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00:01Would you risk it all to start again?
00:04I always wanted to live in Spain.
00:06I don't think I could give up these blue skies and sun.
00:09We followed hundreds of Brits as they left their UK lives behind
00:13to take a leap into the unknown.
00:15It's not like it's been easy.
00:18Paying us might not actually like it.
00:20I just hope near the customers come.
00:22Setting up businesses in Bulgaria, Greece, Portugal, France, Italy and Spain.
00:28We've invested everything we've got into this.
00:31Now we're back to find out what happened next.
00:34We never expected to be working this hard. We really didn't.
00:37Did their dreams set sail?
00:40We genuinely love doing this, don't we?
00:42This is what the vision was.
00:44Or were they forced to abandon ship?
00:47It's been a very long road. Very challenging.
00:50There's no telling what will happen.
00:52That's fun.
00:53When you try to build a new life in the sun.
00:57I'm enjoying this a bit too much.
00:58Cheers.
00:59Good luck.
01:01On today's show, we catch up with a couple who opened a B&B and tea room in Spain.
01:07Here we go. Here's some lovely canopies for you.
01:11With ambitious expansion plans on the horizon, have they taken on more than they can manage?
01:16This really was the herringbone. You know, it was letting us down.
01:23In Spain, we revisit a couple whose creative business success left them burnt out.
01:29I didn't have a day off. So much so that I actually got ill last year.
01:35And we return to a couple in France whose jeep business got off to a slow start.
01:41The problem is we don't have any reviews.
01:44But can they turn it around to keep their dream alive?
01:47You don't have the monthly salary or the fees coming in as I used to have.
02:01The province of Granada sits in the east of Andalusia.
02:05With over 300 days of sunshine every year, it's no wonder Brits flock here for the good weather.
02:12Let's go. Come on.
02:15Two of those Brits are former air stewards Steve and Martin.
02:20We first met the pair in 2023 when they decided to invest their savings in a 200-year-old farmhouse
02:27with plans to run it as a B&B.
02:30For the price of a four-bed detached house in the northwest,
02:34they bought a property with 16 bedrooms, a tennis court and a swimming pool
02:39on 12 and a half acres of land.
02:44We couldn't afford this sort of lifestyle back in the UK.
02:48So we're making the best of it here.
02:50Steve and Martin had problems with red tape
02:53that meant they had to open as a tea room before they could launch as a B&B.
02:58But Martin's food proved popular
03:00and it led them to make private dining a key element of the business.
03:05Here we go.
03:07Oh, my God. You've done me proud.
03:11In June that year, as they were in the final stages of preparation
03:15before opening their doors to B&B guests, a storm hit Andalusia
03:20and left their garden and pool area in a state.
03:24With the tourist season in full swing, the pressure was on to repair the damage
03:28or risk losing lucrative bookings.
03:31We expect it to be at least 70% capacity by now.
03:35We're now back to 10%, 20%.
03:38Two weeks later, keen to start welcoming guests and refill their coffers,
03:43Steve and Martin opened the B&B doors without a pool.
03:46I'm Martin. Hi, Ben.
03:49Hi, Ben. How are you? Nice to meet you.
03:52All right.
03:53But it didn't dampen their guests' stay.
03:56They were blown away by the attention to detail.
03:59First impressions, fantastic.
04:01And it's a lovely place.
04:02They've obviously put a lot of love into it.
04:04Very nicely done.
04:06Sympathetic with Spanish decor.
04:08Where they temporarily lacked pool facilities,
04:11they made up for with Martin's cooking.
04:14Here we go. Here's some lovely canopies for you.
04:18Oh, wow.
04:19The food was a hit with the guests and a welcome cash injection.
04:23And with the money starting to roll in,
04:26Steve and Martin were able to finish the outdoor repairs
04:29and take some bold steps with the business,
04:32investing in a state-of-the-art commercial kitchen.
04:35All done.
04:36But there was no rest for the wicked.
04:38They still had to juggle guests whilst renovating.
04:42It's been quite stressful.
04:44As you can see, I'm working off two trestle tables
04:47and a makeshift piece of worktop.
04:50To add to their workload,
04:52the couple also decided to expand their business
04:54and branch out further.
04:56Come September, with a half-complete kitchen,
04:59they welcomed nine Pilates students.
05:03Hello, ladies. Welcome to Casa Lucia.
