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 Melia Caribe / Tropical - Punta Cana   Location: Beach front - Punta Cana - East Coast - 25 mins. from Punta Cana airport All-inclusive - 1044 Junior Suites located in two-story bungalows Description from resort website: The resort has so many restaurants to choose from that guests can stay for 2 weeks and try a new restaurant everyday! With a world-class golf course right across the street, an exciting casino and the most thrilling activities in Punta Cana, Meliá Caribe Tropical is the perfect choice for your next family vacation. The Flintstones have found the perfect place for their holidays: they are staying with your family in one of our first theme hotels. Your kids can explore the Yabba-Dabba-Doo bazaar, gardens and swimming pools just like those Fred, Wilma, Barney and Betty enjoyed. World-class spas with sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and gym. Beauty salon, massages, facial and special body treatments available at extra charge - 8 lighted tennis courts - 7 free and lagoon form swimming pools - Arcade with video and electronic games  ~ Reviews posted on this page — 34  Don't forget to send Debbie your review on your return ~ More Melia Caribe / Tropical Reviews ~ Map of Resort  ~ Reader's Vacation Photos ~ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ~ Readers Wedding Reviews Save on All-Inclusive Caribbean Resorts with Travelocity
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| Melia Caribe Tropical | Kelly |
Arrival/Check in: My boyfriend and I both 25 years old, traveled to the Melia Caribe Tropical in Punta Cana April 24-30. Last year we stayed at the Melia in Cozumel and had a great experience which is how we decided on this resort. We arrived at the Punta Cana airport and the drive to the resort was only 20 minutes. The only inconvenience we encountered was that there was a very large group of 300 or so checking in at the same time as us and it was pouring rain, which was not anyone’s fault. We were transferred over to the “Tropical” lobby and check in went much smoother. The staff was very attentive and willing to help us get to the right place.
Rooms: We were pleasantly surprised with our room the “Junior Deluxe Suite” (the regular room). Our room was very clean, spacious and up to date. After hearing so much about “Royal Service” we were disappointed to hear the upgrade was more expensive than we had planned on. We did find out there were different levels of Royal Service and also room upgrades with out royal service which is all we really wanted. At the time, there were no room upgrades with a Jacuzzi available.
Pool/Beach: We only went to the main pool which was gigantic. There were plenty of seats in the sun and shade. If you want a shady hut by the pool or one of the soft beds under the tiki huts you had to get up and reserve them early. The pool and vicinity was very clean and well kept. The beach was beautiful, always enough seats. The only seats that need to be reserved early are under the tiki huts. The water was amazing, the only place we saw minimal seaweed in the water was at the “Royal Service” private beach which we thought was kind of funny…
Grounds: The grounds were beautiful, very rich with greens and flowers. Very well kept, there was staff out early every morning to start cleaning up the landscape. There were ponds, peacocks and flamingos all over. You definitely feel like you are in tropical paradise. The resort is very large it feels like a small city. There were trolleys running 24/7 to take you around the resort. We never waited more than 5 minutes for a trolley. I love walking so I did not mind walking anywhere except at night when I was wearing high heels. We stayed in building 33 and we were very close to the pool and beach. The lobby and specialty restaurants were further away but we did not mind. If I had to guess, I would say it was ¾ of a mile to walk to the lobby and specialty restaurants from our room.
Restaurants/Buffets: I was very pleased with all of the food that was offered. The breakfast and lunch buffet had many choices. We made reservations every night for the specialty restaurants, there were about 8 different specialty restaurants. We really enjoyed going to a different place every night, you do not get bored. The only place we could not get in was the Japanese restaurant, but we only tried once. Everyone said that is the most popular. Other than that we never had a problem getting reservations. Our favorite was the Mediterranean restaurant called “Capri,” we both had surf and turf the lobster was delicious. Gratuities are included in the package, but we tipped our waiter every night. We did not feel like they expected it which made it even better.
