Rich Holiday Poor Holiday sees wealthy women swap luxury travel for budget holidays - and it's great TV

The Channel 5 series sees two groups experience a very different slice of life
Channel 5
Kimberley Bond11 March 2020

Channel 5 are no strangers to exploring slightly more out there TV formats, and their latest offering Rich Holiday Poor Holiday is no exception.

The show sees two groups of people on very different incomes switch their holidays – often with surprising outcomes.

The latest episode saw three ladies of leisure from Guildford, Surrey, swap their luxurious St Lucia getaway for a few big nights out in Benidorm.

Jackie, Louise and Pat admitted they spent “enough to buy a small car” on their plush holidays, with their secluded St Lucia trip thought to be in the region of £15,000.

Culture swap: The ladies of leisure didn't love Benidorm

“My idea of hell is a tourist spot, that does not appeal to me,” Jackie said on the programme. “A coach trip would be awful. I don't want to go on holiday where there's hundreds of pubs and things.”

Meanwhile, cab-driver Sally-Anne, sister Anita, childminder sister-in-law Lisa and prison officer Lisa save all year to book one party-based package holiday – with Lisa admitting she has to pay off the expense in monthly instalments.

While the foursome are shocked by their St Lucia lodgings when they first arrive – with each of them having their very own private bungalow and four-poster bed – Jackie, Louise and Pat are lost for words when they arrive in Benidorm.

Back to Benidorm: The ladies weren't enamoured with St Lucia
Channel 5

The three women are expected to share the small apartment block, with a sofa bed and two singles, which they described as “grotty” and “horrible”.

They also were left less than impressed by their holiday activities, such as a coach trip out of town and a pub crawl.

However, the four women in St Lucia weren’t having much fun either, finding the Caribbean island lacked atmosphere – with Lisa even asking to go “back to Benidorm”.

Naturally, viewers loved the fish out of water experience for both parties.

Some viewers were left wondering what the women in St Lucia were complaining about.

Others cheered on Jackie, Louise and Pat for at least trying to embrace Benidorm’s culture.

But other viewers didn’t blame them for missing their luxury.

When is Rich Holiday Poor Holiday on TV?

Rich Holiday Poor Holiday continues Sundays at 9pm on Channel 5.

Previous episodes have seen families swap Zambia for the Isle of Wight and Morocco for Caravanning.

You can catch up now on My5.

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