{"id":80,"date":"2026-03-31T06:14:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T06:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/disport.com.ng\/2026\/03\/31\/thousands-of-brits-descend-on-benidorm-for-cheaper-cheltenham-alternative\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T06:14:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T06:14:20","slug":"thousands-of-brits-descend-on-benidorm-for-cheaper-cheltenham-alternative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/?p=80","title":{"rendered":"Thousands of Brits descend on Benidorm for cheaper Cheltenham alternative"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<h2 class=\"LeadText_lead-text__wd_PA __className_548649\" data-testid=\"leadtext\">The Cheltenham Festival 2026 gets underway on Tuesday but it appears that despite a reduction in prices, some punters are now choosing to fly to Spain to take in the racing instead<\/h2>\n<p><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX ImageEmbed_image-lead__Ti3qQ\" data-testid=\"leadimage\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36841895\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Benidorm\" loading=\"eager\" sizes=\"(max-width: 508px) 508px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36841895.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_GettyImages-2235224324.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36841895.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s508\/1_GettyImages-2235224324.jpg 508w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36841895.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615\/1_GettyImages-2235224324.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36841895.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200f\/1_GettyImages-2235224324.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"British tourists have flocked to Benidorm for the Cheltenham Festival\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">British tourists have flocked to Benidorm for the Cheltenham Festival<cite aria-label=\"Image: Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The 2026 Cheltenham Festival is set to draw punters from all over the world as they aim to get their horse racing fix. But it appears that some are deciding to fly away from the UK in an effort to take in the festival &#8211; Spanish town Benidorm the location of choice for a growing group.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The festival gets underway at Cheltenham Races on Tuesday afternoon, with four days of racing, betting and drinking on the agenda. And while tickets are expected to be snapped up, some punters have joined a growing flock of fellow enthusiasts taking in the festival elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">According to <a aria-label=\"The SunLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thesun.co.uk\/sport\/38460325\/benidorm-booziest-cheltenham-festival-thousands-flock-spain-pints-sunshine\/\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">The Sun<\/a>hotel bookings in Benidorm have risen an eye-watering 225 percent around the festival, with The Marina Resort Hotel becoming an extremely popular location. The resort provides big screen TVs, pool parties and live DJ sets to make the festival a real occasion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Plenty of punters also attend in racing-themed fancy dress. Prices for drinks are also markedly more affordable over in Spain, with the cheapest pint expected to cost around \u00a31.70, compared to around \u00a37.50 at Cheltenham &#8211; albeit that is a reduction on last year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">JOIN US ON FACEBOOK!<\/strong> <a aria-label=\"\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MirrorSport#\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"\"><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"\/><strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\"><u>All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_09d958\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\">Cheltenham tips: Tuesday&#8217;s best bets for EVERY race from our top tipster Newsboy<\/span><\/span><span data-testid=\"readmore\" class=\"ReadMore_readmore-prefix__xS44r __className_09d958\">READ MORE<!-- -->: <span class=\"ReadMore_readmore-link__eF9pN\">Sir AP McCoy names the two horses he \u2018cannot split\u2019 as his Cheltenham Festival bankers<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36842089\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36842089\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A British bar in Benidorm\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36842089.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_TM260209Benidorm20.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36842089.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_TM260209Benidorm20.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36842089.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_TM260209Benidorm20.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36842089.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_TM260209Benidorm20.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"A British bar in Benidorm\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">A British bar in Benidorm<cite aria-label=\"Image: Tim Merry\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Tim Merry)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Zoe Harris, chief customer officer of package holiday firm On the Beach, said: \u201cWe\u2019re so close to hearing the Benidorm roar erupt as the Supreme Novices\u2019 Hurdle gets underway.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s clear from the number of punters heading over that this is shaping up to be the biggest Cheltenham Festival Benidorm has ever seen.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36842090\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36842090\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.5\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Benidorm strip\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36842090.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_TM260209Benidorm15.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36842090.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_TM260209Benidorm15.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36842090.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_TM260209Benidorm15.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36842090.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_TM260209Benidorm15.