Oasis Atlantic Hotel

Having read the reviews only a week before travelling we arrived with mixed feelings. What a nice surprise. Staff friendly,courteous and considerate. Hotel exceptionally clean. A bit out of the way but this made it very peaceful. Facilities good-used the pool table,table tennis,indoor and outdoor swimming pools,jaccquzzi and even sat looking at sea whilst playing on the kids swings! We were on b and b basis in a large room with side sea view. only room noise was through the day from restaurant below and was minimal. Room vacummed every day. Hence not a bug in the place in a fortnight. The holidy was good value for money and the ones who've complained about the 4 star status want to compare the price of similar accomodation in maderia. Courtesybus handy but not always on time. Local bus stop outside hotel good but due to nature of local roads a bit hairraising.Origens restaurant not too far and very good. Trips booked through local firm Turitrans excellent value. Promenade a bit on the short side but ok (especially if like us you are into feeding the cats and dogs) Will definitely go back in the future.

This review is based on a 7 night stay in September 2006 on half-board basis, in an upper-floor side sea-view room. This is a modern, well-appointed, clean and comfortable hotel in a quiet location on a short promanade. There are limited local amenities (no obvious shops or bars - only a cafe that appeared to be geared to the needs of local sun bathers). It is a very long and steep walk up to Canico village - not an option except for the very fit. However, there is a bus stop immediately in front of the hotel with a (roughly) hourly service to Canico and Funchal. The one-way fare to Funchal is about £1 and it is worth taking the bus even if you have a hire-car. The hotel also runs a free courtesy bus but this needs to be booked in advance. All rooms have balconies with full or partial sea views and are of a good size. Each room has a fridge (which doubles as a mini-bar but can be used for personal items), kettle and a safe (there may be a charge for the latter). Entertainment (not sampled) seemed to be non-intrusive, or at least it could not be heard from our room. Food and service in the restaurant are both of a very good standard. Breakfast and main meals are self-service with a good choice of hot or cold dishes. A choice or local or international dishes is generally available. Half-board seems to be a good choice, particularly for those without transport or local knowledge. Overall a very good hotel.

Just returned from 10 days at the hotel, and having studied the previous reviews both before and after our trip I will add a few comments of our own. The hotel is very clean and not really dated just has hotel décor, exactly as I would expect for the area and age of the place. It is a way from Funchal but we had a hire car so it was not a problem, if you want to be nearer the action don’t stay here! We also thought it was odd having a kettle in the room but no supplies of tea or coffee! Not really 4 star standards on that issue! On the plus side you could help yourself to free tea and coffee after the evening meal so that was a bonus. Also there was very little in the way of toiletries in the bathroom, just small plain soap and sachet of shampoo, we have had much better stuff in other hotels of this standard. However a good supply of hot water. Staff all seemed helpful and friendly, plenty of clean towels, sheets etc. We could have done with a bit of help to find our room on arrival! A nice touch was a free bottle of wine left in the room on my birthday! There are 2 free computers for internet use but do not rely on using them! We had a power cut one day, problems with the ‘cable’ in the area another day and finally 1 PC got completely screwed up and need to be taken away to be sorted out. Fortunately there were only a few of us ‘silver surfers’ around at this time of year but still it became a nuisance. We had a very large room with full sea view on 1st floor, only problem with this was being a bit too near the entertainment noise and noise from outside bar users at night. Also there is noise from the constant running water on the pool edge which gets a bit tedious after a while. There are 2 pool attendants who are fanatical to the point of ridiculous, about aligning the sun beds, almost worth moving them around for a joke! The pool is large and very deep, good for adults. Saw some of the entertainment, nothing special but ok, this really is a hotel aimed at older folk! Nice to be able stroll along the local Promenade in the evening. We thought the breakfast was very good for choice, one of the best we have experienced on this sort of break. The evening buffet was much as expected and does get boring and always only luke warm. We went out a couple of times to Restaurante Origens just up the road which was very pleasant with good service on a little terrace out the back, very reasonable for 3 courses with wine and coffee (approx 50 euros for 2) We too suffered a wedding during our stay! and agree with all that has been written, the worst aspect being a very long queue to get food on that night. However we understand that only one more wedding is booked , the hotel have obviously realised it just doesn’t work/pay for all concerned, so no one should worry about that aspect from now on. Overall mixed blessings but no Wow! factor.

