A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun

Jon and Lynne Scopes from Stockport have thought about buying a property abroad for years. They’ve viewed over 40 apartments without success but have at least decided upon their ideal area – Mijas Costa on Spain’s Costa del Sol. Jasmine Harman has the daunting task of finding them the perfect property for their £100,000 budget, but will anything meet their exacting standards?

Jonnie Irwin is in Florida today with househunters Sandra and Peter. Ever since her daughter moved to Florida 7 years ago, Sandra Dodsworth has dreamt of following her across the Atlantic to make the full time move with husband Peter. With retirement now approaching, they are determined to find their perfect property in South Orlando. Armed with a budget of £110,000, Jonnie battles a fast moving market to find them the best homes on the market.

Childhood sweethearts Debbie and Tony Parkes have been married for 40 years, but now is their chance for a new chapter. With retirement around the corner they’ve set their hearts on a holiday home in Albufeira on Portugal’s Algarve. Ben Hillman shows them five options for their budget of £80,000, but will any of the properties be up to scratch?

Cliff and Angela from Nottingham fell in love with St Lucia when they were on a Caribbean cruise, and now, after discovering their pensions aren't performing as well as they'd like, they've decided to invest in a property there. Can Jasmine Harman find a place that will be a sound investment that will also give them and their family an idyllic holiday home for years to come, all for their £120,000 budget?

Since inheriting some money Phil and Bernie Smith from Hampshire are in a position they’ve never dreamed of – that of being able to afford a holiday home. They’ve decided that South Tenerife’s warm winter climate is perfect for when Phil’s work as a gardener in the UK slows down. Scarlette Douglas shows them five apartments for their £100,000 budget.

After years of working hard to make ends meet and putting up with the British weather, Jamie and Jayne Pace have decided to make a better life for themselves. After falling in love with Cyprus on their honeymoon, there was only ever going to be one place they considered making that new start. Laura Hamilton shows them five potential homes for their budget of £55,000.

Fay Lewis has had a long-time love affair with Spain and has dreamt of moving there for the past 20 years. Now, with her house in the UK sold and her bags packed she is ready to take the plunge. With her Spanish friend Leonor along to help, Jasmine Harman shows Fay five properties around the Axarquia region of the Costa del Sol for her budget of £95,000, but will any of them be her perfect place?

Andy and Caroline Carter run a busy fish and chip shop, but when they’re not serving customers there’s one place they always return to. They love Florida so much they’ve visited around 20 times between them and even spent their honeymoon there. After recently inheriting some money, now their dream of buying a holiday home close to Orlando has become a reality and Ben Hillman shows them what their £130,000 budget will buy them.

Andy and Caroline Carter run a busy fish and chip shop, but when they’re not serving customers there’s one place they always return to. They love Florida so much they’ve visited around 20 times between them and even spent their honeymoon there. After recently inheriting some money, now their dream of buying a holiday home close to Orlando has become a reality and Ben Hillman shows them what their £130,000 budget will buy them.

The Caribbean island of Nevis is very close to Steven and Murila Fifer’s hearts. Not only was Murila born there, they’ve been back together many times over the years and now they’re now looking for their dream holiday home on the island. Scarlette Douglas shows them five stunning properties for their £330,000 budget, but will a country villa or beach side home be the one they fall for?

Tina Watkins has long struggled to get on the housing ladder in the UK. Now, she has decided to make the most of the incredibly good value property in Spain’s Granada Province and buy her first ever home. With her best friend Jamie along to help, Jasmine Harman shows Tina just how far her £19,000 budget will stretch.

Angela and Bernie Ward have been getting used to retirement for six years and have now decided a sunny life in Cyprus would suit them down to the ground. They’ve already downsized in the UK to fund the move, all they need to do now is to find the perfect property. Laura Hamilton shows them five villas for their budget of £185,000, but is she up to the task?

NEW! 20 January | Costa del Sol, Spain Manjit and Cathy Jandu have recently retired from their medical practice and are ready for their next big adventure. Inspired by their son who lived in Madrid for a year, they’ve decided Spain is for them and are determined to buy a villa around Estepona on the Costa del Sol. With £300,000 to find the perfect property, Jonnie Irwin shows them five homes, but will any have them packing their bags for a new life in the sun?

After many enjoyable holidays to Florida over the years, Sylvester and Anthonia Swanston from West Sussex have decided now is the time for them to buy their very own holiday home. Laura Hamilton is on hand to show them five properties for their budget of £300,000 in the Davenport area of Orlando, but will any of them meet their exacting standards?

Kendal and Andy Strong first visited Lanzarote 10 years ago. A recent trip back and a particularly beautiful sunset re-ignited their love for the island and now they’re determined to buy their very own holiday home. Armed with a budget of £75,000 Jonnie Irwin shows them five properties, but will anything be able to tempt them away from their favourite spot of Playa Blanca?

With their kids grown up and years of hard work in the NHS behind them, Brighton couple Gary and Susie Gilhooly want to start a new adventure in Florida’s beautiful Sarasota Keys. For their budget of £220,000 they’re after a place to escape the British winters, as close to the amazing beaches of the Gulf of Mexico as possible. Jonnie Irwin is on hand to show them just how far their budget will stretch in this highly desirable corner of the US.

