Paradisus by Melia Fuerteventura

We stayed at Paradisus by Meliá Fuerteventura in April 2026 for a family holiday with our 8-year-old son. We booked Paradisus expecting a premium family resort and paid accordingly. Unfortunately, our experience was so far below the standard advertised that we subsequently made a formal complaint. This was not one isolated problem. We experienced repeated failures across cleanliness, food safety, service, facilities, maintenance and complaint handling. Cleanliness and hygiene - Our room was not properly cleaned throughout the stay. We also had a mosquito problem that was not properly resolved, and visible remains were left on the walls for the duration of our stay. The buffet was another major concern. In our experience it was poorly managed and unhygienic, including children being allowed to handle food unsupervised and incidents involving broken glass and spillages. For a hotel operating at this level and price point, these are not standards we consider acceptable. Food and dietary concerns One of the most serious issues involved being served incorrect food. For somebody relying on the hotel to provide accurate information about what they are being served, this goes far beyond a minor restaurant mistake. Correct food identification is important, particularly where dietary requirements are involved. This understandably caused us serious concern and significantly reduced our confidence in the hotel's food service. Service Service throughout the holiday was extremely disappointing. We experienced excessive waiting times at bars and restaurants, poor communication and a general lack of clear guidance from staff. Restaurants and dining options were also either unavailable or not presented to us in the way we had reasonably expected from the hotel's information. At a premium all-inclusive resort, guests should not have to repeatedly chase staff simply to understand what facilities or dining options are actually available. Facilities Several of the facilities also failed to meet expectations. The pool advertised or presented as heated did not feel heated during our stay. There was confusion surrounding use of the Jacuzzi, with rules either unclear or inconsistently enforced. There were also repeated occasions when pool towels were unavailable. Individually, some of these issues may sound relatively small. Taken together, over the course of a family holiday, they become extremely frustrating. Room and maintenance We also experienced basic maintenance problems. The telephone in our room did not work properly, and the Wi-Fi was unreliable. Again, these are things you simply do not expect to be repeatedly dealing with when staying at a resort positioned as a premium product. Staff behaviour Unfortunately, some interactions with staff made matters worse rather than better. We experienced behaviour that we considered rude and dismissive, received conflicting instructions from different members of staff, and there was also an occasion where our 8-year-old child was spoken to in a manner we considered inappropriate. We appreciate that staff work in a busy environment and no employee or hotel will be perfect. However, there is a significant difference between an occasional mistake and guests being left feeling dismissed when trying to resolve genuine concerns. Management response Perhaps the most disappointing part of the entire experience was the hotel's handling of the problems once we raised them. We gave the hotel opportunities during our stay to address our concerns. Instead, we felt that a number of issues were downplayed or denied, problems were not properly resolved and there was no meaningful recovery action or follow-up that reflected the seriousness or number of concerns we had raised. That is particularly disappointing from a hotel carrying the Paradisus/Meliá name. Problems can happen in any hotel. What distinguishes a genuinely premium hotel is how it responds when things go wrong. In our experience, Paradisus Fuerteventura failed that test. We spent far too much of a holiday that we had looked forward to dealing with issues that should either never have occurred or should have been resolved quickly once reported. When you take your family away, especially when you have paid a significant amount of money for a premium resort, you expect to spend that time relaxing and making memories. Instead, we found ourselves repeatedly dealing with cleanliness problems, restaurant issues, poor service, facility problems and management. You cannot give a family that holiday time back. We have retained the information and correspondence relating to our complaint, and this review reflects our genuine experience of the hotel. Anyone considering booking Paradisus Fuerteventura should, in my view, look beyond the attractive marketing photographs and carefully read recent reviews concerning cleanliness, food service, restaurant availability and management's handling of complaints. For the amount this holiday cost and the standard Paradisus promotes itself as offering, we expected considerably better. Would we return? Absolutely not. Would we recommend Paradisus Fuerteventura to friends or family? Based on our experience, no. A deeply disappointing experience from a hotel that should have delivered far better. A very expensive and extremely disappointing experience.

