Melia Salinas

We stayed for 10 days at the Paradisus and overall enjoyed our time there. The staff were helpful, the grounds and layout of the hotel attractive, and the big pool at the hotel a delight. There were no issues getting sun beds in the morning. The hotel’s very close proximity to the beach was another big plus.

The room was fine- mini bar stocked once a day with beer, water and soft drinks. The only problem was that the air conditioning wasn’t quite cool enough, even at the coolest setting. That feeling when you get back to your room from a hot day by the pool, you expect to be greeted with a sense of absolute cool relief in your room, but that was lacking. It was the same story in some of the restaurants at the hotel, which felt especially warm. At a so-called 5 star hotel you expect the indoor areas to have better air conditioning; this is something that needs to be improved.

The service at Ginger bar in the evening also left a lot to be desired. At times it was appalling. It’s table service but once you’ve been served your first drink it was very difficult to get any more after that. They seemed to only have one person taking orders and one person actually serving the drinks to your table. During the evening entertainment where you have nearly 70 people sitting outside all wanting to be served, it was mind-boggling that the hotel seemed to think 2 or 3 staff was enough. It needed to be triple that! This is my biggest complaint really- something for management to rectify.

The food was very good. Even at the buffet, there was plenty of choice, something for everyone. They have themes on different nights ranging from Mexican, Asian, Italian and even sushi. There are 3 restaurants you can book: Middle Eastern, Italian and La Graciosa, which focuses on Canary Island flavours. The Italian was the best but all 3 are worth it.

Overall we had a lovely stay, but there is definitely room for massive improvement with the service to make it feel like the so-called 5 star hotel it prides itself on being.

We stayed at Paradisus Salinas Lanzarote for nine nights in August as a family of three and overall had a very enjoyable stay. I would give the hotel 4/5. There is a lot to recommend, particularly if you book The Reserve, but there were also some inconsistencies that stopped it being a 5-star experience for us.

The Reserve & Room

We stayed in room 341, The Reserve Suite Ocean Front with Whirlpool. The room was actually a connecting arrangement, which was perfect as our 17-year-old son had his own space. We had two bathrooms, a kitchen area, ocean views and a whirlpool on the terrace.

Most importantly, the room was incredibly quiet. I am particularly sensitive to noise and had contacted the hotel before arrival with a few requests. They clearly took these seriously and we couldn't have been happier with the location and privacy of the room.

The Reserve was definitely worth having. There is a separate check-in, we were given a quick tour and then taken to our room. The Reserve team are available 24/7 and were consistently helpful, particularly when trying to secure restaurant reservations.

The room was generally cleaned adequately, although there were some dusty areas and housekeeping was inconsistent in replacing the correct number of wash towels for three people. The minibar/fridge, however, was very well restocked every day, and we had champagne and wine waiting for us on arrival. Having fresh pool towels delivered to the room every day was also a lovely touch.

Of the two showers, the waterfall-style shower was excellent, while the standard shower on the other side had quite weak pressure.

Our biggest room issue was the air conditioning. There had been a problem with it before we checked in, which contributed to our room not being available until after 4pm. Even afterwards, despite setting it as low as 17.5°C, the room never felt anywhere near that cool. My impression throughout the hotel was that the air conditioning could generally be stronger.

The Reserve Pool

We didn't use the very large main pool at all because we loved the atmosphere around The Reserve pool.

It was extremely peaceful, with no music or entertainment, and we couldn't hear the entertainment from the main pool area either. For us, this was perfect for relaxing.

There were plenty of sun beds. We generally went down around 9am and always found a good position, with both fixed and moveable umbrellas available for shade. Lanzarote can be breezy – around 20mph during our stay – but with temperatures consistently around 30°C, we actually found the breeze made the heat much more comfortable.

Bottled water is put out before the pool bar opens at 10am. The bar is right next to the pool and service was extremely quick, so we never felt there was any need for poolside waiter service or to queue for drinks. The staff here work incredibly hard.

There are a couple of small things that could improve the pool experience. The pool was sometimes still being cleaned around 9–10am using an electric pool cleaner, during which guests couldn't swim. At an adults-only resort with plenty of early risers, I think this should ideally be completed earlier.

There also needs to be somewhere obvious to return used pool towels. Some guests left towels on their sunbeds when leaving for the day, making it difficult to know whether beds were still occupied. Likewise, we always returned our glasses to the bar ourselves, but without guests doing this I could see glasses accumulating around the pool, particularly with the wind.

One disappointing point was The Reserve poolside toilet, which didn't appear to be cleaned regularly during the day and at times felt more like a public toilet. For a premium area of a 5-star resort, this really needs improving.

