We stayed as a family at the Mellia between Christmas and New year. The hotel was excellent. Right from the check in to check out everything went smoothly thanks to Jose Antonio
The rooms were clean and neat. The bathroom was HUGE! We were greeted each day with lovely decorations on the bed and bathroom thanks to Fathima Abdullah.
The food was great thanks to Chef Harald and his team of chefs.
Chef Harald worked very hard to make sure that all the meals were of top quality.
Special mention for Arjun who added a special touch to our special requests.
Also the team at Spices restaurant were very efficient and the service was good. Special mention for Reda who ensured everything was of high standard.
We loved the different theme nights at Spices and the wonderful Christmas gala dinner.
Cyprian at the pool bar worked hard running quickly up and down the pool area taking orders.
The team at Gabi beach headed by Suleman Said also did a great job.
I didn't mind that Gabi beach was about 1km away as the golf cart service was efficient and on time.
The only problem was the beach boys at the beach that kept nagging you all the time (I thought the beach was private so I don't know why they were allowed there??)
There are many other service staff that made the stay memorable like the two Juma's (tall and short)
Special greeting to Emily at guest services who went the extra mile to keep us happy.
We will be recommending the Melia to our friends and family.

I stayed at the Melia with my wife after a Kilimanjaro climb. The resort is located an hour from the airport and it is truely fantastic, the service first class. The restaurants have a wonderful variety of foods for every taste. The bathroom was bigger than our bedroom, with an indoor and outdoor shower and deep and over 60 " long bath tub that can accomodate normal size couples. It is a romantic resort and every member of the staff appears to be there just to please you. They have live music every night which is a joy with the evening breeze.

The downs:
1) the beach accross the resort is pretty but unusuable, full of rocks, mud, plants, unwalkable. They have another beach 1 kilometer from the resort. A gulf cart from the resort leaves frequently to Gabi beach. They have a few huts with a bar and a pretty view. a few yards of beach that you can walk in 5 minutes but again, you cannot get to enjoy the water of the sea if you want to swim. I am pretty determined but could not walk half a mile on rocks, seaweed, glass and other trash to get there. It is worth taking a few pictures since the view is spectacular.
2) Another inconvinience was the crowds of 20 year olds claiming to be captains (Harry, John, Charles) they would follow you every where with pictures of fish, clear water, outboard boats. Want to go fishing? Best prices, half a day $150 a person look....snorkling, pick you up tomorror $120 cheapest price. You can politly decline but they will keep going up until you get firm and tell them not to bother you any more.
3) they nickel and dime you. As you arrive, they offer an all inclusive service at $50 per person per day, they claim it includes all drinks and lunch and dinner since breakfast was already included. Once you pass your credit card and sign, they will show you a menu with all sorts of drinks, after each one there was one, two asterics or none. We were then told that the all inclusive covered only the one asteric items. Guess what, of the 30 wines on the menu, there was one Sauvignon blanc and one sparlking, of all the beers, just one brand was included, of all vodkas, only Smirthnoff was included.

If you are prepared to splurge, happy to be exclusively nestled in this resort with your loved one, or just relax by the ocean, this is the place for you. Large room and bathroom, clean linen and charming ocean resort are Melia's strengths. The mini-pool by the ocean near the fitness center is a good experience. While you are dipping in the pool by the edge of the cliff, you see the ocean across! Service is mediocre and the management will need to take the effort to train their staff on all counts. For people who eat vegetarian food, this is not the place to be - you will be desperate and find nothing much for you. After all this is an island! If you are looking to do sight-seeing in Stone Town and other places around Zanzibar, then transport options are limited and you will have to take the expensive hotel taxi. After all, it is better to enjoy the paradise of Melia Resort and neighbouring Gabi beach. This hotel is okay recommended for business meetings but not if you need internet access for work, which is terrible.

A group of friends and I stayed at Melia for three nights after a week on safari. The rooms were incredibly clean and well maintained. The bathroom was draw-dropping with an indoor and outdoor shower and huge bath and just as big as (if not bigger than) the bedroom. We upgraded on arrival to all inclusive and it was well worth it. While it was the basic level (so not everything on the menus was included) there was still plenty of variety in both drinks and food. The burgers at the pool bar were delicious.

The infinity pool was awesome and the wait staff at the pool were prompt with taking and delivering orders. I found the beach not that great. It was gorgeous but the water is very shallow and warm and the sand felt like mud underfoot. This is obviously not the hotel's fault and I may be picky because I'm used to beaches in Australia. I was more than happy to lounge by the pool for the majority of my stay.

The food at Spices (buffet breakfast, lunch and dinner) and Aqua (set menu for basic all inclusive guests) was delicious. The cafe at Gabi beach wasn't up to the same standard as the pool bar I thought but we were there at what seemed like a very busy time. Plus I was on holidays so was in no hurry.

I've read reviews complaining about the noise but I was in a ground floor garden room in block 14 (facing Spices where a band plays each night) and I had no problem with noise. And yes, there is the occasional black out but not for long. It is Africa after all and if you've spent any time there you know how common power outages are.

All in all I had a wonderful stay and wish I could have stayed longer. I hope to make the long trip back sometime (hopefully sooner rather than later).