine Ronnie and I,m no shrinking violet but wouldn't dream of using foul language in front of any   kids or females I don't no, you can hear young kids especially girls on the way home from school on opposite side of Rd effing and blinding in every sentence

to some people its everyday language now and they probably dont even think their doing anything wrong ,then their kids grow up believing the same and we are where we are

1ST TP never heard  my parents  swear in front of me I never ever sweared in front of them
Looking  forward  to a nice lamb dinner  with a couple  of glasses  of Merlot..Ronnie.

same here,that's the swearing not the lamb roast and merloit 

Each to their own. Cheltenham week in Benidorm, I couldn't think of a place id less rather be!

Dinna knock it till ya try it

if ye watch bargains loving brits in the sun the place is full of gypos living in tents

There's an old theory that the trouble with everyday swearing is the next level up when angered is violence, whereas for people who don't swear, the next level up is swearing.

Whether there's anything in it...

it certainly loses its meaning when you use it as part of your everyday language

Benidorm certainly sounds appealing.

Would I qualify for a good seat sporting a Harris tweed jacket, mustard corduroy trousers, strong leather brogues & matching trilby?

If you wore them with white socks and sandals you’d fit in slightly better!

is it like THE ARC in the old days do some UK lads lay all the bets  ?

Blowing a hoolie there today with any amount of rain. Rain forecast for the next 5 days at least.
Good to soft at Cheltenham -Benidorm Heavy, Sticky in places

ITP.
Think VC Took a few bets at the Arc one year ended up behind bars.
Ronnie.

ronnie ... vicor was snitched when taking bets in a box at longchamp , arc day . he apparently spent the night in the french slammer with nephew butch who pointed out they had a room booked at george v that night . thats pretty unlucky !

victor obviously .

Winsdor.
Had dinner there arc weekend 1990 just thinking where did it go wrong.
The hotel not the slammer.
Hope you are well.
Ronnie.

I would prefer a lot of places in Spain and Portugal to Benidorm at half the prices but the attraction is being able to watch the coverage and bet presumably. I will be in Portugal from 21 March for a week but don't expect to be able to place any bets. Return flight to Faro £70 each and average room rates for 4 star hotels are £90 per night for myself and my wife including breakfast and a sea view balcony. Plenty of smaller hotels are much cheaper. I will probably welcome a week away from racing if my Cheltenham bets go down or be banking the winnings if they come up.

Benidorm yesterday


https://www.youtube.com/shorts/prXTuBRIPhw

Desert orchid atop the Traiangle Bar

Pack yer mac and an umbrella Reg.

Code red warning there and the wider region for today and tomorra

Schools closed and hospital appointments cancelled.

Forecast not that good for next week either

Kirkland in charge of the weather there now?..

Update lads, for anyone who's coming out to here this week
Got here today, weather bit of sun, about 18 degrees C
Supposed to get better next few days
Bad news, the Twelfth man bookie has gone, got raided apparently
The winning post bookie was packed today, but different people behind the bar taking bets, didn't like any winners, made you feel bad collecting
Good news, turned off WiFi and can get on Exchange, Sportsbook and Bet356 no problems
That'll do me for the week

Oh, and 1 euro 50 cents (about 1.30 pounds) a pint

Happy days

Meanwhile, back in sunny Britain, this weekend is warmer than Spain.

The bad news is a cold front coming down from the north in time for Cheltenham! 17 degrees C Sunday but a high of 8 for each of the four days, according to the BBC forecast.

they didn't like anyone winning
Reggie keeping the bar staff happy again ,
enjoy your chelt,Reggie

Cheltenham new chief expects the crowds to below last years 230k attendance
Yep
Their all in SPAIN

Bad news, the Twelfth man bookie has gone, got raided apparently

anything to do with every man & his dog going online saying s0d cheltenham, i'm off to benidorm.  you'll find me in the 12th man gambling with the illegal bookie they've got in there that the police don't know about.

Will Scott from Glasgow back Majborough off course he will he knows it makes sense Rodney even if it jumps like a cupboard

Hulk, re your 2035 post yesterday...
The twelfth man bookie was a legal shop next to the bar. It had all the licenses displayed and machines for betting into the Spanish state owned bookies
Over the years, bookies out here have been temporarily or otherwise closed down by the local police for not "being nice" to them

Kenbo would fit nicely with his bricklaying squad…..rule Britannia shorts and vest……

Kenbo’s on a little Spanish island. Probably 1000 miles away from Benidorm though.

pays to be nice to the constabulary reginald ...

