Latest Reviews for Costa De La Luz

we stayed in a really plush appartment on a golf resort in La Antilla. The weather was wonderful but the flys they made us all want to drown ourselves, it was impossible to sit outside it drove us crazy! The countryside was flat flat flat and really uninviting We went to saville for the day and were not impressed. The food was ok we ate out all the time the paella was really out of this world but anything eles we ordered came without any type of veg/salad or rice/potatoes mostly just fish. what did we do wrong was it us or them?

the appartment was really lovely had to duck a few stray golf balls but hey ho. but the FLYS oh my god it spoilt the holiday oh and the mowers mowing the green was pretty awful-this is the first holiday i have ever moaned about HONEST.

Unfortunately we did not discover the Commercial Centre until a few days before we left as our holiday rep told us it closed at 8pm due to the end of season, and so we didn't want to sacrifice our sunbathing time to go down there during the day. But once we found it, we spent our last evenings there.

I have just spent a week at the Oasis Islantilla hotel and thought it was wonderful. I wanted a quiet holiday where all I wanted to do was lay on the beach, and that is what I got! The location was perfect, with the beach across the road, the hotel was spotless and disabled-friendly, and - regardless of other reviews I have read - the staff were very friendly and helpful. Yes, you need a phrase book but we were able to make ourselves understood and I was quite proud of my efforts. It is amazing what you can achieve when you try. This is not a place to go if you want a home from home holiday, it is a quiet and relaxing place, but you do not have to travel far for a more lively atmosphere. The weather could have been better, but I would definitely go again. And I really wish people would stop moaning about the lack of "Britishness" or language barrier, and make a bit of effort. I dont see any shops/restaurants/pubs in the UK that print their signs or menus in any language other than English!! If you make the effort, the Spanish people go out of their way to help you. It is not the place for kids, but if you do your research yourself before you go, you will find everything you need to know. My one and only complaint is that the beds were soooo uncomfortable and like sleeping on bricks!!!

Not a night club in site - but plenty to do if you have a brain!

From start to finish the best holiday we have had. The flights were good and at the best time for our mixed age group family. The rep was on hand for the check in at the hotel - room not ready so we had to spend time in the pool. Our eldest daughter who is 13 had enough to do as did our younger children. It was good to mix with people who think that Spain is not "the red lion".

We had great food - from the one euro tapas bar to the great spanis resturants.

the beach is a 30 second walk from the hotel which was great and very safe. Lots to do in the evening and during the day. Try the waterpolo. Thanks to the people we had a good time with and perhaps we may get together soon.

Just got back from two weeks at the Oasis Islantilla, must admit we 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 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.

Recently returned from 2 weeks at Riu Atlantico and must say it was one of the most relaxing holidays ever. Hotel was wonderful. All staff, headed by Juan (manager) and Vito (under manager) were very friendly and efficient, nothing too much trouble. Welcome meeting was best we've ever been to. Juan introduced all heads of departments and made us feel that our holiday needs really WERE their priority. We had room 3027 and it was comfortably furnished (loved the little sofa!) and kept very clean. We overlooked the river and it was a delight to sit out on the balcony with a cold drink late afternoon and watch the fishing boats coming back with their daily catch. It was spooky to watch them go out to sea when it was still dark at about 4 am too! Food in hotel was delicious, buffet to suit everyone with some dishes being cooked as you watched and waited. Hotel free bus to Ayemonte is great..... lots of lovely shops for bargains and a pretty little harbour. Not much to see in resort outside of hotel. Small square with a few bars and restaurants by the harbour but ok for us as we wanted peace and tranquility. Pool area in hotel gets very crowded but we found a quiet corner near to kids play area which suited us better. Most days spent on lovely beach which didn't get too crowded and had a nice breeze with a friendly little beach bar for lunchtime drink and snack. Sea was very cold at start of holiday but got warmer as days went by. Some days sea calm and other times a surfers delight! Hired a car to visit Seville. Cathedral worth a visit (Spanish wedding whilst we were there) but long journey didn't leave much time to visit elsewhere. Would definitely recommend and return.

