Thanks for that Carper we just got back this morning,we never seen anything but we heard someone from our hotel had things stolen from them when they were on the beach,also a lady had lot of money taken from her bag at the Market,we had great hol and lovely hotel Yaramar adult only

I visited Fuengirola in March with my parents and girlfriend. I'm 25 and my parents are mid 40's. I have to say i agree very much with the post left by Tim1973. I understand that there are lucky; lucky men in every tourist resort in Spain but the levels we witnessed in Fuengirola was unbelievable. At least 1 a minute would approach our table while we were eating a meal outside a restaurant and walking down the street there was one every 10 paces without fail. Sure a simple "no" or hand gesture would move them on but that isn't the point. Its the shear number that is shocking and as stated by Tim1973, you wonder why there is absolutely no police presence in the area to discourage this behaviour. There are a lot of people on here who state they have been going to Fuengirola for many years and not witnessed this but i fail to see how. I have visited a dozens Spanish tourist resorts and witnessed nothing to the scale i did in Fuengirola. My mum also had her hand bag ripped from her shoulder by a man on a moped who jumped the curb to grab it. This wasn't in some side street but on the beach front. When we went to the police station the reception was appalling and we were made to feel like time wasters. Again i understand bag snatching and muggings happen everywhere but when we told of our experience to the local bar owners we were made aware that it happens on a very regular basis and the police do very little in the way of preventing it. I get wound up when people try to justify the situation with "it happens everywhere" sure this is the case but to this scale i have to disagree and with the situation being blatantly ignored by the authorities i can only see Fuengirola deteriorating futher.

l have just read this thread but unfortunately after booking a short break for this month and I am a bit worried now.
We have been there several times but it was a few years ago. I felt very comfortable when we were there but maybe I should have stuck to our first choice of Torremolinos.
The only reason we changed our minds was the price - 3 nights - £15 in total!!!!
But, it will not be cheap if we don't enjoy it and have to worry about our safety but there again, I realise that we all must be on our guard wherever we go.
Now, if it were you, would you just forget about the £15 and book somewhere in Torremolinos?
Assurances would be greatly appreciated!
Many thanks

hi there Susie,

My wife and I are only back 2 weeks ago from a 2 week holiday staying in torrablanca ( excuse spelling )thats 2 train stops away from fungerolia. durung our 14 day stay, Im sure we where in fungerola approx 7 to 8 occassions on different times of the day, and yes we too came accross these "lucky lucky" chaps as well BUT not the frequency that some have written about.....perhaps we where so busy enjoying the sun, shopping and banter between us. It never bothered us one bit........We had a lovely two weeks, and the weather helped. yes we all have to be careful / aware of this and that........let me add here, a little off topic i accept BUT........recently I was stopped by a lady motorist appox 200 yards from where i live. She was asking directions. her car stopped, with window down, and she was sitting on the far side of it so to speak ( drivers side ).......So being a helpful chappy i leaned a llittle forward into the window and answered her question.........NOW here is where the help was extended so to speak........On her passenger seat ( where i was sort of leaning accross to speak to her )was sitting a lovely largeish handbag........o so easy to lift and run away with........I told her to shift it..........maybe that lady also complains about security on holiday resorts, but wouldnt it be better to be aware even in your home town ??..............im envious ref the £15 for 3 nights

Go for it............yes be aware but enjoy..........on this last holiday i got myself worked up ref flying easy jet through thomas cook, what with reading elsewhere about the scrabble for seat allocation........What a load of tosh. we where early, looked after by easy jet, without speed boarding. In fact most likley better looked after than the usual thomas cook flights over the years

harry

Thanks, Harry. I have read your posts from the start and you seem such a lovely chap so I will listen to you!
Shame you had the hiccup regarding the transfers to the resort but apart from that, you had a fab time and weren't you lucky to have met such a kind taxi driver?
I don't think we will book with Jumbo but a taxi will be a tad too expensive so now I must look for other companies who will transport us. Never tried the train - maybe that is the answer though?

hi again susie, and thank you for the quick responce. lots of folks use the train from fungerola and all stations to malaga. we would have perhaps used this train transfer ourselves but,,,,,,,she who has to be obeyed lol ( the wife )
carries on holiday the kitchen sink, the electric iron etc etc lol ,and therefore to board with such 2 big and heavy suitcases ( weigh in at airport they where 38 kgs total )may have been a diff on a busy train
i have seen lots of passengers travel with cases on the train, but smaller than our own...........the 30 euros spent from torrablanca to malaga was for me money well spent.............If i was to return to spain again I would not be using jumbo..............other members may think they are ok
It was 30 euros monday to friday, 35 euros sat and sunday 8am to 8pm, with an extra 3 euros for tel booking at their office, which we didnt do. direct personal tel call to driver, having used him before, and spoke good english.

