Laura Hamilton

A Place in the Sun host Laura Hamilton has been at the helm of the Channel 4 programme for more than a decade and has visited some breathtaking locations over the years

Laura Hamilton has looked back on her 13-year stint presenting A Place in the Sun and revealed her three top destinations. It’s fair to say that Laura, having hosted the sun-soaked Channel 4 property-hunting show for over a decade, has clocked up some serious air miles.

You would also expect that, after more than ten years of globetrotting, picking a favourite spot would prove tricky. But thankfully, for curious fans, Laura has whittled it down to just three choices.

During a recent chat where Laura discussed the programme’s enduring popularity, she was quizzed about her most cherished locations.

She told Woman magazine how the first holds special family significance.

South Africa

“I loved filming in South Africa,” Laura revealed. “My dad was born there. It was great to get to see that.” South Africa, perched at the southern tip of the African continent, boasts one of Africa’s largest and most developed economies.

The nation has 12 official languages, encompassing Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa, and IsiNdebele. It’s also renowned as a wildlife paradise, home to everything from lions and elephants to vervet monkeys and baboons.

Meanwhile, along the coastline, adventurous tourists might even glimpse great white sharks and dolphins.

Morzine, France

Laura’s second choice was considerably nearer to home. She revealed: “I also loved filming in Morzine, in the mountains of France. I’m a big skier and it was great to see it in the summer months.

Morzine is an alpine village nestled within the Chablais mountain range, positioned between the towering 4,800-metre Mont Blanc and Lake Geneva. This bustling ski resort boasts a rich history spanning more than 1,000 years.

In earlier centuries, monks and miners made Morzine their home. However, by the 1800s, with advancing technology, the area became renowned for its slate mining operations, an industry that brought wealth to the town.

Granada, Spain

Lastly, Laura selected Spain’s stunning city of Granada and its encompassing mountain range. She went on: “Granada, Sierra Nevada, was amazing. Being on the beach in the morning and the slopes in the afternoon – that’s amazing. There are places I’ve seen that I would probably not have got to go to.”

Sierra Nevada describes a mountain range in Spain, located in the Andalusian province of Granada. It’s reportedly also the location of Europe’s most southerly ski resort, providing spectacular views across the Mediterranean.

This comes after reports revealed how Laura admitted to occasionally feeling exasperated by some “crazy” buyers on the programme. Speaking in the same interview, she was questioned whether people ever participate in the show simply to secure a free trip.

She dismissed this idea, explaining how it’s a “week’s work” and a massive decision for those taking part. Nevertheless, she also described how she has presented properties to people and thought “you’re crazy” when they choose not to purchase them.

There is one very strict rule for would-be homebuyers applying to take part in the long-running Channel 4 show, producer Siobhan O’Gorman has revealed

Siobhan O’Gorman, the TV producer who leads the A Place In The Sun team, has lifted the lid on how the hit Channel 4 show picks would-be house buyers to appear on the series.

She points out that some things have changed a lot since A Place In The Sun first aired 25 years ago: “The first-ever episode 25 years ago featured a couple looking for a holiday home in the French Pyrenees with a budget of £40,000,’ she told the Daily Mail. “That wasn’t a bad budget then, but today you wouldn’t get much for that.”

But other aspects are still very much the same, Siobhan adds: “We need to be sure every applicant is in a position to put in a genuine offer,” she says. “We have great relationships with estate agents all over Europe and beyond, so it’s important to maintain that.”

While something like two-thirds of applicants are hoping for a new home in Spain, many others get in touch with dreams of finding properties in Cyprus, Portugal and Greece.

“But we’re also seeing increased interest in countries such as Croatia, Turkey and Dubai,” Siobhan says.

Wherever they want to end up, applicants start by filling in a 12-page application form. Then Siobhan and the team go through every one, to identify house-hunters who are looking for properties in the areas that align with countries that the show is planning to visit in the coming season.

The next stage is an on-camera interview to assess whether the applicants will make for good TV, and whether their aspirations are realistic.

Competition is intense, Siobhan says: “‘It’s fair to say we have at least ten applications for every show and it’s 20 for some of the more popular resorts.”

Siobhan adds: “We like to reflect a variety of budgets and areas in each country, though, so we wouldn’t do six shows with the same budget and the same wish list in Mijas Costa in Spain, but we may do two shows there with differing budgets.”

All of this behind-the-scenes work helps A Place In The Sun look smooth and well-organised on screen. However, presenter Laura Hamilton, who has been with the show since 2012, describes one incident that she playfully christened “Mudgate” where anything that could go wrong, did go wrong.

As the team were trying to help a would-be expat find a retirement home in Abruzzo, Italy, a massive downpour caused mayhem.

The team were in multiple vehicles for social distancing reasons, and one by one, each one of them become mired down in slippery mud.

“We were there for three hours and had to have tractors pull us out,” Laura recalled. “I’m known for wearing high heels on the show because I’m quite short. I remember having these ridiculously high heels on and they got caked in mud.

“House hunter Sue was “mortified,” Laura recalled, blaming herself for choosing a remote rural location that didn’t even have proper tarmac roads. house. Laura tried to reassure Sue, telling her “It’s not your fault – and I always say you’ve got to love a house come rain or shine,” to which the embarrassed homebuyer replied: “Well, I definitely don’t love this one!”