- 1 day ago
- #realityinsighthub
A New Life in the Sun Season 11 Episode 3
A New Life in the Sun
#RealityInsightHub
🎞 Please subscribe to our official channel to watch the full movie for free, as soon as possible. ❤️Reality Insight Hub❤️
👉 Official Channel: />👉 THANK YOU ⭐❤️❤️❤️⭐
A New Life in the Sun
#RealityInsightHub
🎞 Please subscribe to our official channel to watch the full movie for free, as soon as possible. ❤️Reality Insight Hub❤️
👉 Official Channel: />👉 THANK YOU ⭐❤️❤️❤️⭐
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00Alps. All across Europe, brave Brits are chasing new beginnings.
00:04Let's get this show on the road, huh?
00:06I mean, just look at this backdrop here.
00:08Essex was nothing like this.
00:10The stakes are high.
00:12This is definitely a gamble. I put everything in.
00:14All my life savings.
00:16We've got a lot riding on this.
00:17Our futures, our children's futures.
00:19We need to make some money.
00:20As they launch B&Bs...
00:22Service.
00:23...and pubs in France...
00:25We're very new at this.
00:26Wow. Good job the wines, Chi.
00:28...to wellness retreats and holiday parks in Bulgaria.
00:33It's not big enough. We measured it. I don't understand.
00:36It's a journey into the unknown.
00:39Oh, that's cool.
00:41Boo!
00:43But we're joining them for the ride.
00:46As they tee off...
00:47Oh!
00:48...their new lives in the sun.
00:50I just walk around with a smile on my face all the time.
00:53Let's land, Baba!
00:55Today...
00:56Really nervous.
00:57It's opening day at a couple's new pub in France.
01:01I don't know if I'm coming, if I'm going, what I'm serving.
01:04But will their gamble on a fresh start for their family pay off?
01:09We've put everything in.
01:10Everything that we've got.
01:12Blood, sweat and tears.
01:13In Spain...
01:14Well, I hope that's everything.
01:17Because there ain't no coming back.
01:19Emotions run high.
01:23As a B&B owner makes big changes to her business.
01:27There's only one income coming into this household, so it's all on me.
01:31And has the renovation of a Spanish guest house...
01:34Nice to meet you.
01:37...hit a sticking point.
01:38Fingers crossed, it's right, otherwise we'd be taking it back down.
01:42The Dordogne is where France slows down.
01:59A place of vineyards, castles and long summer evenings.
02:02Each year, thousands of Brits flock here for holidays.
02:07But there are also a brave batch so won over by the region...
02:11..that they gamble everything to make it their new home.
02:14The market's still on.
02:19We're just a little bit later than we would normally be.
02:21Like Dave and Emily from Huddersfield and their two children, Willow and Hugo.
02:27It's the tradition, isn't it, that we'll do a bit of shopping, get our baguettes...
02:31..and then we stop and have a little drink in the local bar.
02:34Yeah.
02:35And then you can just sit and watch the world go by, do a bit of people-watching.
02:39Yeah.
02:39We've really put ourselves on the line, haven't we?
02:45We've left all of our family, all of our friends, and we've got our kids.
02:50Emotionally, we've put everything in, everything that we've got.
02:54Blood, sweat and tears.
02:57Thus far, it's good, yeah?
03:00Yeah, it's good.
03:02But to pay for their new lives here, for the past month,
03:06former car sales manager Dave and travel agent Emily...
03:10We've got to do them from the inside.
03:12..have been working around the clock to get their new pub and restaurant
03:15in the village of Santestef ready to open.
03:20They're not perfect, but you can see out of them now.
03:22Much better.
03:24We've taken over a pub and we want it to be a hub for people to come,
03:28meet their friends, meet us...
03:31..just generally enjoy being in our place.
03:34You've done them all?
03:36Uh-huh.
03:37Oh, Em's the boss?
03:38I'm the boss, absolutely.
03:40And I enjoy that because the responsibility
03:43is less than I've had in the past.
03:46So I'm very happy for Em to be the boss.
03:50Regardless of who's in charge, though,
03:52it's a brand-new career path for both of them.
03:56It's very stressful, very tiring, mentally draining.
04:01Yeah.
04:02Physically draining?
04:02Physically draining.
04:03It's just all...
04:04Everything's just so new and we're unsure about everything.
04:08We haven't got the leisure of being able to say it didn't work.
04:13That can't happen.
04:14It has to work.
04:18It's now early June
04:20and the heat's ramping up in the kitchen for Dave and Emily's new pub.
04:25Make sure you get it right.
04:26Hey, you can't put that much chilli in.
04:28Will that be good, don't you think?
04:29Yeah, I don't know.
04:34It's finally their official launch day,
04:36but before they open their doors for the first time later this afternoon,
04:40they need to cook up the curries that'll be served as part of a free taster menu.
04:45I just feel like I'm missing something, and I can't think what?
04:51Methy.
04:51Methy.
04:53Hey, do you know what?
04:55It's a good job I'm here, really, isn't it?
