Melia Tropical All-Inclusive Resort, Punta Cana

Me and my girlfriend went to the Melia. It was my first time in the country and my Gf was raised there for many years so it was easy for me cause the staff did not speak much english. The Staff was very friendly and accomadating to everything we asked. The food was really good. We sometimes made 2 reservations to diff. restaurants a night. Julio was our guy that gave us all the drinks and help around the resort. The place is very big. Make sure you do your homework on what room location you are at. This was the best trip we ever had and deff. would go back again. Thanks

From the moment we stepped out of the vehicle to register we were were impressed by the service and that did not change for the next seven days. We are used to 4 or 5 star resorts and this did not disappoint. Restaurants were very good as were the servers. The beach at this resort and all the way past other resorts was one of the nicest we have seen. Tipping is not necessary but take a fistful of singles and leave the servers something. I think I would have received the same service but as I sat down I would have a glass of wine in front of me immediately. We will visit again.

On the outside, the Melia Caribe looks very nice, but underneath that veneer lies a cheap hotel. It is large and sprawling, with very limited shuttle service across the property. The only thing this place has going for it is the extensive beach. The service is the worst that I have experienced in an all inclusive. The food was terrible (most of it was frozen or canned), and the drinks were made with powder or canned mixes and the cheapest alcohol they could find. During the day you would only be able to find 3 bars open - the main lobby and pool bars. Don't drink the water! Unfortunately, they don't tell you that until the second day you are there. At least botttled water was readily available. They have multiple specialty restuarants on site, for which you have to make a reservation. We made reservations and they confused it in the system, so we had problems the first night as well. Even in those specialty restaurants, more canned and frozen food was found. Don't even bother trying to eat any of the seafood items - they all tasted spoiled. They had problems checking us in, we didn't get the type of rooms on our reservation, and gave us a map which was supposed to be written in English, but really was in German, despite numerous requests for an English version, they kept giving us the German one. My daughter and I went to the spa, where we spent $70 for a manicure and pedicure and $50 for a massage that was closer to a backrub using oil. The very next day over half of my nail polish had lifted off (not chipped, but lifted). Plus, they were late for our appointment and then seemed to have a problem when we still wanted our massages. The rooms are very noisy, and you can hear everything outside your doors, as well as adjacent rooms. If you want anything more than a single bottle of water, Coke or Sprite, you have to call the desk. They also didn't always restock your room with clean towels (took the old ones away, but didn't refill). The pools were dirty, so all we did was go to the beach.

Staff was courteous, specially Victor Montilla. Food/Drinks galore. Some restaurants did not open every night, due to it being "low season". Beach/Swimming Pools not that crowded. Weather was perfect. Took excursion to Santo Domingo. "Papa Tito" of Prieto Tours was an excellent guide. By all means, tip workers who are diligent serving (which most are). It is a shame to see that most tourists don't, misunderstanding the all inclusiveness or just being cheap/broke. Vacation Club: Just say: "no gracias". Only disappointment was sometimes no answer when called front desk. I believe they should reassign some of the girls that serve at restaurant and place them at the lobby/front desk. Men that work there now have difficulty smiling/being friendly. Can not wait to return next year, that time with my whole family.

First, I have to warn all the guests that are heading to this company resort at Punta Cana. The food is salty to all food, including buffet and fine dining restaurants. Please fix your problem soon!!! Second, your service workers are very unpleasant to guests. It appears that they are not eager to serve to all areas. Please don't let me go into other resorts in Santo Domingo!! Your company has so much to learn. Third, Please don't let your guests wait too long when checking in and out!! Its so ridiculous when u r paying 4 and half stars prices. Please fix your problems from my experience!! I had just arrived back to Toronto on September 4, 2009.

Our stay was not as good as we expected. Definately, this is not a gay friendly hotel. Last week, I stayed with my wife for a week and their employees were rude and very disrespectful towards gay guests. We will not recommend this Hotel and/or any Melia chain hotel to gay people. This is the first time that we were treated so badly. The employees of the hotel should reflect The Melia vision as a vacation resort and if that's the kind of treatment that they are trained to perform with the guests, it is a shame.

