Gran Melia Palacio de Isora

We booked a family trip of 3 weeks , we arrived on the 20th of July and we are still at the resort , but it’s my honour to write a positive reviews for those Hero’s behind the seen, those hard workers waitress who work as robots , those guest relation managers which are moving around the resort chatting with every guest to resolve any problem , and I have personally very admired of Joase work , as I faced some issues and honestly Straightaway and less than 3 hours Joase resolved those issues in a very professional way , as well as the nice warm welcoming smile of Laresa from the guest relation team , A special thanks to the chiefs at this hotel in every Resturant , no negative comment of any issue , some waiters are very stressed and they look really over loaded and we understand the hotel is full capacity, Special thanks to Auriela at the Oasis Resturant were we are having lunch almost everyday and she is very welcoming and very friendly , I tried Nami once and is super excellent, also Lolio the Italian food was great experience, we also tried the Mexican restaurant and wasn’t bad at all , anything you need just ask during your stay and the staff are more than happy to assist you , instead of loading any negative comments , just ask and you will get what you need , I suggest that you talk direct to Jose from the guest relation , at last I would like to thank everyone staff and managers and I am grateful of your service and your warm welcoming . And for sure it won’t be our last visit .

Excellent resort - especially for young families (also multi-generational with grandparents!) with lots of activities for children including playroom and quiet, cool family lounge. Red Level offers nice afternoon tea in family lounge area plus early evening drinks/tapas at the Bistro and all day snacks. Nice Italian restaurant L'Olio and Mexican Agave plus Oasis for family breakfast and lunches was excellent. The big buffet Pangea offers everything (too much?) and is quite expensive. Lots of other themed restaurants too.

From the outset Gran Palacio seems like a 5* property and so my expectations were exceptionally high. Once you scratch the surface and take away the wrapping, it is no different to any other 3.5/4* resort you may have stayed in. Pros The pillows and bed were probably the best I have ever slept in. Evening entertainment was ok. Cons Cockroaches running around the entertainment area of a night time - hotel staff advised and didn’t seem overly bothered and concerned and just left them. Restaurant service is very hit and miss. Nami was by far the best service we experienced all week. Oasis for both breakfast and dinner seemed to take an age to get served and the staff seemed to make themselves look busier than they actually needed to be it was hard work watching them. It almost resembled something out of a carry on film and I was half expecting Sid James to pop up. Olio missed my partners started so had to wait for that whilst our starters were getting cold. Lunchtime there are only three options open Agave, Oasis and Olio all of which are a la carts sit down which let’s face it when you have kids they just want something quick. Due to the lack of options for lunch we swerved this all week partly due to not actually being overly hungry and partly due to the fact that we didn’t fancy waiting in excess of 30 mins just to be shown to a table before even attempting to order. Pool bars aren’t actually in the pool which I think defeats the objective when it’s hot you are wanting to stay cool with a cool beverage. That aside the least problematic bar was the candy bar adjacent to the Family Pool. Hardly ever any queue and served straight away. Kids entertainment is merely for those of a younger age range I would say no older than 7. The mini karts is again aimed at the younger age range and not what you think it will be. More flinstones than F1. Limited options for slightly older children and those on the cusp of their 13+ bracket which was disappointing. Beware of the family pool there are tiles missing around the edge of the pool and my son climbed out and cut his leg on a missing tile. Reported this to the lifeguard who administered first aid but didn’t log in any form of accident book. Later on that evening we were waiting to be shown to our table at Oasis and we were approached by a manager asking how are stay was so I advised her of the above she took photos of the photos that had taken of the pool and my sons leg and advised that the maintenance team would fix right away. They haven’t. And on closer inspection most of the family pool has tiles missing around the edge. Flies in Pangea. Yes they are there and they are rife didn’t have an enjoyable meal at all. The hard sell. The marketing team make their way around the resort throughout the day and try to hard sell you the Circle package. After three times of saying we weren’t interested the lady advised her colleague to ‘keep an eye out for this one for later on in the week’ pointing to my partner. This behaviour and attitude I simply detest and I do not wish to be tided to a hotel chain I like to have a choice and based on this weeks experience alone I wouldn’t be rushing back to a Melia. Red Level unless you were adults only a rip off for those with families and the ocean view was only a partial not full on which was what I was expecting. All of these issues aside we managed to relax, enjoy the pool and the sun and have come home slightly more refreshed than the bedraggled wrecks that we were on arrival.

