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00:01From the glistening waters of the Med to the mountainous Alps,
00:05all across Europe, brave Brits are chasing new beginnings.
00:09Let's get this show on the road, huh?
00:11I mean, just look at this backdrop here.
00:13Essex was nothing like this.
00:15The stakes are high.
00:17This is definitely a gamble. I put everything in. All my life savings.
00:21We've got a lot riding on this.
00:22Our futures, our children's futures.
00:24We need to make some money.
00:25As they launch B&Bs and pubs in France.
00:30We're very new at this.
00:31Wow. Good job the wines, Chi.
00:34To wellness retreats and holiday parks in Bulgaria.
00:38It's not big enough.
00:39We measured it. I don't understand.
00:41It's a journey into the unknown.
00:44That's cool.
00:46Boo!
00:48But we're joining them for the ride.
00:51As they tee off their new lives in the sun.
00:55I just walk around with a smile on my face all the time.
00:58Let's Lancaster!
01:00Today on the Costa del Sol.
01:03Wow. That is incredible.
01:06The pressure is on.
01:07Time is ticking there. I want everything done in two weeks' time.
01:10As a Lancaster couple push to open their new show bar.
01:14I just can't wait for all of these to be over.
01:16In northern Spain...
01:18We've got plans for a nine-bedroom bed and breakfast.
01:21A Bristol family try to steer clear of the road to nowhere
01:25with their new biker tours business.
01:27The guys we just had today, you know,
01:29I had to send them somewhere else to stay.
01:31And it's frustrating.
01:33And in France...
01:34We're under a little bit of pressure.
01:36Will an Anglo-Ukrainian couple finish their epic renovation
01:40in time for summer?
01:42A lot of people think we are either very brave or...
01:47Stupid.
01:57For family-friendly holidays by the sea, Benel Madaner in the south of Spain
02:02remains a firm favourite with Brits.
02:05Oh, breath of wind.
02:0720 degrees.
02:08Shorts and T-shirt weather.
02:10Mid-January.
02:12I'll take that.
02:14And it's the site of a big success story for a Lancaster couple
02:18who swapped Blighty for this sun-drenched coastline.
02:22A little bit different to the UK, I think, in weather.
02:25I think so.
02:26Adam and his Spanish wife, Ali, moved here from Lancaster three years ago...
02:31Oh, wow.
02:32..to open a cocktail bar.
02:36We've fallen in love with the place and the people.
02:38I get why it's so attractive to people
02:42and why they like to come here.
02:45Their bar has been a big hit,
02:47but this year they want to change the way they operate.
02:51Yes, we're out here to run a successful business,
02:53but we can't be exhausted all the time.
02:55Just take those two, please, then you're coming back.
02:57And we want to get that work-life balance.
02:58So we decided to change the opening hours to mostly daytime.
03:03Adam and Ali are cutting their hours to make way for a new venture,
03:07a second bar in the heart of town.
03:09This show bar with a new team and manager
03:12will become a hub for live entertainment.
03:15Beyond our wildest dreams, what we now have achieved and what we now own.
03:22We've come a long way in the last two and a half years, haven't we?
03:25Yeah.
03:26It's January.
03:28We're going to have to turn the outside lights on.
03:30And today, Adam and Ali are reopening their beachfront cocktail bar
03:34after the winter break.
03:35Our first day open for 2025.
03:38We've got the new cocktails.
03:39We've got some new food.
03:41Today is the first day with new opening hours
03:44as they seek a better work-life balance.
03:47Today, the doors are only open from 10am until 6pm.
03:53We're going from 18-hour days to just 12-hour days,
03:56which is still 60 hours a week.
03:58And we have another business as well.
03:59But for us, going from 80 hours down to 60 hours is a big difference.
04:03It's going to be so much better than last year
04:05because we're not putting too much pressure on ourselves
04:07to just work, work, work, work, work.
04:09Who knows what today will bring?
04:12Adam and Ali are opening early to cash in on breakfast trade,
04:16but there's an issue in the kitchen.
04:18And one of the friars is gone.
04:22One of their friars is on the blink.
04:26In any hospitality business, your machinery,
04:28when you turn it all back on again,
04:30there's always something that doesn't work.
04:33I'm going to turn the temperature down on it
04:35and we're just going to see if it continues.
04:38We have ten minutes before we open
04:40and I need to clean the toilets and I need to set up inside.
04:44So, hopefully, it'll be quieter today.
04:49But while Adam and Ali are working shorter hours,
04:52they now have two venues to run.
04:54Flamingos on the white wall and all the booze.
04:58Which is keeping Adam on his toes.
05:01It's 7.30 tonight, is it?
05:03All right, no problem. See you later.
