Casa Lucia

“An unexpectedly lovely treat. Casa Lucía turned out to be rather more luxurious than we were expecting. We were upgraded on arrival thanks to our Meliá status, which certainly helped, but the whole hotel feels as though it operates at a very high standard. Our room was beautifully appointed, with extremely good bed linen, sensible lighting and excellent blackout at night. There were welcome snacks waiting for us, coffee pods and bottled water were replenished reliably, and the little touches continued downstairs: even check-in came with a glass of Prosecco. The staff have been uniformly lovely. When we needed a dinner reservation, they actually called the restaurant and managed to secure us a table — exactly the sort of quietly competent service you hope for in a hotel like this. There are a few quirks. The bath is surprisingly short, and the shower pressure in our room has been disappointing unless turned almost completely cold. One of the three lifts was out of action for part of our stay, although that now seems to have been resolved. The basement spa is lovely, if compact, and the lift opening directly into the pool area is a slightly eccentric piece of planning. Breakfast is good rather than exceptional. The fresh juice is excellent and there is a lovely spread of pastries, cakes and biscuits, although avocado toast arriving with a thin, watery guacamole rather than proper avocado felt a little underwhelming. The location is excellent: elegant, upmarket and very pleasant to walk around, something several local guides independently commented on during our stay. At around £700 for four nights, this was our most expensive hotel of the trip, and without the upgrade I might have questioned the value slightly. With the room and level of service we received, though, it felt entirely fair. A few minor imperfections, but none that came close to spoiling what has been an exceptionally comfortable stay.”