Reviews of Oasis Islantilla Hotel, Islantilla

Just got back from two weeks at the Oasis Islantilla, must admit we also read reviews after booking and was worried, but took kettle and phrase book so was prepared. On the contrary we had a wonderful relaxing holiday and felt refreshed by the fact that it was very Spanish and to see all the Spanish enjoying their holiday as a whole family, we made the effort to attempt to order by phrases from our book and had no problems being understood at all. The people were very polite and friendly both in the hotel and at the bars and restaurants at the commercial centre. Recommend La Terazza restaurant and Titanic Bar. We took two trips with First Choice, the first to Gibraltar which left at 7.30 and although a long drive we had two stops and a very good guide from Portugal (where the trip had started from). We then were transferred to a local mini bus guide which took us up the rock to St Michaels Caves and the Apes Den, where we spent time photographing the the apes and their babies. Afterwards there was plenty of free time for lunch and shopping before the journey back which arrived back around 10.15ish. Well worth the 58 euros. The second trip was to Seville which I agree left at 8.15 and had a very good Spanish guide (who also spoke good English and German) who got on at Seville and gave a very good tour of the palace, jewish quarter and cathedral. We then had the option of joining a river trip for an additional fee (which we did not do as we were ready for a break by then) or free time for lunch and shopping. After this we felt comfortable enough to make our next trip ourselves by bus and ferry to Portugal and had another lovely day spending in time in Vila Real and Ayamonte. Our rest days were spent at the wonderful pool area and beautiful beach and strolling along the promenade to La Antilla. We would definitely return here and would thoroughly recommend it if you are looking for a relaxing holiday in beautiful and totally foreign surroundings . (In fact, don't know if we should be writing this review as it may become spoilt if too many people know about it). If you like everything English and only Spain for the sunshine, then this is not for you.

Returned from a lovely and relaxing holiday at the Oasis yesterday. Had read reviews so didnt expect great self catering facilities however was suprised there was so little info in the rooms/public areas about the hotel, services it offers & surrounding amenities. It is worth asking at reception (who speak good English in the main) and going to the holiday rep's meet and greet.



As many of the other reviews point out there is a selection of bars, restaurants and shops available along a beautiful seafront promenade, and although as a 30 something couple we would have enjoyed more nightlife a couple of entertaining evenings were spent watching the barmen doing a Tom Cruise style cocktail display in the Irish Bar (apart from the Guinness this was still very Spanish). Being in such a Spanish resort was really refreshing, no tourist hassle, very safe and lovely to see so many families enjoying evenings out together.



Only a couple of little moans, the only meal we had at the hotel's poolside bar was poor; tepid lasagne and in my case a tuna salad clearly past its sell by date. Saying that the staff couldnt have been more apologetic and were keen to offer a free meal/coffee.



The second; we chose an excursion to Seville (very worthwhile) but were not told by the First Choice rep that there were two prices 30 or 60 euros with guide. We paid for the guided tour of the palaces and cathedral which we did enjoy but would have prefered the choice as it cost us about £100.



Would encourage anyone looking for a good quality family holiday or relaxing and quiet holiday for two to go. Be mindful of a potential 2 hour transfer from Faro though when looking at flight times .

After reading some of the negative reports on the net we were a bit worried as to what we would find but we had a great holiday. The language was not a problem. By showing the spanish that you are prepared to try the language then they will do their best to understand you. Also treat them with respect after all why should we expect the'natives' to speak in our language. I am sure a Spaniard visiting Britain wouldn't expect the British to speak Spanish. The self catering was very basic but we took a kettle and had pre booked breakfast in the restaurant which was excellent with plenty of choice and as much as you could eat. A previous report states that the Seville trip left at 6am and cost 60 euros and nothing else was included well we were collected at 8.15. The cost of the trip included a sight seeing tour, a guide who took us into the Royal Palace and we were also taken into the Cathedral. Alternatively you can pay 30 euros and have the sight seeing tour and then have plenty of time for shopping or sightseeing at your leisure. Seville does get very hot, it was 40 degrees when we were there. The only complaint about the holiday was that we were told by First Choice that taking Euro traveller cheques would not be a problem as the rep would take travellers cheques in payment for the trips and we would be able to exchange travellers cheques at the hotel. This was not so as the rep would only take cash or credit/debit card. The hotel only had a small amount of cash to exchange for Travellers cheques so our advice would be to take cash and cards. We can thoroughly recommend The Islantilla and all the Brits we spoke to liked the hotel. We would definitely go back again.

