Paradisus by Melia Gran Canaria

"Hotel location: Approx. 25 minutes from the airport, in San Agustin. Very quiet area, located directly by the sea. The sand on the shallow beach is dark. There are no hotel-owned lounge chairs on the beach. The promenade (between the hotel and the beach) invites you for endless walks (it is 3.5 km to Playa del Inglés). It takes about 40 minutes to drive to the capital. There is free parking around the hotel. At the hotel parking lot, you pay 20 EUR per day. Nightlife - such as in Playa del Inglés - does not exist in the hotel's vicinity. Room - (The Reserve Premium Ocean View): We were very unhappy with the room assignment. Although we, as Melia Platinum members, had sent numerous requests regarding a room in a quiet corner of the hotel weeks before our arrival, we received a room on the 1st floor. Got a room right above the nightly live music. The result was incredible noise and all vacation nights spent with earplugs. Thanks for that, Melia! Between the ground floor and the 1st floor, there is a 2.5-meter-wide door to the stairwell that must always remain open. As a result, the music noise is transmitted even more intensely to the 1st floor. When trying to get a different room, there was talk of paid upgrade options depending on availability. But we were not willing to do that. In addition to the daily music noise, room 136 had absolutely no view of the ocean, even though it was sold as such. The booking confirmation sent to me by Melia uses the term "The Reserve Premium Room - Ocean View". But from room 136 there was no view of the ocean (not even with a lot of imagination, see photo).... On site, I noticed during conversations that the term "Ocean Front" is used for the room category I supposedly booked. There was no more talk of an ocean view, because supposedly all these room types are on the 1st floor (but the palm trees reach up to the 3rd floor). It is correct that room 136 faced the ocean front... but just without a view of the sea. What is the point of this Melia Rewards program with various glossy promises, including that Platinum members get (can get) upgrades.... if you don't even get the room you paid for, even though a written confirmation was provided? It is clear that any form of upgrade attempt is shot down with "fully booked, no availability of another room".... The contradiction, however, was that there apparently were capacities available for a paid upgrade. The main thing is that the Melia Circle salespeople walk around and approach the guests. When I consider the zero performance as a Platinum Member, these annoyances bother me even more. Our room (approx. 35 m2) was visually appealing and modernly furnished, with a large terrace (2 lounge chairs and a small table). Unfortunately, many small things were missing in the room that are normally expected... For example, there was only a mini-area for long dresses with a clothes rail about 15 cm long. There were no hooks where one could hang anything extra. The washing area with a very small sink and little storage space is cramped. The toilet and the shower were in a shared area (sliding door to the room). The double bed was OK, the air conditioning was strange to regulate (for "off" it had to be set to 28 degrees). The small refrigerator was very quiet. It was restocked daily. A bench and a small table were also available. Large TV, good Wi-Fi connection. Coffee machine, tea kettle, etc. Just things that one expects in a 5-star hotel. The room was cleaned twice daily - that worked perfectly. The cleaning was thorough. The rooms are very sound-permeable; especially the thin entrance door lets the hallway noise into the rooms unfiltered. Since there were many children among the hotel guests, the evening running duels were sometimes held in the hallway in front of the rooms. Moving chairs in the room next door or above us were unpleasantly audible (felt pads could alleviate the problem somewhat), and the shower and toilet flush from the neighboring room could also be heard. Only the patio door was well insulated. Inclusive services of "The Reserve" - one has to consider whether these are needed there...includes: - Access to a lounge (with drinks and snacks) - Adult pool - Separate breakfast area - Concierge - we never saw them during the 3 weeks of our stay, however. Questions could be asked and restaurant reservations could be made via a central WhatsApp number. A face to go with it, however, was missing. So why pay for it? - 90 min usage right for the indoor pool (1x per stay, regardless of how long you are there) But, for example, a restaurant for dinner - exclusively for The