Novo Sancti Petri is a district of Chiclana de la Frontera. It is one of the largest seaside resorts on the Costa de la Luz with over 20 hotels of different sizes.
It is the new part of the older town of Sancti Petri, a little fishing town, Also known as La Barrosa. It is extraordinarily close to the superior municipality of Chiclana de la Frontera. La Barrosa is also the name of the beach that extends to Novo Sancti Petri. People then decided to create a more industrial place next to it, nevertheless the old fishing techniques still hold sway. In the late 1980s, the area around La Barrosa Beach began to be considered for tourism. In the 1990s and early 2000s, several large hotels and countless holiday apartments were built in a short space of time. The development had to be kept flat, buildings with more than three storeys were not allowed to be built. Today Novo Sancti Petri has the largest number of beds on the Costa de la Luz. Most hotels close in the period from November to February, but there is still a small amount of sport tourism during this time (golf; football; athletics). In the months from April to June and September/October it is mainly German and British recreational tourists that one finds. During the Spanish vacation times in July/August it is mainly Spaniards, but also Germans and British who come to the beach vacation.
The name of the village is based on the village around the port, which is called Sancti Petri. In the 1950s and 1960s, the port was important because of the tuna fishing. Fishermen were settled there at that time. In the 1970s, tuna fishing lost its importance on this stretch of coast, the houses around the harbour fell into disrepair, and the Poblacion became a "ghost village". Today the port is used as a yacht and sports port. Fishing is now of little importance. Both place names are in Latin and not in Spanish. La Barrosa beach is one of the most beautiful sandy beaches in Europe and has been awarded the blue ribbon several times. Novo Sancti Petri is north of Conil de la Frontera. The place has its own tourist information office, which is only open seasonally.
The best way to get to Novo Sancti Petri is via Jerez de la Frontera Airport (around 45 minutes). Alternatively, the airports Seville (1 hour 45 minutes), Gibraltar (1½ hours) or Málaga (2½ hours) are possible.
Tui, Condor and Ryanair offer direct flights from various cities in Germany to Jerez from March to November. Iberia has open jaw flights all year round with stops in Madrid.
Novo Sancti Petri is connected to the Spanish motorway network via the A48. The best way to get there is via the KM 10 exit. However, there is no sign of the place, but La Barrosa beach.
The nearest train station is in San Fernando, the neighboring town of Chiclana. however, no long-distance trains stop there. From Cadiz, the provincial capital, long-distance trains run several times a day. A suburban train from San Fernando to Chiclana is under construction.
Buses (lines 8 and 11) run from Novo Sancti Petri to Chiclana several times an hour.
There is a taxi rank in front of the Hotel Barrosa Garden.
In the Novo Center shopping center (opposite Hotel Barrosa Garden) you will find various car rental companies and tour operators.
There are several bike rental companies at the Riu Chiclana, Barrosa Park and Royal Andalus hotels.
With Tui you can book excursions in large groups to Seville, Ronda, Gibraltar and other destinations. Alternatively, there are small tour operators such as Goto Tours or Hinterland Tours that offer excursions in small groups of up to 8 people.
Public pine forest on Carretera La Barrosa opposite the tourist office.
In addition to beach holidays, the main activities are sports and excursions. There are several golf courses, riding stables, surf schools, soccer fields, tennis courts and other sports facilities. Popular destinations for excursions include Cadiz, Seville, Ronda, Cordoba and Gibraltar.
Novo Sancti Petri is a popular starting point for excursions of various kinds. In addition to sightseeing, there are a few other interesting destinations. A visit to the Andalusian Riding School, the Carthusian stud "Yeguada de la Cartuja" in Jerez and the bull and horse farm "Campo Abierto" is recommended for horse enthusiasts. Furthermore, whale and dolphin sightseeing (in the wild) from Tarifa, a visit to the Doñana National Park, flamenco shows and bodega tours in Jerez are popular excursion destinations.
If you want to go on excursions to events with a rental car, you should book tickets for shows, boats, etc., beforehand with the tour guide or a tour operator with an on-site office (Tui, Neckermann and Goto Tours). On the one hand it is confirmed that the event is taking place, on the other hand you are not in front of a sold out house or boat.
Popular and "accessible" cities and towns are Conil de la Frontera, Vejer de la Frontera, Jerez de la Frontera, Cadiz, Gibraltar, Cordoba, Arcos de la Frontera and Ronda. Granada is a bit far away with over 4 hours drive. Cadiz can also be reached by public bus via Chiclana. Conil can be "cycled" (1 hr by bike). For all other destinations you should use a rental car or book it as a guided tour with a tour operator.
There are three shopping centres in the hotel zone. The Tartessuscenter (near Hotel Tartessus) is mostly empty, but you will find a dentist, a disco and a Supersol grocery store there. The Novo Center and the adjacent CC Altamar (opposite Hotel Barrosa Garden) houses boutiques, two drug stores, a pharmacy, restaurants, souvenir shops, a Coviran grocery store, hairdressers, jewellers, car rentals, travel agencies and banks.
There are more shops and restaurants on Carretera de la Barrosa, about 2 km from the hotel zone. For special needs (opticians, market hall, specialty shops) one has to go to downtown Chiclana.
Tapas are very popular in the south of Spain. However, a tapa is not a specific dish, but rather the form of presentation. A "tapa" is a "lid" as it was used earlier to cover drinks glasses so that flies do not end up in beer, for example. It was from Granada that the landlords used to place small dishes on top of these lids. A piece of ham or cheese, olives, bacon whatever was there. This is how today's tradition of tapas developed. Small items are served on plates or bowls. Typical for the region are Andalusian sausage, ham and cheese specialties, different types of potato salad and of course fish and seafood.
To the north of the "hotel zone" there are a number of restaurants and tapas bars along the beach "La Barrosa". Likewise on the "Carretera La Barrosa" which runs parallel to a "building block" further inland. In the "hotel zone" there are several tapas bars, restaurants, cafes and ice cream parlors in the shopping center opposite Hotel B. Garden.
In the settlements just outside the ring road that surrounds the town centre, many holiday apartments are offered through the relevant portals. From there, the beaches can usually be reached on foot in 10-20 minutes. However, only the local hotels or at most apartments that are located in the few privately marketed apartment buildings and are sublet by the owners offer direct proximity to the beach. Sworn apartment users are more likely to be happy further south, for example in Conil, but there can be comparatively cheaper offers here.
There is only one campsite in the entire city. Alternatively there are several campsites in the neighbouring town of Conil.