Paradisus by Meliá Gran Canaria

We just spent 5 amazing days at this beautiful resort. Everything from service to amenities was 5 star. The pool and the area is really great and never a shortage of loungers. The food was fantastic and so were the cocktails. The only negative was that we didn’t stay longer.

We stayed here 11-18th April as a family with 10m old and 3 year old. We had a fantastic stay - loved the hotel, facilities, food! I read a previous review describing it as “adults only vibe but for families” and think this is spot on. We got a taxi on arrival for around €40 and took just 30mins. Our kids are young to have on our knee but they also had a booster seat available for my toddler. From the minute we arrived staff were so friendly and welcoming - also the smell when you enter the lobby is amazing! You also get a concierge whatsapp you can message for anything you need which was so great (could message if mini bar hadn’t been refilled etc or I also specified I would prefer housekeeping between 10-2pm as we would be back in the room for “nap/quiet time 2-4pm). I actually had a look around at a few rooms but we stuck with our Nikte Junior Suite. The ocean view is amazing however the room is actually smaller and a different layout so felt the bathroom wasn’t as private and less suited to our family of 4. Also the balcony’s are railings whereas ours was a wall (and bigger) so also felt safer with the kids. I also looked at the solarium room - a huge outdoor space alongside balcony which I was very tempted with (for when kids sleeping) BUT we were actually happy enough with our original room so stayed with that. I wish this hotel had options with a separate bedroom and living space for families - there is a two bedroom option but felt this was a bit excessive for us as kids still young but a great option for bigger families with older kids etc. There is a reserve suite which appears to have separate living area but this is adults only. The Nikte room amenities available are fantastic! Kids club was great - ours were too young to be left but we could stay with them and also access the toys to play anytime. The activity they did were brilliant and the evening sessions were a great option allowing parents to have their own meal and even go to the adults only restaurant. We found the food perfect - something I was worried about before from previous reviews. Not sure if they have changed things but the buffet food was great and varied. Then the restaurants were lovely. You get an info sheet when you arrive confirming opening times and days so I would try and make a plan asap to be able to make the most of them all (and save buffet for the other nights). Our favourite was the Italian - open for lunch and dinner. Lasagne was delicious and also the prawn pesto linguine - our kids loved this too aslong as we quickly ate the massive prawns!). Also loved the food at Vibra - great American style options. The hotel grounds and decor is beautiful. I’ve seen some comparisons being made to Ikos… in my opinion Ikos are in a league of their own HOWEVER this is a great alternative at a cheaper price point. Would definitely recommend. I also have some videos on my instagram @eastontravel709

Everything we experienced from start to finish was 5*. Check in was friendly quick and efficient with a lovely refreshing local fruit drink. What struck us first after arriving just in time for dinner was that the buffet restaurant was far far superior to anything we’ve ever experienced, not all out stewing and exposed to flies but examples of what you’d like and cooked to order. There were of course salads, bread cheese and puddings you could just pick up. The service was amazing, the drinks fabulous and included lots of brand names. The Ala carte restaurants were incredible. Beds very comfy and plenty of sunbeds by the pool which meant that nobody was dashing down to reserve beds. We have a couple of recommendations, it would be nice to have cushions on the seats in the buffet restaurant and small bottles of wine in the mini bar and maybe iced tea rather than Fanta and cola. Last but not least, the staff were all lively and friendly and couldn’t do enough for us!

We fully enjoyed the hotel and its facilities. Good food. Good location. And especially a very big ‘thank you’ to the hotel management and all the staff for making this holiday a very good one. We had real issues with our Club Melia appartment (which was not the responsability of the Paradisus team) and it was the hotel management that stood up and game up with a solution by transfering us to one of the hotel rooms. We are very grateful and will return Paradisus Gran Canaria.

Sometimes, you truly don’t appreciate something until it’s gone. That is the case here. Pros: The rooms were VERY clean and the housekeepers were very kind. The grounds were impeccably maintained. The service at this resort is top notch. I cannot say enough positive things about the restaurant and bar staff. Especially the Ginger staff - most notably Jonathan, Kevin, Javi, and Brendan. The food (and drinks) at Ginger was also some of the best in the resort. Overall, for an all inclusive, the food is generally really good including Kanaa, the Italian restaurant (both of which require dinner dining reservations via the app). The breakfast buffet was excellent as far as quality and selection and the kindness of the staff. Lunch options were all good and consistent. Some nights, the buffet dinner was great with many diverse options and a cooked to order meat area. Cons: The food in the dinner buffet was inconsistent. The cooked to order meat was highly dependent on the chef. The bearded chef (apologies for not getting his name) was excellent, while the other chef over salted and poorly cooked the meat to the point it was inedible. The kids options were sitting in steamed warming trays for the whole night that caused the chicken nuggets/breaded breasts to be soggy and inedible. The few times we ate at the dinner buffet my spouse and child barely ate and I ended up eating mostly mediocre sushi. The resort itself is rather small and appears to be a refurbished existing resort site. The rooms were the real issue at this resort the pictures don’t show how compact they are. That said, they really did try to maximize the use of space with furniture choices but the furniture and room finishes felt like IKEA in comparison to the luxurious Gran Meliá we had just transferred from. The biggest issue with the room were the thin walls, heavy doors. We heard all the noises in the adjacent rooms and hallway including someone walking their crying baby up and down the halls at 3am. The door mechanisms made loud noises and slams which woke everyone in the proximity every time they were used. It really detracted the rest and relaxation of the rest of the resort. Another thing to be mindful of is the desire to up charge or upgrade on select things. For example, certain gins were exclusive and randomly staff would say there is a premium charge. Same at dinner. The hard one for me was the Italian place where a carbonara special was described as the special of the day. Imagine my surprise when being asked to sign for 18 euros for a pasta that was a staple of solders consisting of egg yolks and pasta water - the hostess noticed my surprise and I believe she comped it. Rightfully so. I get it if the upgrade is a Tuscan steak or something but not something I can toss together and that is lower complexity and ingredient cost than the regular menu items. Finally, coming from the Gran Meliá, the evening entertainment was a bit of a let down. The kids magic show was great and the Argentinian Bohemians were fantastic but the rest of the entertainment was just okay. In the end, they made things right without even a conversation, which again is a testament to the amazing staff at this resort make up for the deficiencies - so I can give them a solid 4-stars. I would definitely recommend and stay at Meliá properties based on my stay here.