From US$127
– Great location, just a short walk to the lifts and restaurants
– Hotel parking is expensive
Ski resort hotels can tend to offer much the same — tired Alpine decor and a budget feel, often without the price tag to match! Luckily, the Melia Sierra Nevada avoids all the usual pitfalls. With a number of practical and luxury features, you can continue to have a fabulous experience after you come back from the slopes.
The recently refurbished rooms are cosy, stylish and comfortable. The huge waterfall style showers are just what you need to soothe away aches and pains without struggling to squeeze in. The rooms can be configured for extra beds whatever your family set up and there’s plenty of wardrobe space for the excessive amount of clothes ski trips require.
Driving into the resort after a few days of heavy snow we were relieved to find the Melia’s underground carpark. On the same level are secure and generously sized ski lockers, one per hotel room (with convenient benches for equipment assembly) so you don’t have to drag all your gear through reception.
Extra bonuses include an on-site English/sports bar and three restaurants if getting dressed up and venturing into the village for your evening doesn’t appeal. The buffet restaurant is great quality, with plenty of islands displaying fresh ingredients with vibrant colours from salads and cheeses, cakes and desserts, and a cooking station complete with a chef grilling to order — it’s everything you need to satisfy your post-skiing hunger.
There is a fabulously well-conceived kids’ club between 5:30 and 8:00 pm, so when your children STILL have boundless energy you can unwind for a couple of hours knowing they are t-shirt making, painting, crafting and playing in a cute fun-house just a few floors away.
The spa and pool area are delightful, with an array of treatments on offer plus steam room and sauna. Next door at the Melia Sol y Nieve, the pool is breathtaking, with what looks like geysers erupting to great height all across the water. It’s a child-free zone too, perfect for adults seeking some quiet R&R (although less helpful for parents relegated to accompanying their kids to the children’s pool next door).
For anyone trying to save a few euros on accommodation, the Melia isn’t that much more expensive than places offering decidedly average rooms and facilities. But the extra you get for your money is well worth it to add that extra touch of comfort, convenience and class to your trip.
