I regret buying my Spanish holiday home – anti-tourism protests are ruining my life

Around half a million people leave the UK to live abroad each year. A survey by the British Council showed 72 per cent of 18- to 30-year-olds would consider living and working overseas, with cold weather, the high cost of living, extortionate childcare, a lack of work-life balance and even poor romantic prospects among their motivations for leaving the country. The i Paper’s Expat Files follows Brits who have taken the leap and settled elsewhere, detailing the ups and downs of their journeys. As locals in Spain take to the streets to protest against mass tourism, Roxanne Hughes, a 72-year-old former business manager, is having a hard time selling her holiday home in Andalusia. She tells Silvia Marchetti how trips to her property in the “pueblo blanco” (white village) of Ronda are now a burden. I never thought one day I’d regret buying a holiday home in gorgeous Andalusia, where 20 years ago, on my first trip there, I fell in love with the traditional white-washed “pueblos blancos”. Ronda was so peaceful and authentic then. When I retired five years ago, I bought a two-bedroom house for €300,000 (£255,000) with dreamy, panoramic terrace views overlooking the rooftops and houses clinging to the cliffs. Since Brexit, I’ve spent all my 90-day holiday allowance there, two months in a row in summer. It used to be cheaper, I’d eat out almost every evening for €25 and enjoy cocktails with other Brit friends also at lunch or dinners. Groceries and fresh produce were just €30 per week. I comfortably lived on my pension when I was there, saving more than a third of it monthly, as opposed to in the UK where I spend it all. Shorts Back in the UK, I live in Brighton, where I own a one-bedroom house, and even though I’m single, childless and have a state pension, I can only afford to eat out with friends on weekends and spend double on veggies and fruit. I thought Ronda was quite off the beaten track, in a rural area far from the noisy beaches and discos – far enough not to be marred by the crowds and the threat of anti-tourism sentiment which prevails along the Costa del Sol. But I was wrong. Now, because of rising protests against tourists and foreign buyers who in past years have snapped up many affordable houses, things have changed. It’s no longer a dream come true staying in Ronda. For me, it’s become a sort of nightmare. I fear for my own safety. I’d like to sell my property – an old white-washed house with dark roof tiles and original majolica floors – but I can’t seem to find a buyer due to both the rising social tensions and the stifling heatwaves that are causing wildfires. The house has been on sale for a year, and my agent tells me that if no buyer comes forward by the end of the year, I’ll be forced to lower the price and undersell it for about €220,000, which means I’ll be losing €80,000. No foreigner seems interested in buying it, no matter how stunning it is, and I’ve noticed locals tend to avoid buying homes owned by non-Spanish people. They’re a bit suspicious. Last week, my Spanish real estate agent called me saying that perhaps a Brit was interested in buying and wanted to view the property, but then news broke out of more anti-tourist street demonstrations across the country and the potential buyer immediately pulled back. Sadly, my Ronda summer home is turning out to be a bad investment. Plus, I hardly use it anymore. This year, I have been there just once in May, ahead of summer, to start packing some things to ship back to the UK, and I will not return anytime soon. ‘I’m actually scared of going out for dinner or on night walks alone in Ronda now’ I was hoping that in time the value of the house would grow, but it has actually been depreciated due to the country’s general climate of instability, fueled by the widespread belief among locals that foreign buyers and tourists are pricing Spanish families out of their homes, contributing to inflation. Two years ago, that dreadful anti-tourism wave that first started on the islands, along the coastline and in major cities, landed in Ronda and other white villages around Malaga, where tensions regularly spike each year. Protests in the village here are not yet as violent and open as in major cities, but an understated hatred for expats, tourists and foreigners is gaining ground here, too. I have seen graffiti on village walls attacking tourists, a few cars of expats in the area have been damaged, and glass windows of B&Bs have been shattered with stones. Anonymous acts of vandalism against foreigners are rising. In supermarkets and shops, expats and tourists avoid speaking in English and French to one another over fear of being pointed out as outsiders and targeted in some way. They are worried they’ll find their car tires slashed, as we’ve seen happen, or cracks on the window shield. A Belgian friend of mine found his motorcycle rearview mirrors shattered on the pavement one evening. Many of us used to leave the house and car doors unlocked day and night, both in Ronda and when traveling along the “pueblos blancos” route to take in the views. We don’t anymore. We have started to feel uncomfortable, always on edge. Expats stick together more, and have started living in a bubble, in self-defense. They go out in groups and hang out at the same restaurants and bars where they feel safe, or at least in their comfort zone. Since I bought the Ronda house, I haven’t heard of any other foreigner buying property here. Up until a few years ago, the “pueblos blancos” were the ultimate escape, with hordes of people coming in to view available properties. I’m actually scared of going out for dinner or on night walks alone in Ronda now. Even in May, I constantly look over my shoulder. I jump if a cat crosses my path or if I hear some suspicious sounds of approaching footsteps, particularly in the old district’s winding alleys. I just don’t relax anymore like I should. Then, there’s the extreme heat and constant wildfires. Spain has always been a hot Mediterranean country, but in the past few years, humidity levels have gotten far worse. I have been suffering from high blood pressure and asthma lately, and I have come to realise that Ronda is just not the place I should spend my holidays. Climate change is here for good, there’s no turning back. The thought of being caught in fires if I am driving on errands or to visit other places, particularly in the backcountry, haunts me. The rising temperatures back home have also changed things. When temperatures in England were cooler in summer, it made sense owning a home in Spain to enjoy year-round sunshine. Now, with UK summers almost as hot, it would be best perhaps to look more towards Northern Europe. If I manage to sell the Ronda property eventually, I’m considering buying a holiday home in Prague or Amsterdam. At least, other than enjoying fresher summers, I won’t have to worry about being a potential target of anti-tourism feelings.