05:05We've got an artist going in there today
05:07who's doing one of the main walls.
05:09There's still lots of work.
05:10Time is ticking there.
05:11I want everything done in two weeks' time.
05:13So, I think Megs is going to be sending us snapshots
05:15of how this work is progressing.
05:18Luckily, the fryer is now working.
05:21Meaning Ali can serve their first breakfast of the year
05:24to barman Nico and his family.
05:27Can we get you anything else, guys?
05:29No, that looks absolutely lovely.
05:31I think we just found the newest, nicest breakfast.
05:35So far, this morning's breakfast service has been quiet,
05:38giving the couple plenty of time
05:40to keep tabs on the art installation.
05:44I just want to show you the artwork
05:45they're about halfway through.
05:47Oh, wow.
05:49Look at that.
05:51And they're suitably impressed.
05:53This is incredible.
05:55Well done. Brilliant. That's incredible.
05:57Thanks a lot, Megsy. Cheers.
05:59Already the big feature wall is taking shape.
06:03We're bang on track again now.
06:05I'm full of confidence.
06:06Happy days.
06:10Two weeks later, the show bar is really taking shape.
06:15From artwork to lighting, it's a hive of activity.
06:19And this morning, there's yet another delivery.
06:22Two triple bar fridges.
06:25A new glass wash machine, which is going to be invaluable here.
06:29Much of the bar equipment needed replacing.
06:32And the shopping list seems never-ending.
06:36Once I've got these in, which is another job for me today,
06:39is to see if we can buy a purpose-built unit
06:42so we can put extra glasses on it.
06:44We can ask Javier to do it forever.
06:47Yeah, but I just prefer to just buy it.
06:50Adam and Ali are now eating into their contingency fund
06:54before the bar has even opened,
06:56and Ali is worried they may be overspending.
06:58I've just been paying a lot of bills,
07:02doing a lot of transfers for a lot of people.
07:05I feel like I'm pretty sick, let's say the least.
07:10As exciting as it is to open a new venue,
07:14so many little things need to be done.
07:17I just can't wait to open the doors.
07:19I just can't wait for all of this to be over.
07:21Here in south-west France, the spectacular rolling hills
07:33stretch between winding rivers and open skies.
07:36This region attracts more British relocators than anywhere else in France,
07:42and two recent arrivals are former construction boss Tony
07:47and his Ukrainian wife Natasha.
07:50This is why we moved to France. Amazing.
07:54A year ago they swapped their life in Essex for the Dordogne,
07:58taking on a half-built property that had been abandoned by developers.
08:02The reason we bought it though, over and above of just falling in love with the place,
08:08which is all very well, but, is location.
08:11What we wanted to do with the property, in terms of a business,
08:16and obviously as our home, it worked perfectly well.
08:20So, everything ticked the box really, didn't it?
08:23The couple bought this sprawling home on a six-acre site,
08:29with a swimming pool and an impressive, ready-to-rent two-bedroom sheet.
08:34But the house itself is a shell,
08:37with the ultimate goal of hosting high-end holidays and weddings,
08:41this year they want to fit out the house interior
08:45and open a second holiday let, plus five luxury bedrooms.
08:49A lot of people think we are either very brave or...
08:56..stupid.
08:58Well, I don't know.
09:00Some people have said, oh, it's my midlife crisis.
09:03But I said, no, I had that many years ago.
09:05It's late March, and while their holiday rental is empty,
09:09Tony and Natasha are doing some future-proofing.
09:14With a mammoth site comes equally hefty bills,
09:19so they're making savvy investments now to save cash in the future.
09:23Along this wall here, there used to be quite a bit of sort of rubble left
09:31from when the building was actually built some 15 years ago.
09:35So what we decided, we want some solar panels, ground-mounted,
09:39so they're easy to access.
09:41So we decided to get rid of a lot of the rubbish,
09:44utilise a lot of the good rocks to make a big rockery at one end,
09:47and then the solar panels are going to stretch along there.
09:53At a cost of €4,000, solar panels don't come cheap,
09:58but the potential savings are jaw-dropping.
10:01We're cutting our bills by 75%, hopefully.
10:04Obviously, that's daylight hours,
10:06but most of it in the summer is used on the pool,
10:10so helping us, making us more energy-efficient
10:11and good for the environment.
10:14The solar panels are being delivered in 11 days,
10:18so they can be installed before the peak season.
10:21For now, Tony and Natasha's focus is getting a second jeep ready for summer,
10:26and they've made great progress in recent weeks.
10:29So this was a complete shell.
10:32So we've had to put new joists in all across,
10:35new flooring, all new walls,
10:37and we've plasterboarded throughout.
10:41So, yeah, we're getting there.