Lovely hotel, very up to date. Nice big rooms. We went for a side sea view and were not disappointed, even though we could see the road and the roundabout from our balcony there was a lovely view out to sea. Were miffed that there were tea and coffee making facilities but no provisions so had to go to supermarket to get some teabags and a carton of milk! Rooms and bathroom were exceptionally clean and I'm pretty sure we got fresh towels every day, even though we didn't request them! Breakfast was a bit of a let down but then again aren't they always - other countries just can't get the English Breakfast right - sausage does not mean dodgy tinned frankfurter! Although lovely choice of fruit and bread. Didn't eat in the hotel for dinner and people I spoke to who did said "well what can you expect for 17 euros"? I can thoroughly recommend the peaceful Inn and Art in Canico de Baixo and their beautiful terrace restaurant with their steak on the stone! Also you must save your money and go to La Perla Gourmet in Canico - the food and service and surroundings were the highlight of my holiday cuisine - don't think I will ever top the experience! La Terraca in Canico is also great food and service and free car there and back - courtesy of the restaurant!!! Great hotel for transport right on the bus line! Although I had read great reviews about the hotel bikes - they're pretty poor but I did find one that was serviceable! Very friendly hotel - everyone was very accommodating and full of information - really sorry to leave them. Beautiful gardens very relaxing. No complaints and would return to the hotel.

have just returned from our honeymoon at the Oasis Atlantic. We chose the hotel on a recommendation from our regular travel operator and chose Madeira because it would give us the complete rest we needed after planning our wedding. We only stated 1 week because we have a trip tocuba planned in 7 weeks time and I am glad we have. Although Madeira seemed like a lovely place we didnt really get out and do much, this was on account of the location of our hotel and the fact that you had to brave the public transport and trettirous roads to get anywhere. Canico village is approx 5-10 minutes bus ride and Funchal is approx 40-45 minutes away. We used public transport because the last courtesy bus from the hotel left at 6pm which was too early. The pucblic buses are certia\nly not for the faint hearted and more often than not holiday makers cheered when leaving the bus because it was such a bad experience! The hotel was lovely, I agree with the previosu review regarding dated decor and certianly not a true 4* rating. To be honest we did not find the staff friendly and never spoke to anyone the whole week we were there because the guests were equally dismissive. We stayed B&B only which worked out well because even though the hotel is in the middle of no-where there are nice restaurants around the hotel (even though menu choice is really limited and we would have struggled if we had stayed 2 weeks!) A lot of guests compained due to the fact that 2 nights during there half board stay they were subjected to the organised BBQ because the buffet room was booked out to a wedding. If you werent staying haolf borad and wanted to attend it was an expensive 35 euro per couple and there was no subsidised cost for children. What made it worse was the day of the BBQ half of the sun loungers were collected and half the pool area was shut off so that the tables could be laid for the evening, this made you feel as though you were sunbathing on top of complete strangers because of lack of space. The hotel were deffinately more interested in looking after the wedding party than the paying guests. Hotel entertainment was diabolical and we were in bed for half 10 every night because there was nothing to stay up for. Bruno the resident hitel singer was on every night we were there and sang the same songs in the same order every night, no-one danced and no-one clapped! The 2 nights there was 'Hot dancers' advertised it was comical, really cheesy outfits and what looked to be untrained dancers trying to entertain a dwindling crowd. What also surprised us was I phoned home for a total of 3 minutes 22 seconds and was charged 21 euros! Dont get me wrong this hotel offered exactly waht we wanted for a quiet relaxing break, we just expected something a little bit more special after reading the reviews posted on this site. If you are wanting something lively and friendly then this is not the place for you. If you have children it is a deffinate no no, after looking at a lot of bored faces around the pool day after day and at 3euro an ice cream it is certainly not the place!

