A British tourist was left fuming after being charged extra for two ice cubes at a Costa del Sol beach bar.
Brit Viv Proops, who visited the Havana beach bar in Estepona, took to social media to rant about the extra cost.
‘On Playa del Cristo beach today. Ordered an ice coffee at Havana Beach Bar and was charged for a coffee and charged extra for two ice cubes. Is that normal?’, the Brit wrote.
‘Is ice always an extra billable item ? Seems a bit petty minded in my opinion!!’, she added.
Ms Proops said she was charged 4.50 euros for a coffee, and an additional 50 cents for ice cubes.
Social media users were quick to come to the tourist’s defence, saying the extra charge was ‘not normal’ and branding the beach bar as a ‘rip off’.
‘That’s ridiculous. I would not go back there’, one user wrote.
Another said: ‘People need to stop going to these places. Everyone is getting ripped off’.
A British tourist was left stunned after being charged extra for two ice cubes at a beach bar in Estepona. Pictured: Havana beach bar in Cristo beach, Estepona
Social media users were quick to come to the tourist’s defence, saying the extra charge was ‘not normal’
‘That is just pathetic, and then they wonder why people go and never go back a second time’, a third added.
Havana Beach Bar told English speaking newspaper Spanish Eye that the reason for the extra charge was due to the costs or running an ice machine.
‘We use a professional industrial ice machine that cost us over 9,800 euros, and it consumes a significant amount of electricity daily’, a spokesperson for the bar said.
‘We understand it might seem minor, but in our setting where everything is brought close to the sea with comfort in mind, small extras help cover the high operational costs.’
This is not the first time a tourist has expressed frustration about high prices of food and drink abroad.
It comes after a Briton lashed out after being charged a rip-off’ fee for a sachet of HP sauce in Benidorm earlier this month.
The tourist was visiting the holiday hotspot with her family before stopping for a peaceful breakfast at The 4 Kings bar on Avenida Mediterraneo.
But things took a turn for the worst when the bill arrived with an unexpected fee added on to the total.
The sunseeker was shocked to discover she had been charged an extra €1 for two sachets of HP sauce, making them 50 cents each.
The disgruntled holidaymaker shared a picture of her bill next to one of the sachets on a Benidorm Facebook page.
She wrote: ‘Be careful going for breakfast in this place, €1 for two HP sachets, rip off.’
The Briton’s order consisted of two ‘jumbo’ breakfasts, a jug of orange juice, one coffee and two sachets of brown sauce, which came in at just €15.90.
Others jumped to defend the bar, insisting that the other items were good value.
One commented: ‘That’s an absolute bargain, 2 jumbo breakfasts, a jug of orange juice and a coffee, plus sauce, all that for €15.90.’
Another said: ‘I think if anything this bar is now going to get more customers thanks to you.’
Locals are becoming increasingly fed up with the rise in costs in tourist hot-spots, arguing that holidaymakers are to blame for increased prices.
Earlier this month, tens of thousands of furious Spaniards took to the streets across the country to demand a solution to a housing crisis that they say has been fueled by mass tourism.
The demonstrations in major Spanish towns and cities including Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga and Palma de Mallorca come as the country finds itself struggling to balance the promotion of tourism and addressing citizens’ concerns over increasing housing costs.
