I really liked this hotel and its location, which is quiet with not a single kebab shop in sight. The views from the rooms are great as they all face the sea. We were on the 4th floor but as other reviewers have noted, if you are on a lower floor the view could be obscured by some of the large trees in the lovely hotel gardens. The hotel has been recently refurbished and the d?cor is modern and sleek. This updates, adds to and fits in nicely with the 1960’s architecture. If Melia had gone for a more traditional look this would have dated the whole place badly. The piped Balearic ‘chill out’ music played in the bar and reception areas could be turned down a bit, but I guess it adds to the laid back mood of the place. The bedrooms are not huge but well designed with a typically 5 star lighting system and a control panel to operate it. Oddly the bathrooms are very big by comparison. The balconies are private with a chair, table and lounger. All the furnishings both outside and inside including the bed are new and decent quality. Maid service is good and there is a turn down service in the evening. On the whole staff were very friendly and. We only had one instance where the service was less than good. We took a malfunctioning room key back to reception, gave it to one of the female staff who then promptly forgot about us and left us sitting there while she got on with what appeared to be looking busy but not doing much. This was picked up quickly by a colleague who asked what we needed and dealt with the problem. The hotel Porter guys are very helpful. The main one seems to be Jaime or James as he advises English-speaking guests. Nothing was too much trouble for him and he was a great asset to the hotel. Breakfast is good but then it should be for this type and class of hotel. There is sometimes a bit of a queue for the hot items such as bacon and eggs/omelettes, which they cook to order. However, after a couple of days the cook got to know what my partner wanted and when he saw him asked him if he wanted the ‘usual’ and got on with cooking it for him. Its worth the wait as the cooked items are hot and fresh. It is easy to get about from this hotel even without a car. Cabs to and from the airport were about 25 Euros each and a cab to Porta Portals is about 8 Euros. You can also get a bus into Palma from near enough straight outside the hotel. There is a Spa supermarket close by, which is handy, and cuts out the cost of the mini bar, which is typically priced for this kind of hotel. I have stayed at numerous 5* hotels and they are either not worth the rating or they are stuffy. This hotel does not fall into either of these categories; it is well placed, relaxing, with good well-maintained facilities and generally great service and staff.

My wife and I stayed for 4 nights in early May and had a pleasant surprise. The hotel had only just re-opened after a major refurbishment, so we had expected a fair amount of disruption and unfinished work - but in fact, everything we needed was open, available and new. As the hotel had just re-opened, there were only a few guests. The pool area was quiet and clean, with reasonable sunbeds. One small criticism was that we had to ask the lifeguard for towels every time we went to the pool. We ate in the hotel restaurant and found it well priced and very good quality. The rooms are ultra-modern with a lighting system that would need a degree in Electronics to understand properly! The TV was Bang & Olufsen and great quality. The beds and pillows were wonderful.

My husband and I stayed at the Melia de Mar over the bank holiday weekend from 23rd May to 24th May 2008 and thought the location was super. LOCATION: The hotel sits right on the edge of the sea and all balconies have a wonderful sea view. However, whilst the design of the hotel ensures excellent privacy whilst on your balcony sadly this means some compromise on the extent of the sea view you actually have. Make sure you request a high floor, the hotel has seven floors so ask for 4th floor or higher. The surrounding area was VERY quiet, with a few bars and restaurants within short walking distance. Everything was low key and we understand that it never buzzes in this area even in high season. However, this suited us as we were looking for a quiet, relaxing break. It was too chilly to try the outdoor pool or jacuzzi and unfortunately it was unseasonally wet during our entire stay so we didn't really get a chance to soak up the sun(!!!) in the hotel grounds. However, the grounds were beautiful with plenty of high quality sun beds available. Because of the rain we only managed to take breakfast on the terrace once during our stay but this was absolutely lovely and we would have chosen to do this every day if we could have. ROOM & SERVICE: We understand that the hotel has been completely refurbished over the course of the last two years. The result is a very chic and ultra modern interior, with lots of glass and modern leather furniture in the public areas and bars. Unfortunately the welcome we received from the check-in staff although efficient, could not be described as warm and friendly! Our room was not ready when we arrived (no problem - we were three hours early after all) but we were not told how long we might have to wait, instead we were shown to the terrace for a drink and ceremoniously dumped with no instruction as to whether we would be collected when our room was ready or should return to reception any time soon! We had a coffee and a coke and then went back to reception to ask how long we might need to wait and as it was to be another 2 hours or so we went across the road and had a drink at The Rose Mallow (excellent for snacks and toasties)! When we were finally shown to our room we were most impressed with the huge chic bathroom (as large as the sleeping area) with a lovely walk-in shower and separate WC. Unfortunately by the second day the drains were clearly backing up with all the heavy rain and the smell we had to endure from the toilet for the remainder of our stay was really vile, remember we were on the 6th floor! The beds were really comfortable and positioned to look out through the patio doors across the sea but the balcony was my favourite spot. Once again the hotel has provided superior furniture here (1 x sun bed, 1 x chair and 1 x table) complete with deep cushions and pads although I would be interested to see their condition at the end of the holiday season as they were finished with ivory coloured cotton fabric. Another problem was that the sound proofing between rooms was very poor. Mum and Dad and the two small children staying next door sounded as though they were in our room whenever they were present. Perhaps the hotel should consider a couple of adult only floors? Most of the staff we encountered at the hotel were efficient but perhaps a little aloof. The only exception to this was the door men who were eternally smiling and never let us pass without a cheery greeting and of course the hard working cleaners. Breakfast was superb. A huge choice buffet style with the option to have eggs freshly scrambled, fried etc. whilst you wait. Good coffee, great pastries and lots of healthy choices if that's your thing. Do beware of the prices for other food and drinks here through. We booked B & B but noted that if you were to purchase breakfast on the day it would have set you back a whopping ?20 per person at todays exchange rates!! I know that this is a 5* hotel and the food we had was good but not that good!! We chose to eat at the pool bar one lunch time and this cost us ?32 for one chicken sandwich, one ham and cheese sandwich (with small portion of chips on the side and salad garnish) plus three 200ml cokes!! The mini bar in the room was also extortionate so do go and buy your own drinks at the one of the nearby supermarkets. GENERAL COMMENTS: All in all we did have a truly relaxing break, the hotel interior was spotless, quiet, very chic and modern whilst the exterior was clean and manicured if a little clinical. Sadly I feel this hotel is struggling to find an identity after its recent refurbishment and therefore I am not sure we would want to stay there again.

Great place. The service, the place, the food, the rooms everything was TOP quality! But certainly since it is a 5 stars (now 5 stars superior, I?ve heard) hotel prices are really high. We were invited to spend a weekend at this hotel, by a rich relative. We could have not afford it, by ourselves.

Our third trip to the hotel in 5 years and generally the standards remain as high. The updated rooms are good value and the general facilities are what you would expect for a chain hotel. Poolside chairs are definitely not 5 star but the views are just great. Very little organised activity at the hotel but just a graet place for a few days away from the hustle in Palma. Breakfast was excellent and we will definitely return.