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A couple whose hotel reconstruction efforts were featured on the Channel 5 show Build a New Life have returned to the UK.
Seven years after buying a derelict bishop’s palace and turning it into a luxury eight-bedroom hotel in Malaga, Nick and Lesley Vallance have decided the time is right to move back to the UK.
Just one year after opening, Hotel Palacio Blanco was voted by TripAdvisor as one of the top 10 hotels in Spain and one of the best 500 hotels in the world. Despite its success, the couple behind its renovation sold the property to be closer to family in Devon.
“We lived the dream, created something very special and loved the work and being with guests, but with one son already at UK University and the other starting his A-Levels, we decided to sell up and move on with the next challenge,” said Nick.
“What that challenge is, remains to be seen, but we are looking for opportunities in the hotel and leisure sector, either to create another award-winning hotel, joint ventures or just design and operational consultancy.”
Lesley added: “The experience we have of designing and setting up a brand new hotel, winning awards within two years of opening, and still being voted as one of the best hotels in the world five years later is no mean achievement. I am sure we could offer something very special to the UK market.”
Image: Hotel Palacio Blanco.