04:56This is supposed to be a competition between who's is the best,
05:01and I'm helping you.
05:01But we are married.
05:03You would have definitely lost, wouldn't you?
05:06The plan is to have two different curries to serve,
05:09one prepped by Emily and the other by Dave.
05:13The pan's not looking big enough.
05:16I've got five kilos of chicken to go in it,
05:18so I'm a little bit worried now that I haven't quite got enough space.
05:21Never used a commercial kitchen to cook anything.
05:24Here goes.
05:28It's scary because I've never made a curry for so many people.
05:31What if we just do it all wrong?
05:33Once you've put these vices in, you can't take them back out.
05:36One, two...
05:40Doing these curries tonight is definitely a risk for us
05:43because, you know, it all goes well, brilliant,
05:46but if it doesn't, we might lose customers forever.
05:50I've no idea how much I've just put in there.
05:53Oh, dear.
05:54And as the morning goes on...
05:58Did you turn this down?
05:59Yeah.
06:00..with only experience of cooking for their own family
06:03and not large groups,
06:05it's not just the spice levels that they're worried about.
06:10It's really hard to get this stuff right.
06:13The water levels, especially in Emily's pan, seem off.
06:17It's watery now.
06:20Why is it so watery?
06:22The chicken will have water in, won't it?
06:26Yeah, it needs to reduce loads and loads and loads.
06:30This doesn't look like my curry.
06:32All this steam, is it cooking down?
06:34Well, then my chicken's going to go tough, isn't it?
06:38We've never made a bad curry in our lives.
06:43Till today.
06:43Over 800 miles away in southern Spain,
06:59it's also a day of celebration in the mountaintop village of Polopos,
07:04where its annual wine festival is in full swing.
07:09Joining the party this year are its newest residents,
07:13Nigel, originally from Wiltshire...
07:15Hola.
07:16..and his Spanish husband, Fede, who has family roots here.
07:20A day where the community comes together and enjoy and relaxes themselves.
07:27Seeing as there's a fountain of red wine, I think we could have a few.
07:32There is an alcohol-free fountain as well.
07:37The couple, who previously ran a pub in Bath,
07:40have bought a three-storey former guest house at the top of the village.
07:45Having been closed for ten years,
07:47Nigel and Fede spotted an opportunity.
07:50to revive the business.
07:53The property, we want to bring back to its former glory,
07:56back up to standard fill, the bed and breakfast.
07:58We are both going to be taking the DIY tasks.
08:03And hopefully, each room will have its own stamp on it.
08:06Cheers.
08:07And news of the couple's plans...
08:10Bienvenido!
08:11..have become the talk of the town.
08:13If they have their house, they'll bring us more tourism.
08:17We will help them.
08:17We will help them.
08:18We will help them.
08:19Both mayors have welcomed us to the village
08:23and have offered any help possible,
08:26as long as we don't ask for cash.
08:30With the whole community watching on,
08:32the pressure's now on to deliver.
08:38Hopefully, we'll make it a nicer place.
08:41And between us, you know, the work's got to be done
08:44and we're looking forward to the challenge.
08:47It's now late April,
08:49and as interest grows in Nigel and Fede's new business venture...
08:53This is a rough guide.
08:56..the couple are trying to keep momentum up
08:58on their B&B renovations.
09:00But with Fede under the weather,
09:02they've had to call in some extra help.
09:06We've got Steve here from the UK.
09:08He's going to put in a load of stud walls for us
09:11to divide up and make some new rooms.
09:13We've got Brian downstairs putting a sink in the bar
09:16and helping me in the kitchen do some plumbing work.
09:19So, yeah, lots going on today.
09:21While Nigel and Fede are DIY novices,
09:24their friend Steve, who is visiting for a week,
09:27has a background in construction.
09:30So it's vital they make the most of his skills while he's here.
09:36This used to be a former lounge for guests
09:39that stayed at the former B&B,
09:40but we're going to turn it into an en-suite,
09:43open-plan shower and toilet and bedroom.
09:46Because of the views outside the doors.
09:49This is going to be the nicest room, hopefully.
09:52They're all going to be nice,
09:53but this is a bit more grandeur to it.
09:56Once the renovations are complete,
09:59Nigel and Fede plan to have a total
10:01of five double en-suite guest rooms.
10:04But to achieve that,
10:06not only did they need to build new bathrooms,
10:09the property's existing wash facilities...
10:13It's like towels are the unexpected.
10:15..also need an upgrade to modern standards.
10:19The level where all the bathrooms are,
10:21in the middle of the house,
10:23Steve's going to come into each bathroom
10:25and put new doors in
10:26because they've just used curtains in the past.
10:29So to make it a bit more private,
10:31we're going to put new doors in and box them in
10:33so they've become a natural room.
10:35So when somebody's using the bathroom,
10:37it's not fuming the bedroom.
10:40LAUGHTER
10:41While Steve's been able to steam ahead
10:45with the stud walls for the new en-suite upstairs...
