Reviews of Oasis Papagayo Village, Corralejo, Fuerteventura

I feel very sorry for Mrs....

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

CAROLYNE STREET

Comments:

I feel very sorry for Mrs. Bland, not sure I was at the same resort that she has commented on! The resort in my opinion was 10/10. The pools were clean and certainly no broken tiles and I could see my feet - no problem!



We were there for 7 nights and the maids changed the beds and provided fresh towels every other day. The resort itself was perfect for small children. I have a 7 and 5 year old and I felt they were very safe. The kids clubs were fantastic, all the reps were child friendly and provided good care and entertainment for the kids. My boys especially loved Mini Martin and Big Man.



The buffet wasn't all that, the breakfast was good, a wide variety to choose from but the evening meal was disappointing, we only ate there once. The restaurant had excellent food and very reasonably priced but the service was a bit slow. The restaurants in the town were good, there is a Mexican in the Plaza and I would definitely recommend it. They were child friendly and the food was superb and very reasonably priced.



A fantastic English run cafe/restaurant just outside the hotel (turn right out of the reception entrance) called Tiffanys. They serve proper English breakfast with proper sausages and are all English. Well worth a visit.



Waikiki beach was brilliant for young children. We were told that Flag Beach was better, but after visiting it, yes, it was beautiful but really not good for children. We lost one of ours for about 20 minutes, but the life guards were great and thankfully we got him back safe and sound. Waikiki beach is smaller and much more ideal for youngsters.



Overall, I would say that this is an ideal resort, especially for young children, they could be entertained from 10am to 11pm if you wished them to be.



Will definitely be going back next year, but this time I will stay for 2 weeks.

1st Things 1st do not expect a 4...

Overall Rating:

5/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs J Bland

Comments:

1st Things 1st do not expect a 4 star hotel this is not 4 star at all.



The hotel was dirty in my opinion rubbish was all over the gardens and grass Maid service what’s that. Enough to be said on this matter I had to go to reception 4 times about towels and bed linen to be changed. We were there for 2 weeks and had the maids in 4-5 times only. The salt water pools were for the Brits the fresh water for the Italians however we went to the fresh as the salt was not favourable with my son. Tiles missing form kids pool, adults pool very dirty you could not see your feet when in it and the surface around the pool was very slippery seen hundreds of falls adults and children



The resort was dreadful never again springs to mind at midnight everything closes...



The kids club was good and my son really enjoyed it. The evening entertainment was ok that’s it just ok there are 3 entertainers Kay and Little El they were lovely girls and good with the kids a bit repetitive though however the big man was the worst entertainer i have ever seen he couldn't make it at Butlins believe me he was dreadful and loved himself in the package, every time he came on my son ran away not very good with the kids and he used to do mini disco some nights.



The water park is great and the only beach to go is Olivia Beach this is great in a short taxi ride. The zoo trip is a very long day out be prepared early pick up late return



Beware this is a very expensive holiday everything was well over priced all over the resort (except the taxis) on average 2 adults and a child’s dinner with one drink each was 55 euros not cheap at all



I will not be returning to Oasis Papagayo and I will not go back to Fuerteventura.

After reading all the reviews...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs K Feehily

Comments:

After reading all the reviews prior to my departure, I was quite happy going to this resort. The island is lovely. The resort was lovely. The Oasis Papagayo Village is large but the directions given were clear and there were signposts with the numbers of the apartments, so it was easy to find.



The pools were great, with quite a few to choose from. There was Kids Clubs to keep the kids busy but even though ours went to the Clubs a couple of times, they preferred being in the pool!!! There was an added bonus of the kids being trained football for a few hours (at a charge) but it was well worth the money.



It was a shame that Thomson the Dog (as part of the entertainment for the kids) did not appear every night as the kids were disappointed particularly when we went to a different place last year and Thomson the Dog was there every night!



