A British couple from the Midlands say they made the spontaneous decision to leave Britain after Brexit and bought a boutique hotel in a Spanish hilltop town.
Ken Barnsley, 65, and Joanne Greenhalgh, 63, made the move from Birmingham to the picturesque town of Archidona, north of Málaga in Andalusia, after spotting an advert for a hotel there, Almohalla 51, during the first Covid-19 lockdown.
“We saw Almohalla 51 in an online advert in August 2020 whilst in the first Covid lockdown, working from home,” Ms Greenhalgh tells i. “We actually had no plans to move to Spain, but were so interested in the idea, that from that day on we spontaneously embarked on a life-changing experience”.
They flew to Archidona in September of that year to view the village and hotel. Its local owners had renovated two derelict farmhouses to create it, and there were still chickens, pigs and a horse living in the garden.
The couple fell in love with the hotel and placed an offer to secure the property for €500,000 (£420,000).
“It was not a plan [to buy the hotel]. Lockdown and the pandemic changed everyone’s lives and made us reassess ours. So we felt we should give it a go as life is too short and who knows what is round the corner?”
“We both took early retirement from our jobs in the UK, which allowed us to take our pensions early, and lump sums enabled us to buy the hotel here,” Ms Greenhalgh says. “We also explored a number of different routes with banks in Spain and mortgages and loans and all kinds of ways to raise capital but in the end we managed to do it and keep a property in the UK – just in case!”
“We bought a hotel business and not a six-bedroom house, so we paid twice as much because we were buying a business. However I think you might pay at least a third to half more in the UK” for a similar property, Ms Greenhalgh says.
The couple applied for residency in 2020 under the old pre-Brexit rules and now have permanent residency in Spain. On 31 December 2020, just one day before the new Brexit rules kicked in, they arrived in Spain with their dog, Barry, and three suitcases. They opened the hotel in June 2021 after the second pandemic wave.
“It was difficult to assess the value in the pandemic and a huge risk as we did not know if or when we would be able to open again. It was a blank canvas for us and we have added to it and restyled it…decorated with individual artwork and beautiful textiles,” says Ms Greenhalgh.
They say there were challenges involved in opening the hotel, including understanding the rules and restrictions in various areas such as water regulations, fire and swimming pool testing, managing pests such as ants and woodworm, and dealing with local licences and tourist regulations.
The couple say they were lucky to buy an existing business and get support from the previous owners in reopening it.
They now live in a flat attached to the hotel that has its own back garden.
Archidona is located high in the mountains, away from the coast but near Spanish cities including Seville and Granada. The five-room hotel borders a pine forest and is close to the village’s old piazza, bars and restaurants.
Ms Greenhalgh, a former graphic designer and university lecturer, says she now enjoys cooking for the guests and organising yoga and Sevillanas flamenco events.
Mr Barnsley, a public health specialist and consultant, still occasionally works remotely.
Both say the low cost of living is a major perk. A meal in a restaurant per head with wine usually comes to around €20-€25 (£17-£21), with a bottle of good wine in a restaurant only €12-€15 (10-£13).
Now, they say there are no cons in living in such a place. “The town of Archidona is beautiful, ancient and unspoilt, with very welcoming people who have made us feel at home,” says Ms Greenhalgh.
“Despite sometimes long working hours, we still feel like we are on a working holiday,” she says. “Our environment is beautiful, with guaranteed sunshine and sunsets. Our diet is rich in Mediterranean vegetables with good seafood and wine”.
When they weigh up the difference in living standards between the UK and Spain, Spain wins every time.
Maurice Saatchi: I used to adore capitalism – then I had lunch with Margaret Thatcher