05:05And the pair pulled out all the stops.
05:09Woo!
05:12Woo!
05:15Woo!
05:15Woo!
05:16Woo!
05:18Woo!
05:20Woo!
05:21Woo!
05:22Woo!
05:22Woo!
05:22That's what all the girls say.
05:26by the end of summer,
05:27they were able to officially celebrate their B&B opening
05:41eight months later we're catching up with steven martin and business shows no sign of slowing down
05:47last year it seems a bit of a blur now it seems a long time ago everything really sort of
05:55went a
05:55bigger a quicker pace yeah um than we expected having found their feet with the kitchen now
06:02complete and bookings coming out of their ears they're constantly looking at ways they can improve
06:07and expand from the feedback that we've had from last year and the um interest that we've had this
06:15year we are taking the retreats a little bit more seriously the pair are now looking at investing
06:24into their retreats but in order to make a success of things they need to make some improvements
06:30and improvements cost money at the beginning it's robbing pieces to pay call so we've just
06:37re-diverted the finances into different areas steven martin have decamped into the office
06:45and are converting their living space into overflow accommodation to allow for bigger retreat bookings
06:51this was our living room as you can see with all the furniture in it it does look a bit
06:57of a mess
06:57we don't usually live like this but unfortunately we've had to because all this stuff will be coming
07:04out and this will be turned into a twin bedded room and it's not just their living space steven
07:11martin are updating they have plans to redesign outdoor spaces as well and we've decided to make
07:17a few little changes you know because we've had a lot of feedback from people um and the biggest change
07:23obviously is what was the tennis court is now going to be a multi-functional outside space with ambitious
07:29plans and guests due in a week will steven martin get it ready in time
07:38tani garon is a department in the occitani region named after the two rivers that run through it
07:45the area is a rich rural paradise can you see them i can't bright orange where it's peace and beauty
07:57drew photographer lynn and her architect husband brian to buy a holiday home here 19 years ago
08:05what do we love about france for me it's the countryside the nature the wildlife the beauty
08:10it's the pace of life as well we first met the couple in 2022 when after 25 years living and
08:18working
08:19in dubai they decided to move to france permanently to escape the rat race
08:24i was on the edge of it it was frantic we never had any time to ourselves it's lovely to
08:31be to have
08:32time to to to do more than just work to fund their new life here they plan to renovate their
08:39four-bed
08:40farmhouse and two outbuildings into a luxury holiday village aiming to attract big groups and families for
08:47longer bookings we need to make it work as a business it's not a game it's not a hobby it's
08:53it's it has to
08:53be a viable business their main focus for their first year was to get the pool and one outbuilding
09:00nicknamed the bread oven ready for a soft launch that summer whilst lynn stayed in dubai with their
09:08son brian got started on the renovation hard work he's sitting in an office for 25 years not doing any
09:17physical labor and now i'm doing a bit of physical labor yes i'm sweating to keep costs down brian
09:25decided he would do a lot of the work himself starting to feel the pressure actually i'm thinking
09:32if i'm going to get this soft opening by august i'm really going to have to pull my finger
09:37a month later lynn arrived back in france and finally had a chance to check on brian's progress
09:43what did you miss thing doorway is gone wow in here so wow it's big yeah wow what a difference
09:51the stairs look fab by early july they felt their vision for the site had started to take shape
10:00the site is is now is is busy it's good it's good to have the people here all all making
10:05progress in
10:06the right direction yeah it feels as if all systems are finally go and everybody's kind of coming
10:11together but there was still a lot of work to do to get the bread oven ready for that summer
10:17before they knew it it was mid-august and they had failed to meet their deadline the pool was ready
10:23and their bedrooms were finished but they still had kitchens to fit and bathrooms to plumb it was
10:29very very hot and you know the swimming pool was too inviting uh-huh and for you know for for
10:37a
10:37couple that actually have been living in dubai for 25 years you think we were used to the heat well
10:41no it crucified us it absolutely crucified us working outside in the heat they set themselves a
10:48new deadline and by october they transformed the bread oven they were finally ready to
10:53welcome their first trial guests are we ready to see this then then that should be a drum roll
11:02oh wow i love it it's really really amazing what they've done feels very different if you're ready
11:11to relax disconnect and uh enjoy nature it's perfect test guests are one thing but to make this business
11:19work they needed to secure paying guests it's all very real oh very real yeah this is it now isn't
11:25it
11:25it's it's it's it's the real starting point