10:44On the floor above, Tony and Natasha have created two new bedrooms and two bathrooms,
10:51but they can't finish work upstairs until a new staircase is fitted.
10:55In the meantime, Natasha has been decorating the new jeep kitchen.
11:00I'm just going to start probably on this corner.
11:05Not probably, I am starting on this corner.
11:09I've primed it yesterday, so it's all nice and smooth.
11:13And, yeah.
11:15Can't wait to get this room finished, so it's nice and clean.
11:19But finishing this second holiday let is just the start of the couple's epic plans for this estate.
11:26The main house is currently an empty shell, with only floorboards and some partition walls.
11:32Now Tony has begun work on the first of two jeep bedrooms they hope to create here.
11:39So the next pressing job's here.
11:42We've got to finish this end because these rooms, believe it or not,
11:46have already taken bookings for in July.
11:49So that's the main job for the next few weeks, to finish that end off.
11:55And then we move up to this end of the building, where we're going to be living.
12:00And that's got to be finished by early May.
12:03We're going to leave this big space, work through this in the winter, ready for 2026.
12:12To keep their overheads down, Tony and Natasha are doing most of the work themselves.
12:17But with bookings already in the diary for both an unfinished jeet and unbuilt bedrooms,
12:24stress levels are beginning to creep up.
12:26We're under a little bit of pressure to finish.
12:29And obviously I'm under a little bit of pressure then to have our accommodation ready.
12:34So ticking things off, as they say, and progressing.
12:37Coming up, the final push is on for Adam and Ali.
12:47Exactly seven days before we open to train staff, stop the bar, clean, open the doors and start making money.
12:56And a momentous day for a Bristol family's biker tours.
13:00We should be out for about six hours in total.
13:02It's my first group, so yeah, a little bit anxious.
13:07In the far north of Spain, the rugged mountains and lush green valleys of Cantabria have been attracting adventurous travelers for centuries.
13:22They're nice. Which one did you get?
13:25An ender.
13:27Just under two hours from the regional capital of Santander, the Leibana Valley, with its milder climate, is proving even more popular with British visitors.
13:37You want to see the girls, Lucy? Can you take Berto?
13:39Like Greg and Daisy...
13:41That's enough coffee for you, for a three-year-old, OK?
13:44..who left Bristol to set up home in the picturesque town of Potess.
13:48We wanted somewhere that we could raise a family and just do something different. And yeah, here, it's just perfect.
13:59Our kids can play outside, you know, we can just hear them having fun. It's a nice, relaxed way to have a family. And it's worked quite well for us, I think.
14:08From their new Spanish base, the couple decided to start a business embracing their love of motorsports, offering motorbike tours and stays.
14:19When we'd been traveling, we'd sort of jumped on the back of motorbikes here and there, hadn't we?
14:22We had loads of fun sort of touring around places. And we thought, when we came here, we'd never seen anybody doing that.
14:28I mean, people were bringing their own bikes on the ferry, but it's, you know, kind of, to bring your own bike on the ferry, it's not cheap.
14:35And after buying five bikes and setting up a workshop to maintain them...
14:39I can lubricate the chain as well.
14:41Greg and Daisy want to develop their offering to include accommodation, starting with an apartment they've created in a converted garage.
14:50We've got the apartment, which is about to come online, which will be great.
14:53And then, yeah, the long-term thing is we'd like to open a bit of a bigger bed and breakfast for more accommodation and step up a bit more with the motorcycles and maybe do bigger tours around Spain and things like that.
15:08It's late April and having recently welcomed their first paying tour guest...
15:14A couple of little tweaks just to make sure the bikes are all there.
15:17Today, Greg will lead a group excursion for the very first time.
15:21The guys should be arriving in about 45 minutes. Hopefully, it should be a good day's riding.
15:27He's expecting three experienced road bikers from the UK seeking a change of scenery.
15:34Because it's all off-road today and we'll probably be doing about 50, 60 kilometres and, yeah, we should be out for about six hours in total.
15:41It's my first group, so, yeah, a little bit anxious.
15:46Hey!
15:47But as his guests arrive...
15:48How's it going, guys?
15:50...Greg's nerves disappear.
15:52Andrew.
15:53Andrew, nice to meet you.
15:55Ashley, how you doing? You all right, mate? Good to see you.
15:57And after introductions, it's down to business.
16:00We'll get the horrible paperwork stuff out of the way first.
16:04And payment?
16:05Do you guys want a card machine or are we paying cash?
16:07Card, that's all right.
16:08Card, yeah, yeah. I'll go and grab it down.
16:10Bear with me while it wakes up.
16:11Of course it chooses today to do an update.
16:14At €150 per person, including kit and lunch, large bookings are central to Greg's business plan.