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Benidorm attracts swathes of Brits to its party strip every year\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Benidorm attracts swathes of Brits to its party strip every year<cite aria-label=\"Image: Tim Merry\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Tim Merry)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">\u201cThe bars will be packed from first race to last and you\u2019re guaranteed to hear the cheers echoing down the strip with every winner.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">The growing trend of a Cheltenham-themed Benidorm trip comes after organisers of the festival have confirmed a number of changes for the 2026 edition. The price of Guinness and beers and cider has been reduced to \u00a37.50, while there is also a minor reduction to spirits.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Race-goers are also permitted to take their drinks anywhere around the venue, having previously been limited. There is also an improvement to the drinks and food on offer, while a new PA system has also been installed.<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\"><button class=\"SlideViewerButton_slide-viewer-button__BDJoG\" aria-label=\"Open image viewer\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\" aria-controls=\"image-lightbox\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36841869\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36841869\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.51\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cheltenham\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36841869.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-97795897.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36841869.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_GettyImages-97795897.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36841869.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_GettyImages-97795897.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36841869.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_GettyImages-97795897.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"ImageCaption_caption__j7HRu\" data-testid=\"image-caption\">\n<p aria-label=\"Some Cheltenham fans have opted to snub the festival itself\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-title__ccyQU\" data-testid=\"caption-title\">Some Cheltenham fans have opted to snub the festival itself<cite aria-label=\"Image: Getty Images\" class=\"ImageCaption_caption-credit__wlx1W\" data-testid=\"caption-credit\">(Image: Getty Images)<\/cite><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<p><\/button><\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Ladies Day has been reintroduced to the calendar for the first time since 2019, with female attendees on the rise. Overall numbers will also look slightly different. The overall capacity of the racecourse has been slightly reduced from 68,500 to around 66,000.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\"><em><a aria-label=\"Join our new WhatsApp communityLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/Feq1SEG6mXDIZGTTnek7oz\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Join our new WhatsApp community<\/a> and receive your daily dose of <strong class=\"Strong_strong__e2x35\">Mirror Football<\/strong> content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us &#8211; and our partners. If you don&#8217;t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you&#8217;re curious, you can read our <a aria-label=\"Privacy NoticeLink opens in a new tab.\" class=\"TextLink_text-link__dBSS0 TextLink_enabled__dJF3l\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reachplc.com\/site-services\/privacy-policy\" rel=\"nofollow\" tabindex=\"0\" target=\"_blank\">Privacy Notice<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<aside class=\"Factbox_factbox-container__hSMOa\" id=\"factbox\" tabindex=\"0\" aria-label=\"Entering Factbox content\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36823402\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"factbox\" data-testid=\"factbox\">\n<h3 class=\"HeadingThree_heading-three__PBHLs Factbox_heading-three__NXU52 __className_db1670\">FREE William Hill Shop Bets inside your Mirror every day of Cheltenham<\/h3>\n<div class=\"Factbox_content__xdMV8\">\n<div data-testid=\"image-group\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-embed__0T8WX false\" data-testid=\"imageembed-36823325\" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-articleid=\"36823325\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"image\">\n<div class=\"ImageEmbed_image-container__2AIQm\">\n<figure class=\"Figure_figure__Uce4f\" style=\"--figure-aspect-ratio:1.78\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" sizes=\"(max-width: 458px) 458px, (max-width: 615px) 615px, 1200px\" src=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36823325.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_WilliamHill_Cheltenham_Native_1200x675_DM.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36823325.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s458b\/0_WilliamHill_Cheltenham_Native_1200x675_DM.jpg 458w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36823325.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s615b\/0_WilliamHill_Cheltenham_Native_1200x675_DM.jpg 615w, https:\/\/i2-prod.mirror.co.uk\/article36823325.ece\/ALTERNATES\/s1200e\/0_WilliamHill_Cheltenham_Native_1200x675_DM.jpg 1200w\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Don&#8217;t miss a FREE shop bet inside your favourite racing paper every day of the Cheltenham festival! Plus, get expert inside from our top tipsters with pullouts every day from Tuesday March 10 &#8211; Friday March 13, 2026 covering the runners, riders, and everything you need to make the 102nd Cheltenham festival the biggest ever. Find out more here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_paragraph-text__PVKlh \" data-tmdatatrack=\"content-unit\" data-tmdatatrack-type=\"paragraph\">Bet 18+ only. Terms and conditions apply. See paper for details.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Cheltenham Festival 2026 gets underway on Tuesday but it appears that despite a reduction<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":81,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-80","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=80"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/81"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=80"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=80"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disport.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=80"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}