11:35two years on we're catching up with lynn and brian who've gone from test guests to real ones
11:41and at first it looked encouraging getting through those first bookings and getting the first morning
11:47when you were asking them how did you sleep and you get the thumbs up that was like wow brilliant
11:52that's that's great that's when you think well there's a tick in the box it just makes us feel
11:56that we're doing it right but despite the positive feedback their first season wasn't as lucrative as
12:03they had hoped the first the first year would you say it was slow because we didn't have any reputation
12:11and nobody nobody knew us so we had a few hotel bookings through various sites and the problem is
12:18we don't have any reviews you know it is a bit nerve-wracking on the commercial aspects and all of
12:24those things you don't have the week the monthly salary or the fees coming in as i used to have
12:29will these newbie jeet hosts be able to bring in the bookings to keep the dream alive
12:37still to come we're checking in with a couple on the spanish coast whose store became a roaring
12:43success i sold like nearly 200 paintings in two years but has the pressure of it made them rethink
12:50their dream it's not all about business and it's not all about money and work and back in rural spain
12:58the clock is ticking for steven martin we've already been asked if they can see photographs of these
13:04rooms but unfortunately we can't because they're not ready
13:19lescala is a beautiful fishing village on the costa brava that lies a stone's throw from the birthplace of
13:26one of spain's most celebrated artists salvador dali popular with surfers as well as holidaying
13:33families it's chock full of trendy shops and cafes it's beautiful and artistic heritage proved
13:43irresistible for designer candy and visual artist husband alex who moved here from london in 2020.
13:51it's less of a hard grind here i cycle every morning from home to work uh the sun shines
14:01pretty much every day which is great
14:06we first met candy and alex on the day they rented this vacant shop they planned to fill it 50
14:1350
14:13with their creations to sustain their new life in lescala the location is pretty amazing um we have
14:21the sea right outside and then the space is great we've got enough window to show what we do which
14:29are
14:29wedding dresses and art it's a good spot but before they could open their doors to the public there was
14:36a
14:36mountain of work to do to transform the premises into a trendy space for candy's dresses and alex's art
14:45we plan to do everything in uh sort of one month uh it took us nearly two it's been pretty
14:53stressful
14:54i feel 20 years old the delay in renovations was frustrating but alex and candy persevered
15:04and a few weeks later they were tantalizingly close to the finish line and happy with the results
15:11the light in here is so clean and pure that i can see every single stitch detail in the garment
15:20which is amazing you know it's great to be able to work in this kind of lighting not long now
15:27until
15:27their dream new business in the sun would become a reality that's it that's it cool we're aiming to
15:35be fully open as soon as we get the paperwork and the license through a few weeks later and the
15:44shop
15:44could finally open to the public and candy's customer pietra had booked a fitting for a bespoke dress
15:51we haven't discussed uh style at all she's just completely given me the go ahead to design
15:58something for her she may not like the fit and it could go drastically wrong
16:11and the time had finally come to see if candy and alex's new business would become a hit in la
16:17scala
16:18you look gorgeous nice that feels wonderful and luckily pietra was over the moon not just with her
16:27own dress but also another of candy's designs pietra might be interested in dress number two in plum in plum
16:40thank you thank you thank you you too cheers it was a great start and things got even better later
16:48in the season when candy's clients took a sudden interest in one of alex's portraits
16:55it's not that would look great in the diamond room babes i know i think i think we should get
16:59it
16:59what a memory memory yeah well okay it's to say though it is for sale yes salt oh my god
17:08i can't believe this come here don't you cry i so wasn't expecting this at all
17:26so two years later we're back in lescana where we find candy and alex still living their new life
17:33in the sun and running their businesses so since we opened uh two and a half years ago the business
17:40has been actually doing quite well a lot better than we had ever imagined especially on alex's art
17:48outside i sold like nearly 200 paintings in two years but all the success came at a big cost especially
17:56for candy
18:01i basically was so busy in the first year of opening i didn't have a day off uh so much
18:07so that i actually
18:08got ill uh last year and i had to take a a step back from my own business
18:14uh and what i have realized is that it's not all about business and it's not all about money and
18:21work
18:23business was always 50 50 but with candy's health concerns can this couple adjust the balance
18:29and keep their dreams alive
18:36on our revisits tour we're back in granada and steve and martin have been working hard to improve
