The hotel is in a good location but the room is like a Motel 6. They charge $10 extra for a cooler and it took about 5 hrs and reminding them four times that we were still waiting for it as we had food that needed to be chilled. I was charged $137 for one night. I didn't hate it but I wouldn't stay there again.

Ponce was a surprising town for us during our December trip to Puerto Rico. You will find art deco buildings all around the central plaza, and Hotel Melia is a leading example of the architectural design. Really wonderful staff here and the only reason I didn't give them 5 circles are the outdated (but very clean) rooms.

Pluses:
+ Hotel staff were some of the best anywhere - and we travel all around the world, so this does not come lightly. The front desk hosts were welcoming, provided recommendations of places to visit in town with personal insights to each, and had good dinner ideas on the dreaded Monday night when everything seems closed in Ponce. Maids, parking attendants, and breakfast waiter/waitresses always greeted you with a smile and asked if everything was ok.
+ The gorgeous art deco facade, hallways and sitting areas - really a beautiful building
+ Great rooftop view of the city and the mountains. A perfect place to start your day with breakfast.
+ Right on the central plaza, so easy to walk to many great places. Plaza was decorated beautifully for Christmas

Minuses:
- Rooms were very outdated. They are clean and comfortable. Bathrooms were a bit better than the sleeping area. They were doing renovations when we were there, so I suspect that some of the rooms will be updated soon.

Other:
= Breakfast was a little better than other places we had been previously in Puerto Rico. Bagels, donuts, cereal, fruit, yogurt, coffee, and juice.

We pulled in for one night during our road trip around Puerto Rico and was able to get a room right away for $120/night w/ tax that also included continental breakfast. The hotel was right on the Plaza Delicias at the center of town, easy to get to from the highway, and has cheap, secure parking next door for $3/night. Staying on the plaza was great because there's usually something going on especially during the weekends. We stayed on a Sun. night and there was a large outdoor festival with live salsa bands.

We chose this place based on Lonely Planet's description and it was right- the lobby is polished and beautiful, the rooms not as much but still very pleasant, spacious, and clean, and the bathroom was modern with nice tiles, plumbing fixtures, and hair dryer. There's also a beautiful roof deck/garden with a screened dining area on the 4th floor where breakfast is served. The continental breakfast was ok: coffee, juice, cold cereal, and some pastries.

The best experience of our stay was the staff. I wish I had gotten the young concierge's name, but he greeted us every time we came and went, and gave a restaurant recommendation for dinner that turned out to be great. When we realized we left our phone charger in the previous hotel and asked him for directions to the nearest walmart to find a replacement, we printed out a google map for us and showed us the best way to get there.

The hotel is a bit rough-around-the-edges and is showing it's age but the trade-off is an abundance of charm and a superb location. Parking is on-site and in an attached/secure lot for only $3/day. Staff are very friendly and helpful, the breakfast was surprisingly good. Ponce is a very interesting city with quite a bit to see and this hotel makes for a great base.