Angie and Sandy Stanford-Barclay from Nottingham are approaching retirement and looking for a place that they can spend quality time together in the sun. They’ve decided the guaranteed sunshine of the Southern Costa Blanca is the perfect place to do just that, and Ben Hillman shows them five properties for their £75,000 budget.

With their kids grown up and retirement on the horizon, Tim and Irene Foster are looking for a place to escape the cold British winters. Irene is originally from Cape Town and has long dreamt of owning a property there so she can see her family more often. With a budget of £240,000, Laura Hamilton shows them five properties on the stunning Cape Peninsula.

Errol and Theresa Chandiram have been running a beauty salon in Wiltshire for the past 14 years. Now, with their kids grown up they’ve decided to start a new chapter by retiring to the glorious sunshine of the Costa Blanca. For their budget of £72,000 Ben Hillman shows them five properties around the town of Ciudad Quesada, but will any of them be the home of their dreams?

Linda Turner and Mike Sylvan from Surrey run a B&B in the UK and are looking for a holiday home to use as a winter retreat whilst their business is closed. Linda fell in love with Antigua 20 years ago and is taking Mike along for the first time on a property-finding mission. Scarlette Douglas is on hand to help them, showing them five properties for their £260,000 budget.

Duncan and Theresa Murray from Bedfordshire fell in love with the Mijas area of Spain’s Costa del Sol ten years ago when Duncan’s father had a holiday home there. Now, they’re determined to follow in his footsteps and buy one for themselves. They’re looking for a place that they can also let out to holidaymakers when they’re not using it, and Jonnie Irwin shows them five stunning properties for their £120,000 budget.

Peter and Glynnis Tabberer have recently retired, sold their home to buy a camper van and now have their sights firmly set on the next stage of their lives. They want to spend 6 months each year in their favourite corner of Florida close to Sarasota on the Gulf Coast. Ben Hillman is on hand to show them how far their £100,000 budget will stretch.

Years ago Marie Ash had a holiday romance on Fuerteventura. It didn’t last, but her love for the island did. Now Marie has decided the island would be the perfect place for her and her eight-year-old son to spend quality time together in the school holidays, and has enlisted best friend Helen to help her with the decision. Scarlette Douglas shows her how far her £90,000 will go.

Alex and Jacqui MacPherson from Eastbourne are planning on heading to warmer climes to enjoy their retirement and are looking for a home in the Tampa area of Florida to escape the winter months. Armed with their budget of £80,000, Ben Hillman shows them five properties, but will any of them have them reaching for their chequebooks?

Shoba and Rayhan Aziz lead busy working lives and now with their first baby on the way, life is about to get a whole lot more manic. They’ve decided a holiday home close to glitzy Marbella in Spain would be the perfect place for them and their whole family to unwind. Jonnie Irwin guides them through the local market, showing them five properties for their £170,000 budget.

Barbados holds a special place in the hearts of Bristol couple Carol and Stephen Howell. They’ve been going there on holiday for years and now, with retirement fast approaching, they’ve decided it’s the time to buy a holiday home in their dream location. With a budget of £275,000 Jasmine Harman helps them to find their perfect property, but will it be a stunning hillside development or beach-front apartment that wins them over?

Ian Snowley and Kay Marriot first visited Lanzarote on a last minute package deal, but having now been four further times they’ve never looked back. They’ve fallen in love with volcanic landscapes and coasts in the laid-back north of the island, and are now determined to buy a place that they can use to explore the island further. Scarlette Douglas shows them five properties for their maximum £150,000 budget.

Aimee Parker is moving across the Atlantic to marry her American fiancé Andy in a matter of months. Her parents Lynn and Dave have decided to buy a place in Orlando and kill two birds with one stone; the property will not only be Aimee and her new husband’s first house, it will also double-up as a holiday home for her mum and dad. Laura Hamilton shows Lynn and Aimee five properties for their £97,000 budget.

After spending a very happy year living and working in Spain, newly retired Alan and Jackie Patrick from Hampshire are chomping at the bit to get back out there. They’re keen to buy a property on the north of Spain’s Costa Blanca in the Marina Alta region close to where Jackie’s brothers live. Ben Hillman show them a range of properties for their £85,000 budget, but will any of the character townhouses they see have them reaching for their chequebook?

Geoff and Sally Taylor from Preston have worked hard over the years to build up their construction business in the UK, but now, with their two daughters ready to leave home this adventurous couple are looking to wind down and spend more quality time together. They fell in love with Costa Rica when they visited it on holiday and now have decided to by a holiday home on its stunning Pacific Coast. Ben Hillman shows them five jaw-dropping properties for their £300,000 budget.

Ever since Jacqueline Priddin’s parents moved to the Costa del Sol a few years ago she and husband Anthony have dreamt of also buying a place there for them and their daughter Izzy. Now they’ve decided to make that happen and can’t wait for all 3 generations of the family to spend more time together. With the help of Ben Hillman, they see five homes in the inland area west of Malaga for their £50,000 budget. But will it be a townhouse or a rustic finca that wins them over?

With retirement on the horizon, Eve and Vinden Grace are looking for a place that they can use for holidays for now but that they will eventually spend up to half the year in and have identified the Gulf Coast of Florida as having the perfect blend of lifestyle, culture and climate. Laura Hamilton shows them five homes for their £100,000 budget in and around Clearwater.