We booked this holiday mostly because of the short flight time, and the fact that the brochure said it was a very quiet resort. As we were travelling with our 3 year old and 11 month old baby, we certainly didn't want night-time noise or bars and discos on our doorstep, so this sounded perfect for us. We weren't disappointed; we all absolutely adored it and found the resort to be everything we wanted - lovely hotel and pools, and a fabulous beach on the doorstep. As for the staff not speaking English?? we never found this to be the case - although we never ate at the hotel, always at the Commercial Centre - we were able to order in every restaurant or bar without problem, and they were delighted when our 3 year old ordered his favourite ice cream (fresa) in Spanish, and said 'gracias' for it - they often gave him extra which we didn't pay for ! And they just adored our baby - treating her like royalty wherever we went - they really coud not have been more accommodating to a family with young children re: highchairs etc. Our son was able to join in with the children's hotel entertainment team during the evenings, and still remembers the words to many of the spanish children's songs. And anyway, so what if the staff aren't always fluent in English - stay in England if thats all that you can think about ! Because this holiday suited us so well, we booked again the following year, and had an equally fantastic time. Again, so what if the self-catering facilities are limited - who goes on holiday to stay indoors and cook ??? I would definitely recommend this holiday to young families who are looking for quiet evenings, but plenty to do during the day. I would recommend you hire a car or look into taxi costs for the transfer from Faro though, as the coach transfer takes quite a long time if you are dropping off in Ayamonte etc on the way. I urge Spanish-intolerant people to stay away from this lovely resort, and let the rest of us continue to enjoy it !

Having read the reveiws for this place after I had booked it I thought 'Oh my god what have we let ourselves in for?' No kettles in rooms,don't speak English (not that that bothered us - they are Spanish what do you expect them to speak?!) So armed with a travel kettle and a phrase book and dictionary we were prepared!

Well! we arrived and were greeted by freindly receptionists whose English was excellent. On entering our room I noticed a kettle. Waste of time packing mine! The room was spotless. Towels are changed every day. They also supply shampoo and shower gel.

Drinks at the hotel were pricey,but if you walk along the promenade you come to a commercial centre with shops/supermarket/bars/restaurants all reasonably priced.

If you like something more lively eg Magaluf,Tenerife,Ibiza then this is NOT the place for you. It's a more laid back lifestyle - the holidaymakers are predominantley Spanish. There are about 3 hotels in this resort - the rest of the buildings are holidays homes of the Spanish where they come for the weekend so it's really busy Saturday/ Sunday. If you want to eat lunch out at the weekend go about 2.00pm as at 3.00 the restaurants are heaving.

There is a gorgeous sandy beach in front of the hotel with lifeguard towers dotted along it,showers and foot showers for when you leave the beach! It's cleaned every night.

We had a lovely time here and would go back again.

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Just back from islantilla,both my wife and myself were abit worried after reading some of the reviews. We have been going to Spain on holiday for 30 years or so and never have we ever had to use a phrase book to comunicate, well this holiday was no different, as in most parts of Spain the locals were very patient if you were trying to show a willingness to to try and speak in spanish (to order drinks etc.) and as usual their english was much better than our spanish. The hotel and resort were both great although it is a bit quiet, (this suited us 50 somethings) .The rooms in the hotel were very comfortable with a kingsize bed ,and the two ring cooker was no different from many other apartments we have been in we also had an electric kettle and full size fridge so it was no great hardship. The hotel bar was expensive but all 4 star hotels are, the titanic bar is only a short stroll along the prom and the prices are normal.



The supermarket in the comercial centre is well stocked and prices are o.k. We went into isla christina a few times as their is a local bus which runs in the mornings and evenings and only costs 30cents each way, they have more shops and bars and the supermarkets have a bigger choice(also a few tabacs for the duty frees) .



All in all we had a very relaxing holiday and would go back to this very comfotable hotel which is well suited couples and families with young children.



