Hotel Estival Islantilla

“Lovely hotel, great staff!”

Travelled first week of August with our 7 & 11 year olds. This is a lovely hotel that had everything we needed. Staff were very professional and polite, and the cleaners especially were wonderful. We had read reviews saying that language could be a barrier and that Spanish customers were treated ... more

Travelled first week of August with our 7 & 11 year olds. This is a lovely hotel that had everything we needed. Staff were very professional and polite, and the cleaners especially were wonderful. We had read reviews saying that language could be a barrier and that Spanish customers were treated better - this was not our experience at all. We found the staff on the whole to be the most professional we’ve ever experienced. Food was fantastic, great selection every night and the snack bar by the pool was good too with a small selection of meat, pizza, chips and salad every day. Location is good - on a quiet road with a small shopping centre 5 mins walk away. Lovely clean promenades and easy access to the beach. We went on a walk to the small nature park down the road which was nice too. The hotel itself is beautiful - the central courtyards between the floors with the hanging plants is stunning and the plants and palm trees around the grounds are lovely. The room itself was a bit dated but clean and absolutely fine for our needs. The evening entertainment was not to our taste and we had to leave every show we attempted to watch, unfortunately. The standard wasn’t great. Not a problem for us though as we were happy to sit by the pool bar and play games together. However the animation team during the day were fabulous and worked so hard. We didn’t join in with the games but that was our choice - everybody looked like they were having a great time! The pool is well maintained and the water slides were fun for our kids. The baby pool is very well done, with a shade over the top and gated area for security. There were always sun loungers available whatever time we emerged - usually around midday. Sometimes they were not together but always close by and not a problem for us. The lifeguards around the pool were excellent, very attentive. As other reviews have said, there were very few English tourists and this was the reason we chose this hotel so it wasn’t a problem for us that all the entertainment and games were in Spanish/French. The thing that I loved the most was that on one day the whole team was brought out to the pool area for recognition of the hard work they do - the technicians, security guards, chefs, cleaners - everyone! It seems like a really great place to work. Overall we had a great time, exactly what we wanted and will definitely consider a return visit.

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“Excellent family hotel, for a relaxing holiday.”

We had a fantastic time here at the beginning of August. As other reviews say, it is a quiet hotel, ideal for families. If you want lively bars and lots of entertainment, it isn’t for you! The food is amazing, you are shown to your table and the range and quality of food on offer is the best I ha... more

We had a fantastic time here at the beginning of August. As other reviews say, it is a quiet hotel, ideal for families. If you want lively bars and lots of entertainment, it isn’t for you! The food is amazing, you are shown to your table and the range and quality of food on offer is the best I have seen in any all inclusive hotel. There is a different theme every evening and always something for even the fussiest of eaters! We found the later opening times great as well, giving more time for relaxing around the pool. The snack bar is also very good - the same food is provided every day, pizza, chips, chicken, chilli, pasta and salads but it’s very tasty and is open from 11am - 6pm. You can also help yourself to soft drinks and beer throughout the day. There are plenty of sun beds, no need to put towels to claim them early in the morning! This is discouraged around the pool, with a 30 minute limit. The beds are tightly packed around the pools and get pretty busy but there is a lovely, large grassy area not far away with loads of space which is relaxed and has lots of shady area provided by the palm trees. This is the area that we mainly used and there is no time limit on leaving the beds! The entertainment in the evening starts at 10.30 and is in an enclosed theatre area. It is all Spanish and has a range of different acts on every night. We didn’t go but it seemed very popular. There is a lovely area for sitting in the evening, the music is very repetitive- pretty much the same tracks every evening! If you want a change of scenery, there is a beach bar on the beach directly in front of the hotel and a short walk down the promenade brings you to a shopping area with quite a few bars. Our rooms were ok, we had a junior suite which had a very large bed in the bedroom and a sofa bed in the adjoining room. There is a small kitchen area and quite a small balcony and one bathroom, with shower over the bath. Unfortunately, we were overlooking the road, which although not busy was extremely noisy at certain times throughout the night with bins being emptied and scooters. This was annoying but didn’t spoil our holiday. We would definitely visit again, the staff were friendly and helpful and nothing was too much trouble. Even keeping our cases in their office, as the storage areas were full as we had to wait for a late pick up on the last day. We would highly recommend a stay here.

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“Peaceful and relaxing family stay in the sun”

I came here with my two teenage children ages 14 and 17 for a week in August. We got a great deal through TUI for all inclusive and we’ve had a fabulous holiday! I’d highly recommend if you want a relaxing break away with sun, sand, pool and good food. This isn’t the place to come for a big pa... more

