Melia Benidorm

I would have given this hotel a 5 star review if it wasn’t for the very slow check in process. It took well over an hour to check in a group of 6, a couple and my group of 5. Albeit this was late at night with only one person manning the reception. The bathrooms are also a little tired but they’re clean and have a very powerful shower. The hotel itself we found to be very well positioned, close enough to enjoy the mayhem of the strip or the beautiful beach front but far enough away to not have your holiday disturbed by it. The grounds of the hotel are fantastic as is the pool. We were bed and breakfast and found the selection on offer at breakfast to be vast and all very tasty. Would I return to this hotel? 100% Yes!

Very disappointing – cleanliness, food and value seriously lacking

This would have been a 1-star review if it wasn’t for the genuinely friendly staff and the Guest Experience team, who did everything they could to try and make our stay better. Unfortunately, their efforts couldn’t make up for the issues we experienced throughout the holiday.

Cleanliness

Our first room was unacceptable. We found what appeared to be bedbugs, thick dust and dead bugs scattered around the room. After around an hour, we were moved to a temporary room for the night and then upgraded to a Skyline room by Guest Management the following day.

Unfortunately, the problems didn’t end there.

Two days into our stay, we asked for our Skyline room to be properly cleaned. There were no clean towels and the sheets had not been changed. When we raised this, the cleaning manager was extremely rude and confrontational.

The most frustrating part was being presented with a used towel that she insisted was clean, despite there being a large black smear clearly visible on it. The room itself only took around five minutes to clean properly once it was eventually addressed. It was incredibly disappointing to feel that, rather than simply resolving the issue, there was an attempt to conceal the poor standard of cleaning and tell us that something was clean when it clearly wasn’t.

The pool area and sun loungers were equally disappointing. There was visible black mould around the rocks, while the loungers were heavily stained and marked from what appeared to be years of use. It genuinely left us wondering when they had last received a proper clean.

Food

The food was, at best, mediocre. We expected to see more local Spanish dishes and a reasonable variety of paellas, but instead the buffet seemed heavily focused on seafood. Unfortunately, seafood being left sitting for long periods also resulted in a strong smell throughout the dining area.

Meat was often left sitting until it became extremely dry and difficult to eat. There was very little variety, and on one occasion the chicken we were served was visibly pink and undercooked in the middle.

We ended up making considerably more use of the Lidl across the road than we ever expected to on an all-inclusive holiday.

All-inclusive vs The Level

This is where we felt the biggest issue with the hotel lies.

We booked all-inclusive, but it genuinely did not feel like an all-inclusive experience worth the money. The hotel appears to have a very clear focus on The Level, with a separate area that was consistently clean, well attended and maintained, including its own dining section.

Meanwhile, the standard all-inclusive areas were frequently left looking dirty and poorly maintained.

It created a very noticeable divide between the two experiences, and unfortunately left us feeling like second-class guests simply because we hadn’t paid for The Level.

If the standard all-inclusive experience received the same level of care and attention as The Level, this could be a very different review. Unfortunately, based on our experience, I cannot justify recommending anyone pay extra for the all-inclusive package here.

The positives

I do want to acknowledge the staff who genuinely tried to help us. The Guest Experience team in particular were friendly, approachable and clearly wanted us to have a better experience. They did their best to resolve issues that were ultimately beyond their control.

Unfortunately, good staff cannot compensate for poor cleanliness, disappointing food and a hotel experience that felt significantly better for guests staying in The Level.

Overall, this was a very disappointing holiday and not the standard we expected for the price we paid.