Melia South Beach Hotel

Patricia was the only decent person we dealt with that day. She came out, helped get us a room, brought our luggage back up and assisted us. Before that, my partner and I arrived early, with no expectation of getting a room right away. We were told it would be ready in 1-2 hours, so we planned to wait until 3 pm and relax by the pool. Since they said it would be ready soon, we went for lunch at the hotel restaurant. Two hours later, we returned to the desk. A different receptionist was surprised we hadn't received a key already, said the room had been ready for some time, and handed us keys and welcome items. We took our luggage upstairs, only to find the room was already occupied, with someone's luggage and personal things inside. My partner went down to explain they'd given us keys to someone else's occupied room, and the staff had no reaction. They said we'd have to wait another hour. I stayed on the floor for 20 minutes in case the occupants returned, while the hotel seemed unconcerned that two people had keys to someone else's room and belongings. Then I went back down with my partner, who was dragging our luggage. Nobody offered to help carry it. At the desk, the woman acted as if the problem was simply that our check-in time hadn't arrived yet, and threw two free drink vouchers at our faces. Imagine changing in your room and having two strangers walk in. As a side note, I look quite brown, as did another upset person in the lobby. I heard that person say this was the worst they'd ever been treated, despite travelling around the world. White people seemed to be treated very well here, from what I saw. Do with that what you will. After that, one thing after another went wrong. The AC didn't work; a technician fixed it once, then it failed again and made insane banging noises on our last night. The water was either scalding hot or really cold. The junior suite was nice, but the strip the hotel is on is basically a drunken bachelor party, quite obnoxious, though obviously that's not the hotel's fault. Sand sat in front of the elevator for two whole days as if nobody cleaned the place. There were other incredibly obnoxious things too, but this is getting long. The worst hotel experience I've ever had. The front desk staff were incompetent and rude, and the hotel was terrible. I also don't want Meliá to respond to me or this review.

Christina at reception made our week memorable with wonderful hospitality. She went out of her way to look after us, a true ambassador for Meliá and its caring spirit and 5-star service. I was unsure about booking after reading Google reviews, but the property turned out to be very nice and clean. The location is geared towards nightlife, which isn't really my thing, though I understand it's the city's designated district. The music and parties usually end around 11:00 pm, so they weren't too loud or disruptive, and the area felt very safe. Christina was truly amazing.

The rooms were spacious and clean, with a relaxing balcony in a great spot. There was good music, and the staff were always helpful and attentive. I found the gym handy, and there were some really cool nightclubs and restaurants in the area. Fantastic property!

The staff were friendly, but I wouldn't choose this hotel again when I return to Mallorca. To me it felt like a 3-star place, nowhere near 4 stars. The room needs work: the shower was badly worn, and its water swung between too cold and too hot with no comfortable middle setting. The bathroom's glass door was completely see-through from the main room, so there was no privacy. The elevator was dirty all the time. At checkout they charged tourist fees that hadn't been explained upfront, and also charged us for minibar items we hadn't consumed.