Oasis Atlantic, Madeira

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Good
Quality of Rooms	Good
Standard of Service	Excellent
Cleanliness	Excellent
Quality of Facilities	Good

Advantages:	Clean,near the sea,good facilities,friendly staff,excellent maid service
Disadvantages:	Off the beaten track a bit,no beach just rocks,cabaret poor

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Background

We travelled to the island of Madeira in September 2006 , never having visited before. Apparently the average age of visitors to the island is 50 plus, so I guess we fitted perfectly. The Oasis Atlantic hotel is not too far from the airport, as the main road is very good. Although The Oasis is classed as in Canico, Canico is actually a village quite a way, away. It is an uphill walk all the way from the Oasis Atlantic Hotel and, although within reach, is not for the faint hearted. The easier option bus is right outside the hotel anyway, so why struggle. There is a bus shelter with a timetable. Fuller timetables an be picked up at the hotel reception.

The Oasis Atlantic Hotel

At first sight the hotel appears to be dwarfed by the Rui Palace next door. On entering though everything looks clean and welcoming. The reception desk is manned 24 hours a day and you can change travellers cheques there. There is the usual 5% charge. Thankfully most staff speak very good English. On arrival reception did keep mine and my husband's passport for 24 hours. This is apparently normal procedure. For this holiday we had packed photocopies of our passports just in case anything went wrong.

Before arrival we had read a review, of the hotel, that said the furnishings were out of date and that the hotel struggled for its 4 star rating. Our apprehension was thankfully unnecessary. The furnishings weren't at all bad considering the amount of usage the Oasis had ebcountered and the fact that it was built in the1990's. Also, in my opinion, it is easily a 3/4 star hotel, for many reasons.

The Oasis Atlantic has 224 rooms spread over 5 floors, I think, including a lower level. Most of the rooms have sea views whether you pay for them or not, but some are side sea views. The lower level ones won't have a sea view but either a pool or garden view. You can stay on a room only, Bed and Breakfast, half or full board, or self catering basis. It is possible to buy vouchers on arrival to change your meal status to half board, for example. Some visitors, there, were on a time share holiday.

On the ground floor, to the right as you enter the hotel there is a small shop, a boutique and a hairdressers. Some prices for gifts and treats are expensive but cigarettes were the same price as at the airport . You can buy bottled water here for a reasonable price, but we found the tap water excellent. It does have a high mineral content though, so it is up to you.

Across from reception there was a seating area, with an exceptionally cheeky parrot. This is where the travel company boards and info is kept. The parrot frequently whistles Colonel Bogie, which is useful for the visiting Germans. All the seating in the reception area is very comfortable . It is mainly wicker chairs and sofas with comfy upholstery. This area has a light and airy feel particularly as there are large windows which open over the pool and sea. At the side of the shop there is a reasonable sized games room with table tennis and snooker table. The balls and pinpongs etc are collected from and stored at reception.

There is a main, curved and carpeted, stairway down to the floor below. Here you will find a reasonable sized indoor pool. The depth is the same every way-probably about 31/2-41/2 feet. There are loungers around the indoor pool. Near this pool is a small gym with couple of exercise bikes, a walker and a few weights. Not really very good if you are seriously into training but ok for a mess about and it's free for hotel guests .

There is a very small children's room here with a small selection of toys. Although small we looked in and it was very well kept and clean. There is a sauna nearby, toilets and showers. The showers have free hairdryers and clean hotel towels.

The dining room, restaurant, bar and cabaret are all on this lower floor. It's lower as the hotel slopes away towards the back giving an extra floor. There are two restaurants situated next to each other, one for the buffet and the other for Al A Carte dining. Friends who tried the Al A Carte were disappointed as, when the other restaurant was full, or closed for the Saturday wedding reception, the adjoining doors were opened and it was overrun by the other customers.

These restaurants do have a dress code of no swimwear or shorts but it is relaxed in the mornings.The restaurant staff are friendly, polite and well turned out at all times. Breakfast is served between 7am and 10 am. However they will open extra times occasionally. They even opened the restaurant at 4.30am one morning as an Irish party had an early morning flight. The buffet restaurant is self-service. The bar has waiter service and during the day this is the snack bar.