I came here with my two teenage children ages 14 and 17 for a week in August. We got a great deal through TUI for all inclusive and we’ve had a fabulous holiday! I’d highly recommend if you want a relaxing break away with sun, sand, pool and good food. This isn’t the place to come for a big party! We were the only TUI passengers arriving at Faro for Islantilla so we ended up with a private taxi to resort. We arrived about 11.30am so our room wasn’t going to be ready until around 3pm. We were able to store our bags and headed straight to the pool and then to lunch. I’d recommend packing a bag ready for pool if you are on the early flight. This is a predominantly Spanish resort with some Portuguese, French, English and Germans. We loved it for that, as we felt we were really in Spain! All the staff were delightful, friendly and loved it when we tried (badly) to speak some Spanish. We didn’t come across anyone unhelpful or rude - they really are a credit to the hotel. The restaurant was great! The best yet in an all inclusive! It was well organised, tables were cleaned quickly and there was always a good supply of everything. The later mealtimes (8-11 breakfast, 1.30-3.30 lunch and 7.30-10.30 dinner) suited us perfectly as we were never rushing and could make the most of the long hot days and cooler evenings. You will always find something delicious to eat, there’s themed evenings and a gorgeous salad bar. The younger children have their own little section too! Fruit juices at breakfast were highly sweetened - I’d have preferred freshly squeezed orange. I liked the way you felt it was a restaurant - shown to a table etc rather than a fast food take away! The Mexican restaurant was the only disappointment - it’s not a la carte and the choice felt limited. No rice just tortillas, potatoes and tacos although the seafood starters were lovely. The pool is large and very welcome in the heat. Most of the main pool is over 1m70cm so the swimming is good and there is an island to rest against. No inflatables are allowed but smaller swimming aids are. We like to play volleyball so had to go to the small shallow end so we could stand to play but had to pick our times when it was less busy! Plenty for younger children too with shallow and baby pools that are shaded and some slides that primary children would enjoy. We loved the daily aqua gym! The lifeguard blows his whistle a lot so I think a few more signs would help people to know the rules to avoid this! Pool closes at 8pm and we were often some of the last to leave. Sun loungers are comfy and plentiful if a bit closely packed. Always some available - even after 11am. You aren’t allowed to save them for longer than 30-45 mins which I think is good. Lots of shade around and there’s even some seating areas round the back of the bars in full tree shade if you want. All inclusive drinks available til 11.30pm and snack bar until 6pm. Chips, ice cream, burgers, salads and fruit available all day. The donuts are delicious! You need to wear footwear and a top to go into the snack bar and food cannot be taken away - much better than seeing lots of leftover food by sun loungers. The beach is less than 2mins away but very very hot during the day. It was busy until well after 8pm and we enjoyed a quiet night walk along the sand one evening! There are loungers and parasols available to rent - you will need them! There is a small sailing school / rental on this beach and they offer lessons/ rentals. We found it was a bit hot at this time of year to do much. The sea was ok but slimy mud as you got in made it interesting getting in and out!! The promenade is a long, clean stretch and leads to some shops and lively bars. There’s a small market for buying bracelets etc. in the evening you will find street entertainment here too. You can hire bikes from the reception if you fancied exploring a bit further. Entertainment at the hotel was limited but we didn’t mind. Mostly geared towards the Spanish guests. We would have enjoyed a little bit of music outdoors or a dance one evening but we enjoyed the peace and quiet and played cards most evenings. The bars down the road are busier. The rooms are fine. We had a king size bed (or super king?) and a large sofa bed that my teenage son slept in. Not too much space with the sofa bed out but it was perfect for us. Both beds were comfy. Air con was great. Loads of storage. Small balcony with a side sea view. Slightly dated bath and shower but all worked fine. Towels and sheets (?) changed every other day, housekeeping didn’t remove plastic drinks cups or replace used coffee cups and saucers. There’s a small kettle, full fridge and a microwave in the room as well as a table and bench. I liked what the hotel is doing for sustainability- washable plastic cups, plenty of places to refill water bottles (we brought our own or you can buy). Pool towels can be swapped every 3 days and bath towels every other. There’s recycling available and not much is packaged with wrappers. Soaps and shampoos in rooms are in refillable pumps. This was a perfectly relaxing week for us. Not a cloud in the sky any day, hot with a gentle breeze most days although I wouldn’t have wanted to venture too far in the heat. This is clearly a well managed hotel chain, it’s clean with clear rules that make everyone’s stay more enjoyable. I’d recommend travelling with TUI too. We would come back but there’s so many places to explore so who knows?!

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“Great family holiday, fun for all!”

Great family hotel that caters for all. Food was lovely and varied and no rushing for a sun lounger at stupid AM! Staff were always helpful even if they couldn’t speak much English. This is not a hotel near lots of nightlife or any really apart from a few traditional Spanish bars down at the mari... more

Great family hotel that caters for all. Food was lovely and varied and no rushing for a sun lounger at stupid AM! Staff were always helpful even if they couldn’t speak much English. This is not a hotel near lots of nightlife or any really apart from a few traditional Spanish bars down at the marina. The drinks were good on the all inclusive and they didn’t use ultra cheap toilet bleach instead of the real deal. The only thing that did disrupt our sleep were the hardness of the beds. They are super hard. I get why but after a few days, you really feel it. There’s great facilities on site such as a baby room that’s always open to go and feed, breastfeeding, lay baby for a nap in a crib or heat bottles etc. The location by the beach is stunning but we only managed one day because it was too hot with our baby. All in all a great holiday and will return!

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