The very British bed & breakfast on Granada province's Costa Tropical

Federico Jiménez and Nigel, a couple who spent many years living and working near Bath in the southwest of England, have returned to Polopos-La Mamola, on Granada province's Costa Tropical, to start a guesthouse which they have named 'Casa Mariscal'.

During their time in England, the couple worked in a pub which, despite the difficulties of the pandemic, managed to stay open almost all year round, adapting to the restrictions and managing the business through hard work and long hours.

However, as time went by, the situation became more and more complicated: the cook left, finding staff became increasingly difficult and Nigel, who was the manager, had to work in the kitchen as well, with the physical and mental strain that this entailed. This was compounded by the death of Nigel's father, a moment that marked a turning point for the couple, when they started to reflect on the direction their lives were taking and the need to enjoy time and family more.

In the summer of 2024 they decided to come to Spain to visit Federico's family. Federico is originally from Malaga and has a brother who was already living in Polopos. In fact his father's family is from the village and his grandfather was the local doctor for many years.

Despite having lived outside Spain for more than a decade, Federico has always maintained a link with the village, where he has spent summers, holidays and many important moments of his childhood.

During the trip in 2024, they began to look at properties without any real intention of buying. A large house came up, although at first it seemed too "big" a project. But, the former owner, an Englishman living in the UK, had inherited the house from his mother. He had no interest in keeping it or investing in it and was keen to sell. .

Federico and Nigel decided to buy the house and have converted it into a bed & breakfast with five rooms, all with private bathrooms, located on the first floor of the house, while the couple live on the second floor, which they are still renovating little by little.

During the renovation, they have had the help of people very close to them, including Brian, an English builder who has lived in the village for decades and who, as he explains, has been key to the work progressing smoothly and without language barriers.

After months of talks and negotiations, Federico and Nigel finally reached an agreement and in January 2025 they received the keys to the house. Just a few weeks later, the renovation work began and they contacted the British television programme 'A New Life in the Sun', which is broadcast on Channel 4 and follows British people who decide to leave the country to start a new life in Europe.

According to Federico, the programme team has been visiting them approximately every two weeks for months, recording the project and their adaptation to life in the village. "At the beginning it was a strange experience, we didn't have any experience in front of the camera, but as time went by we got used to it and ended up showing ourselves as we are," explains Federico. The first episode was aired on 5 January in the UK.

The couple are confident that the project will be well received for a number of reasons, including the tourist interest in the village in recent years, the large British community that follows the programme and the connection between many people who left the village and now wish to return, even if only for a visit, to show their children what life was like there.

The mayor of Polopos-La Mamola, Matías González, has shown his support for the initiative, stressing that the project is not only an important investment and an economic boost for the village, but also a way to make Polopos known at an international level. "We offer them all possible support and wish them every success in this new stage," González has said.

Undoubtedly the biggest hurdles for Federico and Nigel have been the administrative and licence issues, although they say they are almost ready and plan to announce the opening of the accommodation through their own website and platforms like Booking.com and Airbnb. Both are clear that this project is a way of giving back to the village everything it has given them and of contributing to keeping Polopos alive.