Activities: We did not participate in many of the hotel activities or shows. There was a show every night at 10:00PM, we just never ended up making it there in time. We did catch the karaoke night and it was pretty fun. Sometimes the lounges would have a DJ and we really enjoyed dancing. We tried going to the disco night club but it was dead on Saturday night so we did not go back. We did get a couple massage at the Caribe spa and it was very relaxing. On our last day we decided to go on an ATV excursion. We were very happy we got to see the country side and the Dominican way of living. You are in your own little luxury world at the resort and really don’t get any real idea of what the country is like. We got an hour ride/tour to the facility. Once we arrived we rode the four wheelers through the country side to a coffee/cocoa plantation, which was very interesting. Then we visited a cave, we went down 50 feet and jumped in the fresh spring water. It was a little creepy, the water was 27 ft deep and it was very dark. Then we drove the four wheelers to a secluded beach, the most beautiful beach I have ever seen or even imagined. We got to swim in the waves for about a half an hour. I highly recommend this excursion we had the best time. It was only $110 USD for a couple. The ride was 3 hours and plus the travel time it is about a 5 hour trip well worth the small amount of money.
Staff: We found the staff very friendly and helpful. We do not speak Spanish and we did not have any problems communicating with the staff, of course if you want to have more in depth conversations you might have some difficulty.
Departure: Our check out went very smooth. We called the desk to have our bags picked up they were there within 5 minutes. We checked out, took a few minutes and they called a cab which took another few minutes.
Conclusion: I highly recommend this resort. I look forward to returning and have already recommended the resort to everyone I know. I would also like to say that I agree with a fellow reviewer that stated they were glad that they did not waste their money on the royal service because there was nothing they could have done to make their experience better.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Michael |
We stayed at the Melia Caribe resort from March 25, 2008 through March 31, 2008. While portions of the resort were beautiful there were problems with our room every single night we were there and the service regarding these problems was unbelievably bad as I explain below.
SERVICE/ROOM
The service was very poor and the quality of the room was only fair. Certainly not worthy of four stars. When we arrived on March 25, 2008 we were placed in a room with two double beds despite the fact that the reservation confirmation showed that we were confirmed for a King bed and a sleeper. The room decor was dated and none of the rooms, and we ended up staying in three different rooms, look as good as they do on the website. When we asked to move because we did not get the room we were promised we were informed that nothing else was available and we could not be moved until the next day. We were moved the next day. However, the bathroom in the new room constantly flooded to the point that there was often two to three inches of standing water and the floor would constantly remain wet. As a result, every time we had to use the bathroom we were standing in water. In addition we were not sure of the source of the water so we could have been standing in unsanitary water or sewage from a leak in the toilet. Despite the fact that we complained repeatedly, our complaints were ignored for two days. Finally, the manager on duty examined the problem and showed us a new room which he promised to move us to. He promised to move us while we were out to dinner that evening and told us that we should pick up the new key at the reception area when we were done with dinner. When we returned from dinner and a show we went to pick up the key to our new room around 10:30 pm. When we went to the reception area in the Caribe lobby the receptionist told us that despite the manager's promise our room had not been changed and that she had been instructed NOT to change our room unless we signed a release which she presented to us. We were very upset due to the fact that my eleven year old son was very tired at this late hour and we all wanted to retire to our new non-flooding room. I waited over an hour for someone to help us and my family was moved around midnight. When we finally arrived at our new room it did not have any sofa bed so my son had to sleep in bed with us. The next day, the sofa bed finally appeared but despite numerous calls no sheets were delivered and my son had to sleep with us again. The last day there was no water pressure and no hot water. Despite the fact that our room was never fully functional for even ONE day of our stay the hotel defended this poor service even though we had been lied to about being moved while we are dinner.
FOOD
The food ranged from fair to good. Breakfast was good but the quality of the food in the lunch and dinner buffets varied greatly. We enjoyed the beef but the fish was uniformly dry, overcooked and uninteresting. In addition, there was a tremendous amount of repetition of selections. It was extremely annoying trying to get reservations in the specialty restaurants. However, we spent a great deal of time on the phone and were able to sample most of them. They all looked very nice but the quality was only slightly better then the buffets and none of the restaurants were particularly authentic although the service was very good in these restaurants. 1. Thai-Very good, probably the best we tried. 2. Japanese- I don't understand what all the fuss is about. It is extremely hard to get a reservation and the quality is not as good as any typical Beni Hana style restaurant. In addition, we were not seated for over an hour after our reservation time. As a result, my son, fell asleep waiting and went back to the room with my wife with no dinner. When we asked they refused to give us a reservation for the next night. 3. French-Fair, not particularly authentic. 4. Steakhouse-Only fair. 5. Dominican-Terrible. Very poor selection and food quality.
