Brits in Benidorm enjoyed a day of Cheltenham fun as the beloved Spanish beach resort basked in glorious sunshine .
As the horse racing in Gloucestershire reached its dramatic climax, sporting fans on the Costa Blanca donned their best jockey costumes to enjoy the sizzling 23 degree heat on the fourth and final day of the festival today.
While organisers at the horse races had sought to make beer more affordable after criticism last year, lowering the price of Guinness to £7.50 a pint, Benidorm’s offer of £1.70 a pint appears too good to turn down for thousands of Brits.
It’s not just the cheap booze that has enticed fans to embrace Benidorm rather than Cheltenham. Entrance to bars on the strip is free, while a ticket for the day at races will cost between £47 and £180.
Due to these factors, it has become a growing tradition in recent years for Brits to travel to the Spanish town to watch the races, with hotel bookings rising by a staggering 225 per cent.
And Brits appeared to have voted with their feet over the affordability of a week in the sun – as hundreds of Brits gathered around large screens in sun-kissed bars to enjoy the day’s events.
With clear blue skies overhead the weather along the mediterranean was remarkably warmer than in Cheltenham where temperatures did not rise above 10 degrees.
Meanwhile, 1,300 miles north of Spain, the races drew to a dramatic close with Gaelic Warrior and his jockey Paul Townend taking home the Gold Cup.
As the horse racing in Gloucestershire reached its dramatic climax, sporting fans on the Costa Blanca donned their best jockey costumes to enjoy the sizzling 23 degree heat
A pair punters dressed up as a horse and a jockey in Benidorm. Brits have flocked to the Costa Blanca to watch the races in recent years with hotel bookings rising by a staggering 225 per cent
Brits enjoy booze in the sun as they enjoy the final day of the races. While a pint of Guinness will set you back £7.50 at Cheltenham, Benidorm offers £1.70 a pint
Gaelic Warrior was the joint favourite 11-4 to win the race alongside Jango Baie – who finished second.
While the 2025 winner, Inothewayurthinkin, came third and Harry Redknapp-owned horse Jukebox Man finished eighth.
Mr Townend also won the Champion Hurdle on Tuesday racing with the horse Lossiemouth.
Speaking after the victory, Gaelic Warrior’s trainer Willie Mullins told ITV: ‘What a performance and what a performance from the owner. The first time an owner has won the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup in the same season.
‘The dominance of Gaelic Warrior against a good field on paper – fantastic for them all.’
Cheltenham gives Benidorm a running start to St Patrick’s Day (March 17) a typically hectic time in the area where tourists enjoy the holiday.
Brits reportedly make up over 40 per cent of Benidorm’s visitors over the course of a year. Nearly 900,000 UK travellers visited the city in 2024.
This year, Cheltenham bosses battled to boost attendances after last year’s figures dropped at an alarming rate.
A group of Brits dressed as jockeys and a horse on the Benidrom strip. Cheltenham gives Benidorm a running start to St Patrick’s Day (March 17) a typically hectic time in the area where tourists enjoy the holiday
A man downs a pint at a bar in Benidorm. Brits reportedly make up over 40 per cent of Benidorm’s visitors over the course of a year. Nearly 900,000 UK travellers visited the city in 2024
Horse racing fans watching today’s races. Over 1,000 miles north of Spain , Cheltenham drew to a dramatic close with Gaelic Warrior and his jockey Paul Townend taking home the Gold Cup
In 2025, 218,839 people flocked to Prestbury Park – a decrease of more than 10,000 on the previous year when just south of 230,000 attended.
Last year’s Ladies Day saw just 41,949 come through the gates – the lowest crowd figure for a single day in a quarter of a century.
Many punters blamed the increasing costs of attending and enjoying Cheltenham as the main factor for no-shows, with a pint of Guinness in 2025 almost at the £8-mark at £7.80.
And in response to all of the above, the price of a pint of Guinness at this year’s Festival was slashed by 30p to £7.50. Meanwhile a half-pint is £3.75 – 15p less than last year.
That full-pint price reduction, spearheaded by chief executive Guy Lavender, means the popular alcoholic beverage is the same price it was in 2022.
Speaking in September about that now-ratified decision, former MCC chairman Lavender said: ‘The price of a pint of Guinness is a peculiarly emotive issue for many people, but it’s important.
‘You can’t benchmark it, Cheltenham is its own event but it was quite clear that this was something people cared about. Therefore, my view was that we ought to do something about it.
‘Rather than put their prices up, which I expect every other venue to do, I felt we should reduce those prices and carry those costs ourselves. That’s a decision we’ve taken to implement for the whole of the season.
Brits enjoying a pint in the Spanish sun on the fourth day of the races. Entrance to bars on the strip is free, while a ticket for the day at races will cost between £47 and £180
‘If you look at other sports and events, I think there will be very few that are matching that price point. It’s a deliberate, purposeful move towards delivering better value for racegoers. It’s not about selling more pints, it’s an indication of intent that we’re responding to the challenges around value. I hope it’ll be well received.’
As well as Guinness, there were many other price changes – albeit small – compared to last year.
Guinness 0.0 is cheaper too with a pint now £7.30 and a half-pint at £3.65 slightly less than last year’s prices of £7.40 and £3.70.
For those who wish to get on the spirits, there is good news too with 25ml of Morgan’s Spiced, Smirnoff, Gordon’s Gin and Gordon’s Pink Gin all reduced by 20p to £7.
A 330ml bottle of premium lager or a 500ml can of Doom Bar are still the same at £7.40 and £7.80 each. A 25ml shot of Jamesons is also still £7.30.
However, for those who wish to drink an alcohol free lager they face inflation by 10p with a 330ml bottle now up to £4.10. Wines have also increased by 30p to £10 for anyone fancying a house white, house red or house rose.
