Paradisus by Melia Gran Canaria

This hotel is spotlessly clean, great location and very good disabled facilities. The no smoking policy throughout the Hotel is excellent, although we did spot some secret vapers. The issues we found are the same as other reviews, but nobody addresses the issues i.e. the food. Firstly, the buffet breakfast and evening service . The food is lukewarm, empty food containers are not replenished. There does not seem to be a Restaurant Manager and insufficient staff. However, we would particularly mention Rita and Brian H who were excellent in various roles in the Hotel. The food receptacles need to be stainless steel and hinged for ease of access. The lids are hot but the food is cold. On a more concerning note the raw stir fry meat including chicken is in a containers next to stir fry vegetables its not chilled and customers' use interchangeable serving tongs to then to give the chef. It would be far safer if the raw meat was away from the vegetables and only accessible by the chef. If you have an allergy don't go near this place! Of the other restaurants the Italian is not very Italian. You have to ask for the usual condiments that accompany an Italian meal i.e. balsamic vinegar, parmesan cheese, ground black pepper. The staff seemed surprised and the service was rushed. The shack was good. The Kanna was good for lunch but disappointing for an evening meal. Side salads are available and fish of the day are not on the menu. You have to ask. The lemon fish is a tapas bar great location. The Peseta Fine Dining was good but restricted menu. The snacks at Ginger were ok but again insufficient staff. The pool aqua dance each lunch time was great fun and very enthusiastic staff. The Reserve is a strange set up. Firstly, the name sounds like place for endangered species or a lost Indian tribe. It is situated close to the children's pool. The white sand beach is right next to a public path behind glass which means you are the subject of viewing by passers by and being looked down on from the swimming pool. Not at all private. The management seem to respond to reviews with stock answers but there is no action.

Had a lovely week in the reserve adult only section and found lots to like about this hotel but also a few issues that will make us think hard before returning. First the good parts. The hotel is in a great location and is immaculate and all the staff we met were excellent everywhere apart from in the buffet in the evening. Our room was very well equipped and serviced, the reserve lounge & pool are well worth the upgrade and it is a true All Inclusive with no irritating cut off time and it did include the mini bar which was refreshed daily - we didn't drink much from it but nice to have the option. We tried all 3 A La Cartes and much preferred them to the buffet and like the fact you could visit Mascalzone and Kanna as many times as we liked. We only went once to Kanna as the evening menu was not to our taste but enjoyed lunch there 3 times. The shack was also good for lunch as was the buffet sat out on the terrace with fantastic views. We went on two of the included excursions and can thoroughly recommend the Banana plantation and Winery trips. Now some of the issues: Peseta is the more upmarket restaurant with one visit included and found the choice of 3 included set menus plus one extra charge menu not to our taste, especially the Risotto which was incredibly salty. We enjoyed the adult only atmosphere but found the Charlie Chaplin film showing on the TV irritating and out of context with the restaurant. We tried the buffet twice in the evening and found the staff generally working hard but lacking direction. No one appeared to be in charge, directing staff to areas and guests that needed attention. Drinks service was haphazard, tables were not cleared and this was the one area of the hotel that was not immaculate. Spilt food was not cleared, even after pointing it out after nearly slipping on it. Also, as has been mentioned in many reviews but not acted upon, the food was not hot. The heat lamps do not keep the food hot enough and also make the handles of the lids too hot to lift comfortably. Evening entertainment was mixed. The Pavarotti style singer was excellent but the live bands in Vibra seemed a curious set up. They play in Vibra but facing the door to Ginger and not into Vibra itself which had several large TV's on whilst the band was playing - a strange lack of identity. Is it a sports bar or an entertainment lounge? This is not an adult only hotel (though the Reserve area is which is why we booked it) and there were a few families with young children but why do inconsiderate parents let them run around the bar and restaurant, risking accidents with staff carrying hot food and drinks? This hotel caters for conferences and we found that groups of relatively young adults, mainly male, felt out of place amongst the holidaymakers. Finally, we were pleased that the 3 Circle representatives we spotted around the hotel only tried to approach us a couple of times and were quickly waved off with a polite but firm response and did not pester u

Lovely accommodation. The property was very clean. We booked privilege level which gave us adult only areas, which we wanted, but not a lot else. Premium drinks, such as Chandon spritz incurred an additional price. The cocktail menu throughout the resort was the same, but the actual cocktail was prepared differently in each bar. The best restaurant by far is Kanna. Great paella, seafood, service. Would rate as 4.5 star

The staff are lovely - especially Jamie who looked after us at the lemon fish bar and Monette (I hope I spelt her name right but a lovely Philippine lady) who made our daughter smile every day and was so friendly! Lovely breakfast, the infinity pool with the beach in front - it was perfect for us with our 11 month old baby

We've just had two weeks in room 710 which is the most amazing room to stay in. Everything about it was perfect. It really did feel like being in paradise and all the staff are really friendly and helpful. Special shout out for the girls on the concierge desk. Cleanliness is exceptional. The inclusive trips out, especially the banana plantation and hike were really good. We pushed the boat out with this visit and even though we had seen the previous reviews about the cold or luke warm food we assumed this might have been taken care of by the number of times management have said the issue would be raised with the kitchens. Unfortunately the issues with the food are still the same and it is this that would put us off visiting again. Heat lamps are not the right thing to keep food warm, they only dry the food out. Such a shame in what is otherwise an exceptional resort.

Firstly we had a great time and loved the hotel and would recommend this place to everyone. The concept is ultra all inclusive and is incorporated with a wellness concept. We booked the Reserve level and fou d this to be well.worth the extra expense. The service was excellent and met many friendly professional and happy staff who were all eager to please. I have only given 4stars becuase of a simple issue which I noticed other reviewers mentioned. Food served either cold or not hot enough. I sent back a few dishes becuase of this. This was either at breakfast or evening meals. It wasn't all the time time but enough for me to notice. They are apologetic and sort it straight away but this is an easy thing to fix and woth so many people picking this up in reviews then it's worth investing in better equipment to keep food warm on the pass. They provide Yoga instruction, Pilates introduction, Stretching, Meditation and Wellness routines. They are provided by a graceful, beautiful and soulful woman called Isobel. She not only instructs but provides inside motivation and education in all of these things and cares very much about people's wellness and health. We booked a separate posture analysis session to help us resolve our aches and pains from work and social related posture issues. It was a revelation and a big help, worth the expense. They also provide fitness classes spinning aqua fitness to cater for everyone and evening musical entertainment. The drinks quality was excellent from expensive rum to Grey goose volka. We found the house wine to be very pleasant also. Some of the very top end drinks were becuase we was reserve level but there were lots of quality drinks for the regular guests.