There are tables and chairs outside so you can take your food out near the pool. The bar area has very comfy seating and a stage for the evenings entertainment.. The cabaret is pretty much the same guy Bruno all the time. He is OK, but a bit boring .There are a couple of special nights such as a Fado night (traditional music), a modern musical troupe and on the Saturdays a Maderian local dance troupe visit the hotel. The latter were very good.

The Saturdays are taken over in the early evening by wedding parties so the restaurant and outdoor pool is closed to guests from early afternoon, as the staff prepare the evening barbecue. If you are on half board your only option is the barbecue near the pool. We were on a B and B option and you can attend this barbecue for 17 euros. We did the first Saturday and it was OK. The dance troupe danced around the outdoor pool and got unsuspecting guests up to join in.

The lifts to the rooms are ample and in very good condition. The outdoor pool is salt water and a bit deep in parts. It is shaped like a comma, free form in other words. You can walk into it from a shallow part down some wide steps. Near this shallow part there is a small children's pool.

There are a reasonable amount of free sun beds near the pool and mattresses are collected from near the mini bar. The pool guy was a bit fanatical about straightening the beds to ensure maximum usage but he keeps the pool and surrounding area spotless. He will bring you a mattress if you ask or you can help yourself. Every morning he cleans and checks the pool and the area surrounding it.

There is a small Jacuzzi which is adequate and very warm. The indoor pool is fairly warm but the outdoor one, even in summer was freezing. The hardy Germans chose to take a cold shower, from the one near the outdoor pool ,to acclimatise themselves before a swim. MAD. We tried this shower once and really showed ourselves up shivering and screaming.

Our accomodation

The room was spacious, clean and in good condition overall. We had a free sea view from the room which was lovely on an evening and in a morning but it was a semi-side view. Huge patio doors led to the balcony, which had two plastic chairs and a small matching table, with ashtray. My husband, being a smoker, was very pleased the management had no objections to him smoking in the hotel. I, on the other hand was not.

The balcony along with everything else was cleaned daily and it was a decent size . As we were away from the bar and pool area our room was very quiet. However during the day, if we were in our room you could here lots of glass and bottles rattling from below. The kitchens were below us.

Unusually we had carpet throughout which was a bit worn but not bad and vacuumed every day. It was a nice shade of blue whilst the bedspread was a deep reddy-orange and the bed linen crisp white cotton. The daily cleaning service was excellent.

The staff were friendly if you made the effort. The rooms were entered with the usual swipe cards to unlock the doors which then were placed, and left in a slot near the door to activate the lighting. The hotel tries to be eco-friendly and, for example, only launders towels and bedding when you require. However they will do it everyday if you so want. If you want your towels changing you just leave them on the bathroom floor.

Our room had a small fridge and mini bar but watch out because the items are expensive. Still it was handy for fruit and after sun lotion and free to use. We also had a kettle but no tea or coffee supplied.There was a large TV which picked up quite a few channels, a few in English. The bed was two singles pushed together but was very comfy.

There was a small sofa, which converted into a bed plus an easy chair. There was a dresser, chair and bedside cabinets, with telephone. In the large, double wardrobe there was extra bedding and beach towels, which were laundered regularly. There was also a safe in here which cost 20 euros for the fortnight, with nothing refundable at the end however.

As the room was large the lighting was a bit weak on a night but that suited us. It was very bright in the bathroom but the main room less bright. There was a large table lamp, an uplighter floor lamp and the usual additional lighting.The curtains were of very good, heavy quality material, so no light intruded.

There was a fire and smoke alarm in our room and an emergency exit along our landing, not far from us.

The bathroom was a full bathroom consisting of bidet, toilet, large wash basin (with large mirror, with light, over it) and bath with overhead shower. There was a shower curtain, a pull out washing line for drying things over the bath and a hairdryer situated near the basin. Apparently there are by-laws to stop you hanging washing over your balcony railings. People still did it however. There was also a socket for a shaver. The bathroom was fully tiled and in exceptionally good condition. It really felt so clean your first day, as if you were the first person to use it.

