SOL by Meliá Pelícanos Ocas

I was a Support Worker supporting a client who wanted to visit Benidorm. Myself Having not flown since 1982 , planning this holiday and making it perfect, enjoyable and memorable was high on my list.
Bedroom: was clean and tidy
Beds were comfortable. Though at reception when I asked for a duvet I was looked upon as being weird. Time for bed and I realised why. ROOM was very warm even with the balcony door open. 🤣🤣
MEALS: plenty of choices, bacon was a bit overcooked but it's not a complaint. I loved the fresh fruit selections. Toast - took longer snacks and lunch I would give 10/10 evening Meal by the time selection was made and back to table food was cold. Hence next few days I went for mostly Salads. Would like to see more salad selection choices that don't have cream and pasta as a Diabetic. But it was good. Staff at the restaurant door were pleased that I was trying Spanish phrases and even offered few more. Have to say overall my client enjoyed their stay. That she's planning on going back next year. ME I'm planning to bring my best friend and my sister next year too. Main negative point apart from 2 the rest of the staff need to smile and be happy this makes visitors feel comfortable being there. It doesn't cost anything to see a smile.

A lovely welcome was received on check in, and the check in was quick and easy.
we asked for a low floor, and we were put on the second floor, so that was good.
Rooms basic, but quite roomy and clean. Only 2 plug sockets in the room, but we managed. there is lots of storage in the shelves and drawers provided.
Food was really good, I'm not sure what all the complaints are about. The breakfast is really good, lots of choice, freshly cooked eggs and omlettes every morning. Evening meals were also good. My husband had roast beef and yorkshire's, and sheperd's pie another night. I was disappointed that there was no paella - unless I missed that n a lunch time? The only let down for me in the restaurant is the deserts. They run out really fast, and are not replenished fast enough for the number of residents. Three times I had to ask the staff to fill the deserts up, and when they do fill them up they are very repetative. It's either carrot cake or cheesecake.
We didn't stay in on a night for the entertainment so can't comment on that.
Yes the corridors are noisy on a night, and you can definitely tell when you are getting closer to the weekend for the large groups of people that turn up and stay at the hotel. But they are on holiday just as much as you are.
The only 2 negatives for me : You cannot take your own food and drink to the pool area. I was charged 7Euro for 2 x cups of coke, which is very expensive. I took water everyday after that, and poured it into the cups, and no one was any the wiser.
Lastly, on the last day, the hotel do open the restaurant early for a continental breakfast for you, but the man that looked after the restaurant on the last day of our stay was just rude. I went to get some cereal from the same place I had got cereal from all week, but he took great pleasure in telling me that was not allowed, I had to stay in the continental buffet area, and not use the main area. I am sure a sign at the front of the restaurant explaining that we only use the continental area would be beneficial, and stop the waiter shouting at guests. No manners when talking to anyone of us. At 7.30 on the dot, he came to our tables and said "we are closed, you must leave" No mention of this previously by any staff.
Would I return? Probably yes if the price was right for a few days away.

Room basic but clean .Only one plug in the whole of our room to charge 2 phones 2 i pads and use a hairdryer. .Balcony over looking a brick wall ask to be moved but still waiting. Food was dreadful Luke warm, alway waiting for food to be topped up . Staff not helpful and always miserable.

This hotel was everything my Husband & I thought it would be & more!
My Husband & I recently stayed here to celebrate his recent 60th Birthday. I was a bit nervous about staying as I am both gluten & lactose intolerant, I was also worried about staying on a floor too high up… all I can say is wow! Firstly when I emailed with my concerns regarding which floor we would be staying on Fernando replied & was very courteous. Upon arrival we were advised we were on the 2nd floor( one floor above reception.) I was so thankful for this.. the room was clean, bright & airy with a lovely balcony over-looking the neighbouring hotel pools & had everything we needed except a kettle (but you can hire one for 5 euros & 20 euro deposit- (or do as we did & buy a cheap one from the market which we kept.)
My concerns regarding my dietary restrictions were removed when Katie treated me with respect & kindness & offered me the choice of choosing my meals ahead ahead each time, always gluten & lactose free… (she even gave me an idea of an alternative dessert on one day, which was lovely- although I like Jelly, or fruit, it was refreshing to know I was able to have the mousse if I wished.) I would say Katie went above & beyond… Maria also helped regarding providing blankets- (our first night was a cold one for me personally & I barely slept, once I had a blanket, sleep was so much better: The food is so delicious, the evening entertainment was good & the staff are very helpful & welcoming ! My Husband & I will return one day & will definitely recommend a stay here to our friends & family.

