Darren Summers, the 50-year-old barman from the Rhondda Fawr valley who won a £3.5 million clifftop mansion in Cornwall through Omaze, has put the property on the market just weeks after collecting the keys. The listing was published on Wednesday with a guide price of £3.5 million.
Summers was pouring pints during a busy shift at the Pencelli Hotel when the Omaze team arrived to tell him he had won the four-bedroom beachfront home. The potential sale comes only two months after he was announced as the winner.
Summer at the seafront mansion
Darren said: "We've spent the most incredible summer of our lives living at the house, we've made amazing memories with friends and family that we'll treasure forever."
He added: "Because Omaze gives you the house mortgage-free and £250,000 in cash, we knew we could have stayed for as long as we wanted without ever worrying about costs, but we've decided to sell up and bank the cash as the money from the sale is truly life-changing for us."
Plans to retire early
Explaining their future plans, Darren said: "We're both going to retire early, which is the best feeling in the world - having the time and the money to enjoy it is the greatest gift imaginable. We've both fallen in love with life by the sea, so we're going to use the money from the sale to buy a slightly smaller place of our own on the coast here in the UK, and treat ourselves to a beach holiday home in Europe too - we just adore living by the sand and water."
Reflecting on their new life, he said: "I've worked in hospitality my whole life but never in a million years dreamt I'd have a place to call my own. But now I can - the plan is to maybe invest in a bar or restaurant, here or abroad, and bring in a team to run it for me. It's something I'm truly passionate about - we might even call it Bar Omaze!"
Life-changing win
Darren added: "Turning £20 into millions is still hard to get my head around - our new home will be ours outright. I can start my own business, and we'll still have plenty left over for the rainiest of days. Winning with Omaze has completely transformed our lives in ways we thought impossible, and we couldn't be more grateful."
The coastal retreat, which also comes with a heated outdoor swimming pool and a hot tub, was won for £20 as part of his Omaze subscription. He posed for pictures there with his family as they enjoyed the panoramic sea views above Downderry Beach following their win.
Property details and background
The listing describes the property as available to buy "fully-furnished" with no onward chain and notes "bold architecture, breathtaking sea views, garden room and summerhouse and landscaped terraced gardens with sculptures". It adds: "A striking four-bedroom, four-bathroom contemporary house in an extraordinary clifftop position above Downderry, with uninterrupted views across the sea and along the coast."
Darren still manages the Pencelli Hotel while his wife of eight years, Rebecca, 36, works as a healthcare support assistant at the NHS. He said at the time of his win: "The house looks like somewhere a movie star would live, it's absolutely breathtaking."
On hearing the news, he said: "First thing I said was: 'If anyone wants a pint, the drinks are literally on the house tonight.'" The property came mortgage-free, with all stamp duty and legal fees covered, and Darren also received £250,000 in cash. The couple are now set for a further large cash windfall after having lived in their current three-bedroom house for three years.
Darren added: "I was in the middle of pouring pints during a busy shift behind the bar when Omaze rang. I eventually picked up but when they said I'd won a prize I thought, 'yeah right', hung up and just carried on working."
He continued: "Then my colleague said there was a film crew outside, and that's when I thought this might actually be real. Then the next thing I know I'm the owner of a £3.5 million house in Cornwall. To say I was shocked is an understatement, they'll have to bleep my reaction as I couldn't help but eff and jeff."
He said: "I called my wife straightaway but she didn't believe me, she had no idea I'd even entered so she was doubly surprised. She was totally gobsmacked."
Darren remarked: "It wasn't your average shift, that's for sure. I sometimes get the odd half of beer bought for me, so a £3.5 million house is definitely my biggest tip ever. Winning does mean I can call last orders on any money worries and retire early."
The property features floor-to-ceiling glass doors opening directly onto a coastal dining terrace and the heated swimming pool, all framed by uninterrupted sea views. Spanning 3,425 sq ft across two floors, the ground floor offers an open-plan kitchen, dining and living area, a home office, a main bedroom with en suite and a second bedroom with shower room. The lower ground floor provides a generous lounge and two further en suite bedrooms.
Outside, the property sits within just over an acre of grounds with the heated swimming pool, a wood-lined barrel hot tub and a sculpture garden featuring ten original artworks. A driveway provides ample parking and an electric car charging point.