18:43their tea room and bnb we've increased the space in here anyway well the seating because we had a big
18:50table and it it's the max it was eight people now we've got 16. this year the pair have decided
18:56to
18:57invest in their retreats and have been renovating the property and grounds to accommodate the demand
19:02for bigger bookings this will be another uh double room that we can use as a letting room but it'll
19:09be
19:09nothing like it looks like now it does look quite a mess but um we'll get there the work will
19:18give them
19:1812 rentable rooms during peak season having previously only had eight rooms available
19:25and in six days they'll be hosting their biggest retreat booking with all of the rooms occupied
19:31but with walls to be painted rooms to be cleared and soft furnishings to be put in place they've got
19:37their work cut out we've already been asked if they can see photographs of these rooms but
19:44unfortunately we can't because they're not ready and i think if i sent photographs out now some people
19:51would start panicking the pair have a busy day ahead of them in order to prepare for the guests they
19:58also
19:59need to transform their disused tennis court the rest of the renovation is done to sort of like a fairly
20:07high standard this really was the herringbone you know it was it was letting us down so we had to
20:16do something with it and um because the pilates and the yoga retreats um are becoming quite popular
20:24it's it's necessary for having an outside area like this with only a few days to get things ready
20:30steve is tackling the biggest job revamping the tennis court floor i could do all the cutting in
20:37first and then it's like one of your kids you just draw around the edge and then color the middle
20:44bits
20:45in it's a slow process but it's important it's done properly as the paint isn't cheap
20:52blooming expensive paint this is nearly 90 euros a tin to fund these changes they need the money to
21:00keep coming in so while steve cracks on with the court martin is flying solo in the kitchen
21:06with all the work going on in the in the in the building we can't stop running the business you
21:11know
21:11it's full on every day um so basically we're sort of juggling from here to there it's uh you know
21:18everywhere six guests are due for afternoon tea in just an hour's time but this isn't martin's
21:25first rodeo and with food prepped in advance he has time to head over and check on steve
21:31are you going to use the big roller i mean yeah but i'm good around the heads first and then
21:36filling it
21:36in right see he's been here two minutes and he's now trying to interfere yeah steve's getting on all right
21:44slowly but surely not long after the guests begin to arrive this is that everybody loves yeah
21:56he's on here actually and the food is served right so we've got egg mayonnaise we've got roast beef and
22:04horseradish we've got tuna and red onion even on his own martin's food never falters
22:13it's been absolutely brilliant beautiful experience this exceeded everything especially
22:19the scones the cream and the gym but back on the tennis court there's an issue i've had to leave
22:27that
22:27bit there because it's where we fill the cement in it's really powdery so i'm gonna have to paint all
22:35these bits here by hand with only a few days left the last thing the couple need is a delay
22:41so steve
22:42avoids the problem areas and carries on regardless but he's getting restless i'm bored this is mind
22:49numbing soon there's another stumbling block he's run out of paint and it's not an easy one to find
22:58so that has now taken one two two large ones and three small ones tubs of paint to do half
23:09of it
23:10the work on the court can't continue until they have more paint but the grind doesn't stop there's
23:17still plenty to do inside now i'm going to put some furniture together so i've got to go upstairs now
23:22start putting flat packs together so that's gonna be fun with four new guest rooms to finish an
23:30activity space to complete and only seven days until their largest retreat booking will they be ready
23:36in time still to come in france it's crunch time for lynn and brian just got a few last preps
23:47to do to
23:48the bread of a house before they arrive and back in spain just wanted ready for sale or yeah it
23:55is for
23:55sale yeah it is for sale can alex secure his biggest sale it's got a value higher than anything else
24:02in
24:03in this gallery as we travel through europe on our revisit tour we're back with lynn and brian
24:19who had a slow start to their new sheep business but they're not giving up we're um you know we're
24:26really passionate about what we've done here but we're passionate about france we're passionate about
24:30this property uh and and we we want we want everyone to come here and feel uh feel that passion
24:36and enjoy the place as much as we have done for all the years that we've that we've owned it
24:40they're
24:41determined to make the dream work so they've been working hard to improve the site to attract more
24:47guests and with lynn and brian's attention to detail they seem to have thought of every luxury
24:53new outdoor bar and planter area at the back with our with our sail cloth shading for um for enjoying
