Melia Isla Canela

Just returned from a 6 night stay and our first visit to this area of Spain. The hotel is spotlessly clean with a lovely pool area and easy access to the wonderful beach . We were half board so ventured out to the nearby marina for drinks at the 2-3 bars. Food quality was very good and all the staff were very pleasant. Well done to everyone at Melia Atlantico, our visit was very enjoyable and we shall return again in the future.

My wife and I returned from a week at the Melia Atlantico last Sunday, and as usual for me here's the review. I hope this is useful to someone. Positives... The Melia Atlantico is a nice hotel with good spacious rooms, large bathroom, and reasonable service throughout. Clean and well kept throughout. The beds were comfortable, made by the maid service each day and sheets were changed once during our week stay. The location is very nice with a quiet harbour, a small selection of bars, restaurants, shops, and an ATM are within a 5 minute walk from the front entrance. In the other direction at the back of the hotel is a well kept promenade with a wooden planked walkway to a soft sandy beach and sunbeds. On the way to the beach, you will pass a privately run beach bar. The food in the hotel throughout our stay was exceptional with a very good selection for all 3 meals throughout the day with added snacks twice a day if required. We found the bar service good throughout from both the lounge and pool bars. Day time entertainment was mostly geared towards children, but there were daily pool exercise classes for adults including spinning classes using "bikes" in the pool that seemed to be well received each day. The entertainment staff were exceptional and deserve praise; even down to ensuring that the children being supervised to their daily entertainment were walked hand in hand in a chain to their entertainment locations each day. Minor Negatives... Although a very nice hotel, it is quite large and visitors need to be aware that the vast majority of guests are Spanish. This is the case for the whole of Isla Canela and was actually a draw for us when selecting the hotel and location. We like to mingle with locals rather than visit a British oriented holiday resort, but some visitors may be surprised when occasionally the staff do not understand your requests. A Superior Twin Room with Balcony was actually described by the reception staff on arrival as a room with "no view". It was exactly that. An upgrade to a room with a view was quoted at €60 per person. Our allocated room had a tiny triangular balcony equipped with 2 chairs and a small table, and the "no view" at the front of the hotel on the second floor was a gravel and **** filled inaccessible terrace that prevented us seeing anything except the roofs of the adjoining buildings. On the plus side, it did prevent pedestrians below from looking into our room. Evening entertainment at the hotel was acceptable, although quite often it was geared towards the children who attended every evening. It was though not the usual entertainment staff singing and dancing, but usually processional entertainment to a reasonable standard with the entertainment staff joining in. Sunbeds on the beach although owned by the Meila Atlantico are charged at €10 for 2 beds and a shade per day. There is no drinks service from the hotel on the beach. If you have an early checkout, you need to book an early breakfast, howev

The hotel was very good, clean and well set out. Food was plentiful and varied, rooms clean and comfortable. Staff very friendly and helpful. We had a wonderful time and would certainly go back to this hotel.

Had a nice relaxing week. No real cause for complaint. The staff are all very polite and helpful. The hotel is extremely clean. The room have not changed very much in the 12 years since i last visited but many parts of the hotel have changed considerably. There is an excellent gym with very modern well maintained machines and free weights. The dining room is now very modern and the range of food is very good but seemed a little repetitive on an evening however we are close to the closing down period so i guess there may be an overstock of some frozen items? Breakfast was excellent and had a very wide range of food for all nationalities. Overall the food was very good and it's clear to see the effort that goes into the catering. I have enjoyed our week and would certainly return to this hotel. The following few paragraphs are purely for the information of other travellers and are by no means any fault of the hotel. The bus service to Ayamonte is very unreliable and at busy times many people are turned away as the bus is full. Taxi to Ayamonte can be arranged by the hotel but taxi back not as easy as you would think. The 'Pelon' ferry that runs between Isla Canela and Isla Cristina is a nice change of scenery, it runs on the hour and is 6Euro return. Sadly this one is aimed at the municipal controllers of Isla Canela, 'Clean up all the dog s**t' it's an absolute disgrace to have such a lovely resort ruined by something so nasty!! Anyway back to the hotel, well done, thankyou for a lovely stay and hope to see you again on the future

Lovely hotel . Not much variation on the food but good quality. Was surprised to see all other hotels shut and not much around us ( but I suppose Oct is nearly out of season ) Great to see no smoking around the pool it’s just a shame that you could on your balconies as we couldn’t really sit out and enjoy the view ( maybe we are just fussy )

What an absolutely fabulous hotel! Very well appointed, lovely quiet area with lots to see within a short travelling distance. Extremely friendly and helpful staff throughout and they all work so hard to make your holiday as enjoyable as can be. The room maids toil away daily, always with smile despite the pressure. The restaurant staff are very obliging and the variety of food available is so varied and tasty, the cooks are so capable in the preparation. From the reception desk through to the entertainment staff there is such a cheerful approach even at the times when lesser mortals would buckle! The short walk from the rear of the hotel takes you down to a superb beach which seem to go on for ever! Lots of space for everyone and many different shells to find (leave them there though after inspection.) From the front of the hotel and close by is small marina with only a few shops and cafes. A short local bus ride to the town of Ayamonte provides plenty of interest with many cafes, shops and old buildings to discover and a much larger marina. There are other options for places to visit available through the tui rep and the reception desk. All in all this is a truly lovely hotel and they should be commended for their clean and fresh premises, and their attention to detail. Very well done to the Melia Atlantico and thank you for a truly wonderful experience!

We thought hard about whether we should give a 4 or a 5 for the Atlantico and, in truth, we would probably give it 4 1/2 if we could. Either way, we thoroughly enjoyed our stay here and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to others. The staff are friendly and helpful, the hotel is kept spotlessly clean and the room was large and comfortable. Check in and out were both efficient, the pool had lifeguards and there were plenty of loungers available. We could change our pool towels every day and use these towels at the beach too. There was plenty to eat and something for every taste, though we have enjoyed slightly more varied food elsewhere. The cold meats and cheeses and the desserts were particularly good and on Saturday night the seafood was spectacular. There was always plenty of fresh fruit and salad. Having a room at the front of the hotel, we were worried we would be disturbed by coaches etc but it was very quiet. Our only quibble was that a smokers’ bench was situated below our balcony which was not particularly pleasant at times. The beach is superb although be aware that you will pay €10 for 2 loungers and a shade for the day which also includes 2 cans of water. The area is very pleasant and we used the local bars, which were very reasonable. We also used the small convenience shop close by which was excellent. We caught the bus to Ayamonte and from there the ferry over to Portugal, which was a lovely day out. We also went to Seville for the day which was excellent. Many people in this area speak little or no English which we like but you can always manage. A lovely holiday, thank you.