Food & Restaurants

Food was probably the weakest aspect of the holiday overall – 3/5 for us.

Bazaar, the main buffet, was particularly disappointing. The food became very repetitive over nine nights. There were theme nights, but these tended to consist of a small selection relating to that cuisine while much of the rest remained unchanged.

Service was also inconsistent. Guests regularly had to ask for drinks and refills, while used plates could remain on tables for a considerable time.

Our first lunch here wasn't a good introduction: my steak was served essentially raw, and service wasn't attentive. We subsequently had two evening meals at Bazaar when we couldn't get reservations elsewhere and neither was a particularly enjoyable experience.

Samira, the Middle Eastern restaurant, had better service, but we found the portions very small and the food nothing particularly special, so didn't return.

La Graciosa was a big improvement. We really enjoyed the set menus and local cuisine and generally received much better service. Unfortunately, one very busy late lunch was poor, including breaded veal that was burnt to a crisp and inedible. This was the exception rather than our normal experience there.

Capella, the Italian restaurant, was easily our favourite. We enjoyed it so much that we ate there three nights in a row. The food was lovely, the pizzas particularly good, and the service was genuinely 5-star. We were treated exceptionally well.

The Reserve pool bar was also extremely convenient for lunch, particularly when we didn't fancy Bazaar. Burgers and similar dishes were handy, although again the menu became repetitive over nine days. Beef throughout the resort also seemed to be cooked extremely rare – and I say that as someone who normally orders steak medium or medium-rare.

We always had breakfast at The Reserve. The experience and service were pleasant, but the cooking of eggs needs attention. On several occasions we had omelettes, scrambled eggs or fried eggs with undercooked/slimy whites, while bacon was also consistently very undercooked. At a hotel of this standard, these are basic things that should be right.

Restaurant reservations were another frustration. Availability could be difficult and we weren't prepared to stay awake until midnight simply to book restaurants as dates became available. Thankfully, the excellent Reserve team helped us with waiting lists and securing reservations.

Drinks & Bars

We joined Meliá Circle during our stay, which gave us access to some upgraded food and drink choices. This was worthwhile, particularly being able to have more premium wine by the bottle.

We also really appreciated having 0% beer readily available.

The Ginger Lobby Bar offers table service, but this was another area where service could be inconsistent. Some staff were attentive, but at other times it could be surprisingly difficult to get served.

Spa & Hotel

The hotel itself is beautiful, the gardens are very well maintained and communal areas generally felt extremely clean.

We had full-body massages at the spa and had a very enjoyable experience. Denise and Diana were excellent.

We ventured outside the hotel to the local shops in Costa Teguise, although there wasn't anything particularly noteworthy for us. The resort itself was very much the focus of our holiday.

Staff who deserve recognition

There were some genuinely excellent members of staff who made a significant difference to our holiday.

At La Graciosa, thank you to Gabriela, Sarmite, Virginia, Maria and particularly Cynthia, who was excellent.

At Capella, Oliver, Sarmite, Lara, Daniele, Mitchell and Cynthia provided fantastic service. Cynthia was excellent in both restaurants and deserves a special mention.

At the spa, Denise and Diana were lovely.

Anna, who welcomed us at The Reserve reception/breakfast, was incredibly friendly and even remembered our names and room number, which was a lovely personal touch.

And a particular mention for Marco at The Reserve pool bar, who was exceptionally good throughout our stay – always polite, efficient and welcoming.

Arrival & overall verdict

We arrived at around midday and were initially told our room would be available at 3pm, which already felt quite late. Unfortunately, because of the air-conditioning issue we didn't actually get into the room until after 4pm. Combined with our disappointing first lunch at Bazaar, it wasn't the best start to the holiday.

Checkout was much smoother. We paid €40 to keep the room for an additional two hours, until 4pm, which was useful.

Overall, we had a very enjoyable nine nights and The Reserve in particular was an excellent experience. The peaceful pool, our ocean-front suite and the exceptional service from many members of staff were the highlights.

However, this was also one of the more expensive adults-only all-inclusive resorts we have stayed at, and at this price point I think the food, housekeeping and service need to be more consistent. The difference between the superb service at places such as Capella and The Reserve and the experience at Bazaar was quite noticeable.

Would we return? Possibly, although at this price I think there may be other hotels we'd explore first. We enjoyed the Meliá experience enough to join Meliá Circle and will definitely be looking at other Meliá properties for future holidays.

Overall: 4/5. Excellent in many areas, particularly The Reserve and some outstanding members of staff, but greater consistency would make this a genuinely exceptional 5-star resort.

I thought the entertainment team were absolutely great! Welcoming, encouraging and fun. My thanks go to Joana and Soraya in particular.