Benidorm Braces for the Wildest Cheltenham Festival Yet as Thousands Head to Spain for £2 Pints and Sunshine!

THERE’S nothing quite like a day at the races, unless your day at the races is necking £2 pints in Benidorm.

Bar owners are bracing themselves for a huge influx of racing fans ready to hit the strip and enjoy Cheltenham, an increasingly popular tradition over the past few years.

Cheltenham remains one of the biggest weeks in the UK sporting calendarCredit: Getty Fancy dress is still in full effect despite being in another countryCredit: Times Media Ltd It’s easy to see why Brits are flocking to Benidorm for the festivalCredit: Paul Grover The Marina hotel has become one of the most famous spots to watch CheltenhamCredit: Paul Grover Revelers watch the Cheltenham Festival horse races at the Marina Resort hotel in Benidorm last yearCredit: Times Media Ltd

Hotel bookings have soared an incredible 225% for the area around the racing festival and it’s become a hotter ticket than itself, to some.

The cheap pints on offer has become a hallmark of the race week and Benidorm has no plans to raise them any time soon.

Zoe Harris, chief customer officer of package holiday firm On the Beach, said: “We’re so close to hearing the Benidorm roar erupt as the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle gets underway.

“It’s clear from the number of punters heading over that this is shaping up to be the biggest has ever seen.

“The bars will be packed from first race to last and you’re guaranteed to hear the cheers echoing down the strip with every winner.”

The fact that is also on Tuesday (March 17th) has only served to heighten the mood around the Costa Brava island and business is indeed expected to boom.

The Marina Resort Hotel has been pegged as one of the must-visit destinations during the festival on the island.

The resort is up to its eyes in big screen TVs, pool parties, and live DJ performances bringing the festival to you but with 20 degree sunshine.

It’s shorts and suncream instead of tweeds and wellies for many Brits who just can’t resist the booze friendly prices and can still lay down a tantalising .

If you’re lucky enough to enjoy the races as a guest in hospitality, it’s an incomparable experience.

If you are a paying punter, many feel that they are now being priced out of Cheltenham and many other big race days as prices continue to soar under the crisis.

You might think by the time you’d spent money on a hotel and flights you would end up spending more.

But for the same money as a train ticket from London to Gloucestershire, punters are learning they can fly to Benidorm and drink beer for a fraction of the cost.

Those who can’t resist the authentic experience will have to brace themselves to pay for and not to mention the never ending queues to go to the toilet.

Then there is the food; burgers cost £12, and a ticket for the day will be somewhere between £47 and £180.

But in Benidorm, it’s £1.70 for a pint, burgers are around £6 and entry to most of the bars that show the races on big screens is not only free, it’s welcomed.

Brits are said to make up over 40% of all visitors to Benidorm, with over 773,000 staying in official accommodation between January and September 2025.

That number is only going to rise as Benidorm becomes the new go-to destination for sport-mad, boozy Brits.