(3.5 minutes read)
If you do not fancy the huge crowds, the price of drinks and of course the unpredictable weather, there is a warmer and cheaper alternative! In recent years, thousands of Cheltenham racing enthusiasts have headed to the airports and fled to popular sunspots in Spain to soak up the sun but more importantly, to sit and watch The Cheltenham Festival on huge outdoor screens with friends and family.
This relatively new option of watching The Cheltenham Festival is steadily growing in popularity and we thought it would be a cracking idea to review some of the best spots in Benidorm to watch the action!
The first ever Cheltenham Festival 2026 Spain holiday package has been unleashed!
ABTA affiliated online travel agent, On The Beach, are now offering an all-inclusive deal for watching The Cheltenham Festival in Spain! With prices starting from £330, the deal includes five nights in Benidorm, return flights, four star all-inclusive resort, unlimited food and drink and every Cheltenham Festival 2026 race shown on big screens!
More details here
Let’s check out the rest of those sangria soaked racing ring seats!
The Best Places To Watch Cheltenham Festival 2026 In Benidorm
It may be the subject of ridicule with some visitors, but the infamous resort has arguably some of the best racing watching venues in the country. Are you ready for The Benidorm Bellow??
The Winning Post Pub
Situated in the heart of the Calle Gerona in the New Town, this well-established pub offers twelve TV screens, a betting facility and opens at 9am for full English breakfast, with full coverage of the Cheltenham Festival 2026 races.
This venue known affectionately as “Costa Del Cheltenham” advises early arrival on the race days to guarantee a seat to watch the action.
The Hotel Marina Resort
Over the road from The Winning Post, this 300-room hotel is the perfect place to watch the action, with huge TV screens poolside. 
Pints of beer range from €2.50 to €3. Big crowds guaranteed by the pool but again turn up early.
The Oasis Beach Club
The great thing about this venue is the location, right on the seafront. Low priced beers with decent projector screen to watch the action. Also has an attractive roof terrace, decent sized swimming pool, and recommended cocktail drinks. Table bookings for Cheltenham Festival 2026 are available via their Facebook inbox.
The 12th Man
The unique point about this bar is being able to boast having a bookmakers located next door. The 12th Man is one of the quieter sports bars but heats up during Cheltenham Festival week. Very cheap beers available.
Andy’s Sports Bar
Also on the Calle Gerona and again with a quieter atmosphere, punters can get cheap pints for £2 and has an admirable 4.5 rating on Trip Advisor. 
There are lots of restaurants and bars nearby.
Can I Use My Online Betting Account In Spain?
So, this is the tricky stuff. Legally, no. Under Spanish law, online gambling is strictly regulated by the Directorate General for the Regulation of Gambling (DGOJ) under Law 13/2011.
However, UK residents (and visitors) are allowed to gamble as long as the website is under Spanish regulation. In other words, any betting sites must have .es on their website name. Therefore, any .com or .co.uk sites for gambling are not permitted.
Two of our partners Bet365 and William Hill are providing betting services on subsidiary Spanish sites. Please note that you cannot open your regular UK account through these options, you will need to open a new Spanish betting account.
VPN
This is possible of course, to access your betting account through a VPN, however, betting sites are using greater tech to pinpoint those account holders using a VPN to access their UK account in Spain. Penalties can range from forfeiture of winnings, suspended or even closure of accounts. It is not worth it.
Avoid Wi-Fi
Some rumours are circulating that betting apps can be accessed by avoiding Wi-Fi and using data allowance, however, this cannot be confirmed.
Min deposit requirement. Registration Required. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Time limits and T&Cs apply
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