The weather was fab. The supermarket (Netto) in the town was cheaper than the supermarket on the resort and well worth the trip in and out of the town. If you can't make the town Supermarket when you arrive, well worth taking a quick 2 minute walk down to the Supermarket at the Oasis Dunas (right next to the car park) as this is cheaper than the one on the Papagayo Resort!



The restaurants by the harbour were really nice and the people were friendly so well worth a visit. Mostly walked into town (as it was a refreshing breeze in the evenings) took about 15 minutes but if shopping, got a taxi back.



Not able to comment on the excursions for ourselves as we didn't go on any but a few people mentioned that even though the Water Park was great, there were hidden charges that had to be paid after you had paid for the excursion. Double check there are none, i.e. charge to sit on a seat!



The maid service was fine and the maids were friendly. There is a market opposite the Resort which is on Mondays and Fridays. You will probably already no, but haggle, haggle, haggle - you will definitely get a bargain!



Just a small word of warning in relation to the weather - even though you may never have had a heat rash or reaction to the sun before, bring antihistamine tablets just in case! I have never suffered any reaction to the sun before but did on this holiday and had to pay €9.60 for tablets and it took several days after I came back to disappear!



The apartment at this Resort is the best one in terms of space and layout that we have been to in the last 3 years!



This Resort is well worth a visit, you won't be disappointment and we will definitely go back.

My first trip to the Canaries in...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs S Burns

Comments:

My first trip to the Canaries in summer and with children. The weather was sunny but very windy . It felt quite chilly in the shade and the pool was cold.



Accommodation



This complex is way out on the outskirts of town. Whatever other people have said it is a long walk. My children will swim and play sports all day but they hated the walk to town for the evening meal when they were tired. It was also too far to walk to the beach. A taxi to Flag/ Riu beach cost 5 euros each way.



The apartments are a good size and fairly well equipped with a kettle, toaster, microwave and 2 ring hob. There were no scissors, which meant using the bread knife to open cartons etc. Also only the sort of can opener that your grandma had, and the type of corkscrew that involves holding the bottle between your feet and pulling very hard.



According to the hotel leaflet there should be clean towels 3 times a week and clean sheets once a week. It took me 11 days and 3 complaints to get clean sheets. The towels were only changed 3 times in 2 weeks.



There are two separate pool areas. The main one where the reps are which has 2 huge salt-water pools and a toddler pool and another with a small freshwater pool, a bubble pool and a huge baby pool. This baby pool was beautiful, very shallow with fountains to splash through. There is a shaded play park suitable for under fives here.



My boys like to spend the whole time in the pool and unfortunately they hated the salt water pools with a vengeance. This meant we could only use the small fresh water pool which was immensely crowded because many other children felt the same. The big salt water pools however were almost empty.



This was the first time I have used accommodation with “entertainment”. My children are now 8 and 10 and I thought they would enjoy more organised activities. They were disappointed to find that most of the daytime stuff such as water polo was for adults only. The only one for them was 5 a side football but the rep couldn’t be bothered to organize or referee, just yelled at 2 o3 trouble makers then turned her back and chatted to her friend. The evening entertainment was no use either. Up until 10 pm it was very babyish, probably ok for under 5 s. After 10pm there were some reasonable family entertainment but that was far too late for my kids.





All in all I’d say this complex is best suited to those with toddlers.



Resort.



I thought Corralejo was a shabby, dingy resort with no charm whatsoever. There is no proper promenade; the main restaurants are all along a scruffy main street. The town beach is very small and unappealing. I cannot work out why a holiday resort has been developed here?



The best bit is the beach along the sand dunes a few miles out of town. I’m told they won’t develop along the dunes for ecological reasons, although there are 2 large RIU hotels there, which the local government wants demolished to preserve the dunes.



The Baku water park is lovely well laid out water park with lots of variety. The constant strong wind however made it feel rather chilly.



The beach at the sand dunes was out of this world and the best I have ever been to. Miles of white sand, (perfect sand castle sand), and clean. The waves were fun and we all got into body boarding.



