We were disappointed to see how this hotel has deteriorated since our last visit a few years ago. We had a standard, sea-view room which was adequate although rather too small to earn a 5-star rating. the bedroom and bathroom were a little shabby and, obviously, there has been not upgrading of the rooms for years.
There used to be a pleasant little dispense bar in the lounge area which was ideal for pre-dinner aperitifs. The fixture is still there but no longer manned so the only indoor bar is in the cabaret room which is not very welcoming in the early evening.
Our main basis of complaint concerns the buffet service in the dining room. This used to be superb but is now at the level of a second-rate holiday camp. The English type (supposedly hot) breakfast dishes were invariably cold and often under-cooked and the bacon was sometimes almost raw!
There was an omelette chef on duty each morning (not always the same one) and most of them had little concept of how to cook an omelette. There was always a queue for them as it offered the only really cooked food but even the omelettes were often tipped onto your plate only partially cooked.
The waiters are skilled in avoiding any eye-contact with the guests and would march between the tables looking straight ahead and ignoring attempts to attract their attention. After a while the diners would get up and fetch coffee, cutlery, china or whatever they needed which may be exactly what the waiters were trying to achieve.
We only had one evening meal in the dining room and that was enough to put us off for the rest of our stay. The food selection was appalling, apart from desserts which were extremely good. Fortunately there are a number of first-class restaurants nearby so there is a variety of alternative options.
The problems all arise from a lack of adequate and effective supervision in the dining room. The catering staff are all left to their own devices and this simply does not work in a large hotel. A young "supervisor" was sometimes in attendance but she never once addressed a problem or caused a remedy to be effected.

THE GOOD NEWS
The gardens, pool areas and outside bars and restaurant are quite delightful and the outside staff were always cheerful, helpful and obliging. So are the reception staff, porters and chambermaids.
Also, and this is why we will return, the location is certainly the best in San Agustin and probably the best in southern Gran Canaria.
One cannot escape feeling, however, that San Agustin has peaked and is now in decline. There was not much there to begin with, not even a bank, buy we noticed a number of empty cafes, bars and shops and at least one hotel that were busy and thriving a few years ago. I hope that the massive roadworks that are taking place outside Tamarindos are to bring the visitors in rather than to sweep them through to the livelier places further along the coast.

We have just come back from a week in Melia Tamarinos there is no way this is a 5 star its just about a 4 star. We went half board , the breakfast was very good the evening meal is a buffet it was ok but felt like a glorified canteen . The staff were very helpful , we had a sea view which was clean but a little small the bathroom was looking very tired.
The resort of San Agustin is awful there is NOTHING THERE . I will not go back.

Pat from London

Having booked the day before with Last Minute.com using their SECRET ROOM's facility (interpret as cheapest rooms available) we arrived around 6pm and had no difficulty finding the Melia, there is very little in San Augustin except large hotels and it can easily be seen on the main approach road. Somewhat shocked by the huge roadworks directly outside which are on a motorway scale and will devestate the area until June, we checked in. The process was efficient and pleasant however we found you get what you pay for or NOT as the case may be. Having asked for a high room, non smoking a 2nd floor room in which someone had been smoking was provided. It's not the fault of the hotel that selfish customer smoke in rooms but its my view the hotel should penalise them for doing so, perhaps by adding a cleaning surcharge or similar. Anyway the room was small, old fashioned and overlooked the roadworks directly, not a pretty sight although they were surprisingly not particularly noisy. The rooms were not what I expected from a five star for a start the airconditioning was not working, the mini bar appeared to be on its last legs and the toilet shower arrangements were incredibly cramped and worn. There were no dressing gowns as you would expect of a five star but there were some handy slippers. The outside balcony furniture was cheap but functional but again not high quality as with most things in the hotel. 5 Stars means a high price for lots of top quality facilities, it did not mean though in the Melia the spa was included, so no Jacquzi or steam room facilities were provided for free. You had to pay an extra I think 18 euro for this priviledge which I think is a con. We complained about the room and were told it was definitely what you get for 5 star on the island but if we wait for the manager he would listen to our issues. The problem being we only had 4 nights and the manager was not due until the next day so we had spent half our holiday before we could raise our concerns. The manager was efficient and duly called our room early the next morning, he was extremely pleasant and changed us to a better room on a higher floor, this time with a sea view. Despite this I still felt he was dealing with both his hands tied because the hotel is definitely not of the quality marketed and its about time the rating agencies put this where it belongs as either 3 or 4 star accomodation. Also don't bother with San Augustin, there is simply nothing there, your money would be much better spent going to the very pretty Puerto Mogan which actually has some life and focus.

We enjoyed our 6 nights over Christmas at this hotel but we wouldn't go back without our kids in tow. The location in San Augustin is good, being right on the beach, and the 4km long promenade path is easily accessible (great when you want a pleasant walk along the seafront). The hotel and grounds are clean and well kept and the pools are in excellent condition.

When we're on holiday we try not to let anything spoil our enjoyment, so we forgave the less-than-hot steam room (which costs 5 euros per person to use) and an inefficient room service (we gave up after the first order never arrived and the second order was wrong - both reported to reception).

Our room overlooked the sea and was in good condition. It was a reasonable size but by no means generous. We were on half-board, and found the food selection and quality generally very good. Restaurant waiter service was friendly if somewhat erratic at times.

We traveled as a couple on this occasion and while we knew there would be kids about we did hope there might be some areas where we could relax in adult company. Alas, there were none (save for the casino, which is not really our thing). The hotel bar was probably the biggest disappointment, with kids still running about at 11pm. This hotel is not for couples looking for peace and maybe a little romance. That said, if you're taking the kids along, you might find it a lovely place to be.

All in all, a great holiday but an average hotel.