This was our second visit there within 4 years. We stayed for five days at the end of season and had very nice weather (swam in the -a bit cold but very clean- ocean every day for up to an hour).
The hotel is quite old but has a nice architecture and is clean, the pool is huge, the personnel very friendly. The breakfast is great but the dinner buffet was so so...
Since our last visit they closed the hotel parking area to charge the customers 11 Euros / day to park their cars. We parked outside at the neighbouring appartment complex which might be difficult in the high season. They also charge very high fees to access the inernet; what a shame these days !!
As usual in Spain, you have to pay for the chairs and umbrella at the beach (10 Euros).

Worth a visit (at least off season) thanks to the fantastic beach, friendly stuff and low prices.

The location, brilliant, the service, very good, the pool, kiddies activities, general ambience, well up to scratch, the food, ah the food, fabulous!

But the aircon in the room. Why oh why would the aircon in the room stop blowing in cold air at about two thirty every morning. I can only guess that it was an economy measure, the system saving energy by blowing in outside air once it got down to a certain air temperature outside. However, the heat soak from the walls meant the room turned in to an oven by three o'clock. We changed rooms, same result even with a room that didn't get so much direct sun on the walls. The temperature was never less than 24 degrees and the first room saw twenty eight at 4 am a couple of times. Totally unacceptable for a '4 star' hotel at a hundred and forty odd pounds per night. We couldn't open the windows, BTW, due to the mosquitos, of which there were quite a few. Late or early season might be better temperature wise, I guess.

So, if you are a warm blooded mozzie proof lover of spanish food and ambience, this place is for you, particularly if you are a surfer. If not, look elsewhere!

Had an excellent stay. We had booked a family room as we have three kids and had a two room one bathroom place. Two terraces, one facing back to garden courtyard and one to the pool and they were in need of modernising otherwise rooms were good.
The fact that the layout is small 2 storey blocks rather than a large building adds to the attraction.
Pool was brilliant. Water at good temp with sloped access points, built in jacuzzis, fountain and bar accessible from pool with wet stools inside the water.
Food was high standard as the main clientèle are Spanish and they have resisted catering for the English/International brigade and remained true. Having chefs prepare your meat or fish as you like it in front of you is a bonus compared with precook and keep warm attempts made in other places.
The beach bar chiringuito also has excellent food at lunch time specialising in tuna and catch of the day cooked to perfection the Spanish way.
The beach itself is awesome especially to towards the cliffs and beach head with interesting rock formations. Care that the sea is quite dangerous here and many have drowned according to locals.
Staff are more simpatico and seemed happier though they really worked hard 12 hours a shift.
There are two night entertainments spots. One is aimed at kids yet had one of the best magicians I have seen for a long time at this kind of place. The other is at the beach bar which is live music of various styles.
Zahara is a quaint village with loads of good fish restaurants worthy of exploring.

lovely beach hotel of typical melia quality,rooms are well equipped and comfortable,large bathrooms,stay on half board if you can the buffet food is excellant so many choices of fresh food,the best breakfast ever.the front of the hotel is not very inviting needs to be updated,but inside is great as are pool areas and beach outside.