A Place in the Sun

WHEN it comes to buying a home abroad, no one knows more inside tips than the A Place in the Sun presenters.

With costs rising all over the world those on the hunt for a holiday home might be disheartened – but there are still bargains to be found according to property expert, Craig Rowe.

A brand new series of A Place in the Sun is back and presenter Craig Rowe who first joined the show four years ago has found a hidden gem.

In the upcoming episode airing on Thursday, January 7, Craig heads to the French countryside region of Limousin.

He’s helping best friends Fiona and Tina look for Fiona’s ideal home with a a maximum budget of £80,000.

Yet Craig reveals that they manage to bag a deal for £75,000.

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Craig told us: “I’ve spent a lot of time in France, but for this show we were in Haute-Vienne – and I was amazed at the prices.

“At first when we were looking through the properties I said to my producer, ‘I think we’re going to struggle to get something decent for that price’.

“But you’d be amazed at what we found which were really good properties – and that really surprised me.”

While the Limousin region is miles away from the coastline, it’s well-known for being a hotspot for watersports thanks to its thousands of lakes.

In fact, the region is even called the ‘French Lake District‘ – it also has lots of walking and cycling routes.

Craig added: “It’s a beautiful region filled with little patisseries and boulangeries, which is everything I love about France.”

Craig continued: “It has lots of beautiful French towns, and of course, lots of lakes so you won’t miss being by the coast – and if you want to visit a city then Bordeaux isn’t far away.

“There’s still an expat community, and as we found, properties are really good value.

“With prices going up all over the world, it’s great to find these pockets where you can still get a really good bargain.”

If the French countryside doesn’t tickle your fancy, but you still want somewhere up-and-coming with lower prices, Craig has some other suggestions.

He said: “Valencia is one of my favourite places in Spain and in the last few years, I’ve heard more and more about it.

“It’s really booming and while property prices are going up, it’s still much more affordable than Barcelona or Madrid.

“Another place to watch in Spain would be Murcia – it’s still relatively under the radar because it doesn’t have as many airlinks as Malaga or the Costa Del Sol.

“For example in the winter you’ll have to fly from Alicante, but it’s definitely up-and-coming. That’s one to watch in 2026 – it would be a great place to invest.

Outside of Spain, I’d consider Porto in Portugal which is a great alternative to Lisbon which is getting quite expensive. But it still has great culture, food and wine.”

If you’ve been watching A Place in the Sun wondering whether now is the right time to buy abroad, Craig has some words of wisdom.

Craig told us: “Property is going up everywhere, in the UK, Europe, the States. So if you’re thinking about doing it, why not now?

“Costs are only going one way, and while you’ve got these little gems, like Haute-Vienne, which are up-and-coming destinations, take the opportunity now.

“2026 is an exciting year, and I know for A Place in the Sun, we’ve got a lot of filming coming up with house hunters – there’s still a big passion and a hunger for people who want to look at properties overseas.”

After selling Brits their dream home for five years, Craig is getting ready to take the plunge himself.

“My partner Paul and I are hoping to buy a property in Spain, we’re not in a position to do it yet, but hopefully we’ll be able to in the next couple of years.

“I love Valencia as a city, whereas my partner loves Barcelona – but I think he’s coming round to my idea.

“Valencia is smaller than Barcelona, it’s the third biggest city in Spain, but there’s only around 800,000 people that live there, so it’s still a relatively small city.

“It has amazing coasts, beautiful architecture, it’s got everything you need from a city.”

Watch Craig on A Place in the Sun on Thursday 8 January on Channel 4 at 6pm – new episodes will continue air Monday-Friday.

One Woman Who Was on A Place In The Sun Bought Her Dream Spanish Home For £45k…

Jacqui Lockhart from Scotland left for Almoradi on the Costa Blanca shortly after the airing of her episode of A Place in the Sun back in December 2017.

Originally looking for a holiday home, Jacqui travelled to Spain in search of her dream escape with the help of presenter Danni Menzies.

After looking at multiple apartments, Jacqui fell for a flat in Almoradi with a communal pool and rooftop costing just £45,000 – after visiting 10 times in one year, Jacqui made it her permanent home.

Talking to Sun Travel about her move to sunny Spain Jacqui said: “It took a lot of guts for me to move. To say ‘right, I’m not coming back to the UK’ took a lot of courage. But it’s been so good, I absolutely love it.”

She says that one of the biggest perks of life abroad is that going out for meals and drinks works out to be a lot cheaper.

Jacqui said: “I love going out for meals, and it’s so much cheaper than in the UK, you can get a glass of wine for €1.50.

“You can get a three-course meal and a coffee for around €10.”

Jacqui bravely bit the bullet and loves her new life abroad, she does heed some warnings for anyone hoping to do the same.

She explained: “I’m lucky as I have a plan B, I’ll never sell my house in Scotland.

“But I know a lot of people here who have sold up completely, moved lock, stock and barrel and now they’re coming into their dotage and they can’t go back because they can’t afford it.

“I also know some people who came just before Covid wanting to open a bar and then as they started, had to close because Spain went into lockdown.

