Melia Atlantico Isla Canela

This is a lovely hotel in a good location if you want a fairly quiet holiday. It has a very nice, large swimming pool plus a kid's pool and is located close to a really lovely beach which was clean and very big. A long promenade runs behind the hotel which is good for a decent length walk. The food was generally good - my husband who eats anything said it was the best All Inclusive food he had ever had. I am vegan and did find it didn't really cater for vegans although to be fair to the hotel I didn't tell them I was vegan. They had a variety of plant milks and soya yogurt but mostly I ate salad, vegetables, lots of chips, and fruit for dessert. Unlike many Spanish hotels/restaurants it didn't provide allergy labelling for its food. Our room was a double with full sea view but it was quite small although it contained everything you'd expect. As others have mentioned you get one tray of tea/coffee items and one fridge full of soft drinks and snacks but once you've used them you have to pay for replacements and they are pricey. Check in was very slow and I think the hotel should try to improve it. We had an issue getting pool towels as we were told we could get them from either the spa or in the pool area. The spa was closed on the 2 occasions we tried to get towels on our first day, and when we eventually worked out where to get towels by the pool (Activity club) that was also closed. I think it would be helpful if they were given out by reception when you check in. There were only 4 cocktails included in All Inclusive, 2 had so much sugar in we couldn't drink them and the 3rd was a frozen cocktail which I'm not keen on but the Pina Coladas were nice. The house wine that came with AI was of a much higher standard than we'd previously found in other hotels. Going back to the spa, I never found it open. There didn't appear to be a receptionist so if the spa staff were doing treatments the spa was closed making it tricky to make an appointment or get information about what was available. Every morning fitness sessions were run which included circuit training, spin classes, pilates, aquafit. Although I didn't do any of them they looked good. There is also a reasonably good gym. This section of the Spanish coast does seem to be quite breezy which was nice on very hot days but we had a couple of days when the sun didn't emerge till the afternoon and the breeze did make it a bit cool to sit out . There were lots of sun loungers, we never had any trouble finding one. Most of the hotel guests were Spanish with a few Brits and Germans.

This hotels in a glorious position. We had a superior twin room with side sea view (room 2041 )and it was exactly that. On the second floor overlooking the estuary and the sea views beyond and to the right. Plenty of sunbeds around the pool although the usual selfish towels on at 8am and not occupied until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Staff are without exception very helpful and pleasant and the entertainment team are excellent. They entertain the children and provide them with activities during the daytime and a mini disco in the evening. They also provide the evening shows which are imaginative and very entertaining. I would highly recommend this hotel and we will definitely be back although next time we will avoid the Spanish school holidays. I have never seen so many kids in a hotel before and unfortunately many of them were extremely noisy and their parents didn't seem to have much control of their noise and tantrums, particularly at mealtimes. Most guests we spoke with agreed that they too would avoid school holidays if they returned.

Have just returned from a week at the Melia, this is our 7th time (although we took a break for 3 years). Some things have changed since our last visit, notably the grassed area which the children and yoga classes used, it is now a private sunbathing and swimming place for those people who are on "The Level". Shame really as the kids are now in the atrium as are the yoga and keep fit people with passers by wending their way through them (not very convivial to yoga I would have thought) The food has improved. I keep reading that some people found fault with it, they must have been in another hotel to us. It was all very nice, especially the freshly cooked meat and fish. The rooms are clean although I didn't like the large bottles of toiletries fixed on the wall, I much preferred the small tubes they used to provide (I found it difficult to press the nozzles as I have arthritis). We were all inclusive which is handy, but would like to know why on the beach the little wooden hut states "Melia" but charge you for use of the sunbeds even when you are AI. If you are not taking one up round the pool wouldn't it have been nice to have one on the beach free of charge, rather a mealy mouthed attitude I thought. The boys at the reception were very helpful and so were the bar staff in the lounge, always a smile and a little comment. There was some noise in the dining hall but there again it is large so there are a great many people eating there. We found the staff there very hard working and polite. As to the noise the children made, they are on holiday for goodness sake, loosen up. All in all a very nice holiday and we have booked for next year already.