I’m swapping Cheltenham Festival for sun-soaked Benidorm party – here's the 5 REAL reasons why punters are doing it
Even now, just over two decades on, that sense of excitement and anticipation ahead of my Cheltenham Festival debut remains fresh in the mind.
Crammed into the back seat of a car with veterans who had made the pilgrimage annually, some as far back as the 1970s, the six-hour journey flew by with all sorts of tales of past experiences which only heightened that eagerness to sample the then three-day extravaganza.
It started a years-long love affair as it lived up to its billing of the Greatest Show On Turf. It wasn’t only the quality racing on display - in fact, as a casual punter it wasn’t even that - but the whole buzz that grips what is a quiet Cotswolds town for the other 51 weeks of the year.
The place is transformed for that one week in the middle March and there is nothing that can beat being there for those four days. Well, so I and thousands of others always thought. For so many who have experienced the magic of the Cheltenham Festival there simply was no alternative.
It seemed unthinkable to book your annual leave for racing week, plan a trip - and NOT head to Gloucestershire.
That is until now. There is a growing phenomenon now of punters who have made the annual pilgrimage who are now ditching the Festival in person. Instead, they are heading to sunnier climes to watch it in the pub. And this year I’ve decided to join the Costa del Cheltenham holiday club.
Last year, Record Sport colleague Scott McDermott hit the popular Benidorm hotspot and shared his adventure which he raved about and this year I have decided to get on board as it grows in popularity, with Benidorm, the Costa del Sol and Tenerife the main places gaining from Cheltenham’s loss.
So tens of us will meet at Glasgow airport bleary-eyed for the red-eye flight to Alicante with pockets full of cash and confidence even fuller… and we’ll probably return broken and empty. Regardless of where you choose to watch it, the outcome is usually the same! But the excitement is nevertheless the same and here's five reasons punters are opting for the Costas over the Cotswolds.
COST
The number one No. 1 reason people appear to be turning away from attending the Festival itself are the spiralling costs to attend Prestbury Park. One popular racing blogger recently shared prices on social media of a small two bed flat being advertised in Cheltenham for three nights at an eye-popping cost of £2708. Then you throw in the £100 club enclosure ticket each day and that’s a hefty outlay before you even consider travel costs, which will vary depending on which part of the country you are travelling from.
Compare that to Benidorm, for example, where you can get a package holiday for four nights from Glasgow for as little as £450 and that’s before we look at food and drink which is where racegoers have really been put off. Last year, a pint of Guinness, Madri Lager, Aspall Suffolk Cyder or Atlantic Pale Ale were all priced at £7.50 at the course while other bottles of lager and cider range from £7.40 to £7.65. A small 187ml glass of wine is priced at a whopping £9.70 with spirits starting from £7 to £7.60, and even a 330ml soft drink is £3.
Benidorm has always been a haven for bargain-hunting Brits and one man holidaymaker recently found a pub where a pint costs less than a cup of tea! Graham, who runs the @benidorm_grumet page on TikTok, shared the amazing find at Uncle Ped’s bar where a pint is just £1.66 (€2). The food is also remarkably priced - you can get a full English breakfast for anywhere between €2.95 (£2.46) to €5.50 (£4.59) depending on how much you want to eat.
CROWDS
Attendances are down at the Festival but it remains a popular attraction. And while that capacity crowd is what helps make it so special, it can also be a downside. Standing room only on the train into Cheltenham Spa - if you aren’t staying in the town itself - and queues 10 deep at the bar and for the toilets can quickly take its toll on your weary body. And those who opt to take the car also suffer hours stuck in traffic jams and waiting to get in and out of car parks. If you have been there all week, by that fourth day of racing the walk to the course can be as challenging as the horses trying to get up the famous ‘Cheltenham Hill’ to the winning post and there is nothing worse than competing with the Gold Cup day-trippers who are full of energy and enthusiasm for a place in the queue for the bar.
It’s more relaxing in Spain, although it’s also becoming an issue with some bars so busy you have to get in between 10.30am and 11am to secure a good table. Richard Jobling, owner of the Benidorm And Beyond website, said: “Somewhere like the Marina Resort Hotel will have around 1,000 people around the poolside watching Cheltenham.”
WEATHER
When the sun is out, the view from Cheltenham racecourse out to Cleeve Hill is spectacular. But the weather in Old Blighty is never guaranteed. And last year video surfaced online of racegoers taking two hours to get out of the racecourse due to torrential rain. Heavy rain falling on already-boggy fields significantly slowed people's attempts to return home from the four-day festival.
Downpours were significantly heavier than had been forecast with races even in danger of being postponed. One person wrote on X, saying: "Racing finished an hour and 10 mins ago. Absolute bedlam in the car park. No cars moving at all, stuck everywhere with no help. £30 per car. Come racing they say!!!!," he said, along with unhappy face emojis. That was in stark comparison to the video viewed more than five million times on X of holidaymakers watching the Cheltenham Festival, under clear blue skies and golden sunshine, by the swimming pool on a big screen at the Marina Resort Hotel in Benidorm. Ironically, in the week before the Festival rain is forecast in the Alicante region with dry weather in the Cotswolds but for race week itself temperatures in the mid-20s are expected in Spain.
ATMOSPHERE
The buzz of being at the Cheltenham Festival can’t be ignored but holiday hotspots are creating a real carnival atmosphere. The racing action is shown on giant television screens and Jobling said: “Benidorm has 800-1,000 bars, largely British, so for years there has always been a sporting fraternity, as well as bookmakers on the strip. You’ve got the sun, the holiday experience and you can go there with your mates. Before the bars would be rammed, but now the hotels have latched on and are using their outdoor space to put up gigantic jumbo screens.” 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 plotted in the bars and put bets on each race like they would there, they’re just in Spain!"
NIGHTLIFE
Cheltenham comes alive at night during race week but for so many Brits, there is nothing that can compare to the vibrant Benidorm nightlife when the neon is switched on and the bars and restaurants begin to buzz. That’s the great thing about Benidorm - there really is something for everyone from the party atmosphere on the main strip to the charm of the old town.