IOW   nice at this time of yr

be lots of competiition for the best mares in cafe benidorm 2am

Landed here yesterday Reg.
As you da y weather been decent today.
Spotted one pub doing a 1 euro pint(estrella).

Think it was the same joint that had a Bellybuster full english brekkie

Mar 9, 2025 -- 5:08PM, leif wrote:

Landed here yesterday Reg.As you da y weather been decent today.Spotted one pub doing a 1 euro pint(estrella).

The Night/Day place does a lovely cod and chips with mushy peas. Add in a pint of Heineken and its around a tenner for the lot. It's around the corner from Sinatras.

Leif, was about 23 in the sun most of the afternoon today
Forget those negative forecasts
MJK...The all day and night place for food and drinks probably John and Joseph's?

Plenty of groups of lads out here for the racing in my hotel
And a few stag parties as usual, combining both

Mar 9, 2025 -- 6:14PM, Regbutler wrote:

Leif, was about 23 in the sun most of the afternoon todayForget those negative forecastsMJK...The all day and night place for food and drinks probably John and Joseph's?

https://www.daynight.es/

I’m feeling decidedly Middle Class now after reading about all you Benidorm travellers!

I aspire to be middle class, Kembo
But, working class is what I is

Plenty of groups of lads out here for the racing in my hotel
And a few stag parties as usual, combining both

i predict a riot ....

Enjoy Reg.

Wouldn’t miss Cheltenham for the world. Counting down the days for months now. Witnessing the Champion Hurdle and Gold Cup especially will be worth every penny. If you missed 1975 Champion Hurdle, Arkle, Istabraq, Sprinter Sacre, Dawn Run and when asked were you there and you say no..I was at Benidorm, Blackpool, Yarmouth because it was better ?!?

Hibore you forgot to mention Moscow flyer,sea pigeon,the 2005 champion hurdle and the Dickinson five.

And denman and kauri star

If it’s financial then there isn’t a problem. I might be there in a few years if bank manager says no to £10 pints and £300 entry

hibore ( and all others )  . i will never forget being there for the dickinson 5 , dawn run,bobsline v noddys,  kauto and much more ...but when i rec'd a letter from sunderlands saying we had lost our opening day tent as they turned it into a bentley showroom that was it !...nevertheless , hope you all have a good time .

The Dickinson 5 day Windsor can you remember which other piece of Cheltenham history occurred that afternoon?

Caroline Beasley becoming first victorious female jockey.

That’s correct Saxon I won’t insult you by asking the horses name .

Have a good week jimnast!

On Wednesday I'll be in the restaurant @ Huntingdon which I'm very much looking forward to. The usual 3 course lunch with an afternoon tea, which was about £120.00 p.p. I can't recall exactly how much. Huntingdon and watching Cheltenham in comfort.

Lovely job.

Yes you to Saxon really looking forward to it more than any other year since the on of on of on of Covid year which did my head in,some fabulous racing to enjoy

Good luck

eliogarty....my god i had forgotten all about that !

Coming up at 07.50 UK time on BBC breakfast news...
An article on Brits going out to Benidorm for Cheltenham

Hope it is going well there Reg. Good luck with finding winners. It is not just Benidorm apparently. The BBC were featuring Worcester this morning where the pubs are all laying on Cheltenham coverage for the 4 days and have a huge increase in demand. Cheltenham are in trouble. It is getting harder to get to and from the course, costs have soared and punters are voting with their feet.
I am looking forward to the 19-20 degrees forecast in Faro when we go there in 10 days time. Meanwhile I will be watching Cheltenham from home.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2025/mar/12/booze-and-bets-in-benidorm-wel...

Only 42k crowd -wednesday
Got be packed in Bendorm

Spent the day freezeing
Make a couple of visits to  the centaur-PACKED
JP wun the 2 races i watched
On betting i got nutted in 2 races by
RACHEL

Warm out there now though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU899lhXPlE

Leif, I'm further down in Spain right now, near Marbella
It's been 35c plus for last 12 days here
Bar prices a bit different to Benidorm here, to say the least!