A good word for the Crazy Frog photographers who you will see around. Took a lot of trouble to get some good pictures which you can view on screen later in town. No pressure whatsoever to buy. Prints cost about 5 E



Restaurants



Poco Loco - 3 of us enjoyed our meal. I would happily have gone back. They let children choose from the adult menu for half price. But my son ordered spare ribs and was served belly pork so he refused to go again



La Terraza – near Poco Loco. This was cheaper and we went there as it had a good mention on this website. However my fillet steak was actually rump, I expect that’s why it’s cheaper. Portions a bit small if you don’t have starters.



There is a newish centre called the Plaza with a sports bar; and Italian, Chinese, Indian, Mexican and a Steak House.



Slow Boat 2- the best Chinese food I’ve had in ages. You can also choose from the Mexican menu here if one of your party doesn’t fancy Chinese.



La Cantina - this was run by the same Chinese as Slow Boat 2. We ate there 3 times because the children loved the mini fajitas. The food was consistently good though not spicy enough for me.



Slow Boat1- this was a buffet. The food was luke warm and it was very cramped at both the tables and the buffet.



Tiffany’s- one of the few places to eat near Oasis Papagayo. I ordered Lamb shanks which were reheated, dried up and tough. My son ordered Chicken Kiev, which wasn’t cooked through. My other son ordered a child’s portion of spare ribs which would have fed an adult and was delicious. My husband ordered a curry and got a very small portion. We found out when we got the bill they don’t take credit cards, so even if the food had been perfect we would not have gone back.



Café Corralejo – near Tiffanies. Good basic canteen style food. They don’t take credit cards.

Complex is ok but to be honest...

Overall Rating:

4/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mr S Parker

Comments:

Complex is ok but to be honest there is not much to do here apart from sit next to pool or go in it, we paid a lot of money to come here and you don't get anything other than your room, pay for TV, maids wake you up 5 times a week! etc



Expensive self catering where ever you go. £3 for a small cereal box or £1.80 for a jar of jam! Most expensive resort I've been to...Excursions are about £30 - £60 each. Just for a trip to neighbouring islands



The complex is to far away from everything especially town which is about 20 mins walk. And same for beach.



Even water park is expensive and you have to pay again for things when you get in the place.



Entertainment is not up to much, and don't get your pictures taken with the parrots as they are c**p.



Would never consider going back with my kids but good luck who does decide to go.



But I did enjoy my 4 hour walk up a mountain and back down it because that’s all you do here.....walk.



Regards S.Parker

Overall very good, very clean, a...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr A Weeks

Comments:

Overall very good, very clean, a few tips



(1) When the coach drops you off send someone to book in before you get your cases, i waited an hour and a quarter to check in. They are very slow.



(2) The club is very good but drinks are slightly expensive.



(3) On day of leaving get a luggage trolley as early as possible or the night before.



(4) The on site bowling alley does not open till 6pm



(5) Taxis are very cheap only 2 euros to the center



(6) Good beach is Wikki beach, this is 2 euros 50 cents.



(7) Good English breakfast just up the road from beach at angles cafe (*they are brits)



(8) The entertainers are ok but a bit patronizing an sometimes slip out of character and have a go at some children. I have seen this on more than one occasion. The exchange rate is bad in the hotel. Rooms large clean and spacious.



One very, very, very important thing, when you check in make sure you get crystal clear instructions where your room is. This is a maze of paths and 80% of people walk around for ages trying to fin there room. Please take this on board especially if you have children. And try and get an upper room as there is no air con and on the upper rooms you leave the windows open.

Absolutely fantastic...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

May 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs T Bennett

Comments:

Absolutely fantastic accommodation for families. We went with Thomson and the kids kept entertained day into night!



