Hi

I have family living in La Linea and working in Gib both Spanish and English
and the town has improved a great deal in recent years and as previous members have said it is much cheaper than Gib for everything (except petrol/fags and spirits)

I wouldn't have dreamed of living there 5 yrs ago but would now.
The high winds are an issue (was there for Xmas one year and the hotel had the front doors barricaded with baseball bats to stop them blowing open) but we find it bad on the med side and much more sheltered on the the Atlantic side where all my family live.

Goodluck

Hi there!
I' vec joined this forum today.
As you' ll propbably figured, I am from Hungary.
Currently I am in Cork, Ireland with my fiancee.
We came here to find some job, but I can tell ya the job market over here is pretty much frozen.

I have always wanted to go to Gibraltar and try my luck.
There are some pros and cons about it ( based on comments I read in the forums) yet we would gladly commune there and try to find a job.

If anyone of y'all have any useful information regarding job-sites on the web, basic info of expectable expenses ( rental, food, etc. ), everyday life in Gibraltar- any suggestions appreciated.


Akos The Hun

Who are you kidding? The baseball bats were for security I lived in Gib for almost 3 years in 1983 and used to go into La Linea often. La Linea wasn't such an attractive place but it was alright really. Never had too many problems with the locals which was suprising given their support for Argentina during the Falklans conflict the year previously and me and my mates (all of us Squaddies) were made fairly welcome in the bars. Infact, you had more chance of getting into trouble with the resident Army battalion in Gib.

I remember that traffic became a huge problem when the border opened with queues running all the way back as far as the bus station in La Linea. It has to be said though that this was due to the very slow and deliberate attitudes of the Gib border police . I don't know if it's still the same?

I've not been back since I left in 1986 so I can't claim to know anything about Gib or La Linea these days.

Oh! Now this is such an interesting thread to me!

I moved to La Linea recently and agree with everything BlueEyes says - of course it's not a pretty place, and of course tourists are gonna feel the absence of picture menus etc, as essentailly it is entirely Spanish. It was just an old fishing town and never claimed to be anything like 'proper' holiday resorts. In which case, if that's what folk want, go to a holiday resort! (incidentally, Marbella etc etc sound pretty much 'like toilets' to me, at least I can speak real Spanish here and not get harrassed by 30+ 'hooky'men offering to sell me alsorts on my clean, quiet beach!!!) We have had absolutely no problems here and sadly, La Linea suffers a much worse reputation that it should.

Similar with the accommodation we stayed at in Gib - was billed to be cockroach-ridden, rough and hellish ... we found nothing but an excellent quality, quiet and very comfortable place for our purposes at the time (and YES I have high standards). You really can't believe anything you read! If we did, god, we'd have never boarded a flight and took the chance to leave UK! I have been genuinely suprised at some of the snobbery that exists out here....

You just got to be happy with your own set-up I guess, and not worry/believe/be too influenced by other people....

I'm happy so that's all that counts

Noone´s mentioned San Roque which is nice. Personally today I´d much prefer to live in La Linea than Sotogrande or Marbella however rich I was, but twenty years ago I would have said that the other way round. Things have changed that much.

Hi - I've just joined this forum and would like to ask if anyone in La Linea could tell me of a good dentist there? I live in Gibraltar where almost everything is more expensive than Spain and so would like to know where to go to find a good dentist! If there is one who speaks English (even if only a little) that would be a great added bonus!

Thanks.

ACA

I have just started to look at this forum as we are planning to move to La Linea and am so annoyed by comments made by certain people on here calling the area a toilet, I agree with everything you have said Blue Eyes. Yes it may not be as pretty as Marbella but believe me I have been living in a Brit community in Almeria for three years and can't wait live in a 'normal working town' where hopefully not everyone knows everyone elses business or makes it up as they go along. I would never consider living in Marbella where it is much the same as where I am now, and also wouldn't want to live in Gib (even if I could afford it) I do know La Linea well and feel that it has improved a lot over the years and can't wait to get there. So I say to anyone considering it, try it out for a month, it's not everyone's cup of tea but make your own mind up about it and don't take everything you read here as gospel.

Hi,
I have been reading the thread with interest as we are moving to the area end of July. I have been doing all of my Gib information online so far and have also looked at rentals in both Gib and the mainland. The cost difference is unbelievable and availability seems really good in Spain, BUT I have only seen pictures provided by letting agents.
From experience (moved from Malta to the IoM) don’t sign a lease for longer than 6 months to make sure that what they are renting you is cosha. You can always build in the option to extend.