Reserve guests does not exist. The adult restaurant (Peseta) can be booked by every hotel guest 1x per stay; for more than 9 nights, a 2nd can be... ...reservation requested... this is not linked to The Reserve. Melia - why is something (strange) like this not in the hotel description? In other Paradisus hotels there are no such restrictions, therefore one is disappointed when one receives this information upon arrival. Pools: There is a large main pool (infinity pool) with a sea view, right next to it are small basins. Sun loungers and umbrellas are sufficiently available. Everything very clean and well-maintained. Many children and music too... The "The Reserve" guests have their own adult pool with approx. 50 loungers and 12 Bali beds. This rather small pool is located directly at the main building, by the The Reserve Lounge. Reserving loungers is discouraged; there were always cautionary words. However, loungers were always available. It is a very quiet area, perfect for relaxing because no loud music disturbs. The attentive service is commendable. There are no glasses lying around, there are no food scraps by the loungers - simply great how attentively they work there. The The Reserve Lounge offers something for everyone in terms of drinks and snacks. Unfortunately, there was rarely fruit in the lounge. I also suspect that the snacks partially consist of leftovers from the breakfast buffet. Basically not bad, but with the salmon, which is offered unrefrigerated for many hours, it becomes problematic. Due to the location of the adult pool - directly under the terrace of the main restaurant, little relaxation is possible between 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM because the noise (many children) from the buffet restaurant disturbs the peace. For small children, there is a separate area, also with a pool and play facilities as well as water slides. Indoor pool: A beautiful indoor pool in the wellness and spa area. Unfortunately subject to a charge (90 min free for The Reserve guests). We found spa treatments to be very expensive. Restaurants (All-In Resort): Gastro Hall: Main restaurant (breakfast, lunch, and dinner as a classic buffet restaurant. Different food cultures, hardly any changes. Unfortunately, many children's hands at the buffet. Dessert buffet with service (so that the little fingers cannot test everything and put it back...) Service is outstanding. In the evening, unfortunately, guests also walk around in inappropriate clothing (including swim trunks and tank tops), children barefoot... Lemon Fish: Fresh and very creative fish dishes. Great terrace - pleasant atmosphere with a view of the sea. Very delicious and super service. Only in the evening from 6:30 PM, with reservation. Peseta: Adults only. Culinary very high quality. There are 4 fixed def. menus - 3 of them free and one for an extra charge of 69 EUR. Perfect for an elegant dinner. Outstanding service. Only in the evening from 7:00 PM, with reservation. MasCalzone: An Italian trattoria with pizza and many Italian delicacies. Very delicious and a large selection, and also super service. Only in the evening from 6:00 PM, with reservation, many children. In the morning (from 8:00 AM) there is a breakfast area there for The Reserve guests. As a buffet restaurant and with an extensive a la carte selection. Mega service, quick preparation, and a huge selection. TOP and a nice ambiance for a delicious breakfast that leaves nothing to be desired. Kanna: Open for lunch (1:00 PM) and dinner (6:00 PM) - by the pool area. Great selection and a wonderful atmosphere in the evening with a view of the sea. Service is also top-notch. In the evening by reservation. The Shack: Various snacks right by the large pool - many families, beach canteen atmosphere. Service staff provides top performance. Unfortunately, parents who watch as their children feed pigeons (and laugh while doing so). GinGer Bar: Open 24/7 - everything you expect from a large hotel bar - friendly service and the best coffee in the hotel. Vibra Bar: Evening meeting point for drinks, cocktails, and finger food - we did not visit. As a The Reserve guest, we could send restaurant reservation requests to a WhatsApp number. There was a 3-day in advance rule for reservations. Reservations were also possible via the Melia app (but always only 2 days in advance). Sports: Various gymnastics programs - weekly schedule. GYM - not very large, modern equipment, pleasant climate, not overcrowded. Pool games - weekly schedule. Entertainment: Daily live music in the evening at the Ginger Bar (unfortunately right under our room) Live TV at the Virba Bar."