The reception staff are most helpful. Stunning surrounds, gardens well maintained. Apartments very spacious had all you need for a s/c holiday (apart from a oven). Cleaned regularly. Staff generally very friendly & helpful. Apartments were really well decorated with lovely furniture, bathroom huge!



The apartments are a good 15 minutes walk down hill into the main town area. Lovely restaurants, very family orientated in the main plaza, where food from around the word with children’s small play area, to keep them amused whilst waiting for your meal. Slow boat Chinese buffet a must!



All in all a great holiday, little windy, especially if on the beach, but great if you like water sports! Had a thoroughly fantastic, relaxing holiday.

Stayed at the apartments for 1...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2006

Tour Operator:

Portland Direct

Submitted By:

Mrs K J Hunter

Comments:

Stayed at the apartments for 1 week in April. Getting to your apartment initially, is much like trying to get through a maze as there are lots of little pathways throughout this rather large site (especially confusing if you have an evening arrival. You are given a map of the complex which helps a little!



They were very nicely furnished and fairly clean. Kitchen was well equipped with microwave, fridge/freezer, toaster, two cooking rings, juicer, enough cutlery and crockery for 4, plus knife, chopping board, colander - enough to make breakfast and adequate snacks.

A word of caution - the walls etc are paper thin and you can hear every single sound from noisy neighbours.



Maid service was 5 times per week, but it has to be said that most of the time it was a quick make of the bed, leaving a toilet roll and a very quick sweep with the broom - so I cannot be sure if this would be adequate for a two week stay.



The complex itself has well tended gardens. Plenty of space around the pool areas and plenty of loungers available. Went into the pool very briefly once as it was freezing cold (even though we had very hot weather all week).



Ate at the a la carte restaurant on site once, and was very pleased. Ate the spaghetti bolognese and hubby had steak, both tasty and reasonable in price.



Ate at the buffet restaurant once. You can pay per meal time or pay for breakfast/lunch/dinner per few days or a weeks block booking. Take my advice and leave well alone! We tried one evening meal for a change instead of walking into the town. The fact that we were one of a handful of people in there should have been an indicator. The selection of foods on offer was very limited and what was available was dire. I left eating virtually nothing and feeling very hungry!



If you decide to buy food/drink/water etc from the supermarket, the one attached to the site is a fair bit more expensive than the 2 x Nettos' and Spar down in the town, and they don't have the range of items. Maybe they charge a bit more, thinking they have the monopoly?



One last thing, you may have read other reviews with regard to the distance from Oasis Papagayo to the resort centre. It is quite a distance - a good 20 minute stroll at least, which may be too much there and back for little ones (bearing in mind it is a family complex), coming back seems worse because it is slightly uphill! However it does seem to get easier as the week goes on, and if it is the only form of exercise you do all week then it can't be a bad thing!

Absolutely brilliant, what can I...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

May 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss Aj Jenkinson

Comments:

Absolutely brilliant, what can I say gorgeous gardens, spacious clean apartments. Five large pools to swim, enough sun loungers for all. Restaurants gorgeous food, buffet recommended good value for money with lots of choice.



Kids clubs brilliant as they kept the little ones occupied lots of adventure playgrounds. The location as okay no revelers at night, a good twenty minute walk but taxis were very cheap at 2 euros. The beaches were superb views of lobos and Lanzarote.



The boat trips are quite bumpy though, so take some anti-sickness tablets. Overall holiday 20/10 I would recommend a super family complex like this never a dull moment.

After a serious delay at...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

May 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr D Colley

Comments:

After a serious delay at departure we landed at Fuerteventura very late in the evening,

Didn’t wait for the coach transfer as this would have took another 45 - 60 mins. The kids were very tired and VERY heavy. So we got a taxi (44 euros). Check in was easy, site very big and took a while to find the apartment which was very spacious and very clean.



The holiday in general was excellent, kids entertainment on site was 100%. Food on site however was disappointing so we ate out in the town. On site supermarket is very pricey, it pays you to shop in the town at hyperdino, (at the far end past the Shell garage). The Slow Boat (Chinese) has great reviews but we were not impressed, their buffet was cold.