Question! How does it work with taxing and registering cars??? Easy, expensive?? better in Spain/Gib??

Problem is, most Spanish landlords down here are quite crap, not professional in the least and act like they are doing you a biiiig favour - 11 month let's are the standard - 2 months deposit if you are renting furnished!!!

You know where there is one, on the Shell roundabout in La Linea, their big blue/green sign says something like English speaking dentist, something like that. Don't know how you check them out though, send husband for check up first maybe...?

Just me... again. Firstly, not meaning any offence or disrespect to anyone who may disagree or whatever, this is only my humble opinion. It's horses for courses after all. However, I would think that most Spanish people (if money and commuting distance to Gib. were not issues) would want to live outside La Linea; maybe Santa Margherita, San Roque, at least -lots of nice beach towns on Algeciras side too.

I can see that the Mayor tries hard with beautification of the main beach roads and there's a new boardwalk under construction, but (and this is not being snobbish, just reality) La Linea is a very poor (looking) town. I'm not even sure if La Linea is a good example of real Spain, in the main it seems very neglected and the residents you see out and about look very poor. You can see it in the way they dress, the number of teenage mums pushing prams. The beat up cars, dire high rises, washing hanging out all over the place. There is a very strong police presence in La Linea on a daily basis, I cannot make up my mind whether that is a good or bad thing. The roads and potholes are some of the worst I have seen in the world and that is saying something as I've lived in Africa. Of course there are towns like this in every city, the world over, it's nothing new, but I think most people out of choice would set their aspirations higher than this.

There are some plus's; a couple of good Spanish restaurants and cafe's, a few nice shops, there is a big Carrefour also and some great furniture stores. We have been mugged in the town, last year, so we watch our backs, as we would lots of other places in the world. But really, even if you can get past the cosmetics, the traffic and social challenges, I have been informed by some ex-residents that noise pollution can be quite shocking.

Gibraltar is ever improving. Also, cosmetically challenged in places and suffering from the washing-line-high-rise scenario but standards are much higher (and pricier). But importantly, Taylor Woodrow, Ocean Village and the like are dragging it into the 21st century, with a Banus style waterfront village which is exactly what it needs.

Only my opinion, and as with anything, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, you have to do a reccie and see what fits.

Yup heres a thread dug up from the past.. twice now reading through it.

I think there has been improvements in La Linea since this thread started 2 years ago. I for one park at the border and cycle into Gibraltar every day. Ive been doing it since January and have never had a problem yet doing that.

I have by accident ended up driving round the centre of town, and yeah its definately a bit diar.

I live out in Estepona soon moving to Casares Del Sol. Yeah its 30 minutes away, but its nice to get out of the darn gibraltar wind at the weekends too and be in range of Marbella and some nice places to go out and be away from La Linea.

Location wise i much preferred working in Marbella. But the job in Gibraltar is good and pays for my life in Spain so i dont mind it too much. I, of course always make sure i fill the car up in Gibraltar though as its so much cheaper than Spain Also workin in Gib gives rise to being the local distributor for fags as well.

Seriously the amount of requests ive received to bring them back to the UK is unbelivable. Id get done for smuggling! They are 1/5th of the price in Gib. And nope i dont smoke which im more than happy about

My personal opinion is that Gibraltar is fast becoming a concrete jungle.
Ocean village looks like lego crossed with chiriguitos.

Gibraltar is a concrete jungle, hence why Ocean Village and Tradewinds are opening up the marina, with San Fran. style wooden boardwalk. My opinion is that it's going to be great, their access points are not great now, but that's Gib. isn't it, they have to build on top of themselves because there's no space. I did my shopping on sunday at Morrisons, because Spain is also closed on a sunday. Morrisions was practically the only thing open, a cruise ship was in, there were ton's of people walking around with nothing to do, nowhere to spend their money! God know's Gib. gets the punters. At least OV have got the vision to try to improve it and if you look from poolside down onto the development, it's pretty amazing, far from chiringuito's IMHO.

How can you honestly compare Marbella with Almeria!! Almeria is an African immigrant infested dump surrouded by Muslim Townships and every inch of the city is covered with grafitti, and the 'old town' is the worst I've ever been to, it's run down and I sh** myself there after dark, is that the same as Orange Square Old Town Marbella??? - you've got to be joking!!

(I don't live in Marbella BTW, I just find it shocking that anyone can compare compare the two!)

Talking of toilets, Gib is certainly one no matter how much they've tried to tart it up for the tourists. It was a far better place when the services were there full time in the 80s. I call it Bermondsy-on-Sea now.