The only time we had any complaint was when the shower rest came off and we received abject apologies from staff who rectified the problem immediately. Two large fluffy white bath towels are provided along with two small ones and a bath mat. There was a straw basket with an assortment of soap, shampoo and shower gel.

Other facilities

On the second floor, near our room there was also a free ice machine. The rooms had free air conditioning and good sized balconies. Friends in a self catering apartment actually had two balconies .

On the first floor there was a small library with plenty of books, a few board games and tables plus a couple of computers. The games had a few things missing from each of them and the computers were a bit troublesome, but they were free to use .

In the grounds there are a view children's swings and a slide for kids. The grounds are laid out quite well with plants, such as bird of paradise, and trees and they are inhabited at night by lots of cats. Probably one of the reasons why we had no bugs at all in our rooms even though we did not use an insect repellent plug. There is also a golf practice net. There are a couple of free mountain bikes you can use but it is quite hilly. Ask at reception if you are interested.

The view from the front of the hotel is only a bare hill but on the pool side you can see the sea and the pool. The hotel has a cash point outside and the exchange rate is only a little bit higher than it is in Funchal, the Island's capital. The bicycles are kept here near the cashpoint, and there is a reasonable sized car park.

There is a bus stop directly outside and the hotel has a free courtesy bus running from it's main entrance. The courtesy bus runs to Funchal a few times a day between 9am and 6pm, about every hour. You need to book it at reception the day before, and for your return journey also. You can book it for just one way if you want to.

There are a few good restaurants within fairly easy reach (about a 10-15mins walk) and a couple of shops. We only found out at the end of our holiday that the hotel will book a meal for you at a restaurant that will send a free taxi to transport you there and back. Near the restaurants there is a travel shop were you can book good trips for a much cheaper price than with the rep. We booked our day trips through Turitans.

We had our breakfast at the hotel every day and it was excellent. A good selection of, as much as you can eat, which included:-
Cereals
Bacon
Eggs
Hash browns
Toast
Fresh and tinned fruit
Yogurts
And more.
There was a toast machine you operated yourself. The hot food selection varied slightly each day. There were two flavours of fruit juice, a selection of teas and coffees. The restaurant had a couple of high seats for young children. We only ate in the buffet restaurant one night and it was fine but it would be a bit boring every night. It was a serve yourself, as much as you like, type of carvery. It cost 17 euros and the service was very good.

Although this restaurant was busy in a morning staff cleaned quickly and there was no waiting or dirty tables. The tables always had fresh flowers on them. We always tried to sit at the side of the restaurant, as you can look out to the pool and its a good view in a morning. We then would take our coffee or tea outside and sit near the pool for quite a while. Lovely.

There is a promenade outside for an evening stroll where the joggers jog. The sea air is nice at night and it is very peaceful. If you like dogs, as we do the local ones ( three or four ) mooch about out here getting spoilt by the visitors. Although its sad they seem quite healthy compared to some countries that we have visited.

Entrance through the pool area at night is by a coded locked gate. The sea view is lovely but the beach is only volcanic rock. There is a very small local, manmade beach nearby where you can sunbathe and the local kids go. Near here there is a cheap Portuguese bar. It is authentically basic portuguese.

in conculsion

Wherever we strolled around in Canico de Baixo we felt perfectly safe, and you do not see any sort of trouble.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and felt that we had definitely got our monies worth as it was a cheaper hotel than the others we considered. For us it was still a bit expensive, at the time, at £529 each for a fortnight's bed and breakfast.

I don't think it is a resort, or hotel, for children or young couples as there would not be enough for them to do.

On a night the trees at the front of the hotel are lit up and it looks very pretty and welcoming as you return back from your travels. The hotel has very good fire safety measures and feels very safe. I know holidays are very much a personal thing but trying to look at the hotel impartially I did not hear any one complaining. You might find a negative in the amount of German guests I suppose but this depends how you feel. We enjoyed the mix of different nationalities.

I would thoroughly recommend this hotel and resort for a relaxing stay. I have slightly added to this review for anyone thinking of Madeira this year.

Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays.....eiley