Retired couple find their place in the sun for TV show

Dave and Trish Guildford from The Cloisters lived in Ferragudo in Portugal from December to mid-February as part of Get Away For Winter, a BBC show where couples find rented apartments to spend their winters around the world.

Now back in the UK, the 74-year-old former independent financial adviser said: “Because we are a retired couple, we are determined to enjoy our later years.

“We are lucky with our health, we don’t take any medication, I still have my Harley-Davidson and we still dance.

“To you retired people out there: it is up to you. You haven’t got to sit at home, you can do lots of things. If you want to get away in the sun you can without selling your home.”

On the show, which aired last week, Dave said he was ‘treated like a star’ when being shown four properties with letting agent Nick Austin while Trish, 71, gave her verdict via Skype.

They eventually settled on a two-bedroom modern apartment in Ferragudo, having also seen a fisherman’s cottage in the village and a two-bedroom apartment in Vilamoura and a typical Portuguese townhouse in Lagos.

They paid £650 per month for renting the apartment, funded by renting out their house for around £1,000 per month. According to Dave, the apartment they stayed in was rented for £1,200 a week in the peak summer period.

He said the benefits of renting a holiday home was that you did not need to worry about repairs or losing your money when investing in a property.

They loved the experience so much they will be returning to Ferragudo this year in a £725-a-month villa with a pool for a six-month stay from October to March.

Get Away For Winter is available on BBC iPlayer.