25:00our refreshment in the late afternoon in the shade and we've got our outdoor um outdoor kitchen area
25:05which features um ice machine new barbecue area and then the garden sound system
25:12and they've converted their barn into a games room complete with an inside bar big screen tv and a pool
25:20table
25:21all of their hard work to make the property stand out has paid off it's september and this season
25:28their bookings have doubled compared to last summer and the extra features have been going down well
25:35we have really been quite surprised how well it's done we have i mean it's like anything when you
25:39do something you know your own expectations but when you hear people's feedback and how nice it's been
25:45it's just it's a lovely feeling isn't it it is so um long may it continue today lynn and brian
25:52are
25:52expecting some returning guests and they're keen to hear what they think of the changes just got a few
26:00last preps to do to the bread of a house the jeep before they arrive and one of them is
26:04the welcome
26:05pack all our guests get this on arrival so this always goes down really well as well as all the
26:12improvements lynn's thought of a creative way to use her photography to bring in some extra cash
26:17so we do the welcome cards and the welcome cards are also artwork which is displayed in the bread
26:24oven and again we've had lots of requests from our guests if they can purchase prints from us so that
26:30is also a another new thing that we're incorporating into it which works really well i'll just finish
26:36writing that and then we're good to go and soon after the guests arrive but lynn and brian aren't
26:45the first ones to welcome them hey finally you've met charlie then he's the doorbell
26:56beth ann and steve are on a four-week tour around france to celebrate their retirement and have stopped
27:01off here for a week of relaxation how long you been in france this week and a half we can
27:07have
27:07already yeah it's just week now okay well you're in the right part of france now you've been in the
27:10wrong part now you're in the right part i just said we'll spend the first two or three days wearing
27:14cagoules oh dear well you brought the sunshine i know they may have the weather but will they be
27:20impressed with the changes new gravel it's all there absolutely yeah after a quick tour they leave their
27:27guests to settle in so here we are there's a few little tweaks inside which you should notice yeah
27:35sure you're nice isn't it that's wonderful it's been so much new this year they've uh they've
27:42continued to improve the pool there's a there's a wonderful new bar and barbecue area we thought it
27:48was great before but they've made it even better where next all that's left to do now is relax in
27:54the
27:55new pool and bar area an absolute pleasure to welcome you back to lacusa hall here's to the next
28:00week and and big congratulations on your retirement bethan and steve have already booked again for next
28:08year and with the repeat bookings rolling in lynn and brian are proud of what they've achieved here
28:14you have to always remember that people have always got a choice is kind of like the greatest kind
28:19of indication of what we do when somebody comes back absolutely absolutely yeah but lynn and brian
28:25won't be stopping there they've still got big plans for the future to get the maximum potential out of
28:31the whole place it has to be the whole place yeah um let uh to one group of 12 to
28:3714 people so
28:39we have got the hunger to drive on and make sure that we achieve that and until we've done that
28:43i don't
28:44think we can see that we've finished this journey yeah no absolutely but i mean we've got the time
28:50then we'll we will get it done yeah not come here to fail no absolutely and we're not going to
28:56fail
28:57that is
29:06on our revisit trip we're back in lascala northern spain where designer candy has been run ragged since
29:14opening her shop in 2022. we had an extremely busy first year um here a lot busier than we had
29:23ever
29:23imagined and i took on an extreme amount of orders but it cost me my health i became extremely ill
29:32and i was forced to slow down candy's success meant she became physically and mentally exhausted
29:39and she's had to rethink her priorities i'm only taking orders um at the moment for as much as i
29:48can
29:48manage because i just can't work under the pressure that i was i was putting myself under when we first
29:54opened i just ended up in here for a whole year and not seeing the outside world and that's not
30:01what
30:01i moved here for candy's revised approach to work means that visual artist husband alex has increased
30:08his workload and gradually taken over the premises i think it was probably 50 50 paintings and dresses
30:15and now it's definitely around 85 15 85 paintings and 15 going to 90 going to 90 yeah but definitely
30:28the space is definitely alex's space luckily alex's work has well and truly taken off
30:35with lots of artwork sold and many commissions providing the couple with much needed income
30:42i need to basically send this parcel to chicago us it's a print it's a frame print and one of
30:54alex's
30:54best sellers and main source of inspiration has been none other than the local superstar salvador
31:00dali whose portraits by alex are being sold all over the world dali has ignited my the artist in me