10:48This is going to be where the shower head and taps are.
10:53When they come to plotting out the toilet area,
10:56it's proving more of a puzzle.
10:59So it's 60 from the front of the toilet, 24 inches.
11:05So we've got to put the toilet in here,
11:09but we've looked on the plans of the dimensions of the toilet
11:13and it needs to be slightly bigger,
11:15which then encroaches on the door.
11:19If they don't get their measurements right...
11:2185 to 90 is literally in line with that wall.
11:27It might not be much of a comfort break for their guests.
11:31Fingers crossed it's right,
11:33otherwise we'd be taking it back down.
11:36LAUGHTER
11:37Three and a half hours later, with the new walls up,
11:42it's time to find out.
11:44That's brilliant.
11:45Really good job.
11:47And the toilet can go in there.
11:50I'm just testing it out.
11:51Plenty of space either side.
11:54Enough for the system and enough leg room
11:56once the door's on as well,
11:59which is what I was worried about.
12:01But with so much left to do at the B&B,
12:04there's no time for sitting around.
12:07I'm sure I've put somebody to be pleased on that throne.
12:10He's done a good job.
12:12Coming up is a new B&B host in Spain
12:18having second thoughts about her new business.
12:21Obviously opening my house to bed and breakfast guests,
12:24there's the level of vulnerability,
12:25having strangers in my home.
12:26And in France,
12:28the weather threatens to put a dampener
12:30on Emily and Dave's pub launch.
12:32At this rate, we'll be inside tonight,
12:34which is not what we want
12:36because there's definitely not enough room
12:37for everybody in there.
12:38The rain is going to ruin the night.
12:41Far removed from the crowded costas and tourist bustle,
12:56rural Almería in the south
12:58offers something a little different,
13:00an authentic taste of Spain's wilder and more rugged side.
13:04Come on, then.
13:08Good girl.
13:10Which was a huge part of the attraction for Emma from Leicestershire,
13:14who moved to the region last year.
13:16Being able to take advantage of the wild areas and the rambler roads
13:23and getting out and exploring
13:25has been a real bonus to the house being where it is.
13:29Having worked as a dog groomer in the UK,
13:32over here Emma's embarked on a brand new career
13:35as a bed and breakfast host.
13:37OK, thank you.
13:39You're welcome.
13:41A business she's launched
13:43from her five-bed traditional Spanish cortillo
13:46located in the hills above the village of Oria.
13:50Obviously opening my house to bed and breakfast guests,
13:52there's a level of vulnerability.
13:54There's certain things that I've had to adjust to
13:57and obviously get my head around
13:59is just having strangers in my home.
14:01Any more tea and coffee?
14:02But they quickly turn into guests
14:05that have potentially become friends as well.
14:07The whole experience has been above and beyond
14:10what I ever expected.
14:11While Emma's enjoying her new role,
14:14her remote location means she can't rely solely on passing trade,
14:18so has also been trialling events
14:20to bring in more guest bookings.
14:23Challenges, obviously, financially.
14:25There's only one income coming into this household,
14:28so it's all on me.
14:30I've literally put everything into this,
14:31all my savings,
14:33but at the end of the day,
14:35unless you push yourself and challenge yourself
14:36and follow your heart,
14:38then I think that you'll always have that question of what if.
14:43It's now August,
14:44a time when temperatures in Almeria
14:46can reach upwards of 40 degrees
14:49and Emma's preparing her B&B for her next guests.
14:53It's a lovely breeze in this room.
14:56It makes all the difference.
14:58Just going to put this on.
15:01And the room is ready.
15:04However, as interest in her new events
15:06has been lower during the recent hotter months,
15:09forcing her to cancel some of them,
15:11she's decided to try something new
15:13to guarantee income over the coming weeks.
15:17I'm just making sure I've got everything I need to hit the road.
15:20But it's an idea that means she has to temporarily move out.
15:25Today, major task ahead.
15:27I've got my first family that's renting the property
15:29in its entirety for the next two weeks,
15:32which means I have to pack up everything that's mine,
15:35that I'm going to need.
15:36Renting the house out is something that I'm looking to do more of
15:38and have a balance between the day-to-day bed and breakfast
15:41and being able to leave the house in good hands
15:44with people renting it out,
15:46which will enable me to have that freedom
15:48to travel more,
15:50to visit family back in the UK more
15:51and also to benefit from the revenue that that brings.
15:54But as Emma spends the morning prepping the house
15:58and packing up her things before leaving for the UK...
16:01Well, I hope that's everything,
16:05because there ain't no coming back.
16:08..she spotted a plumbing problem
16:10that must be fixed before her guests arrive.
16:14I've just realised that the water heater
16:16for the downstairs kitchen has got a major leak on it.
16:19This is horrendous timing for something like this to happen.
16:22So I've called Andy in.
16:24He's the local plumber,
16:25so hopefully he'll get that sorted soon,
16:26cos I don't want to leave them without hot water in the kitchen.