BEACHES/POOL
Beautiful beach and great pools. There were sufficient chairs at both. The bartenders were excellent
WATERSPORTS
Poor. The staff was very lazy and it was hard to get reservations. For example, the first few days we were told that we could take out the small sailboat since the catamarans were always reserved. When we attempted to take it, however, we were told that it was not available even though it was sitting on the beach with the sail up. The last day we were bringing a catamaran in when there was a small cloudburst. Rather then help us drag the large boat up on the beach the staff huddled under a roof sipping coffee and watching us pull the boat on to the beach.
ACTIVITIES
Very poor. There were few organized activities and what they had was of no interest to my son or us. In comparison to a Beaches or a Club Med type resort the activities were nonexistent.
GROUNDS
Beautiful. Lush vegetation throughout and interesting wildlife. The lobby and bar areas were also very nice
SHOWS
Terrible. They were all in Spanish and not at all in interesting.
GOLF
Surprisingly nice. The course was conveniently located and in very good condition.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Kristin |
First of all – thanks to Debbie for starting this incredible site. I’ve been using it for years!!!
This was our 2nd time to this resort (this time was with an RCI timeshare exchange). We love it here & would go back in a heartbeat. I think it's important to note, however that this is a Spanish hotel chain with guests from all over the world. Not all of the staff speaks English and not all of the food will please every palette. That said, we had great service (especially the Vacation Club/RCI staff) and had a wonderful time.
Arrival and Flight: My husband and I (ages 41 & 38) and our 18 month old son travelled to this resort from April 5th to the 13th on direct flights from Newark on Continental. We gate checked my son’s stroller and ended up waiting for it on the tarmac for over 20 minutes – make sure you ask someone to get any gate checked items as soon as you get off the plane. The bags took quite a while to come out however so it didn’t really matter. We used a transfer through the hotel – Club Caribe which was great - $20pp roundtrip and we had the air-conditioned coach to ourselves both ways.
Rooms: This would be the time to mention that this resort is very large. It is actually 2 resorts combined into one, there is the Caribe side and the Tropical side, each with it’s own huge pool and restaurants. There are also 2 lobbies based on where you are staying. There are some rooms up by the lobby buildings (where all the main restaurants are as well as the casino, gift shops, bars, shows, etc). Then there are rooms down by the beach and pools (along with an open air breakfast/lunch restaurant on each side). It’s about a 10 minute walk from the lobby to the beach. They have trams that run pretty regularly but we chose to walk up for dinner most nights (we always needed the walk on the way back!). Anyway, we requested and received a room near the pool/beach and got a great spot in Building 15 on the Tropical side in between the pool and the Turey restaurant. We had a king size bed, a pull out couch and sitting area, coffee maker, microwave, small fridge (stocked daily with water and soda) and a sink. This was great with the baby – easy to wash sippy cups, bottles, give snacks, etc. The bathroom was fine – it showed some wear, but was still nice.
Restaurants: We ate breakfast & lunch every day at either of the beach restaurants. I found a great variety of items each day and it was easy to find foods for our little one. I can’t think of a food they didn’t have. There is also a bar in each of these restaurants so it was easy to get drinks. The one thing that had changed since the last time we were here is that these 2 restaurants both closed at 6pm for the night which left nowhere to get a snack or a drink in this area of the resort in the evening. For the main “dinner” restaurants, you must call and make reservations each day after 1:30pm. We found that there are exceptions to this rule for Royal Service guests and members of the Vacation Club (which we were but didn’t figure it out until the end of the week!) All of the restaurants were great. We enjoyed the Thai and the Mexican the best. The Japanese was the hardest to get into and was excellent.
Bars: There are a ton of bars up in the lobby/restaurants area and a swim-up bar in each pool. The have a good selection although I would not call it top shelf. They did have Stoli vodka but no brand name rums (all local brands I guess). The only beer they have is Presidente which is fine. We didn’t drink a lot – this was a “family” trip and my 18 month old called the shots for most of the week!
Beach and Pools: Pure heaven!!! The landscaping around the pools is ideal – tons of palm trees and lots of privacy. Several shallow areas for the kids (along with a separate kiddy pool). Perfect temperature – very refreshing. The beach is one of my favorites. White sand, aqua blue water and a gazillion palm trees! The shady spots do get taken up quickly in the morning (we found it easier to get a spot at the pool in the am and the beach in the pm). The water does have some seaweed in the shallow part but it clears right out as you wade in farther.
