Melia Tortuga Beach

Kovthaman M.

We stayed at Meliá Tortuga Beach for one week on an all-inclusive holiday with our two toddlers. Overall, we had a pleasant stay. The hotel has direct beach access, which was a big plus, and the staff were very friendly and helpful throughout our stay. The food was decent, with a reasonable choice of options each day. For families with young children, however, we found the facilities and entertainment quite limited. The kids' club felt dated and run-down, and during the week we were there, there seemed to be very few organised activities taking place for toddlers. Another thing that bothered us was the pebble-stone paving throughout much of the resort. It looks nice, but it is not very practical when travelling with toddlers and using a pushchair, as it can be quite uncomfortable and difficult to move around on. Overall, it is a nice resort with friendly staff, good beach access and decent food, but I think it could be improved quite a bit for families travelling with very young children.

Madison

Me and my brother stayed at this gorgeous hotel back in May this year. I can’t stop thinking about how perfect the stay was so I thought I’d give a honest review. The food was 11/10! The restaurants included in the all inclusive package were amazing. Every restaurant was beautiful, tasty, and unique. Me and my brother loved the restaurant on the beach the best where we had a lovely streak and cocktail. The steak was cooked beautifully and the cocktails were so unreal. The rooms were lovely and clean. Absolutely plenty of room for the two of us and possibly others! The room was nicely cleaned every day which was perfect and it was always cleaned to a high standard, we could tell that the housekeeping team work so hard. The staff at this hotel were all so lovely and polite. I’ve never been somewhere before where everyone has been so welcoming before. It’s so nice for a change to be in such a beautiful country and have beautiful people there that made us feel so welcome. I can’t fault that as we stayed for 7 nights and every hotel staff member there would be so nice, it made us truly want to stay longer. The entertainment was amazing and out of this world. There was something different on every night which was incredible and the acts were so beautiful. I could tell that everyone performing works so hard and are happy to be there. The location of the hotel is perfect. It’s beach front and peaceful. I recommend going for a walk along the path towards the front of the Bob Marley bar. The sunsets and scenery were gorgeous. I will definitely be coming back to Sal and I would love to come back to this hotel in the near future, it’s truly one of a kind. I miss it so much.

Gonçalo Megre

Family of 5, we booked a 3 bedroom villa and it was great: very spacious, with a small private pool that our children couldn't get enough of. Pleasant and clean common areas, friendly and helpful staff, varied food with very good quality. The sea in front of the hotel has a rocky bottom, but there is a man-made bay about 100 metres away with warm turquoise water, fine sand... beautiful. The one thing that didn't go as expected was the transfer from the airport on arrival. Being 5, we booked the transfer with the hotel; upon arrival, the transfer wasn't there, we called the hotel several times and had to wait almost an hour until our transport arrived. No explanation or apology was offered. We asked the reception to call a taxi for our departure and it was much better and far more affordable.

Jessica-maria Wood

We absolutely love Sal, and having stayed at Sol Dunas and Meliá Dunas before, we were really looking forward to trying Meliá Tortuga. Unfortunately, compared with the sister hotels, we found Tortuga quite disappointing. The rooms are brilliant — really spacious, clean and definitely one of the highlights. The pool area, however, needs much more attention. Sunbeds are basically all claimed by 6:30am, which is ridiculous. Cleanliness around the pool could also be much better, and the bar area often smells unpleasant. People also eat and drink in the pool, which means the water can look quite milky. There is very little entertainment, and honestly, there is almost nothing for children to do. The kids’ club is open, but there were hardly any children there because it doesn’t feel like there’s much effort to get them involved. There’s no entertainment team around the pool either. This was particularly disappointing for families. One thing I witnessed also really bothered me. I overheard a woman asking if there was some kind of disabled sign or arrangement for a family member who uses a wheelchair, so they could ensure they had access to a single suitable sunbed and an accessible table at dinner/tea time. She was refused, and it was very clear how upset and frustrated she was by the response. I can’t comment on the full circumstances, but seeing that interaction left a very poor impression. The management also didn’t come across particularly welcoming. On several occasions they looked quite grumpy and unapproachable, which doesn’t help create a friendly holiday atmosphere. Staff generally seem friendly, but they don’t always seem to notice or deal with the little things. The Spice restaurant feels very cramped, and although the food is okay, it’s repetitive and often not particularly hot. There’s no waiter service, and drinks can be lukewarm. The beer and wine weren’t great either. The fruit machine was constantly broken and seemed to only offer multi-juice, with no fizzy drinks option. The ice cream is basically a Mr Whippy-style ice cream, but water-based, so not the best. We also chose the VIP option, which in hindsight was a mistake at Tortuga. The main places we could use it without having to walk a long distance were Bikini Beach and Bob Marley — although both of those were absolutely amazing. Overall, if you love Sal like we do, you’ll probably still have a great holiday because the island itself is beautiful. But having stayed at Sol Dunas and Meliá Dunas, we would choose either of those over Meliá Tortuga every time. The staff there felt more friendly and helpful, there was more for families, and the overall standard and atmosphere were much better. Beautiful, spacious rooms and a lovely location, but unfortunately Tortuga didn’t live up to the standard we expected from the sister hotels.

Lala Land

Lovely hotel, good selection of restaurants. Very clean and tidy. Beautiful beach with plenty of sun loungers. Sea is pretty rough but a short walk to a calm bay. Antonio, in public relations, is incredibly helpful and organised a perfect tour of the island for us. Nothing was too much trouble for him.