Gran Melia Victoria

We have stayed here before and were looking forward to this trip. On arrival we were "greeted" by reception staff reading her mobile phone, whilst we sat in front of her! She then tried to upsell us a junior suite for an extra 120 euros per night. When we declined she lost interest in us. When we got to our room we found that it was a disabled room. So no long hanging space, a clinically tiled shower room with no decent fixtures, no bath and a lot of steel handles etc. This was not what we had booked! There then followed a 45 min battle with reception, which ended up with us demanding a manager and eventually getting an upgraded room for the last 2 nights of our stay. Having got over this hassle, I must say that the hotel is beautiful and breakfast is a joy. The pool area is never crowded and the staff there are very helpful. The terrace bar is great with fantastic views over the bay. Unfortunately we won't stay here again because of the antics of the reception staff. For 300 euros a night they need to be more customer-friendly!

We stayed at the Gran Meliá Victoria for five nights. The room was very nice and the staff was delightful. People working at the hotel truly went out of their way to make the stay exceptional. We also had a couple of very nice meals in the restaurant. If we visit Palma again there would be no question where we would stay. This is a great hotel and perfect for exploring Palma and the island.

My wife and I together with my father in law and a friend arrived for a 10 day stay which was pre-booked months earlier and guaranteed with a credit card after the cancellation cut off date which just a few days earlier. We were rather astonished that the first requirement of the hotel on entering, before even being shown to our room, was payment in full for the entire 10 days! For a Grand Luxe 5 Star establishment, part of a large hotel group, this seems rather mistrusting of the arriving guests and certainly failed to provide an initial good impression. The Deluxe Rooms (side sea view) are quite small and are a curious mixture with somewhat worn dark wood furniture and modern electronic controls which draw the curtains, adjust the lighting, control the air conditioning and apply a green or red light outside the door indicating access status - with all labelling in Spanish! My father in law’s Classic Room was even smaller and had pillar in the middle of it - making logistics tricky for a 90 year old. There is barely adequate hanging space and wholly inadequate drawer space for a 10 day stay - obviously intended for shorter stays. The bathrooms are small but otherwise well appointed. We found the beds and pillows very comfortable and with crisp white sheets. On arrival, a single piece of cake awaited (for two of us), a single bottle of mineral water (not replenished) and an apparently hand written note welcoming us. The hotel has lifts servicing most floors but there are also areas only accessible via steps making the hotel less than ideal for elderly or handicapped persons. In fact we spotted a gentleman with a rollator who really struggled and almost fell. The doors out to the beautiful terrace area housing the restaurant and bar had no hand rails and the breakfast buffet was up and down stairs without hand rails to the dining area although there was a long ramp servicing one of the areas. The breakfast buffet was extensive and had a good selection to suit all tastes including eggs cooked to order. Most of the cakes and pastries (already made with sugar) had extra icing sugar sprinkled all over and I had variable results in requesting a daily croissant without icing sugar added or a sugar glaze (I'm diabetic and on holiday enjoy a croissant - but of course try to find one without extra added sugar). Generally, the restaurant staff were helpful, fairly efficient and pleasant. We ate dinner in the main restaurant one evening which was quite expensive but faultless and has the benefit of a commanding view over Palma port and marina. Adjacent there is also a pleasant bar area on the same large terrace. The hotel has quite a large and pleasant lounge. There is a large sun deck and outside pool of which some parts require maintenance and also a smaller indoor pool. The lift to this pool had no air conditioning and was stiflingly hot (emanating from the steamy indoor pool) and this also gave access to the outdoor pool and to the road, cycle path and walkway alongside the harbour. The hotel is some distance (a good 25 to 30 minutes walk) from Palma Cathedral and in the opposite direction, the Porto Pi Shopping Mall. Although the hotel has impressive gates and entrance, it is situated on an inelegant street with few if any (I couldn't spot them) endearing aspects. The rear of the hotel overlooks Mallorca harbour but is directly above a busy dual carriageway and right next to a busy nightclub (Tito’s) with raucous behaviour causing noise pollution which sometimes spilled out into the night. Several guests with premium rooms overlooking the harbour reported disturbed sleep despite the double glazing. Despite the sometimes adverse comments, we had a pleasant and enjoyable stay. The final straw however, was to discover that our friend who like us booked direct with Melia Hotels, just a few days after us, had been granted a voucher on booking of 20 Euros per day to be spent in the hotel’s Restaurant and bars - but we had not! It seemed grossly unfair that one member of our party was treated differently and so the matter was discussed with Ronald, the Reception Manager, at first with little success. He told me that some people get no vouchers and others get vouchers for different amounts. I said that this may seem discriminatory, which he emphatically denied. After several minutes of discussion, Ronald changed his tune and told me that we had been awarded a voucher but neither we nor the hotel had been made aware of it. He promised to speak to Head Office about this and resolve it. Well, we finally received 10 Euros per day to be spent in the hotel’s Restaurant and bars - why the difference?