31:08i have
31:09um uh collectors art collectors and returning buyers that they they come back to purchase more dalis
31:17and i'm super super satisfied of what what i've been achieving
31:24alex's dazzling dali portraits have been selling well but he can't rest on his laurels
31:31he constantly experiments with different colors and media to keep his collectors interested
31:38and today he has a chance to dazzle dutch art lover bjorn who's come to the shop in lescala to
31:44pick up a
31:45commission he ordered i guess you want to see your painting right so let's go i'm just gonna put it
31:54up here
31:54and there you go perfect perfect it looks like alex has another satisfied customer but bjorn's eyes
32:08are soon wandering off his commission and landing on the many other dali portraits in the shop because
32:14this one is ready for sale or yeah it is for sale yeah it is for sale it's actually my
32:20uh my last dali
32:22and learning about the painting bjorn would like to add to his shopping list
32:26so it's time to try and make a deal
32:30that piece it's an original it's no it's full original and it's full it's unique it's got a value
32:36higher than anything else in in this gallery and there is a high value in this painting bjorn's first
32:42offer isn't quite enough but he's fallen completely in love with alex's latest painting and isn't letting
32:49go this is the price of your dali you're getting okay so i put yours okay so it's time for
32:57a counter
32:57offer put it this way yeah i'll put it in a list and hold 250 extra think about your heart
33:03don't
33:06don't overwash it don't overwash it you know it's okay you know it takes a few minutes to work out
33:12numbers but after a while bjorn finally gets his way yeah okay deal deal
33:23you're good do you know what you're a better businessman than me no my wife's gonna kill me
33:29it's been a fantastic day for alex who sold not just one but two paintings i saw this
33:37well absolute wonder piece of a dali and it sucked me right into it i was lost and customer bjorn
33:45is
33:46over the moon with how today went it's a really nice guy approachable and he makes great artwork
33:53and that made us decide to uh to buy not only one but two pieces as bjorn leaves lescala there's
34:03still
34:03a long season ahead can candy catch up with alex's success as she tries to readdress her work-life balance
34:12coming up in rural spain it's show time for steven martin well today's quite important so we've now
34:20got the other side open so we've got another three bedrooms with guests arriving will their hard work pay
34:26off and that sounds like somebody's at the gate and back on the costa brava time is of the essence
34:33for
34:33candy and alex we're not even halfway there so this is getting a little bit hairy
34:52back in the mountainside province of granada steve and martin are prepping for their biggest booking
34:58yet well today's quite important so we've now got the other side open so we've got another three
35:03bedrooms that we we're um filling up so we've got more guests so we're catering for more um
35:11so yeah it's it's quite important that everything goes you know to plan you know and everybody's happy
35:19with the new with the new um bedrooms on top of having three out of four new guest rooms open
35:26they've also revamped their tennis court into a multi-functional event space
35:31and by doing it themselves they've made a big saving i think the whole cost of it came to about
35:37900 euros
35:39um because it's a special servicing and um it would have cost more if we actually would have got a
35:45company to do it it was going to cost something like 5 000 euros to have it done seven of
35:51their guests
35:52and fitness instructors kelly and ann checked in last night but there's still four more to arrive
35:59this is one of the newly renovated rooms so it'll be the first night that somebody stayed in here
36:08just make sure everything's okay but having been their living space before it's going to take some
36:15getting used to well you've now got the other side of the house where we've now got three rooms open
36:23to people staying so we've got people coming in both front doors and using both staircases
36:29which is feels a bit odd at the moment because we were the only ones that ever came up to
36:35the second
36:35house and came upstairs so an hour early three of their guests arrive who's that and that sounds like
36:44somebody's at the gate could you do that because i've got a bot this floor and the office that is
36:52what
36:52you call timing that's the nature of the game as martin finishes up steve shows them to their rooms
37:09and it's clear that their attention to detail is a hit i didn't realize i was going to be the
37:15first
37:16guest it's really really nice it's like last year we came we were over the other side and the rooms
37:21were lovely over there but smaller than this room this is this is quite a big room it's gorgeous really
37:27nice it's important that everything stays on schedule so steve and martin crack on preparing
37:34the meal i need to get some tongs for those tongs for those and after a spot of lunch
37:46it's time for their new multi-functional event space to be put to the test come into the center
