Study finds Brits’ dream holiday home is Spanish villa… with hot tub

Artist’s impression of the average Brit’s dream holiday home

A recent study by Schofields Holiday Home Insurance has found that most Brits asked to describe their perfect holiday home – if money was no issue – would choose a villa situated right beside a Spanish beach.

The most common feature of this dream holiday home would be a hot tub, with 95 per cent insisting on having one installed, followed closely by a home cinema at 93 per cent…Location-wise, 64 per cent would prefer a seaside location, while more than a third would ideally have their dream holiday home located in Spain. Other noteworthy features the average Brit would like included are an open-plan kitchen, a private garden, marble flooring and king size beds – things that you are sure to find in your average villa in Spain.

One-in-five respondents to the study said they would prefer a holiday home located near to ski slopes, with a mere five per cent opting for a woodland glade (perhaps years of creepy Hollywood movies have put paid to the idea of the ‘dream’ log cabin in the woods). Interestingly, only four per cent would enjoy a holiday home in the countryside and, rather less surprisingly, just three per cent opted for a city pad where they could get away from it all.

After Spain, France was the next most popular location, with 21 per cent fancying brushing up on their French, while Florida yielded 17 per cent of the vote. Only seven per cent of those surveyed would prefer their dream holiday home to be located in the UK.

Phil Schofield (no, not him), owner of Schofields Holiday Home Insurance, said: “This dream holiday home sounds incredible – the sort of place in which A-list celebrities would stay. Brits certainly know how to live it up and plan a great holiday!’

Schofield added that the ‘Average Joe’s’ budget is unlikely to stretch to all of these luxuries, but those willing to compromise will find that most of these dream additions are within reach. Property in Spain is cheaper than it has been for a while, and is officially some of the best-value real estate in Europe.

And while the complete package of sea views, seclusion, private gardens and a hot tub will set you back a fair whack, a combination of two or three of those is surprisingly affordable in many spots along the Costa del Sol.

So quit your dreaming of ‘what if’ and start planning your next move. VIVA has thousands of Spanish properties for sale that will tick most, if not all, of your dream home boxes.