Nothing

It is With Deep regret I have to Write this comment. First of all.? I have met the Manager at the Beautiful Hotel sol Pelicanos. And I can Promise you the SR Gonzalo is a perfect gentleman. As for the Staff.? I can honestly say that thaye have always gone Above and beyond to make my Holiday very very special I've always been treated like royalty Bye the Best G.E.X Department in the world. The Bar Staff are so Friendly and Helpful. The Animation team are so professional and invite everyone to join in the Fun. OKAY.? I know things don't suit everyone.? But sometimes you have to make your own fun. So please give them a chance I've visited this wonderful hotel many many times and I hope to go back very soon. So please please please ? Give them a Chance. Tell them that I.? ( MATEO ) Sent you. I do hope I haven't offended anyone. My kindest regards to everyone.
( MATEO.)

Writing this on our last day here.
The room we are staying in is clean but very basic. Walls paper thin ,could hear everything from adjoining rooms. Very noisy corridors throughout the night.
Breakfast was ok but toasters are a nightmare. Be prepared to wait forever to get brown toast.
Because of its location it attracts groups of younger clientele appealing to stag and hen nights.
We have noticed that as the English half term is nearly here the amount of your children has risen.
In my opinion the hotel is not suitable for children unless you are happy to let your youngsters hear obscene language and observe men wearing suck my.... shirts.
We will not be back again

10/10 experience

Room was fantastic. Lots of room
Plenty of storage. Fridge in the room
Bathroom good . Good shower.
Clean towels every day. Good view from the balcony.
Food was fabulous, plenty of choice .
Fresh honey from the honeycomb.
Lovely pasta, lovely deserts
Staff so lovely. All pools were good always plenty of sunbeds.
Plenty of choice in the snack bar.
Drinks from the bar were good

