From Barcelona to Tenerife it´s some 3 hours flights and then from the southern airport (there are 2) it´s just 30min drive towards the east to get to the hotel. The hotel is HUGE and when we arrived there was a live music performance going on in the foyer which set us into a holiday mood right away. The hotel is divided into RedLevel part and the general hotel. Having the Platinum status, we expected an upgrade to a RedLevel room like we got in Menorca but they explained to us that here because of the size, they treat it as two different properties so they cannot offer us a room in the RedLevel zone, but upgraded us to a room with a beautiful garden view. Also, they explained we can use the RedLevel restaurant for breakfast, benefit from the daily complimentary happy hour or use the exclusive pool.
Hotel and location
- Huge seafront property that feels private, luxurious, green, and calm.
- There are several swimming pools and they say there have the longest saltwater infinity pool in Europe.
- The gardens are spacious and it never felt too crowded, plus there was a spa, tennis court, gym and kids areas.
- Overall the hotel seemed in a good shape, clean and maintained, the room was spacious with a sofa on the balcony and a bathroom with a bathtub and a shower.
Food and service
- I think the most outstanding here was the long list of activities the hotel had daily. It felt like on a cruise with daily sports classes, kids club, live music, and acrobatic performances, there was something always going on. To me personally, the live music is what made the stay really special.
- We could have our breakfast either in the RedLevel garden which was much more private and calm but also had a smaller selection or in the main restaurant and foyer with a much larger selection but also much more packed.
- The food was good overall and there was enough variety of restaurants and menu items to go for weeks without repeating anything.
- The stuff were good in general working hard but there were also some cases of people clearly unsure what their job was or missing that service attitude, proactivity or problem-solving skills. We had several occasions where we went to eat outside the hotel because we were told the restaurant was fully booked, despite no one was there and we mentioned we just wanted a quick bite or we tried to order pizza to the room and were told it´s not possible but we can go and order take away pizza from one of the restaurants, only to be told there that they cannot do that…
Platinum benefits with Meliá Rewards
- While we didn´t get RedLevel room, we got a better room with a nice view and a bottle of wine as a welcome present.
- The RedLevel area had a swimming pool that was less busy than the other ones and there were also some hot tubs in the garden that I didn’t see in the general hotel area.
- There was non-stop water, tea, a coffee station with some light snacks and happy hour with free drinks daily and some tapas which was great, but the food there was repetitive and looked cheap, not something I would be happy with if I actually paid for a RedLevel room and it was also strange they only allowed 1 portion of tapas per person – they would serve 4 small items on a plate but if like me, you don´t eat meat or seafood, you end up with just 1 thing you can eat and cannot get more – considering that the food was nothing fancy or expensive it just felt inconsiderate and stingy. However, several times they had live music during the happy hour which was great.
- The breakfast in RedLevel was feeling more private and fancy but we were missing options that they had in the main restaurant and the staff didn’t want to bring things over when asked. Also, there were a lot of insects around the buffet station that often ended up in the food so to be honest, after 2-3 days we just preferred to have breakfast in the main restaurant.
- They say RedLevel guests get butler service and preferences in restaurant bookings, but clearly, we did not experience that, it was not very clear what benefits we should expect as Platinum members versus what you need to pay for in RedLevel. It´s definitely something that was not clear or consistent making us feel frustrated at times with contradicting information and the lack of clarity on what to expect.
Overall, would I come again? The answer is a clear YES! Alone, with a partner, parents, friends, kids… this hotel has something for everyone and you can really enjoy the great sea view, chill by the pool or head to Teide for a hike. For me personally, it was the evening live music and artistic shows that really made it special and provided a unique experience. If you would like to explore Meliá hotels and how to unlock great advantages with their loyalty program, email me at contact@spainonpoints.com or apply for Meliá AMEX with my referral link to earn faster Meliá Rewards status and free nights.
Apply for Meliá AMEX with my referral link