We are part of the Meliá circle programme and attracted to this hotel within a hotel offering which did not involve children. As part of the reserve offering, we enjoyed an adults only breakfast and pool side experience which lasted until 7pm. Which was great. This bliss ended at that point. After 7pm, we were faced with millions of unruly screaming children in the buffet area ruining our meal and to finish us off, there was no seating available because selfish parents hogged the day beds in the bar…putting their children to sleep on these beds in their pyjamas whilst they took the main seating opposite the entertainment. No seating available, so we went to the neighbouring area, which clearly stated was for reserve guests only and were told rudely you cannot be here because it’s a speciality restaurant right now and you have no right to be here. We ended up sitting in front of reception for the rest of the evening. Utterly horrible. We could not get into any of the all inclusive restaurants because they were fully booked. As a result of this dreadful experience, we left a week early which is not a great advert for Meliá given we are Platinum members and subscribing to the Circle programme. When we got home, no one from the circle programme bothered to get in touch with us to check on how we enjoyed our holiday but we did get a response from the customer services department from the hotel. They proceeded to lecture me on how they have to balance the needs of reserve guests like myself, who want peace and quiet versus those who they have to offer a welcoming family environment. I have no problem with families, but why can’t they extend the reserve experience into the evening to avoid this welcoming environment if it is not for you. I will never stay in this hotel again, and will be cancelling my circle subscription as soon as I am contractually able to. I threw away €2,500 euros of holiday because this place was so horrible for me. Sadly, no one from the circle programme bothered to check with me if I had enjoyed my holiday and didn’t seem that bothered that I left a week early. For people who want a peaceful family free holiday…avoid.

Beautiful location right on a fantastic beach ... 4 lovely swimming pools .... Rooms are newly renovated with fantastic views- best views are lagoon side Staff were attentive and proffesional always happy to help The reserve level is worth the extra cost The hotel was lovely and clean Pools were heated and a pleasure to swim in Everything you need for a relaxing holiday is in place . windsurfing hire is right on the beach ... good was good and plentiful Thank you for a lovely stay

We are here at the moment and our experience has been fantastic. We have stayed in many 5 star hotels and this definitely a 5 star hotel. We are staying Reserve level and the food, drinks, attention to detail is impeccable. The beach is beautiful for a nice morning/afternoon walk. The breakfast at the Reserve is fantastic, beautiful view with the nicest of staff, Julio is an absolute gentleman and Elisabet is so attentive and welcoming. We are here one week so far as a family of 4 with 2 boys 17 and 18, I’m so so glad we are here for another week. We like a great standard and this is our first Meliá experience, we always stay Barcelo Royal Level, this place for us exceeded our expectations. Do not listen to the negative reviews and ask me anything, I’m happy to answer where possible. Book it, no regrets and WILL ABSOLUTELY RETURN! A 10/10 from The Cunninghams!

We’re still staying at Meliá Paradis Fuerteventura and I felt I had to write a review because I genuinely don’t understand some of the negative comments. Yes, it’s windy — but you’re in Fuerteventura! The wind is part of the island and, actually, we’ve found it really refreshing and it hasn’t stopped us enjoying the beautiful surroundings. And yes, not every member of staff has perfect English… but hello, we’re in Spain! We’ve found everyone incredibly friendly, helpful and welcoming. The service has been excellent and nothing seems too much trouble. I would love waiter service around the pool, but equally, we’ve never had to wait long at the bar for a drink. The kids’ club has been brilliant. The staff are fabulous and our children have had such a great time. Our room is lovely, the setting is absolutely stunning and the whole resort feels incredibly relaxing. The food has also been fantastic — so much choice, with plenty of variety, and we’ve been really impressed with the quality. The cocktails are great too! I do agree that it doesn’t necessarily feel like a traditional all-inclusive in the way some big British resorts do, but for us that’s actually part of its charm. It feels much more relaxed and upmarket. What we’ve particularly loved is how international it feels. There are so many different nationalities here, and everyone has been friendly. It doesn’t have that feeling of being surrounded by Brits abroad, which makes it feel like we’re genuinely away on holiday. The setting is stunning, the atmosphere is peaceful, the staff are lovely and the whole place feels wonderfully removed from everyday life. We’re still here and really don’t want to leave! So far, we’ve had a fantastic holiday and would absolutely come back.