We went there when we were over visiting Jimena and other inland areas last October. The drive in was enough to put us off but we parked at a marina very central and you are right. It was spot the Spaniard time.

As far as Chiclana is concerned there are just too many Brits for me/us, however selfish others may view our choice.

Personally I want to struggle because the shopkeeper doesn't understand me - make me buck up and learn the language or perish. Although I have never had any real problems- but buying or renting a home needs a lot of care and full understanding of what is involved.

Your choice! - although if you own an illegal house I would not be as unconcerned as you seem.

Why the huff, I am only expressing my views gained from mainly what I have read and some of what I have seen of Chiclana and speaking to a British resident of Chiclana. I respect your view that I am wrong.

I am not trying to score points but the official population of Chiclana was 72,600 in 2005, which includes some 2,500 foreigners. 164 British people moved to the town in 2004 and 220 in 2005. (Diario Bahía de Cádiz, Jan 2005)

If you increase those figures by the "uncounted" Brits this means a fairly large number of British residents. It is just my choice to try to live somewhere with not so many Brits.

In El Puerto there were 2 businesses at least partly owned by Brits until this year, now I believe that figure may be nil. How many British owned businesses are there in Chiclana? - from adverts I have seen in various publications I believe the figure to be well into double figures.

We visited El Puerto on 6 occasions in the last year and on at least two occasions heard less than a handful of Brits and never more than a couple of dozen, usually visiting from Cadiz, fresh off the ferry.

Justlooin I will not question your reasons for not liking Chiclana but I will say that you will find plenty of peeps serving in shops who do not speak English, there are some place's where young chiclanaero people do like to practice their English but they are few and far between. Most of the shops/ventas in Chiclana are non English speaking. I am sure I will be corrected by chiclanagal or someone else from the area if I am wrong but I think it was quoted once that there are 11,000 foreigners living in Chiclana, this number includes anyone that was not born here, Spanish as well. 2,000 being the number of Brits?? This figure is for the whole area of Chiclana not just the town.

You are right when you say we have problems with illegal builds/electric but things are beginning to change now, also people thankfully are aware of these things now, not every home here has problems there are more with no problems than there is with. Wherever you go you will come across illegal builds, at least here in Chiclana we are now fully aware of this and trying to make amends. What has happened in Chiclana I am sure is waiting somewhere else in Spain to happen.

Chiclana is not for everyone, (I hear a few peeps sighing, thank goodness for that, right poollounger) I wish you well in your search and if you find the haven you are looking for believe me when I say it won't stay that way for long. When I bought here a little over 5 years ago there were hardly any English speaking people living here, withing 6 months of buying that changed.

Sorry but you are wrong. I have yet to meet a shopkeeper except for the English butchers and the card shop that speaks English. If you live in Chiclana you have to speak Spanish. It is not a problem that you don´t want to live here but you seem to have made a snap judgement on the drive into the town. We came here three and a half years ago because it is so Spanish and so different from further up the coast. As you say it is your choice and I wish you well finding your future home.

Just wondered did you actually get out of your car in Chiclana, I have lived here for almost 4 years and the Chiclana you talk about is not the same one I live in. And by the way of course I am concerned about owning an illegal property.

Crispygirl you know how to get a response from me !! I have been bored with this forum of late so as you know have been posting on the local Chiclana forum.
Thinking about how often the Brits/Locals/ Spanish topic arises I have decided that some people just like what is familiar and others love the challenge of the new. I know people in Britain who have never lived more than 30 miles from where they were born, and need to have a continuing support system of parents etc etc...and I am talking people aged 40+.
Personally I abhor ghettos....Class, race or whatever.
Justlooking I can see your viewpoint, but in the early days it was very useful to have the help of English speakers, and Chiclanagir is absolutely right about English speakers in shops being few and far between, even in upmarket malls like Bahia Sur and the smarter shops in Jerez. When we were wrongly disconnected it was the services of an English speaking property manager which got us reconnected within the week. And how about if you are ill and trying to explain complex symptoms to a non English speaking doctor ?
I used to set out shopping with dictionary, sketch pad and bravado but often got stuck, but it WAS fun. We are now glad that the local pharmacist snaffled a wonderful cortijo from under our noses. Well inland, with rudimentary Spanish it would have been impossible to make it habitable without the aid of an English speaking builder. Two years down the line of owning a Spanish house things could now be quite different.
Chiclana is not for everyone. The Levante, the lovely beaches, the lack of pubs, fish and chips, the illegal builds, candlelit living, rough (but friendly ) provincials.. Love it or hate it. Make of it what you will.
And Crispy I know you are trying to sell but please will you quit persuading people to move to Chiclana !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I knew that would get you tapping the old keyboard. something to do on a Saturday afternoon.