recent swine flu jab yesterday now taking effect, so off to bed for me

Harry

£38 return is the cheapest transfer I can find at the moment - not a bad price then?
Hope you sleep well and have no after effects from the fine swu jab! (sic)

hi suzie,im from devon so a near neighbour but have lived in fuengirola for 10 years,owned and worked in bars all that time,yes there are problems,just be sensible and you will have no worrys,the looky looky guys are only a pain in fish alley really and are not crooks(well what they sell is illegal,but they wont rob you),i know a few personally,the whores as mentioned earlier do hang out there,you can allways walk on the other side of the road

i have met many people that have been mugged or had hand bags stolen over the years,but ive met a lot more that have had no probs,would like to add that personally my husband and i have never had a prob when going out at night,tho if its late my husband does walk with a sharp key between his fist just in case,but he would do that anywhere for protection

anyway before midnight no probs unless you are stupid with your belongings,after midnight,if drunk you may want to be more aware
cheers

ps dont really think this applys to november tbh,more summer awareness

Been going to Fuengirola for a number of years, just be aware as you need to be anywhere these days. Avoid going out with a handbag if possible, my wife bought a small shoulder bag which you can keep in front of you.

The train service is excellent, every half hour and just €2.

Thanks Gillian. Lucky you, living in Spain - do you miss Devon?
I don't know where fish alley is - I know the position of most of the beach front hotels - say the Yaramar - is it near there?
When we last visited Fuengirola, we used to enjoy a coffee and brandy outside an English bar near to a church on the front. Forget the name but it was very popular due to the staff and prices. Also, I think there was a market near the Marina on a Sunday? Can you please confirm. Might even see you there? Please feel free to PM me if you would like a 'chat'.

Thanks, jceep, I will take your advice.

Any other tips please?

hi suzie,of course i miss devon,fish alley begins at the round hotel called el puerto and runs paralell to the sea front,the bar you are talking about is probably the manila bar,not as cheap as it was and once was enough for me its maybe 3/4 of a mile from fish alley
the market on sunday is now at the far west of fuengirola near the castle but the tuesday market is still at the fairground

if you do go to the port,be careful most places are not very well run,like most english bars in spain.

i can recommend ponchos(side street near las palmeras )for a good steak,plan b (sea front near port)for a good breakfast and the marina bar(on port back line by the car park) for good home made food

have a nice time
gill

You need to keep your wits about you anywhere these days, home or abroad, so, in that respect, Fuengi is no different to anywhere else... the looky-looky men are a pain sometimes but in 21 years going to the coast, I've never experienced it as bad as described in the original post. In saying that, going as a couple, we're hardly likely to be offered the 'services' this group of blokes experienced... everywhere is great til something untoward happens... on a scale of 1-10, I'd give Fuengi 8.5 as a comfort zone.

well said jimg on your post above........i hope that this will put " Suzie " mind at ease .........again well said

harry

Thanks for your replies. We are looking foward to a few days in the sun very soon and I will let you know how we got on.
Adios!

Sorry for the late report. Fuengirola was fab!!! Temperature was 25ish, hotel really clean and plenty to do. It was so close to the huge shopping complex and supermarket. Bus into the town/coach station - 1 euro! Booked a minbus transfer for £38 return and the two of us were the only passengers!
Were warned it might not be safe to go under the bridge to the beach but didn't need to anyway.
Enjoyed a few drinks sat outside Magnums - lovely glasses and a warm welcome.
Looky men no problem. In fact had a bit of fun with some of them. Sureal seeing them keeping a look out for the police cars/bikes and suddenly they lay/duck down on the pavement, hiding behind the nearest car and as soon as the police passed, they just carried on selling as if nothing had happened! We found them to be polite and not pushy.

It could have been the best short break we have ever had but events back home put a dampener on it.

Looking forward to returning to the same place in January/February.
Thank you all for the input.
Hows it going Harry?
Gillian, you must enjoy living there - Wish I Was There

Glad you had a good time, Suzie. Bet you miss it, especially the weather!

Hi there Suzie,

Im glad that all went well with your holiday, and yes when i didnt see a post from you, I did wonder to myself, sort of saying oops ??. I am presently practicing on my keyboard ( musical) some christmas songs, that I havent, played for 12 months lol.......over the years i would have played sometimes two gigs a day, in some weeks of December , to oblige groups, who where late in getting a date sorted with someone else, also I would have filled in, for any known musician who may have taken ill in a different group. BUT not this year, You may remember my comments about my wifes cases being heavy, but thats nothing to carrying amps, leads of bags, keyboard etc etc, mic stands etc etc........just getting a bit old for that on a busy month of december.........no more than 5 a week for the next month for me ..........all the best, and in case i forget
" a very merry christmas to you and family "

harry

A very good thread with lots of excellent comments. However, although I agree with most of what has been said, regarding these problems being common in most big cities, not only in Spain I might add, I don't think the question Tim asked in the opening post has really been addressed.

