Melia Villaitana

We have been visiting this hotel for over 20 years, going back to when it was called the Real de Faula. Sadly, after all these years of loyalty, I can honestly say that this will be our last stay. This year alone, we have spent more than 30 days at the hotel, and with each visit we have noticed a further decline in standards. The quality of the products and amenities has deteriorated, the hotel is beginning to look shabby and tired, and the ongoing problems with the drains seem to be getting worse. On this occasion, we once again paid extra for a larger room with a large private balcony, specifically so that we could enjoy some winter sunshine. Instead, we were given a room where the balcony received no sun at all. When we raised this with reception, we were told that the problem would be rectified the following morning. We were moved to another room, but unfortunately the replacement was even worse. When we complained again, we were offered just a €20 spa credit, which felt completely inadequate considering we had paid a substantial supplement for a particular type of room and had not received what we expected. After more than 20 years of staying at this hotel, it is extremely disappointing to see how much the standards have fallen. We have remained loyal for many years and have continued returning despite noticing the gradual deterioration, but this latest experience has been the final straw. Sadly, I can honestly say that this is the last time we will stay at this hotel.

We had a lovely stay overall and thought Meliá Villaitana was a beautiful resort, with plenty to recommend it for families.

One thing we do think families with babies or toddlers should be made more aware of is the evening dining time. We travelled with our 17-month-old and chose half board, as we often do when holidaying in Spain. However, we were informed upon checking in that the main buffet restaurants do not open until 8pm, which was simply too late for our little boy.

We’ve stayed at resorts in Ibiza with him where dinner began around 5:30–6pm, so we hadn’t anticipated this being an issue. It is particularly relevant at Villaitana because the resort is fairly isolated if you don’t have a hire car.

We tried Canalla, where the food was very good, but it wasn’t really the type of evening meal we wanted for a 17-month-old. Eventually we discovered a solution at Papa Mambo. We were able to sit down at around 6pm and order him a children’s meal for €10. The portion was incredibly generous and the service was excellent. We could have a drink while he ate and then have our own half-board dinner later. This worked for us, and we only wish we’d known about this option earlier in our stay.

We also have to give a special mention to the reception team. On the day we checked out, our pre-booked airport transfer failed to arrive. Travelling with a toddler meant we couldn’t simply jump into any available taxi because we needed a suitable child seat.

The reception staff were fantastic. They went above and beyond to find us a taxi with a child seat at very short notice, and thanks to their help we still arrived at the airport in time. What could have been a very stressful end to the holiday was handled brilliantly, and we were extremely grateful.

Overall, we had a very enjoyable stay. Our main suggestion would be for the hotel to provide, or at least clearly communicate, an earlier evening-meal option for families with very young children. Had we known from the beginning that Papa Mambo could solve the problem for us, it would have made our stay even easier.

A beautiful resort, some genuinely excellent staff, and somewhere we’d certainly consider returning to just with a little more knowledge about how to make the dining arrangements work for a toddler.