16:27With the weather on their side, it's a beautiful day to be riding through the peaks.
16:32Most fun you can have on a Saturday.
16:35And today's customers couldn't be happier.
16:40So much fun. Had a couple of drops and all sorts.
16:43What a giggle. Absolutely great fun.
16:45The bikes are popping up for it and the day was absolutely super.
16:49Cheers, guys! See ya!
16:51As the group head off on their next adventure...
16:54Really pleased with that.
16:56Yeah, taking some experienced riders out definitely validates what we're trying to do here.
16:59Greg's buoyed by their feedback.
17:02They all said they'd like to come back again and do another day.
17:05So, yeah, this is great. Great news.
17:14Six weeks later...
17:16Er, what angles do we want?
17:18Wide?
17:20From what position in the room?
17:23Greg and Daisy are moving forward with their plans to accommodate new guests in the apartment.
17:30What about that?
17:32Try and get the log burner and the view.
17:34So, Greg is taking photos so that we can start advertising the apartment, hopefully, in the next few weeks.
17:42Should we put some, like, cups or glasses with gin and tonics on the little table?
17:48Are we having a good gin and tonic?
17:50Oh, yes.
17:51A bit early.
17:53A bit early, but when needs must.
17:55As they head towards the busy season, letting out the apartment could bring in 90 euros per night.
18:02The apartment is basically ready.
18:03There's a couple of little finishing touches to do, but nothing major.
18:06It's the beginning of June now.
18:08The architects were here maybe a month ago, so we're hoping that we'll get the permissions very soon.
18:14Ideally, we'd like it online by the end of this month.
18:18Yeah, totally. We need to. It needs to be ready for July.
18:21July and August are the busy, really busy months here.
18:23Big time.
18:24So, don't have long.
18:26And for the motorcycle business, we want to be able to start offering the apartment as part of the package.
18:31Yeah.
18:32And so it's really important that we get that.
18:34Now the fate of their holiday-let business is in the hands of the local tourist board.
18:40Oh, that's much better.
18:41I think, yeah.
18:42That's better.
18:43That's your money shop.
18:50It's February in Benalmadina.
18:52Ali, don't put it in because there's a reason why you can't put the fridge in.
18:57And Adam and Ali have hit a stumbling block at their new bar refit.
19:02Then we did the initial bar setup.
19:04We did this on the basis that we were buying the same size fridges that we took out, which were doubles.
19:10In a flurry of madness, I ordered two triples as opposed to two doubles.
19:16The hinges that he's put under that worktop, which is where the glasses are going to go, are in the wrong place.
19:23The bar is designed and spaced for double fridges, not the triple ones Adam ordered.
19:30But Dylan thinks he has a solution.
19:33One will fit in the middle.
19:34There's another one.
19:35There's a bracket where just about where that can is and then passed where one will fit.
19:40But I'm also having another thought that we have a lot of, I've already said we've got a lot of fridge space on this bar.
19:46You've got three dump fridges, two giant uprights and two triples.
19:51So what I'm thinking is we put the triple in the middle.
19:54Then we get two shelving units either side for more glassware and the other triple that we've got goes with the cocktail station.
20:02Will it fit in there?
20:04It'll fit. We'll make it fit.
20:06All it means is that we've just got to buy another shelving unit for all these glasses.
20:12I don't know why I ordered triples instead of doubles.
20:15With one problem solved, it's on to the next one.
20:18Word is spreading fast about the new venue and people are already trying to book tables for opening night.
20:28But currently they have no way of taking bookings.
20:31Look, I know you were at this all day yesterday and I'm trying to sort out the online booking system.
20:37Adam and Ali have employed a company to set up an online booking site, which should launch today.
20:43I'm hoping in the next literally two or three hours now, we'll be up and running and be able to send people to the booking platform for them to start seeing what's on and booking.
20:55Adam and Ali want every element of the customer experience to be fun and stress free.
21:04They've even commissioned a branded photo backdrop for selfies and group photos.
21:08Dylan, come here, mate.
21:17We're going to lift it up onto the wall to choose what height it's going to be at.
21:21Really, we want their heads.
21:23Be around there, yeah.
21:25We've got Megs' height.
21:27With the backdrop in place, it's time for a test shot.
21:31And after a day of drama, it's the lift Ali desperately needed.
21:35And it's just incredible to be able to see her like this.
21:41Sometimes when you have those lows and you see something like this, it brings you back.
21:50Very good, I love her.
21:52With a liberal coat of adhesive and a bit of muscle...
21:54Lift it up.
21:55Yeah.
21:56There you go.
21:57...the photo backdrop is soon secured in place.
21:59So the sign is lovely for people to have selfies.
