Gran Hotel Oasis

Where do I start? Unfortunately, we won’t be returning. We stayed here as a family with a 16-year-old, an 8-year-old and a 7-year-old. The staff were friendly and welcoming when we arrived, but unfortunately, our overall experience was disappointing. Getting to our room was difficult. We had to drag all of our suitcases to the other side of the resort, including up several steep slopes. This was not the easiest start to our holiday, especially with children and luggage. Our room itself was nice. We had specifically booked a room with a roof terrace, but unfortunately, we never used it. The noise from the main road and the amount of flies made it unpleasant to sit outside. The room was advertised as having a small pergola, which we assumed would provide some shade. However, there wasn’t one. When I asked reception about this, I was told that they no longer have them as they are considered a hazard. Had we known this before booking, we would not have chosen this room. The pools were another issue for us. Our younger children are not confident swimmers and cannot touch the bottom in most of the pools. This meant the only pool they could comfortably use was the small section connected to the middle pool. Unfortunately, this area was also being used by other children who weren’t confident in the water, so it became extremely busy. We also found the food disappointing. It was very repetitive and there wasn’t much available that appealed to our younger children. There was a snack table available during the day, but there didn’t appear to be an adult supervising it. As a result, children were putting their hands on the food and then putting it back. We also found some of the chicken nuggets to be very pink inside, which was concerning. On arrival, the air conditioning in our room wasn’t working. To be fair, the staff were quick to send someone out to look at it, and it turned out that it had simply been switched off outside. Overall, unfortunately, this just wasn’t an enjoyable holiday for us. We tried to make the most of our stay, but by the end we couldn’t wait to go home. There were some positives, particularly the friendly staff, but there were too many issues for us to consider returning.

We recently stayed at Hotel Gran Oasis Tenerife for one week, and overall we had a really enjoyable holiday. The hotel was lovely, clean, and well maintained, and the staff were absolutely fantastic throughout our stay.

Food & Drinks

For an all-inclusive hotel, the food was varied and of a good standard. During our week there was a different themed evening meal every night, so there was always something new to try. The fresh salad bar was excellent and available every day.

Our son has ASD and is an extremely fussy eater, but we were pleased that there was always something suitable for him. It wasn’t just the usual nuggets and beige food, which was a pleasant surprise.

The snack bar was also very good with plenty of options throughout the day.

One issue we found was the breakfast layout. The pancake station is positioned in the middle of the hot food area, which creates a huge bottleneck. Unfortunately, many people don’t understand queuing etiquette while on holiday, and adults would often take pancakes ahead of children who had been waiting patiently. This made breakfast unnecessarily frustrating.

Another issue was the birds flying in and out of the restaurant and helping themselves to food, which wasn’t particularly hygienic.

All-inclusive alcoholic drinks begin at 11:00am, so if you enjoy a beer with breakfast you’re out of luck. However, tea, coffee, fruit juices, and other breakfast drinks are available.

Pools & Facilities

The hotel has three pools, all with different depths. The baby pool is ideal for younger children, while the largest pool is approximately 1.5 metres deep almost throughout, apart from a small seated section in the middle.

The medium-sized pool was perfect for our 9 and 10-year-olds. However, this is also where the organised pool games take place, and they can go on for quite a while.

There is also a splash park with a couple of small slides. It’s located at the very top of the resort, which is great if you’re staying nearby. However, if you’re at the lower end of the complex, parents with toddlers should be prepared to carry them up quite a few steps.

A special mention has to go to Marina, one of the lifeguards, who was absolutely fantastic.

As with most hotels, getting a sunbed can be a bit of a lottery.

One downside was the lack of easy access to drinks and snacks while using the pools. The main snack bar is located near the evening entertainment area and requires climbing several flights of steps, meaning you need to dry off before going inside. There is another bar near the baby pool, but if you’re using the main pool it’s still up quite a few steps. There is a lift, but it only holds one or two people and is quite slow.

Location

The hotel is built on a very steep hillside. It’s only around a 10-minute taxi ride to Los Cristianos and Playa de las Américas, with fares typically costing between €5 and €10.

One thing to be aware of is the taxis booked by the hotel. On our first journey we were charged €16. On the return journey, exactly the same route cost just €6.20. After checking with reception, it became clear we’d been overcharged the first time, so it’s worth confirming expected fares before travelling.

Accessibility

This was probably our biggest disappointment.

We stayed at the very top of the resort, which had both positives and negatives. The views were amazing, and we were far enough away from the evening entertainment that noise wasn’t an issue. However, the in-laws, aged 76 and 80, also stayed at the hotel and have mobility issues. Although they were only three doors away from us, getting around the resort was a real struggle due to the number of steps and the steep ramps.

In our opinion, anyone with mobility issues is likely to find this hotel challenging. There are steps throughout the complex, and while there are ramps, they are extremely steep for wheelchairs and pushchairs.

When booking through Jet2, we arranged assisted travel and explained our family’s circumstances over the phone. Unfortunately, this information doesn’t appear to have been passed on to the hotel.

If we’d fully understood the layout of the resort before booking, we probably wouldn’t have chosen this hotel while travelling with elderly relatives. This isn’t made particularly clear during the booking process.

Rooms

We stayed in a duplex room, which was spacious, cleaned daily, and had excellent air conditioning—a real lifesaver in the Tenerife heat. The balcony was also a lovely place to relax.

The only concern we had was the room layout. As soon as you enter, the staircase is immediately on your left. Because the stairs are marble, it would be very easy for someone to lose their footing, and a fall could be quite serious. The kitchen is upstairs while the bathroom is downstairs, which may not suit everyone.

Wristband Key System

One feature we really liked was the wristband key system. Your room key is built into your wristband, so there’s no need to worry about losing a key card or searching through bags. Every member of the family, including the children, received one, which was really convenient.

The wristbands also provide access to the snack bar. Unfortunately, the execution wasn’t great. The scanners were awkwardly positioned, and because the wristbands slide around your arm, they were difficult to scan. We regularly had to go through the entrance in pairs just to make sure one of us could get the scanner to read the band. It certainly wasn’t just us—many other guests mentioned having exactly the same problem.

Overall

Overall, we had a lovely holiday and would happily return as a family of 4. The hotel is clean, the staff are excellent, the food is varied, and it’s a great choice for families.

However, the resort’s steep layout makes it less suitable for guests with mobility issues, and there are a few areas—such as the breakfast layout, restaurant birds, poolside refreshments, and the wristband entry system—that could be improved.