Oh my! Staying at this hotel brought home to me just how subjective reviews really are. Having read the reviews on this site, it was with complete confidence that I booked into this hotel. It was, therefore, a big disappointment on arrival. In fact, re-reading some of the reviews makes me think that I stayed at a different hotel to these authors..... The Oasis Atlantic is in Caniço De Baixo, what is a small, purpose built, holiday resort. From pictures and information displayed in one of the conference rooms, it appears that the hotel was originally built with 3 floors (excluding the pool level) around 1993, and had a further 2 floors added in 2000. First impressions of the hotel were that it was dated, both in terms of décor and facilities. My family and I had booked a suite with a sea view. The suite was, in fact, situated to the side of the hotel, but the hotel's design meant that we did have a view of the sea - and a car park. This wasn't a problem though, and it was very pleasant sitting on the balcony of an evening, watching and listening to the waves roll in onto the shore. The cleanliness of the room couldn't be faulted, likewise the rest of the hotel; the maids were extremely thorough, and even washed the dishes if we had not done so. The suite consisted of two large rooms, one with twin beds pushed together, and the other with a sofa bed. We used the sofa bed for a child - I would possibly have been worried about its stability if two adults had had to use it. An additional single bed was also installed in this second room. A small kitchen was shut away behind concertina doors, and proved useful. The bathroom was spacious, and had a bath with a combined mixer / shower tap. Although spacious, and in good order, the suite did look dated and not up to current 4* standards. The pool area, gardens and restaurant seemed to be lacking in space, and the addition of 2 floors of rooms in the 2000 extension probably accounts for this. That said, there was never any problems getting sun-loungers or shades down by the pool. However, the loungers are laid out in regimented rows, quite closely packed; no doubt this is to ensure maximum use of the available space. The pool is also filled with salt-water - not very nice when you initially taste it! The pool isn't all that large, though wasn't ever too busy. One aspect to be aware of is that it seems to have a sudden slope from a depth of five feet, and this can catch you out if you're having to support children whilst they float/play. There was also a small baby pool; it would have been nice for this to have been in an area with sun-loungers round it, so parents could have been in close proximity whilst giving the children a little freedom to paddle alone. Unfortunately, the baby pool was immediately next to the outdoor tables for the snack-bar. An indoor pool was also available, and this was filled with fresh /desalinated water. It was also a reasonable depth for children to play in. The snack-bar by the pool reminded me of a transport café - the mint green plastic chairs didn't help, looking like something from the '60s! The food there was nothing to get excited about either. The regular restaurant served buffets for both breakfast and dinner. Contrary to one of my fellow reviewers I found that various food items often ran out, and the replenishment wasn't too prompt. In fact, the overriding impression was one of a lack of staff, coupled with a lack of urgency on occasion. On the positive side, the restaurant staff were friendly and the maître d' always had a happy demeanour. Regarding the comment from another reviewer about no special nights, one Saturday whilst we were there the hotel held a barbecue night out by the pool. This was so that they could cater for a local wedding, which took over both the table d'hôte and A La Carte restaurants. Weddings seem to be a regular income generator for the hotel, as the following Saturday the hosted another one. This time, however, the table d'hôte restaurant remained open whilst the A La Carte was given over to the wedding. Whilst having the effect of stopping guests using the A La Carte restaurant, it also meant that the room couldn't be used for breakfast the next day. The result of this was a very busy breakfast, with everybody crammed into the one room and some guests having to wait until a table became available and was re-laid. The childrens play room had few toys; Lego, car (broken), Fisher-Price activity centre and fluffy duck. It also had a table and chairs, and TV. One good thing it did have was a shower and toilet area - all at a child's level. There was also an outdoor play area, though this again had few items; two swings and a climbing tower with attached slide. The gardens were basically a strip of grass and trees in front of the lower level bedrooms, and to the side of the hotel by the children's play area. Also to the side of the hotel was a pitching net for those guests who liked to play golf - or just fancied a go at pitching. The gym was very basic, with little equipment in it. Bikes could be hired - though the tyres had no tread in places..... A games room held a table tennis table and pool table. There were two or three shops in the hotel, together with an hairdressers. The staff in the shops were very friendly. As regards entertainment, I can't really agree with the comments of others - perhaps it's an age thing. The first song I heard Bruno sing was the Fairground Attraction hit, 'Perfect'; oh, if only..... The hotel had a library on the first floor which had books, as might be expected, together with chess sets an the like. There were also a couple of internet-connected PCs. The users of the PCs seemed to be a mix of ages, and I wouldn't agree that they were mostly kids. What was a little annoying was when fathers and sons took up both computers; this seemed somewhat selfish given the limited numbers available. The books in the library were left there by guests, and other guests were free to borrow them and take them away to read. Again, unlike other reviewers, I thought the staff were mixed in terms of friendliness and willingness to respond to guests wishes. Some were very pleasant, some not. The receptionists were a mixed bag, and I heard another guest complaining about their lack of assistance. Some of the snack-bar staff were a little sullen too. The position of the hotel, right by the sea, was very good, though the beach is pebbles and not sand - rather large pebbles too (boulders, in some cases). It was very pleasant on the beach though, with a cooling wind. Although you can't really paddle in the sea - it's quite rough - our children loved standing just within range of the water as it lapped their feet. There were also small rock-pools for them to explore, and these pools often had small fish in them - again, something the children took great delight in spotting. The location of the hotel, in terms of proximity to other villages, is not the best. Caniço is about 3KM distant and should only ever be visited via motorised transport; we walked there on our first visit and had a long, hot walk up a very steep track - never again! Caniço is quite nice though, and worth a visit. It has some nice restaurants, and the hotel Splendidia should be on the itinerary as the gardens are what you'd like to have at the Oasis Atlantic. There is also a reasonably sized shopping centre there, with a moderately-sized supermarket. A local bus can take you to Caniço at a price of 80cents per adult. A taxi back is 6 Euros. Funchal is around 20 to 25 minutes drive in the hotel coach. Seats on the coach have to be booked 24 hours in advance, and the coach was always full when we travelled on it. Most of the restaurants, and activity, in Caniço De Baixo is to the West of the resort in what appears to be the German sector. The best places to eat are over there, and I'd recommend the Inn and Art restaurant. Also, the Italian restaurant in the Ondamar complex was good. Try the Pancake House at the same complex - go round the front, overlooking the sea as the side restaurant is only open at weekends. Be warned, the pancakes are big! This end of the resort is, I think, better than where the Oasis Atlantic is located. I hope the review I've given doesn't give an overly negative impression of the hotel. It has to be said that there were many guests we spoke to who thought it was superb, and some who were making return visits; one pair were on their tenth visit. As it happens, we got our suite for a very good price off the internet and the total cost was less than half that paid through a travel agent. The room appeared to be no different from other guest rooms too. So, one part of me says I shouldn't complain, and the other says that if I'd paid the full price I would have been very disappointed. We did have an enjoyable holiday, but we do like staying in well appointed accommodation as part of the holiday. I think the problem with the hotel is that it's one of the older 4* hotels on the island and, if you look at the newer 4* hotels there's really no comparison. We stayed in a Porto Bay hotel last year, and it was chalk and cheese. If those reviewers who think it matched up to 4* standards really want to see a 4* hotel, just pop next door and take a look at the Riu Palace. I should point out that I've stayed at many international 4 and 5* hotels, both for business and pleasure, and believe I have a good understanding of the levels of service and quality to expect. I think 3* plus would be a fairer rating for this hotel. All-in-all, I'd say that if you're aware of what you're getting at this hotel, and you get a good rate for the room, you can have an enjoyable holiday - this is proven by the fact that many of the guests were very impressed with the place, and had returned for more of the same. It's all about expectations, and unfortunately ours weren't met when we stepped into reception for the very first time. But don't forget that reviews are, as I said at the start of this piece, subjective - somebody having only ever stayed in a B&B in Bognor will have a different opinion of this hotel than somebody who has only ever previously stayed in 5* luxury.