22:03It helps change this room where we're going to put the queue system in, just so that there's an order for people coming in. It's perfect.
22:10This room is straight away just taking shape.
22:16Absolutely.
22:18As another busy day of problem solving comes to a close, the finish line is finally in sight.
22:25Ordered the extra tables.
22:27You've made lots of payments.
22:28You've made lots of more payments.
22:29Yeah.
22:30But then Meg's at the same time has been taking more money.
22:32A lot of fake bookings.
22:33More money in.
22:34And now I have 300 plus messages on the social media that I need to go through.
22:40And though their list of jobs is far from complete, they're now able to count down the days until the till starts ringing.
22:46So it's all looking good to be finished one week tomorrow, giving us exactly seven days before we open to train staff, stop the bar, clean, open the doors and start making money.
23:04Coming up, the heat is on for Greg and Daisy.
23:07So we are just about to jump on the bikes and really excited for this.
23:11As they host an online influencer.
23:14It's definitely a market that we're really keen to tap into.
23:17And Tony and Natasha find themselves digging for fool's gold.
23:22I could have connect the water here.
23:24I didn't need this.
23:35It's late March in southern France where Tony and Natasha are picking up the pieces of an abandoned building project.
23:42To fund the interior fix of their luxury holiday lodge, the couple want to run two holiday lets.
23:50The first of their sheets is already up and running, but progress on the second was held up by a missing staircase.
23:57But finally, there's some good news.
24:01It was supposed to be installed January and February, installed last week, finally.
24:07Despite the delay in the staircase being completed, we're really happy with how it's turned out.
24:13It's opened up. This watch was a one-bedroom jeet into, now, a three-bedroom jeet with two bathrooms.
24:22So we're, yeah, we're delighted.
24:26With work ongoing across almost all of their estate, Tony and Natasha currently have nowhere they can call home.
24:33Once this jeet is finished, they will move in here, but only until the summer.
24:39To have a little bit of home comfort as well.
24:43So, yes, it would be nice to have it finished, finally.
24:46Fingers crossed.
24:47Once they're finished, there's some making good around the top area.
24:52A little bit of painting and decorating to do, but hopefully, next week, this will all be finished.
25:00And we move on to the next section.
25:04With the interior fix of the main house also ongoing, days off are currently few and far between.
25:11Today, the couple are getting excited about the arrival of solar panels that will boost their eco-credentials and shrink their electricity bills.
25:22Very exciting.
25:24We've been waiting a long time for this moment.
25:28Today is the day.
25:30Tony thinks these panels could generate 75% of their electricity during peak times, saving up to 3,000 euros per year.
25:39So, yeah, six kilowatts of panels here. We've got another three kilowatts coming.
25:44I think they'll be up and running live by Thursday.
25:48So, two days' time.
25:50I've got about half a kilowatt left in me for today.
25:54But power isn't the only utility on his checklist.
26:01What I'm planning on doing today, I've got to get a water supply into the main house.
26:06So, the plumber's advised if we can dig a channel.
26:10It has to be 500 millimetres down.
26:13And Yanis, who is a local lad, has kindly offered his services to help me dig.
26:21Which, I'm never going to turn down someone helping me dig.
26:24When they bought the house, it had been deserted, half-finished by developers.
26:31And sometimes it's not easy to establish what pipes and cables are already in the ground.
26:36So, I noticed a blue pipe here.
26:42I was hoping we could reuse rather than dig this plant up.
26:47It goes through to here, but it doesn't appear to be in here, which is not ideal.
26:54Ah, yes it is.
26:56It's down the bottom here.
26:57Hopefully we can utilise that pipe rather than dig this nice plant up.
27:05The main house is currently unoccupied.
27:08But when they open both sheets, Tony and Natasha will decamp here.
27:12So, a fresh water supply is essential.
27:16And after more than three hours of digging, this half-finished house surrenders another hidden secret.
27:23They could have connected the water here.
27:27I didn't need this.
27:29Have a coffee, darling.
27:33I think I might need more than coffee. I might need wine now.
27:37At least Tony now knows where the water pipe runs
27:41and he wants to make sure he doesn't need to dig up his rockery again any time soon.
27:46So, I'm just sinking this pipe, existing pipe, down further just to avoid it freezing in the wintertime.
27:54I'll try and get it down as far as I can and then get ready for another day to drill through the wall.
28:01And, yeah, at least the pipe's in ready for the plumber.
28:06With spring now knocking at the door, Tony and Natasha have precious little time left
28:11to finish work on the second of their holiday lets,
28:14whilst also making sure they have somewhere to live when the summer season begins.
28:22There's always a job to do here. There's planting roses.
28:25I've got to get all this solar down the bottom, so we're going to be busy.
