Meliá Isla Canela

The staff were wonderful, so pleasant and helpful. Special praise for receptionist “Sandra,” who helped me so much when I needed it. Best receptionist in the world? The hotel itself is excellent, spacious and spotless, with good facilities and a great room for me. The resort is lovely and quiet. I spent nine nights here and it's probably the best holiday hotel I've stayed in. My only minor criticism is that the dining room felt rather hectic and might need a rethink. The food was just average compared with the hotel's otherwise high standards. I loved this place.

The hotel looks amazing from outside, and its location right by the ocean and a beautiful little harbour is just as lovely. We had a great time here in September and really nice rooms. Jonathan checked us in and was polite, friendly, and helpful. The daily aqua gym was such fun, especially with Mario and Yaros, and the sangria workshop was excellent. Make sure to try the hotel's own icecream botique too, the ice cream is delicicious and the woman serving it was so, so nice and friendly!

We had a wonderful stay. There were always plenty of sunbeds, and the lovely beach is just opposite. The animation team were first class, offering lots for adults and children throughout the day. They were always smiling and never pushy, and we had fun joining a couple of quiz games. Staff were very friendly and kind, and both our room and the communal areas were immaculate. Breakfast and lunch had a good selection that was regularly refreshed. It would have been nice to have complimentary water with lunch, but the staff were happy to come over and take orders. A few things could have been better. At checkout we were charged €59 for room service, which I'd thought was a complimentary birthday bottle of champagne. Maybe I should have checked, so that's on me. The room fridge wasn't cold enough, whether it was full or just had a bottle of water in it, and the tea and coffee setup was extremely basic and below standard. One thing to know if booking with Tui: there's no free shuttle to Isla Canela Golf, and the hotel doesn't rent bikes, though apparently you can get them nearby.

There were a lot of flies, though I don't think there's much the hotel staff can do about that. Aside from that, I had an amazing six-day stay and thought it was good value for money. The rooms are spacious and comfortable, some looking out over the water around the hotel. Mine was cleaned thoroughly every day, and the Rituals toiletries were a great plus. The pool bar food was very good, and breakfast had tasty, varied options. I didn't book all-inclusive, so I can't comment on the lunch or dinner buffet. There are three pools: the main one, one for children, and another in an area reserved for ages 16 and up. Punta de Moral beach is two minutes away, where chairs can be rented for 12 euros. My wife and I found the staff very nice. I'm Portuguese and tried to speak as much Spanish as I could, and I was able to talk with all the staff. Private parking costs extra, though you can park for free on the surrounding streets. I also tried the wellness spa and enjoyed it. I highly recommend the hotel and hope to come back.