Hotel Riu Palace Meloneras

Really good experience and would happily use this hotel again. Yes the age profile is slightly higher than some resorts but that was a positive for us: quieter, with a more mature group of holiday makers enjoying a great place to recharge their batteries. Plenty of pool space: particularly at those nearer the main building (which also enjoy the benefit of a breeze) Food in the buffet is plentiful and nicely prepared. There is a really nice promenade at the front of the hotel and a lovely long walk along the promenade and beach in front of the dunes if you turn left out of the seafront entrance (just be aware there is a lengthy nudist area) We found the staff to be attentive, polite, helpful and very efficient. Can understand why people say they have returned.

We were disappointed by our third experience at the Riu Palace Meloneras. The quality of the food has gone down. The bread served is completely industrial and tasteless, whereas previously there was a large selection of very good breads made on-site. The breakfast is just acceptable. The dinner side dishes are ALWAYS the same, and the main courses are essentially small pieces of grilled meat or fish, so that is not what we call cooking. As for the desserts, one shouldn't even mention them, basic stuff with pastry cream and chemical Catalan creams. Everything is served in large portions but without finesse. The reception welcome was a very bad experience; we had sent an email a month in advance with a selection of a dozen possible rooms given our two previous trips, but upon arrival, obviously, none of those rooms had been reserved. The man at the reception was very arrogant, telling us that there was no guarantee regarding our request, and we had to raise our voices to get the reception manager to come over, who finally found a room that suited us but was not in our selection. For a first contact with the hotel after arriving from a several-hour flight, it is extremely disappointing and certainly not worthy of a five-star rating to witness such a lack of empathy, not to mention politeness. The rest of the staff (restaurants and housekeeping) is rather friendly and helpful. We also had a disappointing experience at the "chic" restaurant, the Krystal, because the first seating meal was rushed in 1 hour, even though the seatings were at 6:30 PM and 8:30 PM, which in theory left 2 hours. The bill was placed on our table just as we had received our desserts. Finally, the room decor looks dated and sad, in black and gray. It seems like Management is cutting costs on everything. Ultimately, this hotel is a 3-star, not a 5-star.