Melia Jardines del Teide

My partner and myself had the most lovely week at this hotel. The area of El Duque is great. From the moment we arrived we felt very special, the reception team are wonderful and very helpful! We stayed in a junior suite and cannot fault the room, the terrace area was lovely also. Hawa and Ethan on the breakfast team were an absolute joy!!! There was no issue with getting sunbeds. However, the pool itself could maybe do with some maintenance to improve the look - saying this, it did not stop us getting in it lol! Will 100% be coming back! Thanks again!

The entertainment was the highlight of the stay. The food was basic and after a few days a bit repetitive. If there was something out of the ordinary I do not feel the hotel staff were very interested. Prior to our visit we asked about gluten free provision. We were told to arrange it through reception. Obviously we followed this instruction and reception spoke to restaurant management and we were told this had been arranged. However when we spoke directly to the restaurant manager we were rudely given into trouble for not arranging this directly with her. Subsequently despite four requests we had to wait an hour to receive our meal. I suffer from poor health and had retired to my room. I had went out onto the balcony and closed the glass door behind me I subsequently realised the door was locked and no way to open it. I was stranded on the eighth floor with no phone and no water. I called for help to at least five members of staff and asked for help. One waved me away and went back to smoking his cigarette, another said I should phone reception I explained I didn’t have a phone and he said he would help. He didn’t. After half an hour I managed to get a female gardener to help. She alerted a chambermaid who opened the door for me. She said this happens often even to her. I felt very vulnerable and it definitely marred my holiday. I contacted the melia experience department but outwith an automated reply I have heard nothing. If anything is required out of the ordinary I don’t feel the staff were interested in helping which was quite disappointing. Because of my health I don’t go on many holidays and this has put me off for a while.

myself and my partner had a one week stay at the hotel, and it’s clear to say it is not 5 star standard, and we have had a better experiences at hotels that are 4 stars.

firstly, we emailed ahead of time requesting a balcony room - not a terrace, due to having anxiety which increases a lot whilst abroad. we received an email saying they will take this into consideration; we appreciate that this is not the hotel saying they could accommodate this for sure. upon arrival we was given a terrace room, the only thing preventing further anxiety was continuous reassurance from my partner daily and blocking the terrace door entry points. however, a 4 star hotel was able to accommodate this request with less notice given. i was really upset about this, as i would understand if i had not emailed ahead of time the request not being met, but i did and had explained the situation.

the breakfast is incredible, with a range of options, and usually breakfast is something myself and my partner skip, but we could not do that here! i totally recommend the chocolate pancakes and waffles! on the other hand, dinner was very disappointing most nights, with mainly only pork and seafood options, i would not say this buffet is friendly for fussy eaters or those who primarily consume chicken/beef. the best evening was the mexican night, which was incredible. the onsite italian (1 night visit included in all inclusive) was okay, nothing too spectacular. we was told on arrival how busy this restaurant gets and to book asap, however on our night there was seemingly more staff working than people even in the restaurant - there was 5 people visiting including myself and my partner. the pool bar food options included in the all inclusive are extremely poor. the options include - melon, pastries and a cheese/ham sandwich - which is pathetic for a 5 star resort. if you want anything else, there is a menu and you have to pay.

following on from this, there is inconsistency with what drinks are included in the all inclusive. i drank cider happily at lunch, and in the evening, but for some reason it is not included in the all inclusive at the pool bar? i ordered cider a few times at the pool bar, and then was told that it was not part of the all inclusive, i did explain i had been drinking this for a few days from this bar, but they were very quick to dismiss me. we also noticed this happening to others at the bar too.

water is NOT FREE at this hotel. we was given a large bottle of water ‘complimentary’ upon arrival, and when we requested more we was told there would be a charge for this. i suggest either going to the shop down the hill, or finding a loop - which we did by getting bottled water at the pool bar. frankly, not providing water in the room is not adequate and frankly very poor. you can access water at meal times etc free of charge. very surprising to see a resort of that size and also a 5 star resort not to have an onsite mini market.

sun beds are not an issue, and you do not need to wake up early to reserve them which is nice. the pool however definitely needs a glow up, as the paint on the floor is peeling and leaves bits of black floating around the pool. having beach towels provided is a nice touch, and you can get them changed daily. this hotel does have a mix of young/older couples aswell as families which was nice, but we did find any non english/british elderly couples would stare you down as they walked past you on the sun beds.

we were completely unaware the hotel offered a shuttle to las americas, until we read a review after visiting - this would have been nice to know about as we spent a lot of money of taxis. it costs around 5 euro to go into costa adeje, and around 15 euro to get to las americas.

the entertainment is nothing spectacular, most nights it was just someone singing or playing an instrument. there was one night where there was trio of people performing tricks which was incredible!

as this hotel does offer a premium experience under ‘the level’ it is clear staff are more interested in serving them and ensuring they are having a good holiday. myself and my partner quickly noticed this during the evenings where you’d be served at your seat once and then would have to go to the bar. whereas those who had ‘the level’ wristbands were never left with an empty drink.

i will say the hotel is well kept and maintained, and looks absolutely beautiful. however, this hotel is not worth the £1400 pp that i paid, and definitely is not 5 star worthy.