16:29To her relief, half an hour after arriving,
16:32fellow British expat Andy
16:34has quickly got a handle on the plumbing problem.
16:38How's it going, And?
16:40It's not leaking.
16:41Hooray!
16:43What was the issue again?
16:45Just the pressure valve.
16:46Oh, right. Wicked.
16:48As long as it's all sorted.
16:49That's the main thing. Thank you.
16:50No worries.
16:51Much appreciated.
16:52And it's been fixed just in time.
16:56Welcome, welcome.
16:58As guests Wilfred and Emmanuel from France have just arrived.
17:02This is the reception room, OK?
17:05And through here we have the lounge area.
17:09The couple have booked Emma's home for a holiday
17:11with their family for the next two weeks.
17:14The pool, obviously, you have sun lounges.
17:17I have a pool cleaner booked to come once, twice a week, OK?
17:21To come to clean.
17:22All right?
17:22OK.
17:23And with the keys to her home soon handed over...
17:26That is the front door, OK?
17:29The moment has come for Emma to say her goodbyes to the property
17:33that she's poured her heart and soul into.
17:36Be good.
17:37They seem a lovely family, but obviously very mixed emotions
17:46because this will be the longest that I've sort of walked away from it, really.
17:49So I've got no qualms about the family being there.
17:53I'm genuinely quite emotional about the fact that they're going to enjoy it
17:56as much as what I have.
17:57While it's a wrench to bid farewell,
18:01the income from the booking will allow Emma to continue growing her business
18:05on her return from the UK.
18:16Back in the Dordogne,
18:18the pressure continues to mount for Emily and Dave
18:20in the run-up to their pub relaunch.
18:24Really nervous.
18:26Don't know if we've done everything.
18:27Don't know if we've got everything.
18:29I feel like we're clean and tidy.
18:31We've got the gazebo ready for when the ban comes later.
18:35They're turning up around 5.30.
18:37Doors open at 5.00.
18:39Kids finish school at 4.30.
18:41I don't even know what time it is now,
18:43but it feels like we've got a lot to do.
18:48We need to iron our uniform.
18:51I need to have a shower.
18:52I need to have a shave.
18:53I need to look somewhere near a spectacle.
18:55We haven't got enough time in the day for all this.
18:57Adding to their worries is that Emily's chicken curry is still on the watery side.
19:05I don't know what I'm doing.
19:07Leaving it to simmer for even longer,
19:10she heads outside to try and tick another job off their to-do list.
19:13But the weather's also taken a turn.
19:20I'm trying to clean the tables,
19:21but it's raining and pointless.
19:26It's just wet through.
19:29At this rate, we'll be inside tonight,
19:32which is not what we want,
19:33because there's definitely not enough room for everybody in there.
19:36Especially not if we get, like, 100 people,
19:39which people keep saying we're going to.
19:41I think it only seats 30.
19:43This is just a waste of time.
19:46The rain is going to ruin the night.
19:49Unfortunately, 30 minutes later,
19:51there isn't good news from the kitchen either.
19:53It's just taking forever to reduce down.
20:00You're not happy with the flavour of yours, are you?
20:03No.
20:05I mean, it has got flavour,
20:06it's just...
20:07It's got a watery flavour as well.
20:10Problem is,
20:11we've never used French chicken breast
20:13from that supply before,
20:15so we weren't to know how much water's going to come out of it.
20:17With time ticking and focus needed elsewhere...
20:23..a decision is made to take Emily's curry
20:30off the opening night taster menu.
20:34It's a sloppy mess.
20:35I'm not giving them, on our first night,
20:39something that's not what we expected.
20:41We don't get the flavours there because we've put it in.
20:44Oh, my...
20:45It's just the amount of water that was in the ticket.
20:49Terrible.
20:51We don't know what we're doing
20:52because we've never run a bar before.
20:55Don't know why we ever thought it was a good idea.
21:00With a large crowd of locals
21:01and fellow British expats expected...
21:04..fortunately, they've been able to rope in friends Lisa and Valerie
21:09from the village to lend a hand.
21:13If they can let them in,
21:15..allez, mon petit kitty, on vient te vacciner...
21:19Mouah!
21:21Bonjour!
21:22Il est où?
21:24Ça va?
21:24Oui.
21:25Oui.
21:26Ready?
21:28Maybe.
21:29Merci.
21:30As Valerie has experience running her own bar in the past...
21:33Ça va?
21:35Oui, et vous?
21:36Oui.
21:37Emily and Dave are hoping to lean into her experience.
21:41She's great.
21:43She'll help us do whatever.
21:45She'll be behind the bar.
21:47She can clean the table.
21:48She can glass collect for us.
21:51She's going to be a real help for us, I think, tonight.
21:53They work hard, because I know the place before.
21:57I can't recognize it.
21:58I can't recognize it.
21:59It's just now, fresh and welcoming.
22:03They're ready, but it's a big thing to do, a party the first day.
22:10I think they are crazy to do that, because they are not prepared to work with so many people.
22:19Now, for 30 years, I run pubs and restaurants.
