Melia Fuerteventura Hotel

We have not long got back from a week at Paradisus by Meliá Fuerteventura, travelling with our 4 year old daughter. We had a lovely family holiday overall thanks to the beautiful location, but unfortunately the hotel didn’t live up to what we expected from a 5 star luxury resort.

The biggest positive is undoubtedly the location. We had a sea view room overlooking the lagoon, and the views were absolutely stunning. The beach is directly accessible from the hotel, with crystal clear water and miles of sand that were perfect for morning walks. Watching the lagoon fill with water over the course of the week was one of the highlights of our stay. Our room itself was clean, the beds were extremely comfortable, and the windy weather actually made the heat much more pleasant.

The staff were, for the most part, very friendly and welcoming, although it was clear there simply weren’t enough of them. This affected service throughout the hotel. We’d particularly like to mention Nacho in the buffet restaurant, who was fantastic. Our daughter has coeliac disease, and he took the time to answer our gluten-free questions, checked back with us, and even explained how we could pre-order gluten free breakfast for the following morning. Luciana from the kids club also went above and beyond by singing Happy Birthday to our daughter and giving her a thoughtful gift, which was a lovely touch.

Kanna was easily our favourite restaurant. The lunchtime food was fresh with plenty of choice, and the service was excellent. The cocktails throughout the hotel were also very good and made properly, although there was some inconsistency depending on who prepared them.

The kids’ club was another highlight, with lovely staff who clearly cared about the children. The only thing we felt was missing was a proper evening mini disco downstairs so parents and children could enjoy it together.

Unfortunately, there were quite a few areas where the hotel didn’t meet our expectations for a luxury 5 star resort.

Service around the pool was disappointing. There was no drinks service to the sunbeds, meaning everyone had to use the snack bar for drinks. As this was also serving lunch, waits were often lengthy at the snack bar for both food and drinks. Empty glasses also tended to accumulate around the pool because they weren’t collected frequently enough. We also felt the atmosphere around the pool was lacking, as there was no background music unless an organised activity was taking place. Whenever there was music during activities, it created a much nicer atmosphere.

Cleanliness was another area that could be improved. On occasion at the buffet restaurant we found ourselves picking up dirty crockery before finding clean plates or bowls, and the floors and surrounding areas didn’t appear to be cleaned as regularly as we’ve experienced at other 5-star resorts.

As parents of a child with coeliac disease, we were disappointed with the gluten-free offering. The choice was fairly limited, and more concerning was the inconsistency in the allergen information on the online menus. For example, fries were marked as containing gluten, yet fried chicken and fries were listed as gluten-free. This kind of inconsistency could be genuinely dangerous for someone with coeliac disease. We also visited the lemon fish restaurant, where the only gluten-free option offered for our daughter was pasta with tomato sauce. Having already eaten exactly the same meal in the Italian restaurant the previous evening, we asked whether there were any alternatives but were told there weren’t.

Although there were always plenty of sunbeds available, the standard loungers didn’t feel particularly luxurious. The padded loungers provided for Reserve guests looked much more comfortable, while the standard ones became uncomfortable after a while.

Bar service throughout the hotel was consistently slow due to understaffing. At both the pool bar and Ginger lobby bar there was often only one bartender serving everyone. At Ginger Bar, we regularly waited 20 minutes or more for drinks, and on several occasions ordered a pre-dinner cocktail only to leave for our restaurant reservation before it had arrived.

The entertainment information on the app was also unreliable. One evening it advertised a live band, but when we arrived there was World Cup football being shown on a large screen instead. We don’t mind football, but it would have been appreciated if the app had been updated accordingly. Ironically, one of the best live bands we saw all week wasn’t promoted particularly well.

Finally, while the hotel’s Instagram and marketing materials are beautiful, we felt they set expectations that weren’t reflected in the overall experience. The food lacked the quality, consistency and variety we would expect from a 5-star hotel, and overall the service didn’t match the premium image portrayed online.

Overall, we still enjoyed our holiday because of the beautiful setting, comfortable accommodation and some genuinely wonderful members of staff. However, the repeated issues with service, staffing levels, cleanliness, food quality and allergy provision meant that, in our opinion, the hotel falls short of delivering the 5 star experience it advertises.

We had a short 4 night stay in Paradisus in June. We paid extra to access the Reserve area, specifically the adult only pool area

The location, the rooms, the food and the staff were all excellent. Every member of staff from gardeners to Concierge would authentically greet you everyone you saw them. This made it feel very welcoming.

The food was excellent. We ate in a number of the restaurants and in each one the choice was good and the quality was excellent. The Reserve breakfast area and lounge are particularly special.

There were a few negatives but some of these are out of the hotel’s control. The wind takes a bit of getting used to and was particularly strong on the Reserve pool area, which meant it was unusable. We’d paid to have an adult only pool big had to use the main pool area due to the wind. The hotel could think about where it places the Reserve pool area, especially if people are paying more.

There was also a lack of toilets around the pool area, which meant going up 8 floors to our room each time you wanted the toilet. Great for getting your steps in. I also suspect that others weren’t making the efforts to go back to their rooms, especially with children, so we consciously did not go into the pool as we weren’t convinced how hygienic it was. More toilets around the pool area would be good

Finally I agree with some of the comments about there needing to be more staff in the restaurants and bars as this led to waits and waiting staff often appeared rushed. In contrast, housekeeping was impressive with them coming to our room multiple times a day to fill the room fridges, clean the room and check if we needed anything. Housekeeping were excellent.

Our stay was lovely and relaxing. We would look to book another Paradidus by Melia again