28:28In northern Spain, Greg and Daisy are still awaiting sign-off on their holiday apartment.
28:42That's the written stuff. I'll get the drawings.
28:46In the long term, they want to expand their offering.
28:50Today, they're revisiting plans for more accommodation.
28:53Shall we look at these plans then?
28:56OK.
28:57Remind ourselves what was our original idea.
29:00Next door to them is a ruin they picked up for 60,000 euros with their original house purchase.
29:08But making this space liveable will take time and money.
29:11We are outside the ruin, which is what we've been calling it for eight years now.
29:23It's still a ruin.
29:25I remember us coming round that corner and saw this building, which was less of a ruin.
29:31But it was such a beautiful location that we just had nothing to do.
29:34That was all that, yeah, I mean, we knew the property wouldn't, you know, it was falling down, it would have to be knocked down, but the, it was all about the location.
29:44When they originally bought this former farmhouse, Greg and Daisy had grand plans to open a bed and breakfast here.
29:52Even though the building itself, sadly, is not structurally sound and the timbers are gone, we'd have to replace it, everything.
29:58It all has to be rebuilt looking the same, that's one of the conditions.
30:03Like many of the heritage buildings in the region, the purchase came with a number of protective covenants designed to maintain the visual appeal of the structure.
30:13We've got plans for a nine bedroom bed and breakfast.
30:17We've got all the permissions and yeah, that is still the plan.
30:20That is still the plan, yeah, it's just, yeah, once we find time, we want to get the motorcycles done.
30:24Yeah.
30:25And then if we can turn this into a really nice little retreat for people to come out and enjoy, because this location is stunning.
30:31And I know we've had this ruined for a long time now, but I'm still no less enthusiastic or confident about how amazing it will be when it's done.
30:40And you know, once we've got a bit more time and money, we'll start plan B, plan B, plan A.
30:45We're on plan B at the moment. We'll go back to plan A.
30:48By the time we start this, Ben will be old enough to help.
30:51We'll be old enough to run it.
30:57Let's go. Let's have a cup of tea.
31:03A couple of weeks later, Greg is welcoming his next tour booking.
31:08So these guys are the first guys we've had out from the States.
31:11It's definitely a market that we're really keen to tap into.
31:13Today's guests, Austin and Federico, now both live in Portugal and are currently touring northern Spain.
31:22Austin from Texas. Easy to remember.
31:25Austin from Texas. Austin, Texas. Yeah, yeah, of course.
31:28As well as riding, Austin does online bike reviews.
31:31And today he'll be making videos for his followers, taking Greg's business direct to his target market.
31:38So we are just about to jump on the bikes and really excited for this.
31:43We've got Greg with us. He's going to guide us up through the mountains and the views are already looking incredible.
31:48So let's get after it. See you guys out there.
31:49All right then. OK. Follow me.
31:56With guests plus an online audience to impress, the pressure is on Greg today to deliver a flawless tour.
32:05Luckily, the weather is on his side and the views around every corner are spectacular.
32:10And after only a handful of tours, it's clear that Greg is finding his feet.
32:18It's super helpful having a guide that actually knows this terrain.
32:22I'm sure he showed us places that, you know, otherwise we wouldn't have seen.
32:26The bikes were great. They kind of ate up everything that we threw at them.
32:29So it was a good time.
32:31Thank you very much. For me starting up a business, having guys like you come as clients and enjoy yourselves, that sort of validates what we're doing.
32:36Yeah, we'll try and push it. Send people your way.
32:40Yeah. Well, yeah, please do.
32:41So that would be amazing.
32:43Building an online presence is key for any startup business.
32:47And an endorsement from Austin and Federico...
32:50See you guys.
32:51..could be massive news.
32:53He's got a huge amount of experience and for him to turn around and say that, you know,
32:57I'm definitely going to recommend you to friends of ours when they come and visit and, you know,
33:01that they're interested in themselves on coming back and doing some more routes,
33:05it's, yeah, it really validates what we're trying to do.
33:08And hopefully, as the business goes forward, we'll get more of that and we'll just go from strength to strength.
33:13I'll actually start making some money.
33:15Hopefully. Eventually.
33:17For Greg, there's just one thing that could have made the day better.
33:21Come on, buddy. Come on away.
33:23Accommodating his guests on site.
33:26The guys we just had today, you know, I had to send them somewhere else to stay and it's frustrating.
33:31With July almost upon them, Greg knows the opportunity to take summer bookings is just too good to miss.
33:40I really want people to come here and experience the whole package with us.
33:43Coming up...
33:44So you're going to start off, you're going to get a little bit of cranberry juice, 50 ml of peach.
33:55With their bar launch just days away, Adam and Ali train a crop of new recruits.