After 16 hours of flight from California, we were expecting that the hotel experience will be easy. The Front Desk was very chaotic, disorganize, people from the front desk are rude and not hospitable. The customer service was very very poor compared to all the all inclusive facilities that we have been. Making reservations to restaurants were almost impossible, they have a time frame but when you call nobody answers, then if and when they answer, they will let you know that it is all booked. JC Northern California

My boyfriend and I just returned from a 7day vacation that was absolutely amazing. We had the royal service which is the absolute way to go. From the minute we got there we were treating VIP style with express check in and a nice beverage! The resort itself was very well maintained and beautiful. We had a junior sweet which was pretty nice but the master suites were so much nicer. The staff in the royal service were awesome! The bartenders at the pool bar in the royal service were extremely friendly and made you feel very invited. The food was okay, not great. The Gabi restaurant was very good and the International restaurant was our favorite. They have a huge buffet for breakfast and lunch. Outside the royal service we could see the difference in service definitely. We had a wonderful time and would recommend this place to anyone. My only issue was I kept getting bug bites! My boyfriend had none so I'm guessing it's my sweet blood. LOL All in all, loved it, loved it, loved it!

My wife and I just returned from a week at the Melia Caribe Tropical Resort and can't wait to tell all our friends what a beautiful resort it is. I read a number of negative reviews and cannot believe that these people went to the same place. We booked the vacation with Island Breeze Travel online and paid a total of $760 for seven nights, way below the regular rate, agreeing to attend a Vacation Club presentation. Believe me, it was well worth attending the 90 minute (really a little over 2 hours) presentation and saving over $1,000. I will also say that there was no high-pressure sales tactics involved and we did not purchase the vacation plan. We arrived at the Punta Cana airport at noon and paid the $10 fee for a visitor's card. We were told that there is also a $20 departure fee but we were never asked for it. We were shuttled to the hotel by a van at no cost (part of the Vacation Club promotion) and arrived at the hotel around 1 pm (20 minute ride). We were escorted to the registration desk and promptly given keys to our room even though checkin time is 3 pm. All of the staff spoke English which we appreciated as we know very little Spanish. Our bags were promptly placed in a golf-style cart and we were taken to our room in a building a few thousand feet from the main lobby. The room was beautiful and spacious but had two double beds instead of the king-size we wanted. I called the main desk and they gave us another room in a different building with no problem. Even though the gratuities are included, I would suggest bringing a number of dollar bills to hand out for the great service provided by the waiters, bartenders, etc. Some of these employees earn $6 a day and are very appreciative of a tip now and then. All of the employees were friendly and provided excellent service with a smile. They all spoke English with the exception of our maid and some of the employees that did not have direct contact with the public, i.e., gardeners. We were able to get reservations for a different restaurant each night including our first night. You should book no later than 9:30 in the morning to get your first choice and book the following night at the same time. We were quite impressed with the quality of the food in all of the restaurants. We ate breakfast and lunch at the Market Place or the two buffets on the beach (Turrey & Agora Grills). There were plenty of choices and we never had trouble finding a table. The pools were beautiful and there were plenty of lounge chairs in or out of the sun, unlike cruise ships. The water was crystal clear and you never had to worry about bumping into someone except at the swim-up bar. The pool depth ranged from 2 feet to 5 feet allowing every one to find a comfortable swimming area. There were two trains that ran all day. The longest we ever waited for a train was 10 minutres. The blue train runs an express route (inner circle) while the yellow train stops at all the "stations". Be sure to bring plenty of sun block because you will pay $20-$35 at the lobby stores. There is a shopping center across the street that has lower prices if you need to buy necessities. Alcoholics should avoid this resort as drinks are constantly being served throughout the day and night. Each lobby has a list of specialty drinks that entice the vacationer to try "just one more". Even with all the alcohol we never came across any trouble at the resort. The only negatives we encountered were the nightly entertainment and the lack of snorkeling off the beach. Most of the shows were in Spanish featuring local singers and dancers. We are spoiled by cruise entertainment which is usually outstanding. We were given the impression that you could snorkel off the beach but you have to signup for a tour boat ($31 p/p) to get to the coral reef. All in all, we highly recommend this resort. It is one beautiful place to relax and soak up the sun. Forget any negatives you have seen & enjoy it.

I have to agree with Nick M. We just returned on 5/31 after 8 full days and I have to say for the price it's worth it. I think people just expect too much, yes they tend to move slower, but it’s a different country with different ways so get over it! The rooms and grounds are well kept, the food was good and the staff is friendly and do their best to speak English. Be sure to make dinner reservations early or you'll miss out on the nice restaurants, and make “Hokkaido” restaurant one of your choices, you wont' be disappointed.