This was our first holiday in a Riu hotel and we were very impressed. The Riu Atlantico is an impressive building, one of space and grandeur. We were greeted on arrival with champagne by the manager who was extremely friendly and was always in and around the hotel. You must make the welcome meeting, I have never experienced one like it before! All the staff were very friendly,the hotel was clean and the food was excellent. We were spoilt for choice-I think even the most faddy of eaters would be catered for. My only criticism would be that some times you did have to queue, but the food was being cooked as we waited, so that was to be expected. The rooms were adequate in size and decorated tastefully, it was nice to have carpets instead of tiled flooring, (there were no sounds of heels and scraping of chairs from the upstairs rooms). We had a side room overlooking the sea and the fishing boats coming into the harbour. The lovely beach was reached over a wooden bridge over the sand dunes just a short walk from the hotel. It was clean with just a small section of beds with umbrellas and a small beach bar with very friendly staff (not connected in any way to the hotel). This is definitely a beach-based holiday, there are only a couple of supermarkets and shops with a small choice of bars. We like to take a walk after dinner but there really isn't anywhere to walk to only the harbour, so that was a little disappointing. We did go to Ayamonte but unfortunately most of the shops were closed as the locals enjoyed their siesta, so make sure you go in the mornings. We really enjoyed the holiday overall and would definitely stay at the Riu Atlantica again and would recommend it to anyone else wanting a chilled out beach based holiday.

excellent hotel, large swimming pool we stayed half board and had different food choice every night, there are a lot of spanish people staying there,all friendly, staff and entertainment team very good and try to get all involved in activities, of which there are many. water polo, dancing, aqua gym, allways something to do if thats what you want.we are certain to go back soon. you can manage quite adequetly not speaking spanish, but it does help !!!! even basic stuff, there is allways a member of staff who speaks english near.

we went to the hotel marismar jul 08,the location of this hotel is very isolated there is not alot in the whole resort it is a very traditional spanish village,the food was catered more for the spanish & french guests there were very little english speaking guests & even less english speaking staff,we found it very difficult to get around although there is a free shuttle and a free bus that takes you into the village,the lack of people speaking english really got to me.

The town of Novo Sancti Petri was about 3 miles along the beach from the hotel. There were plenty of bars, shops and restaurants but it did seem a little quiet on the couple of occasions we visited. A mile or so further along is the old town of Sancti Petri, which is more or less in ruins. There are a few bars but the area seems to mainly be given over to water sports and a marina.

For transport, a bus stops right outside the hotel from 10:00 am every half hour until late evening and is very prompt. It costs 1.10 euros for the trip to the centre of Chiclana de la Frontera. There you can jump on a bus to various places. On our first trip in to Chiclana we were on a bit of a mystery tour as we did not have a clue where were we going to end up. Chiclana was not nicest of places we visited but it had an interesting old centre. Nevertheless, it was convenient for getting a bus to go further afield. We visited Cadiz from here, 2.30 euros and again very prompt.

Cadiz is well worth a visit. It took about 35 minutes from Chiclana. It is only very small. More or less an island reached by a causeway passing by San Fernando. Very easy to walk around and it is teeming with history. The open top bus tour is worthwhile, 12 euros and you can pick it up right outside the bus station, near the cruise ship terminal.

Ronda in the mountains is very picturesque. Built across a gorge it is a fantastic setting. Visit the bull ring and museum, it is reported to be the oldest in Spain.

Seville is amazing. The cathedral is astonishing, as is the Real Alcazar. Way too much to see and do. This warrants a separate visit.

The day before we came home we visited a town called Vejer de la Frontera. Like Ronda this is what is known as a “white town”. These are heavily influenced by their North African origins. All very pretty and peaceful and steeped in history. From here we drove the short distance to Cabo de Trafalgar. Not really a great deal to see. Being a cape it has a spectacularly windy beach that is heavily used by kite surfers. Our interest was really to walk up to the edge of the cape as it was off this piece of coastline the Battle of Trafalgar took place. As already mentioned very little to see other than a commemorative monument to those that fought, erected on the 200th anniversary in 2005.