34:01This is very valuable time to us and we're going to make the most of it.
34:05And with one renovation finally completed, it's back to the beginning for Tony and Natasha.
34:10This is where me and Natasha are going to live, believe it or not, in the next six weeks.
34:16So, no pressure.
34:27Back on the Costa del Sol, Adam and Ali are counting down the days to opening.
34:32Today, training begins for a new crop of recruits.
34:38This is George, this is Aaron.
34:39Hi, George, nice to meet you.
34:40This is Kate.
34:41Kate, this is Natalie.
34:42Hiya.
34:43Hiya, how are you?
34:44Katie, nice to meet you.
34:45Mwah.
34:46Nice to meet you.
34:47For venue manager Megs, it's the first time she'll step up and take charge of a team.
34:52We're going to go through the whole place from top to bottom, make sure that everyone knows where everything is, making sure that everyone feels comfortable.
35:02So, my name's Meg, I'm going to be our general manager here and I can't wait to work with you all, I think you're all fantastic.
35:08These are my staff at the end of the day, I suppose I do have to get a hold of management right from the beginning.
35:14I feel very ready.
35:15I think that Adam and Ali really help me be ready for management.
35:19I'm excited.
35:20It's making things feel very real.
35:23These days are so important to us because tomorrow we're learning how to do the till and today, later on, we're doing the cocktail training, which is really exciting.
35:33With the opening day looming, Adam and Ali's son, Raoul...
35:36This is Raoul, Raoul is our resident DJs.
35:39Hello!
35:40..who will be DJ at the bar four nights a week, is setting up a video information wall.
35:46Yeah, trying to plug the USB in now, see if it works. Hopefully it does.
35:53But there's a problem with his USB drive.
35:57Oh!
35:59Raoul's files are in the wrong format.
36:02No photos or videos for family storage.
36:06Redo it.
36:07I'm back.
36:11In the main room, the new recruits are learning how to set out the tables and chairs.
36:17Series X on these three here, just to give them a little bit more dance move.
36:22Round two.
36:23And Raoul is ready to try again.
36:25Let's see if this works now.
36:29Oh, oh, oh, oh, the loading.
36:31Oh, we've got...
36:32Hey!
36:33Right, OK.
36:34Working.
36:36After a busy day at the beach bar...
36:41What have you got in there?
36:42Adam and Ali arrive to give the new team their final training of the day, a cocktail-making masterclass.
36:50Here we go.
36:52Armed with a toolkit of bar essentials, the plan is to teach the bar staff how to make all ten of the cocktails on the new menu.
37:01Is it going to be driving?
37:03No driving?
37:04I'm not driving, so...
37:06OK.
37:07So, Dylan, first cocktail is...
37:09Sex on the beach.
37:10Sex on the beach.
37:11Hurricane glass, two pieces of ice.
37:13Really easy.
37:14So, you're going to start off, you're going to get a little bit of cranberry juice, 50 ml of peach.
37:20Training of any staff is really, really important.
37:22We have the opportunity to train the staff properly without customers here on things like the cocktails and on the service procedure, on the guest journey.
37:33This is a very valuable time to us and we're going to make the most of it.
37:37Trying to bounce straight off the ice.
37:40And because of the sugar at the bottom, it will just lay up perfectly.
37:43Wow, that's some sex on the beach, isn't it?
37:45That's nice.
37:47And your straw always goes opposite to your fruit.
37:50OK.
37:51Sex on the beach.
37:53Lovely.
37:55Time for the bar staff to have a go, while the rest of the team get to sample.
38:02Oh, that is delicious.
38:04You've got to have it.
38:05That is gorgeous.
38:08The flavour's good.
38:09Tonight is their first night with their team and we want them to enjoy it, learn at the same time, but have a good night.
38:16Look what's happening to your fruit.
38:18So, purely because this isn't quite...
38:22Yeah, but you haven't had a proper chopping board to chop it on, OK?
38:24Just do a slit from here, not from up here.
38:29The smaller the slit, and a slightly thicker piece, but a chopping board will make that a lot easier.
38:34The person who's opening the bar up at six was the person who will prep all the fruit for this side and prep the fruit for that side, OK?
38:41Layering-wise, beautiful.
38:43As the class progresses...
38:45Great stuff.
38:47Adam and Dylan offer up their top cocktail-making tips.
38:51Looks absolutely spot on.
38:52How long did it take you to make?
38:54Two minutes.
38:55Two minutes.
38:56It's a minute too slow.
38:58You need to have it down in a minute, OK?
39:01And soon the group are looking more like a team.
39:05I'm not sharing this.
39:07I'm seeing it.
