A Place In The Sun’s Laura Hamilton has ‘frustrating’ setback after buying island home

Laura has been a mainstay on A Place in the Sun for more than 10 years, steering viewers through the realities of buying abroad — and it seems like the experience has also inspired her

Laura Hamilton has shed light on a “frustrating” setback she’s encountered while renovating a property in Spain. Laura has spent more than 10 years helping A Place in the Sun guests navigate the ups and downs of buying property abroad, and it appears her long stint on the programme has inspired her too.

She’s even put down roots abroad herself, buying a house in the holiday hotspot of Majorca, in Spain’s Balearic Islands, and previously revealed she’d purchased her “very own property” in Dubai.

As idyllic as a European bolthole sounds, however, she has apparently run into some challenges during the renovation, including one thing she says has been “quite frustrating”.

Laura has recently found herself on the receiving end of what The Mail’s Richard Eden called the “dark side of foreign investment”, claiming she is “struggling” with the Spanish authorities’ “laid-back attitude”.

She told him: “I’m renovating a house, which is a very slow process. Spanish rules and regulations are a lot different. They’re incredibly slow at giving out the permits and that has been quite frustrating.”

Last year, Laura expanded on another frustration of hers involving some “crazy” buyers on A Place in the Sun. Indeed, she opened up about the lasting appeal of the programme and how filming is “full on and busy”.

In an interview with Woman magazine, Laura was asked whether those who appear on the show ever take part in the show just to land a free trip overseas, but she shut this notion down.

Laura said: “No! It’s a week’s work; it’s full on and busy. When someone comes on, they have no idea how TV works; they don’t know where they’re going; we keep everything a surprise.”

She added: “It’s a big decision. It’s not a holiday. If some people decide not to buy, I never get offended as it’s such a personal thing. These are big decisions.”

Still, she confessed to a certain frustration concerning the guests, saying: “I have shown people houses and thought, ‘You’re not going to buy this? You’re crazy!’ But you have to respect people’s choices.”

In other news, the presenter, who is a mum to two children, Rocco and Tahlia, from her former marriage to Alex Goward, recently opened up about her diet.

She told Closer magazine earlier this year: “I’m an Aldi convert. I try to budget around £75 a week for the three of us, which is really achievable when shopping there.”

Laura also explained that her shop is laden “with lean proteins”, including salmon, chicken, and turkey, as well as fruits, yoghurt, houmous and protein bars. She added: “For breakfast, I’ll usually have a protein shake with oats and matcha.”