I've seen what goes on in Fuengirola, Benalmadena and other CDS resorts. I've also seen it regularly in Ibiza. My question has always been the same as Tim's. Why are the authorities not doing more about it, like deporting many of these people for a start?

Spain has high unemployment at the moment. The last thing they need is bad press for their tourist industry, threatening even more jobs. Why not employ some of the currently unemployed in a task force specifically set up to deal with crime on the costas? Why also are the local business people not demanding more protection for their livelihoods?

My question has always been the same as Tim's. Why are the authorities not doing more about it, like deporting many of these people for a start?

People assume that all the "looky looky" men are illegal immigrants, so sorry to disappoint you folks, but that's like saying everyone who isn't white skinned in the UK and has a street market stall must be an illegal immigrant.
In 2005, 700,000 immigrants were granted papers by the Spanish government in a amnesty deal and it was in fact Spain's sixth amnesty in 15 years.

The idea was that they would be able to find work and then pay into the system, because whilst as an illegal status, they were entitled to nothing, legally unemployable (except the black market) and paid nothing into the system
When they became legal, employers had to declare them and make them a legal person on paper within the labour market/system.
For example:The thousands upon thousands of illegal immigrants that landed on the Canary Islands were taken to mainland Spain and after 40 days in detention because they had deliberately destroyed their papers, they were released onto the streets or distributed within various Spanish provinces up and down the country"¦..to do what.?

Well, it didn't quite work out as well as some people like to portray, because the employer's who knowingly had illegals working for them for a pittance, they simply showed them the door because the employers would have been prosecuted for employing an illegal.
Employers knew they faced fines of up to €60,000 if they continued to employ immigrants without papers but also realised that they would have to pay backdated tax and social security contributions on all employees they legalised. "¦..the amnesty was a double edged sword.
So, the situation was that whilst many did find legal work, the overall situation was that the illegal couldn't get work because they had no papers, and when they did get papers, the employers didn't want them under the same wages and working conditions that a Spaniard would expect.

So, what are you going to charge them with? Loitering? Guilty of walking the streets clutching cheap sunglasses.?
The policia are more interested in the drug barons, money laundering, bank robbers, gun crimes and a quick euro to boost the coffers booking traffic offences.

Unless each and everyone of them are pushing drugs, the only possible crime the legal residents of Spain's "looky looky" men are committing, is trading fake goods and/or trading without a licence....which will be a monetary offence and hardly a reason to throw them in prison or on the next boat out of Spain, (prison is where they'll end up, if they don't pay the monetary fine and this will cost the government more to keep them in the already full prisons).
When in fact they (some) are legal residents and they are ducking and diving out of the police radar because they don't have a trading licence and the fines will cripple them if they only sell half a dozen CD's a day at €4 each"¦"¦ I might add, some ex-pats are not legal residents and are getting paid cash in hand, and paying nothing into the system.

They're a nuisance to some people, but the majority of them are just trying to sell you a copied CD/DVD, some fake sunglasses, handbag or watch and I've always found that a straight NO is accepted.
It's a complicated subject because the only way to stop this, is to stop the import of the fake goods they sell, same as stopping the illegal imports of drugs into the country, but then many would turn to far serious crimes, if they were not selling fake goods.

Scratch card touts? Why don't the authorities do more about the scratch card touts standing on the street clutching a stack of prize cards, who pester the living daylights out of tourists in some resorts.?
Getting asked to buy a fake watch or designer handbag for 20 euros is hardly in the same league as being conned into signing your life savings away by crooks hell bent on flogging time-share.

Why does there seem to be more Africanos in Fuengirola.? IMO: the same reason why places like Wembley or Brixton do, in the UK, or why does Bradford in West Yorkshire have the biggest population of Pakistanis outside Pakistan"¦.and the same reason that places like Benidorm or Benalmadena have a big UK ex-pat community.
One group is employable, especially if they can speak Spanish/English, the other group isn't, and the Spanish will always employ Spanish Nationals first, they'll not openly admit it, but it happens......and when you're desperate you'll sell CDs on the street because the benefit system in Spain is not so generous as the UK.

I don't know the answer, if I did I would solve the problem for many countries and the problem of immigrants, but it's not as simple as "why don't they put them on the next boat out of Spain""¦.if only it were that easy for most countries, for a start there would be a lot leaving from Dover, and if the Spanish wanted to go down the route of seriously protecting their livelihoods, there'd be a lot heading back on a boat to the UK.
Sanji
edit for typo errors