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Benidorm is the 'Costa del Cheltenham' say racing fans

Hsin-Yi LoSouth East
News imageGetty Images A couple sit face to face opposite a Benidorm beach which is thronged with sunseekers, some of whom are sheltering from the blazing heat beneath coloured umbrellasGetty Images
Benidorm is growing a big following among horse racing fans who feel they have been priced out of events in the UK

A man from Kent is one of thousands of Britons who has travelled to Spain to watch the Cheltenham Festival, lured by better weather and cheaper food and drink.

Mikey Fenton, from Tonbridge, has joined his father and his friends to watch one of the biggest horse racing events of the year while soaking up the Iberian sun in Benidorm.

He told BBC Radio Kent the cost of going to Cheltenham every year for the races had become "too expensive".

He added he was now enjoying the sport from the "Costa Del Cheltenham", which was "better for the hip pocket".

News imageMikey Fenton Eight men sitting around a table outside a pub. There are drinks on the table. There are also many customers sitting around them.Mikey Fenton
Mikey Fenton, pictured standing, says he has been travelling to Cheltenham for the festival for 15 years but it has become too expensive

He said Benidorm, dubbed the "New York of the Mediterranean", had a "buzzing atmosphere".

"I have travelled to Cheltenham in the last 15 years for the festival, but it is expensive and no value for money," he said.

He said food and drink was expensive at Cheltenham and he had ended up paying "hundreds of pounds a day" to attend the event in the UK.

News imageMikey Fenton A group of people watching a horse racing event on a large TV screen outside a pub.Mikey Fenton
Mikey said pubs in Benidorm accommodated the Cheltenham Festival fans

"Travelling to Spain, I've managed to secure a return ticket for £60, and we have rented an apartment where we split the cost," he added.

Fenton said as Benidorm had become a regular go-to place for festival fans, the pubs had welcomed them.

"It's fantastic," he said. "We plan to go around to different pubs to watch different races."

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