This was our 8th time of staying at the hotel - that alone speaks volumes about how much we enjoy this hotel. For us, whilst the facilities are great (if a little tired now), it's the 'being looked after' service that has made us return year after year, sometimes multiple times in the same year. We relax as soon as we walk into the hotel, and apart from the odd outside excursion, we love it so much that we don't leave again until it's time to return home. We book on the Red Level for Families package, and upgrade to all-inclusive, also booking a Bali Bed for our whole stay - it's the way that we've worked out over the years works best for us as it means we don't need to think or worry about a thing once we're there. No rushing to book restaurants on the app, no early morning alarm calls to bag a sun lounger, and a concierge team always available to help with any request. Unfortunately, this year the service levels have noticeably dropped in some of the restaurants and bar areas. We noticed that often there were simply not enough members of staff at the Pool Concierge during the day, and on the Terrace of an evening - we sometimes waited for around 30mins for someone to come and take our order. That's not a reflection on the staff when they did come, more a note for Management to ensure that they have an adequate number of staff working, especially in peak season. We did also notice that a lot of the long-standing, super-experienced staff that we've got to know over the years are no longer working at the hotel which is such a shame, and we wonder if this too impacted service levels where there were a lot of newer, younger waiters/waitresses who it seemed lacked the experience of looking after guests at a 5-star hotel. That said, we did experience amazing service from a few people who we would like to mention: - Rosana and Naomi in Red Level for Families - these ladies have looked after us for years, and continue to do so at such an exceptional level. They help us in advance of arrival to book our restaurants, Bali Bed, and excursions so that when we arrive we don't need to worry about a single thing. When we're there, no additional request is too much. We truly do look forward to seeing them each time and catching up on life since we last saw each other, and how much our boys have grown! They are the ones who make our holiday time after time! - Serguey in Pool Concierge was the stand-out member of staff for us on this trip - he looked after us so brilliantly on Bali Bed 22, ensuring we had everything we needed whenever he was working, even going so far as to bring us drinks when he noticed we were running low before we'd even asked for a top-up! That is 5-star service! When service was slow, it was not his fault, as above it was down to a lack of staff which Management need to address. - Aaron and Eudin in Pool Concierge were also great and deserve a mention. - Fernando who looks after the Oasis restaurant and Pool Concierge - he is one of the long-standing staff who we look forward to seeing each visit. Like the Red Level Team, no request is too much for him - he makes a phone call and your wish is granted. - Gladys who served us most mornings for breakfast at the Oasis/Red Level for Families breakfast - again she is a long-standing member of staff - greeted us with a smile each morning and by the end of the trip had us requesting our breakfast in perfect Spanish! I'm sure we will be back ... possibly sooner than next summer! We hope that hotel Management will take on board our feedback about the staffing levels - if you are going to continue to offer and charge for an enhanced service with upgrades like Red Level/All-Inclusive/Bali Bed Experience, the service needs to match ... consistently.

Gran Meliá is visually stunning — the central plaza, infinity pools, and sunset views are genuinely beautiful. Rooms feel a bit dated but are cleaned thoroughly, sometimes to the point of being pushed out early by housekeeping. Pools: Gorgeous, but loungers are a daily competition. If you're not up by 8am, you’ll struggle to get one — and there’s very little shade, which is rough with extreme UV levels. Food: Fantastic breakfast buffet. Dinner buffet is decent but not standout. À la carte restaurants (you get three meals included) are hard to book, have limited menus, and restrict what you can order unless you pay extra for RedLevel or Club Melia. Agave is a highlight — the rest are just okay. The tiered access feels unnecessarily divisive and leaves a bad taste. Entertainment: Solid — good nightly shows and a decent kids’ club, though seating is limited if you arrive late. Service: Inconsistent. Some staff are great, but too many come off as disinterested or unwelcoming — not five-star standard. Location: There’s nothing around the resort. If you’re not into pools all day, there’s not much else to do. Even the tennis court is unusable in the heat. Upselling Everywhere: You're constantly nudged toward upgrades — RedLevel, Club Melia, all-inclusive — but they rarely feel worth the price. The best areas, restaurants, and perks are held back unless you pay more. It doesn’t feel premium — just exclusionary. Excursion Warning: We booked a stargazing trip with Viajes Teide. The staff were aggressive and rude from the start. We chose to walk away rather than spend an evening being spoken to like that — avoid them. Final Thoughts: This could easily be a great holiday, but it’s held back by inconsistent service, overzealous upselling, and a lack of polish in key areas. It's beautiful, but the experience just doesn’t live up to the promise.