Halfway through our holiday here and I feel compelled to write a review. We booked our holiday through jet2 and paid extra for a room upgrade for a 'luxurious side sea view' room. We were a little wary upon check in when the receptionist said we might want to check the room first. We too let advice and did this and were extremely disappointed to be overlooking a shabby, old night club which has obviously suffered water damage in the past and is now overrun with cats. We asked to be moved to a different room but were told the hotel was full unless and would have to pay to have a better view. This better room has cost us 420 euros and although we have paid this I think it's terrible that the hotel has offered no apologies or understanding about the original room we were given. The staff collecting our luggage did acknowledge the awful sight however their advice to 'bend down and not look at it' wasn't the best! The view we have now is wonderful and panoramic of the marina but be warned as this will cost you a lot extra. Christina

We have only just returned from Gran Melia Victoria in August and have already booked back for same dates next year. We had originally looked at the Melia del Mar but we wanted to be closer to Palma centre and we made the right move choosing Gran Melia Victoria. We always choose a Melia if we can, having had the best experiences of all in these hotels over many years now. We were in a front facing sea view room, the room was nice and spacious leading from a small entrance hall. The balcony area had great space with breathtaking views of the marina harbour, the cathedral and the pool. To steal yourself away from the luxury of the room and balcony views of the constant coming and going of cruise ships was a hard ask - Palma is beautiful and the atmosphere is hard to beat, I am glad I ventured out but could just have easily never left this hotel and room! Room was cleaned to the highest standards, expensive Clarins toiletries in the bathroom that were replenished everyday and the most comfortable bed & bedding! Blinds and curtains are automated. Nice touches left by hotel staff, welcome notes, goodbye notes, olives, crackers and tapenade left on our last night, turn down service every night with small chocolates left on the bed. The pool area is spotless, the sun beds are the most comfortable I've ever encountered, I failed to remember this area is backed by a busy road - that fact paled into insignificance no matter what area of the hotel you enjoyed the views from! It is very well posted that pool loungers can't be reserved which is always a great thing and we never had any problem getting a lounger at any time of day. Food in Ikatza restaurant - beautiful. Drinks & Cocktails in Dry Bar - amazing. Gin menu - impressive! Many beautiful combinations and variety. Bar staff - very polite & welcoming. Very knowledgeable. Nice quiet ambience at night, great chill lounge background music piped in to terrace, I found out what it was and downloaded as soon as I returned home so I can now be transported back to our evenings on the terrace! Breakfast was served between 7.30 and 10.30am and the greatest selection of cooked breakfast, eggs made to order any way you want cooked in front of you, pastries, cheeses, Actimel drinks, pancakes, fruit, cakes, and cava an excellent touch. The Orange juice is amazing, freshly squeezed and there is a different water every day with all kinds of fruit in it. I noticed that it literally took "seconds" for something to be replenished as soon as it was finished. It was barely finished before it was replaced! Amazing attention. Our spot for breakfast was outside on the stunning terrace with stunning views, but one morning I couldn't steal myself away from inside where a pianist provided us with such a wonderful accompaniment to breakfast! What a lovely touch. We would have liked to book the red level but the hotel is top end of our budget, my husband and I are back next year for 4 nights in August for our 10th wedding anniversary and would love the red level as a treat to ourselves but we must take our kids on a holiday before we head out so we don't think we'll be able to afford that luxury but we will make it our aim to experience it one day as I know this mini break will now be a regular for us after our memorable time this year! I am a Melia Rewards member, only joined this year, so I will at least be able to avail of the birthday gift room upgrade to front facing from side facing if we can't afford red level. I strongly recommend joining melia rewards as stay in a Gran Melia like this once and you will return many times! Our flights are already booked for our return and our room will be booked at Christmas time. The room price is up slightly from last year so I'm hoping it might come down some! And I couldn't bear to go back without staying in a front view room! The staff here are so courteous. They greet you with their hand on their heart which I never tire of, always a polite good morning or good evening and always a genuine smile. They open doors for you and carry your luggage. They are so welcoming first thing in the morning at breakfast. Right from check in to check out the most helpful kind pleasant staff I have ever encountered. Keep up the good work! On a final note, admittedly, this hotel is expensive but oozes elegance and luxury throughout which you feel the minute you walk through the door. I feel that the prices correctly reflect its 5* status. You do get what you pay for here and it was well worth our struggle to pay for it! Choosing a 5* hotel will of course mean 5* prices, but you get 5* of everything back in abundance. If you are looking lower prices for accommodation, food & drink then book a lower grade hotel but your stay will not be as memorable. So many favorite parts, starting every morning on that terrace with a wonderful breakfast and cruise ship views, ending every evening in ambience of same terrace with a beautiful cocktail, soft background music and the night lights of cathedral, harbour and cruise ships -- and all of Palma in between! Overall a wonderful hotel. Book it!