Grounds: Absolutely beautifully landscaped. Peacocks, flamingos and various other birds roam freely among palm trees, flowers and fountains. This is one of the reasons that we didn’t mind the walk up to dinner.
Activities and Entertainment: We purposely did NOTHING during our week here. I would have liked to see some of the shows but they didn’t start until 10pm each night and by then our little on had had enough. They do have a kids show (Flinstones) that they loved at 8:30 – not sure if it was every night but at least a few nights. We saw parasailing, numerous boat trips and other activities on the beach. There are sales people walking around continuously if you want to sign up for anything.
Conclusion: This is a great resort. It was easy to do with our son and he had a blast. It is an older property so I’m not sure how it compares anymore to some of the newer resorts in Punta Cana but to us, it was a wonderful trip. I feel like I wrote a book and I know I’m forgetting certain things I wanted to mention! This board is invaluable and I’d be happy to answer ANY questions anyone has. Please email me at kr1st1nh@aol.com. Thanks for reading.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Leah |
Melia Caribe, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Leah, Brantford, Ontario Our trip was for one week, leaving March 31, 2008. There were four couples in our group. We contacted the hotel the week before to request rooms in the same villa by phone. The people on the phone were very polite but unable to guarantee us anything. We did inquire about Royal Service but it was considerably more expensive than we were willing to pay.
Arrival and Flight - This was our second flight into Punta Cana and this time was even rougher than the first. I’m not sure if this is a Punta Cana issue or we are just the unlucky ones! This time there were a number of people who screamed on our rough decent. Our flight landed at 2045hrs.
Check-In - Upon check-in we were sent to the VIP desk, where we received champagne. We were checked in as frequent guests despite never staying at this resort before. The only thing we could figure out is that we have stayed at different Melia’s at other destinations. The eight of us were given villa 36 and told it was the best location in the resort. We made it to our rooms by about 2230hrs. After making it to our room we located a restaurant (El Guarapo) that opened at 2300hrs for late night snacking!
Rooms - Our rooms were very nice. Villa 36 is the building closest to the beach on the Caribe side. It is also the closest villa to the Caribe pool.
So, we all agreed, Villa 36 is the best location in the resort! The only issue we had with the rooms is that there was not enough storage space.
Luckily we brought some extra hangers for all of the a la carte meals.
Otherwise we would not have had room for our nice clothes. The fridge does not get stocked with beer like at other resorts. The fridge is stocked with water and pop.
Restaurants - There are a tonne of restaurants at Melia.
We spent most of our daytime meals at Turey (the Caribe restaurant by the beach). Turey was open 6-6, sometimes for meals, sometimes for snacks.
They seemed to have paella every day at lunch which was a huge bonus for the seafood lovers! It is a typical buffet style restaurant.
We ate at a la carte restaurants every night. Even with a group of eight we were able to get reservations every night. If you can’t get through or get what you want early in the morning try calling back at 1330hrs. This is when they release the blocked times from Royal Service.
The order of my favourite restaurants was La Pagoda (Thai), Hokkaido (Japanese), Le Gourmet (French), Capri (Seafood), El Guarapo (Dominican), La Hacienda (Mexican). They were all great, but La Pagoda, Hokkaido and Le Gourmet were our all round favourites. I didn’t eat a lot of beef but everyone else loved the beef everywhere we went. If you go to Le Gourmet I would highly recommend the duck salad. I’d never had duck before, and it was amazing!
Bars – We spent most of our bar time at the Caribe pool bar and the Caribe lobby bar. Mario at the Caribe pool bar is a tonne of fun and makes it extremely easy to sit there for a long time. While the entire bar staff spoke English relatively well, they did seem to appreciate the attempts at Spanish and were very patient! The drinks were great, especially the Passion Coladas!
The Hotel – The beach was beautiful although we are more pool people than beach people. The caribe pool was beautiful (and apparently the Tropical pool is a mirror image of it). The pool was very clean as there were staff out cleaning it every morning.
The grounds are gorgeous and huge. We did not take the trolleys very often.
