Mediterraneo

To be honest,reading some of the reviews,I wondered if we were staying at the same hotel. What puzzles me is that a lot of the complaints are about points that are mentioned in reviews time and time again,yet people still choose to go there,then moan about the same things. Personally,I had no issue with the rules and I can understand why they are in place. They had no impact on our holiday at all. Found most of the staff to be friendly and professional,often saying hello when they saw you and having a chat.

We were given a bottle of wine as returning guests...even though out last visit was over 20 years ago If I wanted to know anything that I hadn't been told then I asked and was given answers. We were fortunate to be allocated a corner room which I suspect are a bit more spacious,though that was just the luck of the draw. Yes,rooms are a bit dated,but they are spotlessly clean..

No issues with cleanliness...you could actually smell the bleach along the corridors. I know the bath was cleaned out every day because the shower attachment wasn't always put back on the hook.

No snacks allowed by the pool......think this is may be to stop food and mess being left by the pool if the amount of plastic cups left was anything to go by......some people can't even put those in the bin. Also the having to be dry before using the snack bar, resteraunt and inside areas....why would you go anywhere making the floor wet(and potentially dangerous) for others...or leaving seats damp?

Always found something to eat. They provide a skeleton breakfast between 5.30 and 7.30 for anyone who is leaving early,though we were also offered a packed lunch(we didn't need this)

Would happily return

⭐ 1 Star – Definitely Not a 4-Star Hotel

Very disappointing experience at Hotel Mediterraneo Benidorm. In my opinion, this hotel is nowhere near the standard you would expect from a 4-star property, especially considering the amount of money charged.

We booked full board, but when booking, there was no clear information explaining that drinks were not included with lunch and dinner – not even water. When we arrived, we were surprised to find that we had to pay separately for drinks. As we were travelling with two small children, we checked the drink prices and found them quite expensive, so we decided to pay extra to upgrade to all-inclusive.

Unfortunately, the all-inclusive experience was still far from what we expected.

Food & Drinks

The food was particularly disappointing for vegetarians/vegans. There was very little choice, and the buffet had no clear labelling to indicate whether dishes were vegetarian, vegan or contained certain ingredients. When we asked staff about the food, communication was difficult because some restaurant staff did not understand English, and we had to use Google Translate to try to communicate.

As vegetarians, we basically ended up eating whatever was clearly available — salad, fruit, rice, chips and pizza. Breakfast was actually good, but lunch and dinner felt repetitive, with very little variety from one day to the next.

The restaurant staff did try to help when we asked questions, but unfortunately they were limited in what they could tell us.

Even after upgrading to all-inclusive, the drink system was unnecessarily inconvenient. We were repeatedly asked to order drinks and had to keep carrying cards around. What was particularly strange was that even our children, aged 5 and 2, had their cards tapped when ordering. This felt completely unnecessary and made the whole experience feel more complicated than it needed to be.

Poor Communication & Lack of Information

Another major issue was the lack of information provided by the hotel.

We received no clear information about children’s facilities, kids’ clubs or swimming pool rules.

We also wanted pool towels and were told we had to pay a €10 deposit per towel. Again, this was not clearly explained beforehand.

The indoor pool was another surprise — a swimming cap is required to use it, but this was not communicated to us when booking or properly explained when we arrived.

Room – Not 4-Star Standard

The room was another major disappointment.

The beds were uncomfortable, the toilet towel handle was broken, the wardrobe doors were stuck halfway, and parts of the wardrobe had chipped/damaged boards. The safe also did not work.

If you need an iron, you are required to pay a deposit, which again adds to the feeling that everything comes with an additional charge.

Housekeeping was also poor. Cleaning was not done consistently every day, and I had to repeatedly ask for the room to be cleaned and for fresh towels.

On one occasion, the cleaner was smoking in the corridor and was also quite rude, which was not pleasant at all.

The shower gel and shampoo provided were also extremely poor quality, with hardly any noticeable scent and feeling more like very cheap products.

There was also a very unpleasant smell coming from the downstairs toilets, which was noticeable and certainly not what you would expect from a 4-star hotel.

Overall

There were simply too many things that fell below expectations.

The hotel charges prices that suggest a 4-star experience, but the rooms, food choices, communication, housekeeping and overall service do not reflect that standard.

The only real positive for us was that breakfast was good and the restaurant staff did make an effort to help where they could.

But overall, I genuinely do not understand how this hotel is rated as 4-star. Based on our experience, it felt much closer to a 2-star standard.

I would not recommend Hotel Mediterraneo Benidorm, particularly for families or vegetarians/vegans. There are plenty of hotels where you can spend this kind of money and receive a much better level of service, food and accommodation.

My advice: save your money and stay somewhere else.

We stayed at Hotel Mediterraneo in August as a family of four on an all-inclusive basis, and overall we enjoyed our stay.

The hotel is very clean and well maintained, with lovely cold air conditioning throughout the reception and excellent air conditioning in the rooms. Our room was fairly basic but a good size, spotlessly clean and had everything we needed, including a mini fridge, TV, toiletries and a nice balcony view. Housekeeping was excellent, and all the staff we encountered were friendly, polite and helpful.

The food was very good, with a huge choice of hot and cold options, fresh salads, plenty of bread and something to suit everyone. The bar staff were also fantastic and very accommodating, with a good selection of soft drinks and mocktails.

The pool is nice but does get very busy and feels a little small for the size of the hotel. The fact that it’s all one depth is also a shame. The sunbed situation could be better too. Despite signs saying sunbeds shouldn’t be reserved, towels are often left on them for hours and the rule doesn’t seem to be enforced.

One other thing worth knowing if you’re booking all inclusive is that the hotel doesn’t use wristbands. Instead, you get a card which acts as your room key and proof of your board type. At the bar, you’re only allowed to order one drink per card at a time. This becomes particularly tedious in the evenings when everyone is using the outdoor bar by the entertainment—you have to take all the cards with you and queue/order individually rather than simply being able to get drinks for your group.

The evening entertainment was varied and there was something different on every night, but it was very loud. Our room was almost directly above the entertainment area and the noise often continued past midnight, which wasn’t ideal when trying to sleep.

Overall, a really good hotel with excellent staff, food and cleanliness. The pool, sunbed situation, drink-card system and very loud evening entertainment are the main things that stopped it being a 5-star experience for us.

4/5 - Would recommend as a cheaper family holiday