“The owners left us absolutely everything – even their dressing gowns.”
Natalie and Matt from Rhos-on-Sea in North Wales wanted a bolthole in the Canary Islands. The couple applied to go on the programme with a budget of £75k and flew out to Fuerteventura in February 2022. The episode ended with a counter offer of £80,885 being accepted on property five in Caleta de Fuste.
Natalie, a civil servant who has since semi-retired, reports that everything has gone well since they bought, and they’ve been out six or seven times in a year. “We met the English owners who had had the property since it was built in the 1980s. They kindly left us everything – all the furniture and even the dressing gowns on the back of the bedroom door,” says Natalie, 55.
The one-bedroom apartment needed a little bit of an update, so they’ve since had a new bathroom fitted, changed the layout of the kitchen and tiled the porch. “We know where the DIY stores and the tip is.” But they love life on the small complex which is well kept and where community fees are only €60 a month.
When not fixing up the flat they have enjoyed exploring the island by the ‘excellent’ local buses and even hired a car once and got a ferry to Lanzarote. “We may go to Gran Canaria next time, but the main thing is that it’s relaxation. Matt is always flat out in his job [in IT] and just loved rock walking and pool dipping.”
Natalie has brought out her 26-year-old son, Ellis, shown in the photos, and they’ve found their favourite walks and restaurants that they return to when they visit.
Natalie and Matt had only visited the island once before the filming and were open to any of the Canaries, but their budget meant that Fuerteventura was most suited for their property search – regular viewers will note that it’s been popular this autumn, featuring in three episodes.
“It’s a lovely island, not too big and it has definitely delivered,” she adds. “We went on as we are still addicted to A Place in the Sun. Each week we record it every day and binge-watch the five episodes at the weekend.”