Despite being the furthest Villa from the lobby it only took about 12 minutes to walk between the two. Since we ate at the beach restaurant during the day we really only had to go to the lobby area for dinner, although it was a beautiful daytime walk. In the middle of the resort there is an amazing ecological reserve. I was able to get some amazing close-up photos of the beautiful Dominican flowers and plant life. There are flamingos, egrets and peacocks wandering the resort, great for photo taking.
Activities and Entertainment – Apart from the water aerobics, we really didn’t see any activities. Apparently they were mostly on the beach or at the Tropical pool.
Scuba Caribe - Five of us went on the Catalina Snorkeling ($90)/Scuba (+$60per dive) excursion. It was quite a windy day and there ended up being a number of people who were sick on the catamaran. These two dives were my first two as part of getting my scuba license. It was definitely a great place to learn to dive! Jorge was my divemaster and he definitely made sure my dives were interesting, although at the end I did have to do all of my skills (including towing him back to the catamaran!) The snorkeling from the Catalina beach was excellent. The water was very clear and there was a large amount of marine life if you stayed close (or under) the rock wall.
If you can get one of the divemasters to show you around the reef it is well worth it.
FYI – Doing the Catalina Island trip and getting my Open Water Scuba Certification (included Catalina trip, snorkeling, PADI text, dive tables, classroom time, quizzes, pool dives, final exam and 4 ocean dives) cost $509, much cheaper than at home! This is definitely the place to do it!
Departure and Check Out – We requested a 6pm checkout and got it without any issues. The 6pm checkout cost us an additional $75. We only got one room with a late checkout and split the costs. Checking out was quick and easy.
Conclusion – This was an amazing resort and a wonderful vacation. The people were very kind and helpful. We gave most of our gifts to the people we felt didn’t normally receive them (gardeners, pool boys etc.) Be prepared to write these people notes to say that the items were gifts as they will be stopped by hotel security when they do not have a note. If you happen to be around when the gardeners are cleaning up the palm trees don’t miss the opportunity to try the fresh coconut milk or meat that they offer to give you. In the end there was no reason to have wanted Royal Service.
There was nothing that they could have done for us to improve our experience. I’m glad we didn’t waste our money!
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Jim ~ Canada |
Flights;
Air Transat; If you have never flown air Transat, it might be worth upgrading to Club class for the seat size and service (#1), as well, you don't have to wait in a 500' line to check in leaving.... 3 course service and unlimited drinks or whatever going/coming... I think its worth it. If you get a West Jet flight, it's almost the same thing seat wise, just not the meal..... plus it costs nothing extra.
Resort:
Real nice and real big! First night we were wondering if we were gonna find our room in 8 days... but once you get your bearings, it's easy! Trains run in a loop (kind of a Jeep (modified) and they run every 10 min or so (24/7 - not as often at 3am obviously). Also found that the golf carts , which are mainly for the (Royal Service) would stop for you sometimes and drive you directly. We tipped $1 and amazingly found one outside our room most nights. These people are real friendly and appreciate a tip.... note: GO TO BRIEFING IN A.M. AND YOU WILL BE BETTER OFF
Our room was near pool and beach (3023)... 2 min walk to pool and to beach it was another 2 min. 15 min walk to main lobby/restaurants, or a 5 min train ride...
Real nice resort (and we have been all over Dominican and Cuba).
Restaurants:
Went to Seafood (2x's), Italian, Steak, Japanese, Mexicain, International... not easy to get into at times.
Seafood: Very good! Lobster tail, beef... ummmm
Americain (steak): again, very good. Meat done to perfection
Italian: Not too crazy on this one.. picked out the shrimp and left the rest
Mexicain: alright, but certainly not a favourite
Japanese: good show and one of the hardest to get into. Some Sushi and the seafood is real good...
International: good variety and overall pleasant
Buffets: 2 that we went to, one by beach and other at Tropical lobby: trust me, you wouldnt go hungry unless you are real real picky! Everything under the sun!
*if you like wine, they try to push bottles... I can see why, as the house wine is some of the worst I have tasted in any resort I have been to.
* all restaurants have a good variety! So if you don't like seafood but your other half does, you will still find something...
You make reservations Monday (9am) for Tuesday... BUT!!!! if you can't get in, call at 1:30pm and you will most likely get a reservation (I made it a point of calling at 1:25). What they do is reserve so many seats for Royal Class, and if they are not used, they let others book them at 1:30. Never had a prob getting into any restaurant, and they are worth going to.
