Lopesan Costa Meloneras resort, Spa and Casino

This was our second visit the first being 3 years ago and it was as good now as our last visit apart from a couple of niggles. Firstly, due to our Jet2 flight being delayed again (there and back) we arrived with only a few minutes left before the dining room closed for the evening. The receptionist aware of this stopped the checking in process halfway so we could go and eat. However she failed to give us the regulatory wrist band so when we attempted to enter the dining room we were not allowed in. Instead of simply checking with reception staff the two gentleman at the entrance kept quoting the rules about no entry without a wristband when all that was required was for one of them to walk across to reception and verify who we were. No, that would be far too simple. Only when I threatened to complain to management that they let us through. After a rushed meal we returned to complete check-in and related our experience to the receptionist who just gave a shrug of her shoulders. She then issued our wrist bands which also acts as your room key. We made our way to our room only to find that said wrist bands didn't work. So back to reception where we were then dealt with by a member of staff who was more switched on. The remainder of the week was an absolute delight as before apart from the same four issues as per our last visit and unfortunately it was the Brits again letting the side down!

1. Signs everywhere stating NO RESERVING SUN-BEDS ! But as usual said signs ignored by the Brits.
2. Signs in the dining room stating DO NOT REMOVE FOOD FROM THE DINING ROOM but again there were the Brits at breakfast filling not just their pockets but large bags! There is no need for this, you are allowed to eat as much as you like! And there are shops and bars on site if you get peckish.
3. The spa. Again more signs, NO PHOTOGRAPHY IN SPA AREA but yet again Brits, (females) wandering from one zone to the next filming every second they were there! Why cant people have a break from their phones in what is supposed to be a relaxing area. What was even more annoying was the fact that these females did the filming right under the noses of spa staff who did nothing about it.
4. This one was mainly German visitors. Smoking! There is nothing like stretching out on a sun-bed to find yourself surrounded by chain smokers. Surely this hotel could have a designated area for these people to go and ruin their health.

But as stated, apart from these regular gripes we did enjoy our stay. Beautiful big rooms, spectacular gardens and pools, great choice of food and plenty of sun beds in all areas…..NO NEED TO RESERVE!

The area outside the hotel on the sea front is very popular area in the evenings for shopping, restaurants, bars or just people watching. We did venture down to the dunes and did the camel ride which was great fun and one of the evenings took a taxi to the hotel Bohemia where we rode the glass elevator to rooftop cocktail bar. Really enjoyable evening. So great stay again and we will return.

Stayed 12/26sept arrived and got our room at the front entrance 4227 well happy. Been to the lopesan Costa meloneras for many years and it never disappoints us. The big issue the hotel had with the refitted restaurant was the lay out of port holes and people in a queue and pushing , and seemed like a cattle market. When we arrived found a new lay out for some food and made it a bit more comfortable. We only ate in the restaurant one evening and had the option to eat in the del conde which we have stayed in too but found eating in the del conde much more relaxing and the lay out of food is much better. What I would like to compliment the hotel on is Edwardo Lopez at reception, in all the years we have stayed there he has shown exceptional customer care and any issues we have he addresses them quickly and sorted the extra time we need, due to travelling home. So please thank Edwardo for us please. The hotel is amazing and we will be back .

Day 3 of 7 at Lopesan Costa Meloneras – and somehow the service keeps getting worse

I am currently staying at Lopesan Costa Meloneras with my wife and our two children. We paid a considerable amount for a Master Suite with sea view and Premium Half Board for our stay from 29 September to 3 October. At the time of writing, we are on day three, and the experience has been disappointing from literally the first moment we arrived.

It started with an extraordinarily long queue just to check in. That should perhaps have been a warning of what was to come.

Lopesan promotes its app as a convenient way to communicate with the hotel. That sounds wonderful in theory. In practice, communication appears to consist mainly of the guest writing messages and Lopesan not answering them.

The telephone in our room did not work. If you wanted to speak to reception, the alternative was to physically go downstairs and stand in yet another queue.

Then there is something as complicated as obtaining coffee capsules.

The staff member responsible for replenishing them had apparently not done so. I therefore contacted the hotel through their app. Silence. No acknowledgement, no response, nothing. Eventually, I had to find a cleaner myself and ask for coffee capsules.

A few minutes later, an employee arrived with exactly two capsules and informed me that if I wanted more, I would have to wait until the following day.

Coffee capsules.

In a Master Suite.

At a five-star resort.

After I insisted that we needed a few more, the situation became almost comical. Apparently my word was not sufficient. She actually came into the room and opened the drawer herself to verify that we really had no more capsules. Being effectively treated as though I might be lying in an attempt to acquire a few complimentary coffee capsules was quite an extraordinary display of hospitality. Eventually, I got a few more.

The amount involved is irrelevant. It is the attitude that matters. The entire interaction radiated an astonishing lack of service mentality and created an unnecessarily unpleasant atmosphere over something that should have taken thirty seconds to resolve.

Then came breakfast.

I had work to do from the room one morning and contacted reception through their wonderful communication app to ask whether my family could bring some breakfast up to me while they were having theirs.

Again: complete silence.

After I complained about the hotel's failure to respond through its own communication system, a member of staff eventually contacted me, apologised and arranged a voucher allowing breakfast to be brought to the room.

And when did I receive this helpful voucher?

After I had already been forced to abandon my work and go downstairs to eat breakfast myself.

The voucher therefore arrived at precisely the point at which it had become completely useless. It is rather like administering medicine to a corpse and then congratulating yourself on providing treatment. Needless to say, the voucher went in the bin.

Housekeeping has hardly improved the impression. The floors do not appear to be properly cleaned. We have run out of basic items such as tissues. At this point, buying such things ourselves outside the hotel genuinely seems easier than repeatedly asking the hotel to provide things that should already be there.

And today we reached a new level of absurdity.

We had a Premium Half Board reservation at Callao restaurant, originally for 18:45. At 14:49, I sent a perfectly straightforward question through the app asking whether it was possible to change or cancel the reservation on the same day without charge or obligation.

Notice the word “possible”. It was a question. It was not a cancellation request.

Naturally, there was no timely response, so I eventually called instead. Miraculously, the room telephone had started working. I spoke to someone and successfully changed the reservation from 18:45 to 21:00.

Then, at 15:43, the hotel finally responded to my earlier question through the app:

“Good afternoon. We cancel the reservation for today 29/09 at 21:00. Best regards.”

They cancelled the newly arranged 21:00 reservation.

Nobody asked me. I never requested it. Apparently merely asking about the conditions for changing or cancelling a reservation is sufficient for somebody to make the decision on the guest's behalf and cancel it.

I genuinely struggle to understand the level of carelessness required to read an ordinary question and interpret it as an instruction to cancel a reservation – particularly after that reservation had subsequently been changed by telephone.

Breakfast itself also regularly involves queuing. The organisation of tables is confusing. Some members of staff seem remarkably skilled at avoiding eye contact with guests, presumably because acknowledging a guest might result in the inconvenience of having to assist them. Smiles are scarce. Proactive service is even scarcer.

What makes all of this particularly disappointing is that none of these complaints concerns extravagant demands. I am talking about answering messages, replenishing coffee capsules and tissues, cleaning floors, correctly understanding a restaurant enquiry, and communicating with guests. These are not luxury extras. They are basic hotel operations.

A beautiful building, impressive pools and a sea-view suite cannot compensate for service that repeatedly makes the guest feel like an inconvenience.

This is only day 3 of 7.

I will update this review at the end of our stay.

At the current rate, I suspect Lopesan may still have a few surprises left for us.