A UK businessman has moved to a classic Spanish city for a new life after being made all but bankrupt – and now he is thriving.
Louis Thomas Grier is now fondly known as the ‘Duke of Benidorm’ thanks to his legendary TikToks where he promotes Spanish businesses and gives an insight into the “real Benidorm” that people aren’t familiar with.
The 30-year-old originally ran a B&B and a horse donkey rescue charity in France, but “lost them both to Covid”. He decided at that point that he wanted to “go somewhere happy”.
His Spanish story began in an Indian restaurant where he attracted more customers thanks to his “unique style, makeup and sense of humour”, according to the Liverpool Echo.
A Channel 5 documentary soon came calling – Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun – where his reputation was bolstered, leading him to work as an entertainer and stripper for stag and hen parties.
Now he works as a promoter for businesses across Benidorm on his vibrant TikTok channel @thebenidormfanatic (6,249 followers) while also showing people the real everyday life of the city.
This is helping to dispel the reputation it has for boozy Brits – a reputation he says is “not the case”.
“I go around promoting business in Benidorm – I do comedy and entertainment for them”. His job has garnered him the nicknames the ‘Duke of Benidorm’ and the ‘Benidorm Fanatic’.
The Liverpudlian has interviewed a raft of celebrities during his time, including Anton Du Beke, Crissy Rock and Paul Chuckle all on his CV.
“There’s a lot more to Benidorm than what people think. It’s got beautiful gold sandy beaches, we’ve got the old town that’s full of culture. We had one of the biggest fancy dress days in Europe. I was on the main stage in front of 60,000 people.”
He says he struggles to get down the Benidorm strip without being recognised, while also putting the increase in Liverpudlians visiting the city down to his work.