Just wanted to let justlookin know that Chiclana is not all she makes it out to be, it's a shame she/he has not taken the time to actually spend a little more quality time in the area; given Conil or Chiclana I know where I would rather live on the other hand Conil has some pretty good places to eat. To base such vocal views on what one has read and the words of one British person seems very narrow to my way of thinking.

Thanks poollounger for reminding me I was selling up, it has been so quite here I had forgotten think it will be a while before the right person finds this gem of a place.

take the tourist bus, its on the main avenida and it chugs its way round the old town and also brings you back at a certain time. There is a lovely restaurant at the top with menu del dias and has beautiful views.,pat

Will do, thanks for that. I love the town and the different shops, missed the market as it was closing when we arrived so will go earlier next time.

Rosemary

I think I have given a lot of consideration to Chiclana. I obviously cannot put everything I have done down here. Of course I accept that all Chiclana residents feel differently some with you and some with me and some in the middle.

The following extracts, particularly the first two have had some influence on my decision. The third has clearly been upset a great deal and may not give a balanced view - but nevertheless has to be of some concern. Then again you have obviously not had the same problems as the last writer and despite putting his views in the public arena he could well be outweighed by the majority.

" The resort of Chiclana is to woo British and Northern European tourists in an attempt to create a year-round tourism market. The regional government’s minister for tourism, commerce and sport, Paulino Plata, suggested the strategy at the presentation of a 3.69 million euro plan to boost tourism in the municipality.

Chiclana has 12,000 hotel beds and accounts for 50 per cent of the night stays in the province of Cádiz. Nonetheless it is essentially a summer resort and Plata argued that Chiclana must open new European markets. He pointed to Britain and the Nordic countries whose citizens could come in search of “our sun and climate” throughout their dark winter months.
The 3.69 million euros is to finance a tourism excellence plan that will be funded 60 per cent by the regional government with the balance coming from the town hall. The monies will be spent on preserving and regenerating the town’s heritage, creating new visitor attractions such as golf and culture and working with the resort’s tourist sector to create a year-round venue."

"TRADITIONALLY THE MAJORITY OF THE PROPERTIES IN THE PROVINCE OF CÁDIZ SOLD TO BRITISH BUYERS HAVE BEEN IN THE BEACH RESORTS OF CHICLANA AND CONIL".(sorry I am not shouting it just transferred in caps)

"Collusion is rife in Chiclana, Cadiz and Andalusia as a whole ...
The number of cases involving fraud etc in the purchase of property - normally residential - is increasing daily. Do not believe an Escritura to be correct and that whatever it may contain is written in stone. IT IS NOT! "


You know I never meant this to be an attack on Chiclana - its funny how things develop. I hope no-one in Conil now takes offence!!.

Fellow Chiclanans

They dont want to live here! Just be grateful, we might end up with a second, oops! I meant another, Brit bar if anyone else comes. The only criteria we meet is the size of our Sky dishes. So lets go back to sleep or go for long walks along the beach paddling in the clean water and meeting no one.

ZZZZZZZ

Bigger Jim

I´ll second that one.

But shouldn´t it be Chiclanarians!

But no matter how much money they spend they will never lose the Levante. Met a Spanish guy in London who has had a home in Chiclana for many years who has sold up and is moving to San Lucar de Barrameda to escape the Levante. Makes me laugh when I read about attracting tourists all the year round. I remember going to a property show at Olympia at the start of my search. All the Spanish exhibitors were spouting about the year long sunshine and year long golfing and year long holiday rental market. Ha!
Those of us who know and love Spain in the winter know the truth is somewhat different, and love it for other reasons.
I am certainly not in favour of shouting the merits of Chiclana. The discerning have discovered them for themselves, warts and all. Just keeping my fingers crossed that all the development is done with a sensitivity that is sorely missing both further east and west ( think Ayamonte).

Re Rincon de la Victoria, prices are certainly very high in the eastern suburbs of Malaga, but Rincon is a little further away and therefore much cheaper. That being said there are still many people asking huge prices (as everywhere in Spain!) because they are not too worried about selling. If you can find a motivated seller (and this applies everywhere as well!) you could still find good value!