37:52take a deep breath again come into a small little pilates squat i like to sit you're waiting to
37:57your heels extension and lengthen the newly renovated space is the perfect spot to begin
38:04their pilates retreat and the guests love it although it's um on the concrete it meant you could get
38:11really good balance and they've got this shaded area as well so um you don't want to be in full
38:16sun
38:16you can stand in the shade and then um because you're outside as well you feel like you work harder
38:20because you're getting hotter so yeah it was a great great spot for the pilate session
38:25the pair have built a thriving business from the ground up a g and t and they couldn't be happier
38:33with their success i'm proud of what we created here because bearing in mind this was just an empty
38:41farmhouse that had been left to go to rack and ruin for 11 years for 11 years and um we
38:49we've brought it back to life
38:58back in lescala it's another busy day for visual artist alex in the shop he shares with his wife
39:05candy and this is oh that's lovely you like that too you've not seen it yet really it's now the
39:12end
39:12of summer but his dali portraits remain very popular amongst collectors and tourists alike
39:19he's done this lovely print for me um and i wanted this the mount um a slightly different color so
39:25he was
39:26kind enough to do that for me overnight how are you sharing the shop floor with wife and designer candy
39:34means that alex's success sometimes comes at the detriment to candy's business we are in constant
39:41race whoever makes the most is allowed to have more space and i took over sorry
39:51so bad
39:54but today alex is going to have to make room for candy as both her dressmaking and fashion academy
40:00businesses are thriving
40:03today is going to be a super busy day um because i have a client collecting two dresses and we
40:11have
40:12the children and adults from my fashion academy arriving to set up for their presentation
40:18candy has her work cut out as after making a few final tweaks customer rosa maria arrives at the shop
40:26to try out a dress she commissioned candy to make
40:32wow que bonita que tu eres es perfecto es perfecto es perfecto es perfect mira como está
40:39it's perfecto es perfecto es perfecto es perfecto es perfecto es perfecto es perfecto es perfecto
40:59candy's bespoke creations continue to dazzle customers both existing and new but it's not
41:06just her designs that are going from strength to strength her fashion academy is too this is a
41:12race against time right now because the event starts in less than an hour and we're still not ready
41:21so this is where the pressure begins candy set up her fashion academy two years ago as a way to
41:28pass
41:29on her skills to young fashion designers today the latest group are about to show off what they've
41:34learned in front of friends and family so everything has to be perfect we're still trying to finish off
41:42their garments for them uh we need to set up a whole range of uh of items to present and
41:50we're not even
41:50halfway there so this is getting a little bit hairy but thankfully there's help at hand um alex
42:05with help from alex and some of the students the evening is finally back on track
42:13could you take your sketchbook please and the event can finally start we will like to introduce you to
42:22some of the works by my students um please uh have a drink you have a few nibbles
42:32this year candy's fashion academy has had a total of 22 students and it's clear to see that some of
42:39candy's creativity has been rubbing off here we have a garment constructed by alice pop
42:51and after the students creations are presented they decide to let candy know just how grateful they
42:57are we couldn't uh finish our presentations without thanking candy for all her help her inspiration for
43:06for always supporting us in every single way for finding new ways when we got stuck thank you
43:21it's been a crazy few years for candy but being able to pass on her creativity and craft has reignited
43:28her passion for dress making yeah it's emotional it's a hard industry to be part of but the learning
43:36process i can't imagine anything more exciting more creative and more satisfying than than what we do
43:45which is making dresses yeah after two years of being in business together it's been a learning curve
43:53for candy and alex and although they've had to make some changes they've worked hard to find a balance
43:58that works for them meaning their dream life in spain can continue we've learned a lot in you know in
44:06two
44:06years and we manage the the challenging times and and also the inspirational times i think we're yeah we make
44:15a good team next time we return to a boutique hotel and vegetarian restaurant owner in almeria will she be
44:28able to turn the old building next door look at the old beam the bark's still on it into part
44:35of her sleek
44:36modern hotel it's been really really successful really successful across in france we're back with
44:42the wedding venue operators who are growing quickly we've got our busiest summer ahead of us 11 weddings
44:49this summer and we revisit the horse trekking farm in italy this is tight for sore eyes after such a
44:57long time
45:14so
45:14so
45:14so
45:14so
45:14so
45:14so
45:14so
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