A great cafe just outside the resort is Cafe Corralejo which is the best if you want English breakfast with proper sausage, eggs and bacon etc, staff very good and all English. Also do wicked take out baguettes etc. There is a lot of building going on and the area is developing very quickly, none of this spoilt the holiday in any way.



A trip to Oasis Park was disappointing with no free time to ourselves to explore the site, great camel ride though (make sure you slap on the cream and wear a hat though because they take you to the top of the mountain in the full heat of the sun.



Great, great holiday, would definitely go back again.

Have just spent a week at the...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2006

Tour Operator:

Portland Direct

Submitted By:

Mr G Wilson

Comments:

Have just spent a week at the Oasis Papagayo and found it to be excellent overall. The apartments were nice, bright and clean, as was the whole complex. The staff were helpful. We took a 3 year old with us and there were two play areas which were adequate for him, together with the children's pool which was safe and clean.



There was also the Kids Club although we didn't actually use this. The supermarket on site was priced as you would expect it to be, some things more expensive, and others not. The walk into town to reach the first section of shops was only a short walk, taking about 10 minutes. There was some building work going on along the road but it didn't create any problem. The beach wasn't a great deal further away.



There were plenty of places to eat in town and all made our little boy especially welcome. Eating out we found was pretty cheap and good value for money. The thing we found expensive was drinks, ice creams etc during the day. We tended to walk in to the centre and get a cheap taxi ride back to the Oasis Papagayo which only cost 2 euros. We spent a day at El Cotillo and would recommend that. It was a lovely beach with lagoons and in our opinion nicer than flag beach which the reps recommended and which we went to but weren't impressed with.



We also took a trip to Jandia but wouldn't particularly recommend it - we didn't get long to spend there and felt that we had wasted our time and money really. The resort was geared towards Germans, and lots of them!!



Overall, we were pleased with the Oasis Papagayo. We went on recommendation and would recommend it ourselves, especially for a family with young children. It was an ideal winter break.



One thing we would say is that although we were okay in our apartment we did speak to others who were complaining of noise from the people in the rooms above them who were setting up the sofa beds each night and as the furniture was all made of heavy wood and metal it was making a terrible noise and waking up their children.

My holiday started off very...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mr S Wood

Comments:

My holiday started off very disappointing as the hotel we started off in was awful. After our rep sorted it out we were moved to the Oasis Papagayo.



What a fantastic place. Plenty for my kids to do. I hired a steriliser for my baby which made all the difference as in the other hotel I was trying to sterilize my bottles with ants crawling around the kitchen units. Everyone has different views on holidays but I'm a great believer on getting what you pay for. Clean tidy rooms lovely gardens quiet at night the only problem was the people upstairs dragging the furniture across the room and their alarm clock going off at 5am.



There was lots of walking involved, that didn’t bother us as its nice to get some exercise on holiday, felt better for it.



We went to a Chinese restaurant in town. You go inside as there is a few other eateries, this was delicious. I reckon we were spending around 50 euros an evening including our wine and starters. Holidays aren't cheap anymore but you go on holiday to enjoy yourself and we certainly did.



We started our holiday off with a terrible hotel, then my 5month old son took ill and ended up with a night in hospital. Then on our way back someone crashed into our taxi, then my partner took ill, then we had some lovely thunder and lighting with pouring rain ha ha.



The Papagayo made up for everything and guess what, we've booked to go back in August and I'm determined to enjoy it.

I feel sorry that Mrs Adams...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Mar 2006

Tour Operator:

Portland Direct

Submitted By:

Mr I Mayall

Comments:

I feel sorry that Mrs Adams didn't enjoy her holiday but having just returned I'd question some of her comments.



Taxi's from the Harbour to the Apartments were 3 euros each way, to spend £150 on taxis means that they took 75 taxi rides unless they ventured outside the resort.



