Melia Isla Canela

This is a beautiful hotel in the most perfect location. Right on the beach (across a boardwalk) with the most stunning coastline. Fine white sand and sunbeds and parasols at your disposal for 5 euros a day each. The little chiringuito en route, along the boardwalk, was lovely for some impromptu fresh fish and vino to escape the heat of the day. The little marina in Isla Canela is really sweet. Somewhere to walk to if lounging around gets too much. A few tapas places and a couple of shops. There's not much there, but all you need. The little mini market was perfect for a few supplies. We bought a couple of bottles of wine for our room and stored them in the fridge in our room. I would also recommend the little boat trip tour around to Isla Cristina. 12 euros per person for an hour. Wine and prawns on board and very friendly informative crew. As for the hotel, we upgraded to The Level on arrival. This wasn't particularly cheap ( 115 euros per night), but when we weighed up the extras we got (and the beautiful room with sea views), we decided it would be worth it. And it was. My only negative was the confusing literature we were given in relation to what the level included. We arrived on the Sunday, and it took a good couple of days, and talking to people, to work it all out. Because we were tired on arrival, we thought that once we upgraded, the Casa Nostra restaurant was also included. We only realised having eaten there twice that there is a supplement of 15 euros per person per visit. The food was lovely, however, and the fact that we could also use this quieter venue for breakfast made it all ok. The staff are all generally friendly. The bar staff in the main plaza lack humility and the ability to recognise who needs serving next. Shame as a beautiful setting, and again, once we realised that the Level actually provided us with free wine until 11pm, we didn't actually need to buy drinks there anyway. See above for confusing literature. Once familiar with what was what, the Level provided us with drinks all day from 11 to 11 (wine, beer and soft drinks) as well as little sweet treats. Between 5 and 7pm, some little tapas were provided along with a little spirits bar (local brands). We also had access to some nicer sunbed cushions in an area closer to the pool. This is an adult only pool and so much more peaceful than the main pool area. Entertainment was ok. We enjoyed the Fiesta night. A big thanks to all who looked after us. Overall, this hotel has pretty much got it all right. Sort out the literature and the bar at the Plaza, and I think I can honestly say it's pretty near perfect.

The hotel was stunningly pleasing,cleanliness was impressive, we had a level room it was so so small. Food was as anywhere,a bit repetitive and unexciting.there was option to go to the onsite Italian but nothing was included in the all inclusive level . Beware so many drinks aren't included. The table wine was unexpectedly good. We tried all three! Cava was free flowing even at breakfast. TheLevel wasn't worth the extra amount. Pool bar service was terrible .. and that's being generous. The wonderful atrium was a lovely place to sit and have a drink ( once you managed to get one) . Location on beach was fabulous but there is Nothing to do nearby. A few outdoor bars , next to no shops whatsoever apart from a small supermarket and a tatty souvenir place. No shop at all in hotel. However, one 5 star lady.... Rita in the restaurant. She is a national treasure. Everybody loved her and she worked so very hard always smiling. She singularly improved our holiday. Unlikely to go back, there's quiet and then there's remote. If you want to fly and flop by pool all day this is ideal. We wanted there to be more to do. Evening entertainment was dire. Really really dire.

Stayed here for 2 weeks on bed and breakfast with evening meal.The breakfasts were amazing so much choice all freshly cooked with a good sele ction of fresh fruit gluten and wheat free option for all meals.The bread is a great selection both for breakfast and evening meal. We loved the choice of the evening meals all buffer style freshly cooked a great selection of fish cooked while you wait lovely tasty meat dishes salads are lovely as well. We loved our room it was a superior one we were told when we booked in that we didn’t have a good view would we like to change we said no, the view was amazing we watched the boats coming in from their fishing trips. Hotel is really clean and the choice of seating was amazing you could have a different seat any night. No sun bed saving there was loads spare all round the pools, pool not heated that put me off but didn’t bother us gave us a chance to look round the area. The entertainment was really good some was put on by the staff for which was very entertaining the magition one night was very good. I agree with what people have said about not much space for clothes if you were to stay 2 weeks then there wouldn’t be enough space all my clothes were on bottom of wardrobe which was a bit of a clat, hopefully next year they might well put some chests of drawers in . Having to pay 2 euro 80 for bottle water a t meals times We would most definitely come back here it was in all the years of staying in a hotel the best I have been in from the food space and all you wonderful staff many thanks for your kindness

This was a fabulous hotel and the overall experience was excellent. Positives *Fantastic beach side location. *Modern and spacious hotel *Outstanding range of different foods during every meal. *Friendly, inclusive and welcoming entertainment staff. *A wide range of daily activities around the pool, on site and on the beach. *A well equipped gym. Negatives. *Poolside bar staff were hit and miss. Prices varied depending on who served you. Try to speak some Spanish and they are slightly better.

MIGUEL from reception was a star!!! There was a small mix up with our booking, But he resolved it quickly and we got VIP treatment. The adults only pool area fantastic. Also paying a little extra worth the access to the lounge vip which has free drinks, snacks all day. Beautiful hotel, extremely good location on beach and close to restaurants and bars. Very clean. Staff can't do enough for you. Well done

The stay was at The Level, having had good experiences at other Melia Level properties. The 'Level Welcome Desk' was a little underwhelming with no welcome drink offered and the welcome very minimalist. Room was good but balcony was tiny and the bathroom functional and compact, disappointing by other Level properties standards. Room had Nespresso plus Tea & Coffee facilities, Air Con was Ok but not great. I would say the rooms are a little tired, certainly dated. Corridors to the rooms are certainly 'well worn'. This visit coincided with the early Spanish School holidays, and the hotel was incredibly busy with families. The Level here now allows anyone over 18 to utilise the dedicated pool area, and I would say it was questionable whether many of the 'younger guests' were 18+. And when Kids Clubs ended, there was a daily rush of young children (often accompanied by what appeared to be Kids Club staff) appearing in the over 18's area and no effort at all by staff to enforce the 18+ policy. This was a major bugbear for me and a number of other guests I spoke to. Within the Level Lounge, children are welcomed, and this can see the area over-run and kids spread out with puzzles and colouring books on the tables, and Phones and Tablets blaring out - social etiquette and headphones seem consigned to history (children & adults alike). The Level afternoon buffet was very good and varied daily - but again was simply over run the moment it opened and people piling plates high. And kids often seen sleeping on the sofas in the TV room, meaning others could not sit to watch the TV. The 'wristband' system seemed a little confusing also, who was to know who was legitimately using the Level Lounge - I was on a. Tariff that dod not include a wristband, and others had a band signifying their entitlement - but I did see a number of people 'tailgating' into the Lounge and there were no checks as to peoples entitlement. I have previously enjoyed other Level Properties & Facilities for their strictly over 18's policy - the difference here has put me off returning and being very careful about booking other Level packages in the future. The sun loungers around the pool were also not received for Level Guests, and the area that was exclusive to The Level did not have cushions. Breakfast was an absolute delight - tremendous service, great choice and exclusive to Level Guests. Getting in early seemed to avoid the family groups. I did not use the restaurants for other meals so cannot comment, but the Ice Cream parlour served tremendous creations! Checkout was oK, but I was directed to the wrong taxi for the airport transfer, who tried to charge me a full rate rather than the hotel discount - some heated discussions and a telephone call to the office eventually resolved this. Location wise, as others have noted, it's a quiet spot, and in-season there are some external dining choices and local supermarkets, but it's not a 'lively' location by any measure. Evening entertainm