"We spent a very relaxing week as a couple at Paradisus Gran Canaria. We were extremely pleased to have paid to upgrade to The Reserve as it provided an adult-only pool area, as well as very pleasant seating areas inside and outside and drinks and snacks throughout the day. This was particularly welcome as we visited during the English, and possibly German school half term break, so there were a lot of families staying at the resort (I am a teacher so also confined to school holidays!). One very welcome feature of The Reserve area was that there was a very friendly lady who intermittently brought round smoothies, cocktails and ice creams, depending on the time of day! We were very pleased that there were no additional charges to use bali beds as in some hotels, and it seemed that (in The Reserve at least) towels were removed from sunbeds when guests didn't return after a period of time, which meant that we rarely had a problem finding somewhere by the pool. Our room on the fifth floor was very comfortable with a huge bed, double shower and separate bath (which was a real treat) and a balcony overlooking the sea. The towels were large and good quality, and the toiletries were very pleasant. Water, soft drinks and beer were topped up daily in the mini bar. The one slight niggle we had with the room was that the only way you could switch the light on above the sink area was from a central console next to the bed on the other side of the room! It seemed that the hotel was a little understaffed with the housekeeping team; on most days, we were out of our room by around 9am and didn't return until mid afternoon but our room frequently hadn't been cleaned during this time, meaning we felt we couldn't relax there in case they needed to come in. Ginger Bar was open 24 hours and served a wide range of drinks and snacks, although we found service was often patchy: it seems that guests are supposed to find a table and wait for their order to be taken, however we often found that we could sit on the terrace for 15-20 minutes without being attended to. If we then approached the bar to try to order, we were told our order would be taken when we were sitting down! We managed to eat in all the a la carte restaurants during our stay, and found that Lemon Fish was by far the best, visiting this twice. The staff were all so friendly and helpful and the fish dishes, which you order like tapas, were absolutely delicious. Special mention to Rocio, Mikel, Javi and Garo who really made our visit memorable. We took advantage of the visit to the banana plantation which was included in our stay, and this was well worth it."

"We recently stayed at the Paradisus in Gran Canaria and found it to be a very modern, well-presented hotel. Our spacious bedroom was located on the 7th floor, offering great views of the surrounding area. The bed was very comfortable, the room featured a good shower, and we appreciated the various amenities provided. The moulded plastic washbasins in the bathroom, felt out of place given the overall aesthetic. If you are planning a trip here as a couple, I would highly recommend upgrading to The Reserve for a luxurious and relaxing break. It allows you to relax in the private pool area and and take advantage of the food and drink offerings throughout the day. Very comfortable indoor and outdoor seating provides different comfortable options. Primarily you can choose to have a much more peaceful experience than the main pool and the busy, hectic family environment (which also looked very good and well presented). The freshly cooked breakfast and all-day snacks provided in The Reserve area were excellent and made for good lunchtime grazing. We also found the lunchtime food at The Shack (main poolside) to be tasty. On the first day the concierge team were keen to speak with us to offer an upsell to the Meliá rewards program (The Circle). Having already read about this in other reviews, we politely declined invitations to attend a sales presentation on two separate occasions. After that, we were left alone by the concierge for the rest of the holiday, which was perfectly fine with us. It was good that the Paradisus utilises an e-concierge service via WhatsApp, which was handy for restaurant reservation (very limited) and questions. The standard of food across the rest of the hotel was generally average at best. While all-inclusive hotels typically rely on a mass buffet offering with limited availability at à la carte restaurants, the dining experience here fell well short of an 5 star all-inclusive resort. The buffet itself was bland, with many dishes lukewarm at best. While the buffet might appeal to families looking to feed hungry young children, we felt it was below par. As with other all inclusive resorts, availability at the à la carte restaurants is very limited. The food was consistently average. Kanna was particularly disappointing with dry overcooked fish during both a lunch and an evening meal. Overall the food was disappointing for a 5-star hotel under a recognised brand. It was positive to see that the Paradisus clearly advises customers that the reserving of sunbeds is not permitted, actively enforcing this policy so everyone can enjoy the Reserve or main poolside facilities. Overall this was a good and relaxing holiday, with The Reserve a very good area to enjoy."