22:24I never, never did something like that, because people expect the best the first day.
22:34It's what we've been working for, so fingers crossed it's going to be good and not too stressful.
22:38Oh, it's going to be stressful, all right.
22:41No, it's dairy.
22:42I think I'm just going to hide upstairs.
22:44You can't do that.
22:45Valerie will do it for me tonight, and I'll just, I'll run away.
22:51Coming up...
22:52They've cemented over the pipe by a look.
22:54There are plumbing problems for Nigel and Fede.
22:57We were thinking of having to get permission to dig all this road up here.
23:01And changes are also in the pipeline.
23:04It's a concrete block building.
23:07It's an empty shell, basically.
23:08At Emma's B&B.
23:10Being in the UK, it's given me a few weeks of reflection and deciding what's best to do for the season.
23:15In Pelopos, in southern Spain, it's now early May.
23:30And with Fede feeling better, he's been able to rejoin Nigel in their effort to breathe new life into a former guest house in the village.
23:38Now I do feel like a professional painter.
23:43His job this morning is to continue painting the window frames.
23:47I lost count of how many windows we call to paint, but loads, loads.
23:57While the property's exterior walls also need a fresh lick of paint.
24:02Before they tackle that, Nigel's been re-tiling one of their entrance porches.
24:10As making a good first impression when future guests arrive will be crucial.
24:15It's definitely better than what was up there before and a lot safer and less weight up there.
24:20I think it looks all right.
24:23Meanwhile inside, after working on the guest en-suites, their friend Steve, who has a background in construction, has now been tasked.
24:31With re-jigging the internal layout of Nigel and Fede's own living quarters on the top floor.
24:41Steve's going to do the hallway for the bathroom partition, one of the bigger bedrooms off.
24:48And then he's going to hopefully do the hallway door that leads from the staircase upstairs.
24:56And then I'll probably be left to hang the doors.
24:59But we'll see.
25:01Even though the guest accommodation is their priority to be able to start earning,
25:06as DIY is all new to Nigel and Fede, they need to make the most of Steve's expertise.
25:13It's been a long week for Steve. He's got his last full day here with us today.
25:17It's important that Steve is here to do as much as possible of the technical stuff that we are not professionals.
25:25As Steve works for Mates Rates, it also helps Nigel and Fede's renovation budget.
25:31Freeing up funds to be able to rehire local builder Brian, who's back on site today, fitting a splashback in the B&B's new kitchen, with help from his apprentice Nigel.
25:44I'm just waiting for my helper here.
25:48OK, Bodger, Scarper's coming.
25:54Yes, Brian became Bodge and I became Scarper.
25:59Now, Bodge, you Scarper.
26:01It's just getting around the electrics and the plugs.
26:04Hopefully this will be done today, maybe, hopefully, this morning.
26:10With interest growing locally in their new business, keeping the renovations on track is important,
26:17especially as they've now got a potential guest booking on the horizon.
26:22Somebody popped by recently and organises the freestyle downhill skating on rollerblades and skateboards that happens every year here in Ploppers.
26:35And so he's approached us and asked us if we would be a property for their boot camp and their training camp.
26:41So, hopefully, that's a positive for us.
26:44The group's next meet-up is in October.
26:47But Nigel and Fede have a lot to do before they can accept the reservation.
26:53Did you get up the line?
26:55Yeah.
26:56It's level.
26:56Nice to meet you.
27:08Brian, the village will be talking.
27:15While the kitchen's seeing swift progress...
27:18It's good because it covers a wide space of wall in one fell swoop.
27:23Outside, they've discovered an issue, which could throw a spanner in the works for the rest of the renovation.
27:31All the other bathrooms are that side.
27:33That's it, yeah.
27:33It'd make it easier if we could just come out and down into there.
27:36It'd be nice, wouldn't it, though?
27:37They've fermented over the pipe by a look on it.
27:40As the property currently has one main sewage pipe,
27:44plumbing in their new en-suite isn't going to be as easy as they'd hoped.
27:48Because all the other bathrooms are on the other side of the house,
27:52they all run into the same waste system.
27:54We were thinking of having to get permission to dig all this road up here,
27:58but there might be a solution of knocking into another pipe instead,
28:03so that could save us money and time.
28:07Four weeks later, though, and after further investigation,
28:11it's not good news.
28:13They've no choice but to dig up the road.
28:15We will have to open somewhere around here to connect the switch pipes,
28:21and it will go all the way down till that exit over there.
28:27In order to have the new bathroom, this has to be done.
28:32The extra works required are a major blow,
28:35as they're likely to run into hundreds of euros and push their schedule back,
28:40which could put their potential October booking on the line.
28:43One hundred and twenty miles north-east in the hills above the village of Aurea,
28:57it's now September.
28:59Back to reality.
29:00And Emma's reopened her B&B after an extended trip to the UK.
29:05Because I had the three weeks off and it really was restful,
29:09I was pleased to get back on it, to be honest.
29:11I can't sit down for too long.