P.S. the hotel shop has British papers every day but they dont come untill about 2P.M which is no real hardship.

I would definately rate the hotel as a 4 star. The pool area where we spent most days was absolutley gorgeous. There was a seperate kids pool and also a seperate pool for ball games so you could just relax in the main pool without being bothered. I had read a lot of reviews about the resort which worried me. A lot of people said if you didn't speak fluant spanish then you'd have a lot of probems. I speak very basic spanish and we were fine. Most people if you let them know you speak english will try thier best with you.

the self catering facilities were very basic. We didn't have a toaster or a kettle but that didn't bother us too much as we ate out most nights. The reosrt is very quiet and that's about all we did at night - eat out, quiet drink and back to the hotel. The commercial centre which was a 5 minute walk away had a few lovely restaurants and bars and a few shops but not open late.

The weather was fantastic, very hot. I would definately go back if i was looking for a quiet holiday as i now know what to expect.

from other reviews we expected something a little different. I took time to learn a good level of spanish before going. However I would recommend a competent level of spanish as little else is spoken there and the accent and pronunciation different to what I had been used to with a spanish course. The hotel reception and pool barstaff spoke minimal english but were very polite and courteous, with other staff and resort resturant, as soon as you showed that you made an effort to learn the language they were happy to accomodate the occasional point at a phrase book and "teach" you the language. The hotel itself and the facilities were beatuiful and exactly like the pictures on the website, the rooms were immaculate and the self catering was basic but adequate as we had cold sandwiches for lunch and out for dinner at a restaurant most evenings.

I would struggle to add what a 5 star hotel has to offer further than Oasis.

However the fact is that this is a very spanish resort a as such the siesta time runs from 1pm - 6pm daily at the commercial centre. The commercial centre consists of about 7 resturants and bars and it would seem that itailan themed are the most popular, the prices are no different to UK prices and a pint at the hotel is 5 euro! a Malibu was 6 euro! We spent any pub time in the Titanic Bar just along the beach and it was 1euro for a glass of beer and 2 euro for a bottle of Heineken. Again you need to be able to order all drinks in Spanish or grunt and point, which gets the locals back up understandably. I would not go to this resort again because there is little or no entertainment, the weather is unpredictable (atlantic coast) and everything closes between 1pm and 6pm (if weather is poor it is mindnumbingly boring).

The Firt Choice Rep was no existent no criticism of First Choice but there was no point him being there as there was nothing to do. The trips offered were grossly overpriced (60 euro each to visit Sevilla 50 miles away without anything else and coach to collect you at 6am from hotel). If you are over 60 and want a quiet week away and have a competent level of Spanish you may enjoy it, also if you have children under 10 the hotel site is very safe and child friendly and most kids enjoyed the pool during the day despite the freezing water and atlantic breeze!!!! There is no real traditional spanish cusine as we expected and were disappointed as we thought that was the type of resort it was. In short beautiful hotel, overpriced boring resort.

Typical meal for two with a bottle of wine, salad and bread rolls 45 euro.

We have just come back from this holiday. We were looking for a quick fix of sun and a bit of unwinding. In this case it was just what the doctor ordered. However pick your tour operator wisely, we went with first choice. We were kept waiting for about an hour on at the airport (ok if you want to catch up on your smoking after the filight but boring and annoying if not). The coach driver had to resort to asking directions having driven past the hotel once! On the way back they actually had to double back because they fogot to pick up from one hotel. The first choice rep was very little help to anyone. I made only one small enquiry (where can I find a tabac) and he promised to put the directions under the door, it didn't happen.



The resort and hotel are very good. As previous reviews have stated the facilities are basic. If you want a kettle just ask reception and they will arrange for this with no fuss whatsoever. The rooms are clean and tastefully furnished. The reception staff on the information desk are great and will order taxi's for you or give you maps and bus times.



Please note this is primarily a fairly up market spanish resort so please either be prepared to speak a little spanish or take a phrase book. Please make the effort you will be rewarded, dont let this resort start to think the british are lazy and rude. You have choosen to go to a non-english speaking country please make the effort (nag over). The resort is very nice, turn left out of the rear of the hotel and you are 5 mins from the Titanic Bar, very friendly a great place to sit and chill in the early evening. 5 mins further on and you are at a small shopping centre with a range of bars and places to eat. When we were there a few were not yet open. We can recomend the italian resaurant, good food a wide menu and great service.