“They lost so much money and used all their savings to live and have had to move back to the UK and rent which is such a shame.

“My other piece of advice would be to rent first to see if you like the area. Thanks to Brexit, Brits can only rent in Spain for three months at a time, but do that and get to know the town you like.”

Plus, another A Place in the Sun presenter reveals her favourite foreign family holiday park – and it’s surprisingly affordable.

And another A Place in the Sun presenter moved to the Costa del Sol where she spends evenings on the beach but reveals there is a catch to her new life in Spain.

WHEN it comes to A Place in the Sun most house hunters are on the lookout for a bargain along the Spanish coast.

But actually, there are plenty of affordable spots to be found outside of Europe – from beautiful Caribbean islands to cities less than an hour to huge theme parks.

Sun Travel got the inside scoop from A Place in the Sun presenters Laura Hamilton, Jean Johansson and Craig Rowe on where Brits should look in 2026 for cheap property outside of Europe.

Jean told us: “If you can stretch to the Caribbean, St Lucia has blown me away – and it’s quite cheap compared to Europe to eat out.

“If you want a paradise lifestyle, you can fly out this time of year and get beautiful weather. It’s so laidback too and everyone slows right down.

“The last time I was there for A Place in the Sun, one couple had a budget of £200,000 and they bought an amazing two-bedroom apartment on a little island that you have to get to via a water taxi – it was just absolutely idyllic.

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“If you’re willing to have that Caribbean way of life and something a bit different, your money can go far.”

Another destination that is becoming more popular with Brits as being an affordable holiday spot is Thailand.

Craig said: “I’ve not done any shows in Thailand yet – I think the show may have gone there a long time ago, but that’s somewhere else I think has great value property.

“It might be far, around 14 hours on a plane, but in terms of investment, and perhaps if you’re retiring and can stay there for months at a time, it’s a great option.”

Property prices can vary in Thailand depending on the destination with Chiang Mai being more affordable than the beachside property in Phuket.

Once you get there, the likes of food are so much cheaper – you can pick up a meal from as cheap as 150baht (£3.55).

But out of all destinations, there was one that every presenter mentioned as being one of the best places to invest – and for a good price next year.

Laura told us: “Florida is a place offering exciting opportunities and it’s always been a place we’ve visited on A Place in the Sun.

“I filmed there just before Christmas and it’s quite interesting. In Florida there are lots of properties that 20 years ago were prime luxury houses along the 192 route which is within 30 minutes to the Disney Parks.

“The location is still amazing, but the houses are a bit tired, so the rental opportunities are incredible. In terms of being able to make properties over and add value to them, I think that’s an exciting market.”

Jean added that she did some Florida shows last year where she headed to Fort Lauderdale.

“I think Florida’s always been popular and it’s nice for us to get away from Orlando and away from the Disney parks.

“Fort Lauderdale is a dream with the classic American lifestyle up there – locals start their day with a coffee on the beautiful promenades and there’s a lovely community feel.”

According to Palm Paradise Realty Group, some of the most affordable areas in Fort Lauderdale include Lake Aire Palm View and Flagler Village where the average property price is $343,000 (£255,543).

New episodes of A Place in the Sun will return from Sunday 21 December, and you can catch up on previous episodes on Channel4.com.

A Place in the Sun experts reveal coastline worth buying on NOW where you can ‘still get bargains’ – and flights are £15…

When we asked Laura Hamilton, Craig Rowe and Jean Johansson where exactly Brits looking for a holiday home should buy right now in Europe – they all had the same answer.

Laura Hamilton, who has been working on the show since 2012, explained: “There are still places in Spain which are great places to invest, especially around Costa Tropical.

“The area has increased in value and is still going up. It’s the opposite side of Málaga to Marbella and Puerto Banús, and it’s much cheaper.

“If you go out to a bar or a restaurant, the prices will be significantly cheaper but still great quality.”

Laura revealed that the Costa Tropical has accessibility to both the mountains and the beach.

She added that it’s marketed so that “you can be on the slopes in the morning and beach in the afternoon”.

To get from the beaches to the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains takes just an hour and a half in the car.

Laura continued: “I love that part of Spain and the scenery around Granada is spectacular. If you love the beach, skiing and hiking then it’s a stunning part of Spain – but prices are on the rise.”

Also in southern Spain is the region that presenter Craig Rowe recommended and like Costa Tropical, the region sits between the coast and Sierra Nevada mountains.

Craig told us: “Costa Almería in Spain is really good, especially for anyone on a lower budget.”

Jean Johansson, who has been working on the show for seven years, the same question, she agreed with her colleagues.

Jean said: “It’s got to be Murcia and the south of Spain because you can still get bargains there.”

“When I started on the show seven years ago the area wasn’t as popular at all, but now people are really understanding the value for money.”

For those jumping in to buy a property abroad, one woman who was on A Place In The Sun and bought her dream Spanish home for £45k – I have one regret and need to warn others of pitfalls.

And another presenter from A Place in the Sun took on her own renovation project on the Costa del Sol.