29:13So, yeah, I'm really happy to be back where I need to be,
29:16back hostessing.
29:17It's great, I love it.
29:19While it was emotional renting out her entire property
29:22for the first time last month...
29:24..it gets so dusty.
29:26And I've had quite a lot of dust lately.
29:29..the two-week booking proved to be a good earner
29:31and has now got Emma rethinking parts of her business plan.
29:37The French family rented the whole house for their vacation whilst I was gone
29:41and I came back and everything was fine,
29:44which, yeah, turned out to be a really positive experience.
29:47They were really respectful
29:48and they said that they had a fantastic time and left a great review.
29:52Because it was so successful renting with the family this time,
29:56I think it's worth doing that again.
29:59To make that possible without having to also vacate her own home each time,
30:05Emma's come up with a new idea to expand.
30:08This is the top covered terrace
30:10and access currently to the annex is here, up here.
30:15Attached to her B&B is an 80-square-metre annex,
30:20currently unrenovated and used for storage,
30:23but there's plenty of potential
30:24for it to be turned into extra guest accommodation.
30:30It's a concrete block building.
30:33It's an empty shell, basically.
30:35I'm going to start with this end.
30:37That's the idea.
30:38So, obviously, doors and windows are in place here already,
30:42so it'd be great to work with those
30:43and take full advantage of the beautiful mountain view.
30:50The peace and serenity on this side,
30:53and this just lends itself to being a terraced area.
30:58Along with building a new outside space to soak up the afternoon sun,
31:03inside, Emma hopes to split the annex in two
31:06to create a pair of one-bedroom self-catered apartments,
31:09each with their own bathroom and small kitchen.
31:14The bare bones of the work has been done by the previous owner,
31:17which is great.
31:19Obviously, I think they had different ideas
31:21than what I've got in terms of usability,
31:24but I may as well just take full advantage of that, really,
31:26and work with what I have rather than, you know, start all over again.
31:30It will also help her budget,
31:32as the renovations to complete both units
31:35are going to run into thousands of euros,
31:38which is why she's planning to work in two stages,
31:41hoping to have the first apartment open for next season.
31:46There's obviously a lot of unnecessary stuff in here.
31:51I need to sort of basically sort through
31:52what's worth keeping and what isn't.
31:54The great thing is about only doing half of the annex at the moment,
31:58what I do want to keep can be stored at the back of the annex.
32:02That's going to be the first task, really,
32:03is clearing all of this.
32:06The clearance will be a big job,
32:09but may help her save even more money.
32:12So we have random tiles.
32:16Hanging on to those.
32:18What else do we have?
32:19Wood.
32:20Loads of different paints and wood stains and whatnot.
32:23Breeze blocks.
32:24How many breeze blocks do you want?
32:25Obviously, if you want to build a wall,
32:28you're going to need a breeze block.
32:30So, yeah, I've saved a few of those.
32:34I mean, they're only about 90 cents each,
32:35but, you know, I like to save where I can.
32:41A lot of it was already here, actually,
32:42but you learn quickly over here not to throw anything away
32:45because you just never know when you're going to need it.
32:49Every euro will be crucial
32:51because Emma has decided she won't be offering her events
32:54during the renovations.
32:57The B&B will have to provide all her income from now on.
33:01Being in the UK, obviously,
33:03it's given me a few weeks of reflection
33:05and deciding what's best to do for the season as well.
33:09And I think events-wise,
33:11it's best to do those in spring and heading into early summer.
33:15And the height of summer is just too hot.
33:16So that's been a learning curve as well.
33:19So I've decided to park the events for now
33:22and also shift focus
33:23and try and juggle the bed and breakfast element
33:26with the renovation.
33:27And that's how it needs to be for now.
33:31Coming up...
33:33Emily.
33:33Emily.
33:34Yeah.
33:35Nice to meet you.
33:35Dave and Emily are given the run-around
33:38as they open the doors to their new pub.
33:41It's busy and it's hard work.
33:44And in Spain, Emma's business plans also ramp up a gear.
33:48Me being me, putting a bit of pressure on myself.
33:50I've already advertised it
33:52and I've actually taken a booking on it already.
33:53It's early June in the Dordogne
34:07and the rural village of Santestef
34:09is about to have its local watering hole
34:12reopen its doors.
34:14Ready?
34:15You are perfect, beautiful together.
34:18Voilà.
34:18Now with first-time landlords Emily and Dave at its helm,
34:23along with some help from local friends.
34:27While the pub is customer-ready,
34:29the weather has taken a turn.
34:33Hi.
34:34It's just a shower.
34:35No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
34:37It's clear behind.
34:38Yeah.
34:39Doc, it's OK.
34:40The son's going to put his hat on first.
34:42Right.
34:43Oh, God.
34:44An hour later,
34:48after a dash to collect their kids from school...
34:51Oh, that weather is horrible.
34:54..to their relief, the skies brighten,
34:56just in time for the milestone moment
35:00of their first customers arriving.
35:06Meaning that after a month of prep and nerves,
35:10it's finally time to put their new bar skills to the test.