I'd say that the walk to the main strip from the apartments is about a kilometer, myself and my girlfriend used to walk it in just over 10 minutes, as did most people we spoke to. My father who is in his 70's and has had a hip replacement could do it in 15 and going into the town it is downhill (well, it's a slope rather than a hill).



Whilst the road is busy there are pavements to walk along that are set back from the road and at no point are you walking along the road other than crossing it.



I am unable to find anywhere in the Thomson or Portland Brochures that the pools are heated. In fact, I have never come across a heated outdoor pool at any Holiday resort in Europe so why anyone would expect one I have no idea.



Heated water in a Water Park? What planet are you on? The average water park has millions of litres of water, can you imagine the cost of heating it? Entry fees would be over 500 Euros if this was the case.



As someone who has been to Water parks in Spain, Greece, Canaries, Balearic Islands, Las Vegas and even indoor ones in Poland and the UK I have never come across water that could be considered warm.



I'll agree that the Canaries are not cheap any more although most money appears to be spent during the day or crisps, sweets and ice cream rather than at night, food we found very reasonable. Our most expensive meal cost 50 Euros and that was a 3 course meal around the harbour with a Litre of Sangria - very good restaurant called El Sombrero, would recommend to anyone.



Must agree that the walls to the Apartments were a bit thin but the complex was really nice and we would stay there again without hesitation.

Nice clean complex with some...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs J Adams

Comments:

Nice clean complex with some good places to eat close by. The apartment was spacious however the toilet was directly opposite the kitchen, which we don’t like. Some mould and damp on the walls but overall good. Cleaning service was good and we were not disturbed at night. Reception service was excellent.



However the majority of places to eat and the beach are a good half hours walk away along a busy road. This is not easy with small children and there is no courtesy bus as we were promised when we booked the holiday. We ended up spending over £150.00 in taxi fair so be warned!



Also there is no heated pool on this complex, again this was promised in the brochure and by the Travel Agent, so we were all very disappointed. Although the complex boasts a number of pools and they are very impressive, they were so cold that during our whole stay we never managed to swim once.



The children were very disappointed and again this meant more money on entertainment. The television in the apartment is extra 60 euros for 2 weeks the safe 30 euros for 2 weeks.



At present the Water Park opposite the complex is closed, due to Health & Safety concerns. However we were told that the water in the park is not heated either so we wouldn't have been able to take small children of 3 & 6 years. Disappointing as another reason why we booked this resort.



This is not a cheap holiday and we spent on average £100.00 sterling a day and that was watching the pennies and we are not big drinkers.



All in all I would not return to the canaries as it is expensive not very scenic and too cold to swim in any of the pools or sea, and I mean cold.

We had a great time at this...

Overall Rating:

0/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Nov 2005

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr S Williams

Comments:

We had a great time at this complex. We had visited the resort 3 times before staying at the all inclusive (as it was then) Bristol Playa. We now have 3 children so the 2 bedroom apartments here were great - our 2 oldest boys 11 & 10 sharing 1 room and our youngest (2) in with us. The apartments are clean and spacious and if you are one of those very unusual families with 3 children! Are really good.



Like most people we hired a car - book this in UK through the likes of holidayautos and you are looking at about £130 for a week.



The staff at the hotel are really helpful and my youngest fell for one of the ladies in the dining area. This brings me to the main gripe of the holiday! Thompson will let you book a half board option for £10 per person per day. So for us thats £10 x 5 x 7 for the week = £350. If we had booked half board direct with the hotel when arrived it would have cost €90 per adult, €45 per child over 3 and under 3 eat free - total €270(£187.50). So you can see if you book your meals through Thompson they'll charge you nearly double what you pay by booking it when you get there. I wrote to Thompsons about this and they didn't want to know!



So in conclusion this is a great place to stay - the weather is superb and the beaches are fantastic - but book your meals when you get there and save £160!