Sol Puerto de La Cruz

This hotel represents excellent value for money and is popular with Spanish people on all inclusive package deals. I booked via the solmelia.com website and felt that the rate quoted was very competitive. Rooms are quite spacious and well furnished and housekeeping standards are high. I was disappointed, however, to find that the in-room safety deposit box was charged at an extra GBPounds 1.40 (U.S.Dollars 2.50) per day and the mini-bar (empty) at 1.30 Pounds (2.35 Dollars) per day. The 2 swimming pools are well maintained and clean, but a deposit of GB Pounds 8.50 (U.S.Dollars 15.25) must be paid for a beach towel. The poolside cafe is particularly pleasant. Unusually, there was no rush for poolside loungers as there were plenty of them, despite the hotel being full The large restaurant is bright and airy with a nice outlook onto the pool area. Although all meals are self-service buffet style, the food is excellent and wines are reasonably priced. All the food was of high quality and the variety of hot and cold dishes was impressive. Chefs were on duty for all meals and happily cooked eggs to your liking at breakfast. Such was the variety that even for a month long stay the food would not be boring. Staff are very pleasant and the Reception staff particularly helpful. To sum up, this is what a 4 star hotel should be like, other than the annoying little extras (which rapidly mount up) mentioned above.

We stayed at the Melia in March for 12 nights, booking through Med Hotels on an all inclusive basis. Overall we would recommend the hotel, particularly because of a) Quality of food provided, which was very good with lots of choice. b) Clean and tidy rooms and public areas (bedrooms kept spotlessly clean and fresh towels every day). c) On the whole staff were helpful and friendly, especially if you made the effort to speak a few words in Spanish. This hotel may not be suitable for people with walking difficulties as it is located on a steep hill and some of the garden areas within the hotel are up very steep steps. eg the upper pool. There was refurbishment work in the hotel itself and also at the upper pool. There is only a small car park in the basement of the hotel with limited room. Overall we had a good holiday and if staying in Puerto de la Cruz would stay at this hotel again.

We stayed at the Melia Puerto de la Cruz for a week in March and booked directly with the hotel.Only booked a standard double and were allocated a newly refurbished room with a superb sea view.Having previously stayed in the old town, we were pleasantly surprised that the Melia is closer to town than it looks on a map, steep steps down and cheap taxi back. Although showing its age slightly on the outside, the interior is excellent 4 star quality and the half board option was very good value for money.Bar prices are sensible and the poolside snacks are well priced for what you get.We would certainly go back.Flights into Tenerife North made the transfer drive very pleasant.

When booking this hotel there were two factors that made up my mind that this was the choice for me. First was car parking - Hotel boast of garage parking for car. Second was heated pool, non heated pools can be very cold this time of year and I love to swim. However the parking that hotel boasts about is very limited and if you happen to go out at night it is impossible to find a parking space within a mile of the hotel on your return. Also neither of the two pools were heated. The room that we were allocated overlooked the pool but also overlooked a busy main road - it was not so much the noise that bothered us but the fumes that filtered into our bedroom when patio door was open. There was also a lot of refurbishment work going on in the hotel and there was constant banging and drilling noise from 9.30 - 18.30 every weekday. Which bothered us on the days when we were not exploring the island but wanted to spend a lazy day round pool and in the room. I did not find the staff very friendly apart from the restuarant staff, specially the fish chef. He always had a smile and a pleasant greeting. The reception staff were rude and often ignored guests when trying to attract their attention. There is a good mixture of German, English and Spanish in this hotel which I liked. The hotel was very clean throughout apart from the swimming pools which could have had some attention spent on them. The sides were dirty and there were leave, twigs and insects floating on the surface.

We stayed here for 3 nights in September 2005. The hotel was very good and represented excellent value for money - about £45 for a double room on a bed & breakfast basis. The rooms are fine and have everything you need, including a well appointed bathroom. There are two pools, one adjacent to the main lobbey which has a pool bar that serves drinks and daytime snacks. The second pool is situatted on a higher level. Both were clean and well maintained but, if you're fussy, a little cold! Breakfast was the only meal we ate at the hotel and this was fine - both hot and clod buffets. No compaints at all - if only you could a hotel of this quality in England at even twice the price!

We stayed at this hotel for 3 nights and everything was perfect. Friendly and helpfull staff, wonderful breakfast (fron sweet to salad things) and nice swimming pool. The hotel is located 5 minutes from dowtown and if you take the long line of stairs going down from the hotel to the main streets you will find a small bar with loud music and some tables outside (in the middle of the line of stairs, not at the beginning!). In this place you have to try the "papas arrugadas". Best place in town to try them!

We have just returned from a holiday staying at the Hotel Melia Puerto De La Cruz, March15th-22nd 2005. From the outside the hotel does not look very good, but once you enter... fantastic. Beautiful reception area loads of armchairs, a lovely lounge and bar area and dance floor A very nice dining room, two swimming pools and snack bar. The bedrooms have been refurbished, with refitted and retiled bathrooms. All of the staff where most helpfull, we have stayed at a lot of Melia Hotels and this is one of the better ones. We would not hesitate to recomend this Hotel to any one,

Spent two weeks at the Melia 23rd Nov-7th Dec.Our &th visit and have just booked again for end of January 2005.It is a lovely hotel. Rooms large and well furnished,with television and mini bar.Beds large and very comfortable, maid service excellent. The staff many of whom have been with the hotel for a lot of years are excellent. Very professional and friendly. They go out of their way to make sure that you enjoy your stay. Food is buffet style breakfast and dinner with long restaurant opening hours, till 10pm for dinner. The chef's cook bacon,eggs and omelets to order in the morning and fish, steak etc; to order at night as well as the usual buffet dishes. The gardens are lovely with two swimming pools {one heated}and lovely plants and shrubs. There is a courtesy bus down to the main shopping area every half hour on weekdays. It is easy to walk down the steps to the town and only takes a few minutes but very steep to walk back if you have mobility problems.Taxis are very cheap though,about 2-3 euros from town. The main bar area is very well furnished and comfortable. Drinks are very reasomably priced. Much cheaper than a lot of four star hotels that I have stayed in. Most nights they have entertainment in the lounge, a cabaret 3 or 4 times a week and an excellent duo playing for dancing. At lunch time you can buy snacks very reasonably priced from the lovely bar in the pool area. We have stayed in many of the hotels in Puerto including 5 star but the Melia is hard to beat.

Rooms were a good size and clean. We had a room overlooking the swimming pool area, which was lovely, but I wouldn't have been pleased to have a room over looking the main road which leads into Puerto de la Cruz, lots of early morning traffic and car horns blaring. Hotel caters mainly to the Germans, so most information only available in German. Reception staff were the rudest, very unhelpful and seemed to be stressed out, so if you wanted any information, you need to be very assertive. Restaurant staff and chamber staff absolutely lovely, food quite good on half-board basis, lots of variety. Lovely swimming pools and beautiful gardens. On the whole a great hotel, spoiled by the rude manners of a few staff.

Wonderful hotel, friendly staff with beautiful gardens to relax in. Only problem was that one of the swimming pools was green and not very pleasant to swim in, so we steered clear. We swam in second pool, clean water but colder and plain surroundings. Hope it will be better next time around. Overall a good relaxing base.