35:13A small character and a half.
35:17Two-fifth there.
35:18Or a half.
35:19Half.
35:20Half.
35:20And with Willow and Hugo on welcoming duties...
35:24..the pub begins to fill up.
35:29Emily.
35:30Emily.
35:31Yeah.
35:31Nice to meet you.
35:33While Emily and Dave start getting to know the locals...
35:37..as brand-new pub landlords, it's a steep learning curve.
35:41We've chosen where everything's going to go,
35:45but yet we don't know where anything is.
35:49Do you need a tonic?
35:50Yes, please.
35:51Do you need a tonic?
35:52Oh, my God.
35:52Oh, my God.
35:54Do you try to save me?
35:56Oh, dear.
35:58Just get you a glass.
36:00Er, where are they?
36:03After sinking a huge chunk of their savings
36:06into their new business...
36:07Two-fifty for the wine, thank you.
36:10While it's a relief to get some cash in the till,
36:13the rush is keeping them on their toes.
36:16Thank you very much.
36:17Have a nice evening.
36:18See you later.
36:19Oh, good.
36:20A little bit for all.
36:21Bonkers at the minute.
36:22Bonkers.
36:23So much so that with the pub's former landlady, Amanda,
36:27also in attendance,
36:28she's hopped behind the bar to lend a hand.
36:33I don't know if I'm coming, if I'm going,
36:35what I'm serving, I don't know anything.
36:37It's busy and it's hard work.
36:40I don't know how we're going to make the curries.
36:41I don't know how we're going to get them warmed up
36:43because there's not enough people.
36:47How many glasses for you, Rosa?
36:52How many glasses?
36:53One.
36:55Two more.
36:55Do you want to go ahead and put it in the till then?
36:58She's going to pay my car.
36:59OK.
37:00Cheers!
37:02Pretty busy.
37:04As the evening goes on,
37:06their car park begins to overflow
37:08and the terrace is packed out,
37:11ready for the band they've booked.
37:16Meaning there's little let-up on the bar
37:19and they've still no plans
37:21as to how they'll serve Dave's curry.
37:23This is just crazy.
37:25They're on.
37:26They're on.
37:27Two eyes.
37:29Anything else?
37:31Five.
37:31Sink.
37:33The party atmosphere, though,
37:34is what they'd hoped for.
37:41It's how appropriate you'd be.
37:43Never seen so many people here.
37:45Fantastic.
37:46Absolutely brilliant.
37:48Best night ever.
37:49But having worked hard in the kitchen
37:52and with just a few hours of their launch night left,
37:55they're determined to come good on their promise
37:58of free curry for their first customers.
38:01It's literally just been drink after drink.
38:04We've used every single glass in the bar
38:06over and over and over again.
38:09Bonkers.
38:10Absolutely bonkers.
38:11But it's what we came for, yeah?
38:13As the sun sets,
38:16Dave's spinach and chicken curry
38:18is ready to serve
38:19during their interval.
38:22Big round of applause for the food.
38:24The band are the first to tuck in.
38:29Curry?
38:30Right.
38:31Could be hotter.
38:32If it's a curry,
38:33they could all be hotter.
38:34Very nice.
38:35Yeah, honestly,
38:36very, very tasty.
38:37Good.
38:38While it's not been an easy evening,
38:41with support from their friends,
38:43Dave and Emily have survived
38:44their first shift as publicans.
38:46It's been a whirlwind.
38:51It's definitely been successful.
38:53We've pretty much sold
38:54all of our beer.
38:56A box and a half of wine.
38:58A box and a half of each wine.
38:59Everything's going.
39:00We've had 155 people here.
39:02We've got a terrace full of happy people.
39:04And we're brand new to this, you know?
39:06Imagine what we could achieve.
39:16Back in southern Spain,
39:20after deciding to press pause
39:22on hosting more of her own events
39:24until next season,
39:29B&B owner Emma
39:30has kick-started her renovation plans.
39:34Wow, it's looking good already.
39:35Yeah, really pleased with that.
39:37Amazing.
39:38As she's relying solely on the income
39:40from her B&B over the coming months,
39:43before starting the Annex conversion,
39:45she's tasked her building team
39:47to carry out some essential maintenance
39:49to the communal guest facilities.
39:53Today, we are concentrating on the pool area,
39:56so smartening up that area with some gravel,
39:58trimming back these overgrown brush land
40:00down the bottom there.
40:02And if everything goes well
40:03and they're happy with me
40:03and I'm happy with them,
40:05then I shall get them on board
40:06to start working on the Annex.
40:08Guys, did you want a tea or coffee?
40:10I'll have a coffee, please.
40:11Yeah.
40:11Two coffees.
40:12Three coffees.
40:13Yeah?
40:13OK.
40:14Todo con leche.
40:15See?
40:16Tres coffees.
40:20Starting with some of the smaller jobs
40:22around her property
40:23also gives Emma the opportunity...
40:26This is on the list of things to do.
