Estival Isla Cristina

"For those of us who are, sadly, old enough to remember Butlins Camps in the 1960s, here is the 21st Century version. The improvements are that there are no longer wooden sheds to stay in, but a very smart and modern hotel ; you can go in the swimming pool without fear of catching hypothermia ; and the food, although not fine dining, is actually quite good and plentiful in the 200 seat dining room. On the other hand, it is still full of families with noisy and excited children ; there is Bingo every afternoon and ping-pong / darts / cards / water polo competitions every day ; pop music played loudly over loudspeakers around the pool from lunchtime every day ; they even serve the beer in UK style pint pots with a handle ! In fact the only thing missing from the Butlins experience was the Beauty Pageant with mums in their swimming costumes. For families who want this sort of holiday, the Estival must rate right up there as 10 out of 10 because it does what it does absolutely superbly. But for us, it was all a bit of a surprise and not what we were expecting....That's not Estival's fault, of course, and we did enjoy our five days there....Eventually !"

"Our first time to Isla Cristina, the town is a little disappointing in May,no bars or restaurants open on a Wednesday night however the Estival isla Cristina is a great hotel with great staff. We have stayed in some great 5 star hotels across the world and this hotel is very close to them. We never normally stay HB but we did this time and the food was consistently good. Happy hour in the bar 7pm -8.30pm 2 G&Ts 8 euros was great with a few cocktails also included. The hotel is a good 25 minutes walk from town and there are no buses so be prepared to get fit. We did get the bus from the bus station ( not really a bus station !) to Huelva the regional capital which is a compact city worth a visit. We would definitely return this hotel sometime in the future."

"From the moment we arrived. Greeted by Sonyia on reception. We felt at home. The staff were all so friendly, from bar staff, restaurant and cleaners. Nothing too much trouble. A special mention to Christina on the bar, who made us feel so welcome. Also Emilio and Alex. They work so hard. As also, all the restaurant staff do. There was always a good choice of food. Especially the fish! The hotel was spotlessly clean. If you are looking for English bars it’s not for you! We wanted traditional Spain and that’s what we got! It would be good if there was some kind of transportation to city centre and Port, but on saying that, it is an easy place to walk around. With lovely walks and beautiful beaches. Would I return 100% I"