This is not a resort for nghtlife so if that is your thing go for one of the more obvious choices otherwise you will be disapointed. But if you are a fifty something like us and want a relaxing holiday good food cheap wine go for it. While on the subject of prices the spanish are fast catching up with us so this is not a cheap holiday as I mentioned earlier it is a fairly upmarket resort for the spanish this is reflected in the boutiques etc. The supermarket is reasonable and you can still get a good bottle of wine for far less than you can in the UK.



If you are a smoker (can you see a theme) 2 things to know. If you want to buy from a vending machine the bar staff have to use a remote before you can put your money in. There is not a tabac in the resort you have to go to Illa Cristina to buy in bulk. This is about an £6 taxi ride but you can walk back along the beach, about an hour f you dont stp at a couple of bars as we did. This is a nice way to spend a day.



If you choose to go on this holiday enjoy yourselves this is still a fairly unspoilt bit of Spain that has as yet not been to commercailised by the british travel industry, long may it stay that way.Enjoy

Islantilla on Costa de la Luz is a very nice place, but it lacked entertainment, there were plenty of restaurants, where the food was very good, but there was a problem with communication. Hardly any of the people spoke English, so we had difficulty explaining what we wanted.



There were a few bars but there wasn’t any entertainment in them.



We stayed at Oasis Islantilla, which was a nice hotel.



But when we wanted to change travellers cheque's there was never any money available. We had to go to the bank to change the money and was charged 12 Euro on a hundred Euro note, which personally I think is a ridiculous amount of money for just one travellers cheque, also there were no day excursions available.

This hotel is brilliant! My family consists of two parents, two children, ages 17 and 21. We spent two weeks here and had a great time. At first I was a bit disappointed because it appeared to be a bit noisy - there are lots of activities in the day - water polo, aqua aerobics, table tennis tournaments etc. The entertainments staff are very energetic and try to get people involved.



The resort and hotel are set up for holidaying Spanish families, so not much English spoken, but, for us, that was an advantage! I would advise trying to get involved in one of the activities - the aqua aerobics is run by a brilliant and enthusiastic instructor who made every session fun - there were also dance routines in the pool and it was fantastic. The food is easily four-star, brilliant buffet style with loads of variety every day - lots of fish. The pools (3 in total) are fantastic - clean and very well maintained. Loads of beds available so no worries about having to reserve some, something that isn't allowed anyway.



The beach is just a two-minute walk through the hotel grounds. The beach is lovely and clean, as is the sea. There were some great waves while we were there but the sea remained safe. You can take your own parasol and put it up anywhere on the beach if you wish, or there are beds and straw in situ parasols for hire slightly further back from the sea.



There is a well-stocked and inexpensive supermarket a ten-minute walk down a promenade that runs parallel with the beach; this is a lovely evening walk as, along its side, are street traders, a good place to get take-home gifts. The staff are amongst the best I have ever encountered, they are polite and helpful with good customer-facing skills. The hotel and its activities are probably best suited to people with young children - there is a very good and active kids' activity club, or people who enjoy some level of activity while on holiday - the hotel has a well-stocked gym and tennis courts. I would recommend it and would love to go back!

We have just spent probably the best ever holiday we have had in Spain at the Oasis in Islantilla. It was everything we could have asked for. Yes- the cooking utensil were basic.



The Restaurants at the Commercial Centre did become a little boring, but it was so nice to be in Spain with the Spanish.



The entertainments staff within the hotel were brilliant. You might not be able to understand all of the evening entertainment but you could get the drift.



The Oasis was very clean the Pools were very pleasant and we found the staff helpful.



The Titanic bar on the beach was exceedingly good you could get a large beer there for the price of a small beer at the hotel. My only criticism of the hotel is the prices it charges in its bars and restaurants and for other services.



Overall it is a lovely part of Spain to visit but I would advise hiring a car. It is within easy reach of other resorts, Huelva if you like shops and Portugal.

Self catering very basic equipment!! Two ring hob with no kettle, toaster or grill, very limited.

