Hot to trot! Benidorm Brits enjoy sun-soaked Cheltenham fun in glorious weather

Brits in Benidorm had a fun day out in Cheltenham as the beloved Spanish seaside resort soaked up the glorious sunshine.

As horse racing in Gloucestershire reached its dramatic climax, sports fans on the Costa Blanca donned their best jockey costumes to bask in scorching 23-degree heat on the fourth and final day of the festival.

While horse racing organizers sought to make the beer more affordable after criticism last year, dropping the price of Guinness to £7.50 a pint, Benidorm’s offer of £1.70 a pint looks too good to turn down for thousands of Brits.

It’s not just cheap booze that’s convincing fans to embrace Benidorm over Cheltenham. While entry to the bars on the strip is free, daily tickets to the races range from £47 to £180.

Due to these factors, it has become a growing tradition in recent years for Britons to travel to the Spanish town to watch the races; hotel bookings increased by a staggering 225 percent.

Brits also appeared to vote with their feet on whether it was appropriate to spend a week in the sun, as hundreds of Brits gathered around big screens in sun-kissed pubs to enjoy the day’s events.

The weather along the Mediterranean, with clear blue skies, was quite warm compared to Cheltenham, where temperatures did not rise above 10 degrees.

Meanwhile, 2,300 miles north of Spain, racing came to a dramatic end as Gaelic Warrior and his jockey Paul Townend took home the Gold Cup.

A pair of punters dressed as horses and jockeys in Benidorm. Brits have flocked to the Costa Blanca to watch the races, with hotel bookings rising by 225 per cent in recent years.

Brits enjoy drinks in the sun as they enjoy the final day of racing. A pint of Guinness in Cheltenham will set you back £7.50, while Benidorm offers £1.70 for a pint

Welsh Warrior was made the 11-4 joint favorite to win the race alongside runner-up Jango Baie.

2025 winner Inothewayurthinkin came third, while Jukebox Man, owned by Harry Redknapp, came eighth.

Mr Townend also won the Champion Hurdle race on Tuesday riding Lossiemouth.

Speaking after the win, Gaelic Warrior’s trainer Willie Mullins told ITV: ‘What a performance and what a performance from the owner. It was the first time a team owner won the Champion Hurdle and the Gold Cup in the same season.

‘Welsh Warrior’s dominance against a good field on paper; It’s amazing for all of them.’

Cheltenham gives Benidorm a flying start on St Patrick’s Day (March 17), a typically hectic time in the region when tourists enjoy the holiday.

It is reported that more than 40 percent of visitors to Benidorm a year are British. Around 900,000 British travelers visited the city in 2024.

This year Cheltenham bosses have struggled to boost attendance after last year’s figures fell at an alarming rate.

A group of Englishmen dressed as jockeys and horses on the Benidrom lane. Cheltenham gives Benidorm a flying start on St Patrick’s Day (March 17), a typically hectic period in the region when tourists enjoy the holiday

A man drinks beer in a bar in Benidorm. It is reported that more than 40 percent of visitors to Benidorm a year are British. Nearly 900,000 British travelers visited the city in 2024

Horse racing fans watching today’s races. 1000 miles north of Spain, Cheltenham brought to a dramatic close with Welsh Warrior and his jockey Paul Townend taking home the Gold Cup.

In 2025, 218,839 people flocked to Prestbury Park; that number was down more than 10,000 from the previous year, when attendance was just south of 230,000.

On last year’s Women’s Day, only 41,949 people came through the doors; This was the lowest crowd figure seen on a single day in a quarter of a century.

Many punters blamed the rising costs of attending and enjoying Cheltenham as the main factor in no-shows; In 2025 a pint of Guinness stood at £7.80, almost on the £8 mark.

And in response to all of the above, the price of a pint of Guinness at this year’s Festival has been reduced by 30p to £7.50. A half pint, meanwhile, costs £3.75 – 15p less than last year.

This full price cut, spearheaded by chief executive Guy Lavender, means the popular alcoholic drink remains the same price as it will be in 2022.

Speaking about the now-confirmed decision in September, former MCC chairman Lavender said: ‘The price of a pint of Guinness is a highly emotional issue for many people, but it is an important one.

‘You can’t compare it, Cheltenham is an event in itself but it was pretty clear it was something people cared about. So my view was that we needed to do something about it.

‘Instead of raising prices as I expect every venue to do, I felt we needed to reduce these prices and cover the costs ourselves. This is a decision we have made to implement throughout the season.

British people drinking beer under the Spanish sun on the fourth day of the races. Admission to bars on the Strip is free, while at the races daily tickets will cost between £47 and £180.

‘If you look at other sports and events I think there will be very few that fit that price point. This is a conscious and purposeful move to deliver better value to racing fans. This isn’t about selling more pints, it’s an indication that we’re responding to value challenges. I hope it’s well received.’

Besides Guinness, there have been many price changes, albeit small, compared to last year.

Guinness 0.0 is also cheaper; a pint is now £7.30 and a half pint is £3.65, slightly lower than last year’s prices of £7.40 and £3.70.

There’s good news for those looking to indulge, with 25ml of Morgan’s Spiced, Smirnoff, Gordon’s Gin and Gordon’s Pink Gin dropping 20p to £7.

A 330ml bottle of premium lager or a 500ml can of Doom Bar is still the same price of £7.40 and £7.80. A 25ml shot of Jamesons is also still £7.30.

But for those who want to drink non-alcoholic beer, they face inflation of 10p on a 330ml bottle, now costing up to £4.10. Wines for those who like a house white, house red or house rosé have also increased by 30p to £10.