40:28..to fine-tune her plans for the Annex
40:30with builder Steve.
40:33Start at this thing
40:33because I think it lends itself
40:35to be a more rentable property
40:36than at the other end of the Annex.
40:38Rentable.
40:39Some decking as well.
40:39Exactly, yeah.
40:40Yeah, pack out the terrace area
40:42and do some decking
40:43if you think that's best.
40:45Yeah.
40:46I've done a little floor plan, actually, as well.
40:48OK.
40:49So that might help.
40:50With the Annex conversion added to Steve's build list,
40:54which he hopes to start soon...
40:56Sheets, blankets...
40:58Emma's taking every B&B booking she can to help pay for the works.
41:05Guests checked out early this morning,
41:06so I'm going to turn the room around.
41:08Don't actually have a technique
41:10other than to not get tangled up in it myself.
41:13While she may be relatively new to hosting,
41:17in the 11 months she's now been open,
41:20she's come a long way.
41:22People do remind me that I've done quite a lot
41:24in a short space of time
41:25and sometimes I need to remind myself of that
41:28and perhaps enjoy that
41:30and enjoy the process a bit more than it being,
41:32right, OK, what phase can we get to next?
41:35I'm determined to do that more with this phase of the renovation.
41:38I'm not putting any pressure on myself.
41:40I'm just going to see what can be done
41:42for X amount of money
41:44and then go with it, work with it.
41:47All the rooms are ready to go.
41:49Three o'clock check-in, basically.
41:50I get a lot of last-minute bookings,
41:52so effectively anybody could turn up on the doorstep
41:55at three o'clock onwards.
41:56So, yeah, always ready to go.
41:58Next lot of washing. Hey, Phyllis.
42:02Come on, baby.
42:06The following month,
42:07in and around a steady flow of guests' days,
42:10Emma's been working to sort through the annex
42:13with help from friend Adam, who's over from the UK.
42:16Yeah, you need to skip.
42:18I know I do.
42:19That's an air filter from something.
42:20It'll be a swimming pool.
42:22The clearance is now a top priority
42:24as her builders have confirmed
42:26they can start the conversion work next week.
42:29That thing helped build a house 20 years ago.
42:33Despite her intention
42:36to take the renovations in her stride,
42:39Emma's innate business ambition has other ideas.
42:44Me being me, putting a bit of pressure on myself.
42:46I've already advertised it for next year.
42:48So, and I've actually taken a booking on it already as well.
42:51So, yeah, just applied a little bit of pressure there,
42:53but I'm sure it'll be fine.
42:54It's really exciting, yeah.
42:56I can't wait to see it change shape
42:57and turn it around really quickly,
42:59which I know they will,
43:00and they'll do a great job as well.
43:01Emma's drive to push her new business forward
43:06has been evident all summer long
43:08in the varying ideas that she's trialled
43:10to bring in guest bookings.
43:1211 months into business,
43:14I'm really pleased with how this season's gone.
43:17I have more of a clarity in my head now
43:19as to the events I want to do going forward
43:21and in terms of what I want to see the business doing for me
43:25in the future.
43:27It's been really enjoyable.
43:29I love doing it.
43:31Also, being able to share this corner of Spain
43:34that she now calls home with visiting friends and family...
43:38Oh, yes!
43:40Going to get some nice food.
43:41..is a dream made possible through all her hard work.
43:45I have no regrets at all.
43:47There's not a day where I even have a wobble, to be fair,
43:50and wonder, what are you doing, Emma?
43:52You know, I mean, I feel so, so grateful to be here.
43:55LAUGHTER
43:56I have many pinch-myself moments
43:59where it's like, how did I get here?
44:01It's an amazing experience.
44:03It's given me way, way more than I ever, ever anticipated,
44:06and I can only ever see that getting better and improving.
44:09So, it's great.
44:11I'm just happy to be here.
44:17Next time...
44:18Ready for another day in the sunny Dardyne?
44:20..after their launch,
44:21can Dave and Emily keep the tills ringing?
44:24I'm just making a little sign with our opening times,
44:27then we're going to go into the lake and put it up.
44:29Nigel and Fede's renovations hit a hurdle.
44:33Slightly bigger hole than we expected.
44:35Looks like we've just had an earthquake.
44:38And after winning the keys to a French B&B on a TV game show...
44:43What?
44:44What?
44:45..a couple from Belfast claim their life-changing prize.
44:49Do you think it's real?
44:50Oh, God, yeah.
44:51I don't. I just don't feel like it's ruined someone else's house.
44:59Ticketwork.com
45:00I don't. I don't. I don't. I think it's real.
45:02I don't. I think it's real.
45:03I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't.
45:03I don't know.
45:05I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't. I don't.
45:07You shouldn't have a clue.
45:10You should be saying,
45:11what do I know?
45:14How long have you been to your next video?
45:17So I know my answer to OK.
45:18What do we have to make this video?
45:19You should just ask me about the facts?
45:21And then...
45:23You should think it's alright.
Be the first to comment