39:09It feels very real now to see my team all together, and I'm very happy with what we've got, and I wouldn't change them for the world.
39:18So we wanted to put the wow in the woo-woo, so if we call it the wow-wow.
39:22Ooh, lovely.
39:24Going really well.
39:25We'll see how they all do making cocktails now.
39:27Well, these guys have done really well.
39:29They're absolutely brilliant.
39:30All right, cheers, everyone.
39:32Cheers.
39:33Today marks the end of three months of hard work at the new show bar, and now the grand opening is just six days away.
39:41I'm really confident now that these guys, I think, will work really well as a team.
39:56It's May in the Dordogne, and Tony and Natasha are expecting visitors.
40:01When you own a giant home in the French countryside, it's hard to turn down holiday requests from friends and family, even when most of your home is a building site.
40:13I think it helps that you've got friends and family occasionally visiting as guests, but to give you some feedback on what we're trying to achieve.
40:22And we want constructive criticism, and we want constructive criticism, where we can improve, and that's a big help for us as a business and our future.
40:30ARRIVING FROM LONDON
40:34ARRIVING FROM LONDON
40:36Hello.
40:37Hello.
40:38Hello, you made it.
40:39Wow.
40:40I'm going to Felina first.
40:41Old friends of Tony's and Natasha's from Essex.
40:44Hello.
40:45Good to see you.
40:46Come with me.
40:47Come with me, guys.
40:48Please follow me.
40:49I'll show you where you're staying.
40:51We have a kitchen, dining, lounge here.
40:56Two bedrooms upstairs with the bathroom.
40:59There is another bedroom there.
41:01So the pool area and all the outside area is all exclusive to you guys?
41:06Not even you.
41:07Not even me.
41:08No.
41:09And it's fair to say, Felina, Eugene and their children, Matthew and Amelia, are impressed with their digs.
41:19It's great.
41:20The view is amazing.
41:22Everything is new.
41:24And at the same time, it all looks very old.
41:26So it's old and new combined.
41:28The pool is just, it's picture perfect.
41:31It's really, it's impressive.
41:35Now the pressure is on Tony and Natasha to finish the second of their geets to a similar standard.
41:41And since the staircase was fitted five weeks ago, they've made rapid progress with the top floor.
41:48The staircase is now finished.
41:50Which leads us upstairs to two new bedrooms and a bathroom that myself and Natasha have constructed.
41:57Again, it's got cathedral style ceilings.
42:03Not the easiest to paint and decorate.
42:06So this is the new landing hallway.
42:09This is all new, including all the floor.
42:13I had to put in new joists.
42:15It's all insulated.
42:16Natasha and Tony are targeting the luxury market.
42:20But with high standards comes high stakes.
42:26Because we want to get a four star rating.
42:30Maybe even get five star.
42:32Which is quite critical here in France now.
42:35A lot of the authorities here in France want to see that there's a standard in your property.
42:40So a lot of it is around, you can operate all the light switches from your bedside.
42:46So if someone gets up in the middle of the night, they can walk through.
42:50And some ingenious technology from the UK is that you have one master switch.
42:59But those switches over there by the bed have got no wires and no batteries.
43:08And it operates through kinetic energy.
43:10It's incredible.
43:12Tony is hoping these fancy gadgets will impress the tourist board when they assess the property.
43:21The couple have been living in this sheet, but just accepted a booking.
43:26The plan is for them to decamp to the main house.
43:29And after finishing one renovation, for Natasha and Tony, it's back to square one.
43:35Once I've finished in that other sheet, just finishing off the painting,
43:40and my next concentration for the next four or five weeks is going to be in here.
43:46But this is where me and Natasha are going to live, believe it or not, in the next six weeks.
43:50So no pressure.
43:52We're thinking of renting this with, obviously, the rest of the sheets and everything.
43:57But this would be, like, potentially a bridal suite.
44:00Building a new life abroad requires equal measures of hard work and sacrifice.
44:07Until the main house is finished, Tony and Natasha will be living in a building site.
44:13Now all they can do is hope that their hard graft will pay off in the long run.
44:22Next time...
44:23Do you want me to lift it a bit?
44:25Don't touch that bit. Don't move.
44:27Natasha and Tony reach new heights getting their jeep guests ready.
44:32Do not breathe.
44:33Greg and Daisy hit a bump in the road.
44:36I got up this morning and I was greeted with the Battle of the Somme.
44:40When a surprise visitor derails their guest preparations.
44:45They've had a field day, literally.
44:47And disaster strikes as Adam and Ali's show bar dream goes up in smoke.
44:52The amount of work that we put into this venue is just heartbreaking.
44:58And that's just heartbreaking.
44:59So heartbreaking.
45:01And horribly
45:05rekņu
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