The Chiclana does not disappoint. The set up of the RIU chain of hotels is more or less identical in how the rooms are arranged. That fact for us is key. The room in this hotel was clean, tidy, functional and had that all important dividing door that closed off the room. This small detail shuts off virtually all the noise from the corridor. Not that there was much anyway as we were in a peaceful corner of the site. We asked for and got exactly what we requested in terms of the room. At first though it did not look good as we overlooked a public car park at the side of the hotel but it was mostly under used. The bonus was the excellent sea view across to Sancti Petri and the glorious sunsets. The hotel is a fair size, boasting over 800 rooms broken down into various size blocks over a large site. There are 2 pools and walking through to the rear most pool leads to a coastal path. This leads down to an excellent 8 km beach accessed either walking through the dunes or the steps. Considering it can accommodate over 2000 guests, it never seemed overly busy. We could always get a sun bed more or less where we wanted. The restaurants and bars were never packed to the point of being uncomfortable. The Chiclana is all inclusive and is quite reasonable food and drink wise. There was plenty of variety on offer and fish featured predominantly. Fresh fruit, salads and veg. were plentiful and there was always a good choice. There are 3 different restaurants, the main one you come and go as you please but the other 2, The Grill and The Andaluz, required a booking. Both offered more or less the same food but with a slight variety. The local brew is Cruzcampo and the wine was ok. In the bars, the spirits are not your recognized brands but are ok all the same. There was entertainment every night in the main bar and it was mixed. A couple of nights they did Flamenco which was good, the rest of the time it revolved around miming to music. On one particular night they did a version of Grease which the animation team spent some time plugging. We never got to see that as the plugging had the desired effect. The room was packed. But all was not lost. We had noticed a PA system had bbeen set up in another bar that was generally quiet and used just for drinking so we headed over there. It turns out that the large Italian contingency that were there for a conference had apparently brought their own entertainment. We ended up listening to a live singer for the rest of the evening.

This is a Spanish resourt and 90% of the people staying here are Spanish, as a result no one in the shops or bars attempts to speak a word of English and pretend not to understand wheh you try to speke Sapnish. The up side however is that the people around the pool are refined and well behaved with not a foolball shirt or tatoo in sight.Islantilla is a purpose build resort consisting of a prominade approx three quarters of a mile long with hotels and holiday apartment blocks on the land side. In the center is a commercial area with shops selling designer tat and a number of the most appauling restaurants I have ever had the misfortune to eat in - apart from the Chinese which although not to up to Stowell Street standards, is quite passible, with friendly staff.A meal for two in most of the restaurants will cost about £40 - £50. The beach in places is very shelly and can be rough under foot it also gets very crowded. The sea becomes deep very quickly and may not be suitable for inexperienced swimmers.Our Thos Cook rep was next to useless. This resourt is only a few miles from the border with Portugal but it is truely a different country - If you have not been to Portugal before, do yourself a fovour and give it a try, there you will be made to feel welcome and have a much superior holiday

This is a very large hotel built in a U shape with a very nice garden area in the centre. Each wing forms an artrium with large planted areas running down the middle (think Prisoner Cell block H meets Jurasic Park) all painted in hideous gaudy colours. There are two large swimming pools and ample areas providing shade for sun loungers.There is an Italian restaurant by the pool selling expensive meals with beer here costing £4 a pint, there is also a small hut selling drinks with beer £3.80 a pint here. The hotel seems to give free rane to a group of teenagers (the equivelent of red coats I think) who at regular intervals during the day play music at ear splitting levels and start dancing by pool side. PLEASE NOTE you can not self cater at this hotel due to the lack of appropriate eqipment (try cutting a water mellon with a dinner knife).We did not eat in the hotel restaurant so can not comment, however we were told it is expensive.