Stayed at the Oasis Atlantic 24/07/06 to 07/08/06. Room. We booked a suite with sea and pool views. The room we were allocated on arrival had a side sea view and a car park view - not acceptable. In other hotels I've had similar problems, and its taken a couple of days to fix. The reception had the problem fixed in 10 minutes - but it should not have happened as I checked with the holiday rep and the hotel had been given the correct information. The room was excellent - big lounge with dining area and kitchen essentials (fridge, cooker, sink, microwave) behind sliding doors, a big bedroom with two single beds pushed together, but still singles, and large bathroom. The lounge had a balcony as did the bedroom. Entertainment The main entertainment was a very good solo artist called Bruno Aguiiar - singer / keyboard. He had a good repertoire, and he needed it as he was on 12 nights of the 14 we were there. On two nights a threesome of ballroom dancers were on for about half an hour - unusual but good. A dance troupe called Hot Dancers had a spot on four nights, and were very good entertainment. The first weekend there was a trio on Saturday / Sunday (the only two days Bruno didn't perform), but they were not so good. On two ocassions there was a spot for traditional music performed by two middle aged men on guitars and a female singer. I'm sorry to say that although they performed well - especially the singer - the venue was not right for their talents. All in all a good variety of entertainment Restaurants Table-d'Hote - buffet style. Four courses (soup, fish, main, sweet)plus coffee. Normally, two selections of soup, fish, and hot main course - also salad avalable for starter or main course. A very good selection of sweets - usually between four and six plus ice cream and fruit salad. If you don't have half-board or flexi-dining (this is where, at the time of booking you can purchase dinner vouchers for a number of nights and use them whenver you want) the cost is 17 euros per person Overall good quality. A-la-carte - No better quality than the Table-d'Hote, and expensive for what you get. Not recommended. Very few guests used this. Location This is the main drawback. There are three modes of transport to Funchal - hotel complementary bus, local bus, and taxi. The infrequent hotel bus service runs up to 6.00pm. Local buses will take a circular route to serve the area so a trip can be longer than anticipated, and you will have a walk to and from the hotel to use. Taxis are expensive (around 20 euros each way to Funchal). There were at least three "events" in Funchal which we would have considered but for the restricted transport. Facilities Gym - poor. Three bikes, a stepper, and sometime else I can't remember. Games room - pool table, table tennis. Internet access. Has two PCs, but TOTALLY dominated by kids. There is a maximum access ttime of 30 minutes per person. If you pick a bad time (nearly always) you will have to wait in the queue. I waited on one ocassion 30 minutes, but if you must have access at a particular time be prepared to wait longer. A payable service for business users would be better alternative. Pool. Large 1.5 to 2.00 metres deep Kiddies Pool. Small 0.5 metres deep. Indoor Pool. excellent Pool Bar (Ocean Bar). OK. Food expensive. Lounge bar (Atlantic) where the entertainment takes place. Very good. Overall I'd rate this as an OK hotel. Does what is says in the brochure, but no more (sometimes less), but doesn't go out of its way - e.g. . no special nights like poolside BBQs.