Hotel said no stag, hen , birthday parties , I counted TWELVE IN 6 DAYS, and they were dressed up , and the staff see them and did nothing .
I went there for the BENIDORM TV SHOW EXPERIENCE , bitterly disappointed , no resemblance whatsoever, Neptune bar , 100 metres down the road , a very grotty dingy loud dump , full of drunks , morning noon and evening , like all the bars in the strip and the SILVER DOLLAR the worst drunken ladies midday lying in the stree throwing beer out of a bottle everywhere , mostly loud northern people , true to colours.
I wanted a ground floor room , I have difficulty in steps and I certainly wouldn't use their lifts temperamental at best and very small .
They put me on the first floor , rooms 115 , I had 24 hours , 7 days of extremely noisy refrigeration units about 10 metres away , even with the door closed it was dreadful .
Next to my bedroom wall was the staff locker room , toilets and rest room , banging and crashing early and onto midday when I tried to get a rest I was woken , dustmen at 04.30 crashing and below to the left was the staff accommodation or similar , out there until the early hours talking and smoking.
The view from the window was like the worst ever industrial wiring , pipes and rubbish people had thrown out
The shower head was pathetic and basically inoperable.
Cleaning the rooms was a conflict of interest to keeping us happy , bad , except for the last day , cleaned thoroughly as not to do it the next day most probably.
There are some happy , really nice staff who endlessly work hard , cleaning tables was done extremely well , but there were a lot of belligerent officious staff as well .
The worst was a security male guard taking photos of a lady circus actress in compromising positions and young ladies by the pool , he was very attentive , check his phone.
There are rules , which you do expect the staff to uphold , no smoking except by the bar outside, there was smoking everywhere around the pool and rooms , only once did a member of staff telling them not to , basically ignored him and lit up .
No smoking , but VAPING EVERYWHERE , worse than smoking , can't understand why not they are banned .
The token system is a joke and should be curtailed immediately
My strong advice is stay in the OLD TOWN , beautiful and respectable people, there are some up north.
The hotel was a basic 3 TIER , NOT 3 STAR FOR SURE .
The TripAdvisor's reports are harsh in some sense but very realistic in others .
The food is basically what it is , Spanish trying to recreate English food , mostly massacring and cremation of burgers and chops , then left to get cold , you dare not microwave them as they were hard enough already.
But being all inclusive , you could get a beer at three points and bottles of water
Their theme nights in the restaurant , a lot to be desired and really needs investigating and training.
Thank goodness for chip and tuna rolls , the fruit was good , and the cakes were really good , the rest no thanks .
The man who said he wouldn't feed the flood to his dog , how untrue , I would , but hesitant to humans , red blood in the chicken and sausages , I'm actually surprised there wasn't food poisoning .
The pool area , no smoking , there was in multitudes , nobody asked them to stop , people with towels on chairs all day long , never did see whose they were.
Thank goodness for the allotment inclusive pool snack bar , that and the pool , very cold , were the hidden treasures to be found in basically was a cess pit.
There are no real H@S issues , the hand rails were loose , they should install them up to the first floor as there is nothing to hold onto , there were ramps except from the foyer to the restaurant , but a lift .
No room service at all even if you are disabled, and the rooms 117/7 are a very long walk from the stairs or lifts , there are none of either at that end of the hotel .
So my advice is rooms nearer the stairs, no sea views anywhere, sun in the morning on the east side 115 onwards and very cold in the mornings rooms 117, although they were quiet until the FLASH HOTEL starts it's very noisy music at 10pm..
Music around the pool was lor, until a very noisy DJ on the Thursday decided to blow our ears out with the most revolting electric music .
Animation , during the day , they did try , but realistically it was a waste of time , people didn't join in or the lack of enthusiasm in joining in pathetic games conquered .
Evenings , my goodness karaoke singers that could strip tarmac
The bingo was well attended , the quiz was dire , unimaginative, the pool competition never took place , the show , was ok .
But I heard one say they have to work all day then appear in the evening , they were not professional but shamateurs , shame because the bars all around were advertising good groups , why not the hotel .
If you want to eat out , avoid the strip area , reported terrible food , one actually said the hotel was better , unbelievable
Mariannos , wonderful pizzas, chicken on spits , and cooked , no blood , indoor market has everything you e left behind , to be honest you could buy all your clothes and incidentals there
No money exchange or cash point in the hotel , but loads everywhere and a bank not far .
DONT go to the supermarket next door , unless you're carrying heavy goods , he's very very expensive .
There are two supermarkets , one near the beach and one the other side of the indoor market , extremely cheap.
There's an excellent booze shop come out of the hotel turn right , and a very cheap tobacco shop turn left past the silver dollar , avoid the drunks on the pavement.
Begging everywhere , then drunk beggars when they get some money , they sleep here they beg and are disgustingly filthy.
To sum up , they actually were very quick fixing the safe and the shower , the air conditioning did work , the staff , the customer services are a bit offensive and officious , but worse , two faced , enforced rules to some and a blind eye to others
I would never advise taking children , there are persons that go there , in compromising positions that simply shouldn't be done in public and a lady of the night.
Don't go there unless basically you don't mind the noise , the substandard food , want to get bladdered ever night be loud , so basically if you're a Southerner with a little bit of sophisticated attitude, go to the old town , but never this hotel.
Lastly , the management should address their reception staff , when I asked to go to the OCAS , she said it was SUBSTANDARD , I SAID IS IT A DUMP , SHE SAID YES , that's not what I would expect to hear .
I talked to people staying at the OCAS they said it had been upgraded ,there was no paint peeling off , holes in walls , damage to doors , and that's what you get in the PELICANOS , it's very dated and tired.
Lastly , the OCAS has no lunchtime meals or evening entertainment , so you get hoards of their guests at lunchtime , taking up sun loungers all afternoon , then taking up numerous tables in the evening , it cause an unnecessary overcrowded situation , more thoughts by the management.
Also one small smoking area needs thought .
And the smoking area masks the ramp up to the pool . Should be made more accessible.
Signage in the hotel is poor to non existent , needs remedial action.
Toilets were the best , three , one by the pool , one in the restaurant area and one by the bar . All ghad disabled facilities.
But the locks didn't work , the auto lights came on sporadically and not long enough , they should be refurbished , as does the hotel , but unfortunately what's the point when you have a northern invasion and that's exactly what they are used to and live in
Signa

The hotel was lovely, very close to everything, pool area very nice & very clean.

The staff were very nice and friendly.

Was expecting bad food, bad service based on reviews but was amazingly suprised , food is good, different every night, beds are comfy as, aircon is good , walls thick, drinks are plentiful and the pool is lovely, and in beautiful location , what more could you want for £100 or so a night all inclusive.

Lotion was good but was a little disappointed with the hotel, our room was clean but had nails sticking out of the sides next to the beds and as we had children with us it was a bit worrying! We tried to swap rooms as the air con wasn’t working and was small for a family for four and was told we needed to pay an extra 700 euros!! No kettle in the room and that was also an added extra! Food was the same every day and not a lot going on for kids. Also had to let staff know that there was sharp metal sticking up in the main pool! The swim up pool is closed down. Don’t think we would return to this hotel