Meliá Laguna Beach

“A very last minute booking & did not disappoint. A fantastic hotel, with lovely staff & wonderful food. Buffet choice & variety was great. Choice of other restaurants on site, all lovely. Special mention to Nelson at the buffet restaurant who delivered a warm greeting with big smile every morning & dinner time. And to the poolside bar staff Marley & Maxwell for keeping the wonderful drinks flowing. A wonderfully designed layout, plenty of places to sit/drink/relax & spacious pool areas so never feels too busy.”

“The reviews on this are incredibly unfair since the changeover from Tui blue. We were very concerned and considered changing our booking but am so glad we didn’t. The hotel is lovely, and in lovely condition. We had a swim up room- it was perfect, cleaned daily to a very high standard and looked just the same as the pictures. Yes, the Pool was cold, but we had read that and expected it and it’s actually nice for it to be cool after sitting in the heat. The spa is nice and free, and we always found it empty. The Buffet was nice, hygienic and food was always cooked properly, the staff were all accommodating and friendly and warm, drinks are served to you and topped up when you run empty in all bars, social areas and restaurants- you don’t have to go up. Minibar was restocked every 2 days. The restaurants were great, we ate in 3 à la cartes and 1 paid restaurant during the week (we did the teppanyaki taste experience and it was fantastic!) that we were there so only had the buffet 3 times in the evening, or it could have got a bit repetitive, as it did at lunch but there was a selection of different types of food. I’m very gut sensitive and had zero gastric issues, had the ice in drinks and as I said we ate at all of the restaurants. Cocktails were lovely and included in the ll inclusive unlike in some. It is probably not a 5* in the sense of the whole world. For example told you got to a Dubai or US 5* or a cruise you’re going to get more than you do in this hotel RE snacks, constant room service, name branded drinks without upgrading. But it’s better than any 4* I have stayed in in Europe or Africa before- so I think it may be possible that people have unrealistic expectations of what to expect. It’s probably a 4*plus, and a good one. The only thing we didn’t enjoy was the local town Santa Maria, and it’s a very long walk from the hotel. Things to purchase were pushed on you by the locals and we weren’t left alone for a minute with everyone telling us they worked in our hotel and would show us around and what to buy- they didn’t work at the hotel! It’s a sales tactic. In the end it became very overwhelming and unenjoyable but that is nothing to do with the hotel!”