Local supermarkets, restaurants and bars (Titanic) really good value!!



Hotel has great facilities: 3 pools, gym, hairdressers, spa, laundry, First Aid.

If you want a late nightlife you will not find it here after approx 1 am.

Very family orientated, mainly Spanish and Portuguese!! Lovely!



Things to do: Golf, sailing, wind surfing, tours to Morocco, Seville, Jerez, Cadiz, Huelva and Portugal.



Fabulous beach but a little beach cafe would go down a treat!!!



We loved it!!

Hi I am 14 years old and I thought that Oasis, Islantilla was excellent. If you are looking for lots of local sightseeing it isn't the place for you but we went last year during the heat wave so it was too hot to do anything really.



The pool areas are very good, however the sun beds do go very quickly so I would recommend that you go and put towels down before breakfast.



If the pool isn't your thing then the beach is a minute away, just through the back gate of the hotel, over the lovely promenade and your there. The beach is lovely and clean, and at mid day when all the Spanish have their siestas it's like having your own private beach.



The waves can be quite rough at times but that’s mostly later on in the afternoon. There are also many water activities at the beach. We hired a pedalo for an hour which was great fun.



The rooms are a little small, but are big enough for all the time you'll be spending in the. From most of the rooms in the hotel you have lovely views to the sea. The rooms are cleaned regularly and all the staff are really nice and friendly.



For self catering there isn't some of the equipment that you have at home like a kettle or a toaster but you can find other ways around that. For a kettle you just boil the water in a pan which does just fine and if you’re wanting toast there is a cafe, five minutes walk along the promenade to the main shopping areas, which does nice toast for breakfast. My sister went there every morning and it was really nice.



There is a little shop next door to the hotel which sells most basic things like bread, milk, water etc. For other things there is a small supermarket, and other small shops including a chemist in the main shopping area, which is a five minute walk along the promenade. The promenade is really nice and I have never seen one look so clean.



One thing I did find was that they don't sell fresh milk in this part of Spain. It's all long life but it tastes just like fresh milk once it's been in the fridge and it's actually quite nice- coming from a girl who is really fussy when it comes to milk!



There are quite a few restaurants in the main shopping area, most of them Spanish but there is a very nice Italian and Chinese and if all else fails there is a burger King. There is also a very nice ice-cream shop where we went every night for our pudding. There are also a variety of bars including one at the hotel.



There is a bus stop right outside the hotel, and a tourist train also stops there as well. It drives round Islantilla every hour most nights and is a good way to see Islantilla and it is also quite fun. If you are wanting a taxi, you can just ask a member of the reception staff and they will arrange one for you.



I would definitely recommend going to the Oasis, Islantilla if you want a quiet pool and beach holiday. It is extremely safe for children and very relaxing for adults as well.



The beach and pools are lovely and the staff are really friendly. I would definitely go back again.

Please do not stay at this hotel for self catering. 2 rings, 1 saucepan, 1 frying pan, with the minimum of crockery and cutlery. No kettle. No toaster.



We asked for a kettle, and the reception staff would not understand me, so I drew a picture of a kettle, and they drew a picture of the saucepan! Awful.



The reception staff would not or could not understand a lot of English. The rep. was nonexistent and we had no resort information at all.



Thankfully we had hired a car for the two weeks, otherwise we would have been bored to tears, so we were able to escape Islantilla, and go into Isla Christina, Isla Canela, Ayamonte, Albufera, and loved our day trip to Seville, and another trip into the hills.



The local restaurants are nothing to write home about, all offering the same type of menu, again, awful.



The beaches are clean with fine sand. However, the sea was too rough most of the time for swimming in.



Each evening would see a strong wind coming in, which we got to really dislike.



There is nowhere to have a stroll and view anything of interest - we were ready to buy flights home before the holiday ended to get away.



The hotel itself was clean, the rooms were kept very clean, and we had air-conditioning.



The pool areas were lovely and everybody (mostly the Spanish) seemed to be enjoying themselves. If we heard an English voice we were amazed.



So this area is not for self catering, not for people who like to see different things as there is nothing to see (although Isla Christina has a working fishing fleet and the docks were interesting), it is only, in my opinion for people who have hotel meals, use the hotel pool, and do nothing much else. Not for us.