Beach:
White sand... real nice, but with some seaweed in the water (what can you expect).... Rules of the resort are that you "shouldnt" leave towels on chairs to reserve and if done, others can remove them! Good rule. Most people respect this, but some still leave towels in am and at 3pm still havn't used the chairs... rude. Our rule was if it's vacant for 3 hours... it's fair to use it! No Complaints... Beach was really windy for a couple days... felt like we were being sand blasted...
Beach at Cayo Coco, Cuba was even nicer than this!!
Pool:
Big pool! Really nice!! Wife loved it, as I am not a water person. But I enjoyed it even so. Bartenders were great! Tip them a few times (1 dollar) here and there and it makes a nice difference. Need to be here by say 7:30 to get a good chair.... then go off to breakfast and come back in an hour or so... nice spot to spend your time (a little hotter than the beach though).
Excurtions:
We have done most of them (at one resort or another) but we did the outback safari thing this time. It had horse riding, sugar cane plantation, school, etc... and oh! Lots of rum.... nice trip and a good way to spend the day....
Staff:
These people were GREAT! If you expect them to speak perfect English, don't go to a foreign country... they try, and we never had a problem... the whole idea is for you to learn some Spainish! Key words... Cervesa... Mucho Rum (lol)... gracias, ola,.... take the time and get to know them... you will be that much richer for your experience!
General:
We met and enjoyed the company of a lot of people there. Made friends from Minnisota and other parts of US as well as people from all over. A lot of kids, but it was just my wife and I, and it didn't bother us (not overly noisy). A good destination all-in-all.... but still going back to Cayo Coco next year....
Oh. and my wife broke the wheel on the Flintstone Car by accident... don't tell them... shhhh
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Edmonton, AB, Canada |
Debbie,
We were a group of 25 that arrived March 27 for a one week stay. Check in went pretty smooth and the group all got rooms within a short walk of each other. This resort is huge. There were only four other people checking in at the same time and I can see if there was a plane load the people at the end of the line would have a fair wait. You are all well received at the front desk with the staff taking drink orders to make any wait you might have more comfortable. We found the resort absolutely gorgeous, very clean and well manicured. A tropical paradise with palms, fountains, flamingos, egrets, ducks, and other fowl found throughout. Our room was quite sizeable and well appointed. It had adjoining doors to the next room and I would suggest to any one that if you do not require adjoining rooms request so at check in as the doors are far from sound proof. Small gifts for housekeeping staff produced very pleasant results: flowers throughout the room, swans fashioned from towels etc.
The two large pools both have bars and are right next to the beach so no matter which you prefer there is always a bar that is close by. Bring go-cups if you are a beach person. People do reserve lounge chairs with their towels but there are lots to go around and we never had a problem finding a spot, even with our large group. We found all the buffets had a good selection with the food prepared quite well. Only one dinner buffet but, if you ask ahead of time they are able to accommodate large groups. Our group of 25 never had a problem getting large tables together. The resort was quite full but there was never a long wait to be seated. The ala carte restaurants were quite nice but it took some patience to make reservations. All in all we had a great time and no one of the 25 of us would hesitate in returning.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Gary & Cathy ~ Nova Scotia |
Via Air Transat Vacations. Flight down was about 45 mins late but on time on way back. Left at 7 AM on Monday and came back at 4:30 AM the next Tuesday so was like getting an extra day. Our room was not ready til 3 PM even though we were there before noon so it's a good idea to have some beachwear in your carry-on. The resort supplies you with a room to store your bags and a place to change and take a shower on the day you leave. (We had to vacate the room by noon but our flight was not til 11:30 PM).
Had to be at airport at 3 AM so stayed at the Halifax Quality Inn (Airport) which allows you to park for free for the week you are gone so almost offsets the cost of the room. Shuttle 24 hours/day to airport and on return they take you right to your car.
Rooms: very nice with soaps, shampoo, satellite TV, balcony, soft drinks and bottled water supplied for free in the mini-bar. Stayed in 3118 which is a few minutes walk from the pool and beach and only 8 minutes walk to the Caribe Lobby.
Beach was great. Lots of watersports available for free (sea kayaks, windsurfers, hobie cats, paddle boats) and no problem booking them. Great windsurfing as no giant surf to get through.