This is the first time we have visited Madeira and we could not have chosen a better hotel. The attention by the staff was first class the food excellent as was the room service. The hotel has a parrot called Rita who is a great source of amusement. On th Easter weekend there was a display of baby chickens and rabbits which was a good point of interest for evereybody,somthing which i am sure would not be allowed in u.k.hotels, health hygiene and beaurocracy etc but they were well cared for. There is also internet access available. Looking forward to returning next year.

We just have to agree with others... just got back today 20th Feb 2006. The hotel is very clean, rooms cleaned well every day, even the patio doors get a good rub down and polish. Food on the buffet style is really very good; some days you get all your favs in one hit then maybe next day not quite so good, such is life! However, the food is well cooked and presented and doesn't run out; chefs constantly on hand refilling and asking any questions about what the sauces are etc. All the staff are very very polite and extremely helpful. Evenings are quiet but then we don't go in for the night club stuff. Canicio is a small quiet place but hotel runs courtesy buses into Funchal, only about 25 mins; 15 mins at the most from airport. We booked our transfers on-line with best day autos ---- very efficient & on time. Also did a west of island trip with them and it was great, our own tour guide who was a portugese cockney from Madeira. The amount of detailed knowledge you can get on these trips especially being in a small minibus is super, plus you get to stop in places that the coaches cannot get to. Will happily go back as it is a very quiet relaxing holiday... happy to be away from busy Funchal area. Tobaggan rides are great in Funchal at Monte though plus the cable cars; makes a good day trip out.

Everything about the hotel is excellent. The staff, room sizes, food and facilities. The hotel itself looks and feels like a 4 star (inside and outside). The location is in an attrictive but quiet area but still close to the capital Funchal (about 5 minutes away by car). Every night we had free entertainment which was very enjoyable. More importantly, the hotel prices are very reasonable - coffee 1.10 euro, pint of larger 2.50 euro. Also, the hotel provided free bike hire, internet, snooker table, table tennis etc - a nice touch. I would definately go again.