Hotéis perto de Terra Mitica, La Marina Baja

We spent 2 nights in this hotel because it was in quiet location and has free parking. It is literally 10 minutes car drive to Benidorm with all the hassle and bustle and silly hotel and parking prices. You could walk to the town in 20 to 30 minutes depending on your pace or you can catch a bus from the Bus Depot literally next door to the hotel - a taxi should not be too expensive either but we didn’t use it as we had our car. As others have remarked the hotel is in a quiet area and there are no shops in the immediate vicinity ( there used to be large shopping complex attached to the hotel but it has closed down leaving it looking deserted) but as already remarked it is not far from downtown Benidorm with all the bars and restaurants you might want! The hotel has a sauna and a gym but we didn’t have time to use either so can’t comment how good they are. The hotel room we were allocated was large ( 2 double beds) and clean. The only thing the room was simple but it met our needs - if you want luxurious interiors you need to look elsewhere - we would say the rooms would be on par to a Holiday Inn Express or Premier Inn but much larger with good cupboard space and large bathrooms. The only thing to say about our room was that it was right opposite the fire station and the 2 days we were there the fire engines set off with their sirens early in the morning (0700hrs) which woke us up so you might want to request a room that is not opposite the fire station in case they are called out on other calls early in the morning - we heard no sirens during the night so they must like in other parts of the world maintain silence during the night hours. Some people have complained about the mattress but we had no trouble and slept really well on the beds. Only thing to say is the mattresses in our room were memory foam so expect them to be hard if you are not used to it. The room was too warm for us but were thankful for the windows which could be opened which let in just the right amount of cool air to make it comfortable to sleep. The room has air con but like other hotels we have stayed in it is centrally controlled so in the winter it only pushes out hot air and you can’t adjust it to the cold setting to push out cool air. The breakfast is great value and we thought for the money was excellent. It caters for almost everyone - cold meats, fruit, yogurts, tea/coffee on tap, best toaster we have experienced in hotels which actually toasts your bread(!), selection of breads, mini croissants, selection of sweet pastries, selection of cereals, fried eggs, bacon, sausages ( 1st day of our stay we had pork sausages which were lovely but on our second day we had the Spanish red sausages which look like like hit dogs which weren’t to our taste but there was plenty of other stuff so no problems!), beans (but don’t expect Heinz beans in thick sauce - the tomato sauce was quite watery and runny but this is not unusual we have found in other hotels we have

This is a very beautiful hotel, the gardens and pool areas are truly spectacular, however….. There is minimal service at the pools, it is difficult to get a drink and impossible to get any food or snacks which is a great shame as they could capitalise on this. Instead you are charged for changing your pool towel during the day €2 I believe which is pointless and only makes the customer angry at the meanness of such an expensive hotel. The pools are not heated - even the heated pool doesn’t feel heated. Although there are many restaurants they are not open every day - usually only one or two are open so it’s not quite the choice it appears. The quality of the food is poor and greatly overpriced. At the Italian restaurant the food was very poor except for the Mille Fueille dessert which was incredible - the pastry and the presentation were stunning. The main restaurant at the weekends is so overcrowded, it’s impossible to even get a pot of coffee as there are not enough staff. The room itself was the lowest available and perfect with a small garden. There wasn’t any milk for a cup of tea which would improve the stay for me anyway. I would like to say that one particular chap at the adult pool (at the bottom right of the gardens) he worked so hard all day keeping the beds, parasols and towels in order, keeping his customers happy - he was very conscientious about his job and really should be recognised for this. He worked Saturday and Sunday until around 4pm (that was 02/10/22) I would go back because the grounds and hotel in general are a treat for the eye but I would eat out elsewhere unless the prices are greatly reduced. Don’t be put off but be aware of a few faults which could be easily mended.

We travelled as a family of 4, 2 adults and 2 children ages 7 and 4. We stayed the last week of the August UK school holidays. We chose this hotel as we are fans of the Melia chain. Whilst looking we found the hotel available as part of Jet2 holidays and this worked out the cheapest way for us to book. In summary we had a fantastic stay, and the hotel was everything you would expect of a 4-star hotel, just so good. For us though, the kids club staff (who also doubled up as part of the evening entertainment team some nights) were just so much fun, they were great with the kids but also just gave the hotel a generally good friendly vibe- top marks to them all. Now some other points in detail:- Pros - We were the first transfer drop off from the airport and it was a relatively short transfer time of approximately 40 minutes. - Hotel never felt overly busy despite it being August. There were busy spells during peak dining times but only short queues. At some points we had the pool to ourselves. Plenty of sun loungers and parasols available at all times. -the energy and enthusiasm of the Kids Club staff we found to be excellent. Although the activities are mainly in Spanish the staff tried hard to include our children by translating game instructions into English. There is a good programme of events for children - slime making, T-Shirt design, pool inflatables, mini disco etc. parents are able to stay with the children for a session or sign them in and out for the hour and a half. Should the management read this then perhaps they could include English clues in the pirate treasure hunt as this would also have helped to improve their experience at little cost. - the pool and evening entertainment team. My husband and I enjoyed the daily programme of exercises which had a great vibe. As a family we enjoyed the evening shows especially the Grand Circus which was Greatest Showman based and Mamma Mia. Con - Unfortunate first impressions. After an early start and a long day of travel to be greeted by a long queue at check in and only 2 staffed points was a disappointment. We waited for about 30 minutes and we were lucky enough to have joined the queue when it was fairly small. I feel this could have been easily resolved by a third member of staff ‘working the queue’, this person could explain the activity timetable and map of the resort which seemed to be adding to the length of time needed to check in. After our wait we were told that our room was not even ready and to wait for a call from check in or return at the check in time of 4pm. With children flailing we wearily returned to check in at 3:00 having had no call to be told we could check in so perhaps our call had been missed. I’m just glad we didn’t wait until 4pm! - if you are on half board it is worth noting that breakfast finishes at 10:30am and the evening meal isn’t until 8pm. There is an ice cream parlour open and a couple of other restaurants should you wish to pay for lunch. Full and half

Staff were generally helpful and friendly. Food was fine in that you could always find something nice to eat. The hotel could improve their food signage in this modern age especially when various dietary conditions exist. Liked the fact on our half board package, we could choose to have lunch or dinner each day. Many people have complained about the rigid times to eat depending on which floor you are on but reception ask which floor you would like when checking in so you can choose earlier or later meal times (odd floors eat earlier, even floors eat later). The two entertainments guys worked hard with various games/activities during the day and live music and dancing most evenings. Seems the Spanish love their latin line dancing and good luck to them. As many have stated, the biggest negative is the lack of soundproofing in the rooms. We were lucky that we didn't get disturbed often during the night but the two ladies in the room next to us always started talking at 7.30am and sounded like they were in the room with us. We were allocated a room (713) next to the lifts which worried us but to be honest, we never heard them! Overall, the hotel was good value for money.

Great little hotel right on the beach front next to shopping street. Great views from the balcony overlooking the sea and palm trees. Was a great place to stay and good value. Had breakfast at cafes nearby as I prefer that than in the dining room indoors (doesn’t have outdoor seating) especially as it’s all so close or just sitting with my own food on the lovely sunny balcony.