A Melksham couple have turned their dream of running a B&B in Spain into reality after completing a major renovation and welcoming their first guests.
Nigel and Fede Jimenez Perez Songhurst have been working on their property in Polopos, Granada, since buying it for €70,000 after first visiting the area in 2024.
The couple’s renovation journey was previously featured on Channel 4’s ‘A New Life in the Sun’ and television cameras have now returned to film a follow-up after the B&B opened.
Nigel said the property had undergone extensive work, including the creation of a games room and movie room, new walls, a refreshed bathroom and a breakfast room.
The couple have also completed their own apartment on the top floor of the property, with the B&B occupying the floors below.
“It’s doing really well and it’s nice to have our own apartment fully complete now too because we had just been living out of a bathroom for quite a while,” said Nigel.
“We have two little sausage dogs and a pincher, so they’ve got their own runaround space as well.”
The B&B, named Casa Mariscal, officially opened earlier this year and the couple welcomed their first guests in August – a family of 10 from the Czech Republic.
They have since hosted guests from Italy and Madrid, with some already planning to return.
“We have already met some really nice people,” said Nigel. “We had a couple from Italy, from Venice and we’ve had some ladies from Madrid that are coming back with their husbands in November because they enjoyed it so much.”
The couple have also created a room displaying photographs and memorabilia from the renovation, showing visitors what the property looked like before the work began.
Nigel said the B&B offered visitors an alternative to more traditional Spanish holiday destinations.
“It is a unique holiday. It’s not Benidorm or anything like that. We’ve taken people to Granada to the Alhambra Palace and there’s so many beaches to choose from along the coast that is literally like a 20-minute drive down the hill.”
The couple are continuing to develop the property, with plans to have a swimming pool in place by next April.
A Czech student is also due to work with the couple for three months, helping with breakfast and the garden as they prepare the pool area.
Before moving to Spain, Nigel ran the Rose and Crown at Hinton Charterhouse near Bath with a business partner.
The couple have maintained links with the pub by running reciprocal promotions, including offering customers the chance to win stays at each other’s businesses.
Nigel, who grew up in Melksham, said the couple were enjoying their new way of life.
“It is nice that we haven’t got the mortgage over our heads. We can just enjoy the good weather and that is a totally different way of life.”
“When we were back we did pop to Melksham and it is nice to see familiar faces when we walked through the town but it is nice to be back in Spain.”
The couple originally travelled to Spain in 2024 to deal with family properties and belongings following the death of Fede’s parents.
They found the property in Polopos while visiting the area. It was initially on the market for €140,000, which Nigel said was ‘way out of budget’, before they eventually agreed a €70,000 purchase price.
Pictured l-r: Fede and Nigel Jimenez Perez Songhurst
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