Hotel Spa Porta Maris by Meliá

“Poor maintenance! If it’s broken, fix it!”

As you enter through the main doors, there is an escalator. This wasn’t working. Also there is a large jacuzzi with lovely sea views but this also wasn’t working! Shame as I was looking forward to using it. I asked if it was going to be fixed during my stay and was told “no, it’s broken” that I kne… more

As you enter through the main doors, there is an escalator. This wasn’t working. Also there is a large jacuzzi with lovely sea views but this also wasn’t working! Shame as I was looking forward to using it. I asked if it was going to be fixed during my stay and was told “no, it’s broken” that I knew but clearly there is no plan to fix it! Maintenance very poor. Our suite was huge and lovely and staff were friendly. It’s expensive though and don’t think it’s worth the money. The Level at melia next door is much better.

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“Fantastic location 🤩”

This hotel is in an excellent location, the pool area is very nice with artificial grass, there are two main pools. Very clean hotel, staff are very friendly, breakfast buffet is a little bit basic, there is still a lot of choice but no cooking station etc. Location is key, a two minute walk to the… more

This hotel is in an excellent location, the pool area is very nice with artificial grass, there are two main pools. Very clean hotel, staff are very friendly, breakfast buffet is a little bit basic, there is still a lot of choice but no cooking station etc. Location is key, a two minute walk to the city, everything on the doorstep.

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“Nice hotel but a bit chaotic”

Lovely hotel but in our opinion a little chaotic in some areas, mainly staffing. Upon arrival the girls in reception were amazing, very welcoming and efficient. We checked in and went up to our premium harbour view room on the 5th floor. Room lovely but a tad disappointed with our balcony and view.… more

Lovely hotel but in our opinion a little chaotic in some areas, mainly staffing. Upon arrival the girls in reception were amazing, very welcoming and efficient. We checked in and went up to our premium harbour view room on the 5th floor. Room lovely but a tad disappointed with our balcony and view. The way the hotel is built in a V shape means the balconies are small and enclosed with a long wall on one side but this also means very private. We could see some of the harbour but also the casino roof and fairly busy harbour road. As it was our wedding anniversary we went back to reception and they very kindly offered us a different room with a better but not until the next day. After breakfast we spoke to reception and everything was arranged so on the way to our room we popped our head into the new room as it was being cleaned! The view was definitely better but the room was much smaller than the one we had so we decided to stay put! Explained and apologised to reception and they were fine! (Thank you 😀) Room very clean and mainly looked after by Olga who was lovely, with the odd change, name left on slate in room, nice touch. Bed very comfortable, shower nice. Air conditioning could have been a bit cooler for me especially when getting ready in the evening as sun on balcony. Breakfast was very chaotic, not enough staff, lots of used tables and dirty plates on tables but the food choice was good. Coffee machines slow and often stop working, fresh orange juice lovely but hard to get out of beautiful glass jars. I understand the hotel is going for sustainability but two salt sellers for whole restaurant at a station just didn’t work! Especially when some guests took them to their tables! Breakfast is not relaxing, there is an area for suites guests which appears much more relaxed. Pools lovely, first floor was always busy and never managed to get a sun bed but did at the ground floor pool but is more shaded. The bar again is very chaotic, always seems to take soooo long to get served. The bar staff seem to take drink and food orders and bring food out of the kitchen so always wait a long time to get served. One guest took poorly at the bar after waiting so long to be served. On our first day we were told we could not have a small beer, they were all the same size! We had to have the correct money, pay by card or charge to room!!!The barman was very busy but was not as nice as the other staff we had met. Next problem we encountered was with one bar person in particular who did not like to give us any ice for our room, only asking for a cup of ice once a day. He then refused altogether offering us a bag of ice for €5 which I would gladly of paid had we had a freezer in or room! Never had this anywhere we have stayed before so reported it to reception who were lovely and got us some, we also got a lovely apology from the hotel. We didn’t want to make a fuss but his manner was not pleasant either! We were then given ice but maybe still with a bit of a reluctancy All in all we had a great stay here and would definitely recommend and stay again if in Alicante, the staff in general are amazing just a shame the odd one let the team down. The staff in reception are very informative about the city and happy to help with any sightseeing, transport questions you have. We visited Villa Joyosa and Benidorm by tram from Mercado and San Juan beach by tram from the end of the road which was much less busy and cleaner than the one next to the hotel. We got a tram pass for 10 journeys. The cathedral is €6 entry with audio guide and well worth it. Didn’t eat in hotel in the evening so can’t comment. Lots of lovely eateries a few streets from front where you can enjoy tapas or full menus. Great city, lovely hotel. C6 bus from airport is easy and cheap. Book this hotel and enjoy😃

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“Poor Value for money and no air con”

Paid over 300 for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids for 1 night. At that price I expect 4star plus which this is not, it’s 3 at best with 4 star food. Meliá have done what they do with these affiliations, added a stylish veneer to a dated hotel but you can see through the cracks. Major shortcoming wh… more

Paid over 300 for a family of 2 adults and 2 kids for 1 night. At that price I expect 4star plus which this is not, it’s 3 at best with 4 star food. Meliá have done what they do with these affiliations, added a stylish veneer to a dated hotel but you can see through the cracks. Major shortcoming which is totally unacceptable and basic requirement, is air con is non existent. Our room temp in August was 26 degrees all night. Keyword search in these reviews for air con will highlight this is a major issue for this hotel and guarantees a poor nights sleep. I had to pay extra for spa at 25 euros which seems rich given initial price. Spanok but very dark and no daylight at all. Evening meal food was great quality, breakfast hot food selection was low grade and poor quality but cold items good. Service ok but understaffed at pool bar with just 2 people on ground floor for a very large hotel, and 1 just one person on 1st floor pool bar - creating extended wait times. Also 20 euros for parking made for an expensive stay and poor value for money. Would no recommend purely because of air con but also value for money very poor.

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