Food: Pretty good. A la carte restuarants sometimes hard to book but not really an issue. Some people without reservations would get a table with the maitre'd. Beach restuarant is very convenient place for breakfast and lunch. Water served at restuarants and ice cubes made with purified water so not an issue. Only thing they suggest is not to drink the tap water (brush teeth using bottled water).
Staff: Did not all speak English but were friendly and appreciated $1US tips. Bartenders will give you change for larger bills. If bar is really busy it helps to have a one dollar bill in your hand.
Pools are huge and a good place to find lounge chairs where you can find shade or sun. People do reserve them with their beach towels which is not a big deal since there are many places to sit. Best shade spots at the beach are usually claimed by 7:30 AM.
Golf: 3 nine hole courses. Bougainville quite long with most par 4's well over 400 yds. Greens are fast. You can book T-times yourself over the Internet or via your travel agent if you want to insure early morning times.
All in all a great spot but I would not recommend it for singles as most of the guests were young families and couples. Lots of activities for kids such as a huge park with zip lines, climbing wall, etc, all supervised by staff.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | A happy Canadian |
We just got back from 2 weeks in Punta Cana - we stayed at Melia Caribe from March 8th to March 22. We had a wonderful time. There was myself and my spouse and our son who is 4. The kids club was great and our son went there a few times in the two weeks; he really enjoyed it and met some good kids. Hello Ana, you were great. The resort is beautiful, the grounds stunning. The resort is very clean and had amazing food. Whether you ate at one of the buffets or one of the many al a carte's you were definitely going to be happy and walk away full.
The resort is huge. If you are unable to walk, or don't like any physical exercise, then this is not the resort for you. There are trains that will take you around but sometimes you have wait. I was never bothered by this, but I know some people are. Lazy people need not go. The beach is gorgeous, and the water is calm so kids can play in it. There are flea markets if you walk up the beach but I found shopping in Mexico better than shopping in the Dominican.
We were in villa 33 and this was close to one of the pools, very close to the beach and not to far from the Carible lobby. We were further from the Tropical lobby. Royal Service is available for a price, but either way you will not be disappointed. I read somewhere that if you didn't get Royal Service they would not be friendly to you. Not our case, we didn't have RS at first and when we did get it, we were treated just as well, only difference was we could go to the private Gabi restaurant, pool and private beach. I think the people will treat you as kindly as you treat them. If you are a demanding rude person, they may not be so friendly to you. We were there for two weeks and got to know the staff well. I miss them already. Hi Gabi team - Caroline, Carlos, Franklin, Cece and the hostess, sorry I don't remember your name. To our wonderful driver, Sergio - we miss you too. Gregory I hope you enjoyed your maple syrup. It is best to bring U.S funds for purchases. There are no face clothes so if you need one, bring one. I brought a lot of one dollar bills for tipping, but never did I feel like it was expected like I read in other people's reviews. I think it is appreciated a great deal but not expected. We are a very wealthy people in Canada in comparison. If you go on an excursion through the countryside you will see that first hand. We did 2 excursions, Monster Truck - to coffee plantations, sugarcane plantations and you see a Haitian Village. Eye opening! We also went to Saona Island, which is absolutely breathtaking. Lots of fun on the catamaran. A must go. Punta Cana is lovely and Melia Caribe is a delightful resort. I found the ******** travelers very rude for the most part.
They just about took you out racing to the food at the buffet. The best thing we did was Royal Service as they did not seem to gravitate to that area. Please, when traveling to other countries, be mindful of not only the natives but also the other travelers. They paid to be there as well.
Consideration is a learned skill.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Janet ~ Toronto |
After reading numerous reviews of the Sol Melia Caribe Tropical, we were prepared for the 'negatives', but looked forward to the positives of which there were both.
The resort is gorgeous, no doubt about it; gorgeous beach, lush tropical gardens, ponds with fountains, wild peacocks and flamingos wandering around, lobbies and bar areas very well done; and the rooms were beautiful. The resort is very big and yes there is a fair amount of walking; yes there are the trains, but they run very slow, and in fact you can beat them by walking! The upside was that you got your exercise, which isn't a bad thing! The food was 'fine'; not fabulous, but also not terrible and this included the a la carte restaurants; the american grill would equate to a Kelsey's; the italian like an East side Marios. Making reservations was difficult - you do wait for 20 minutes on the phone (after numerous attempts) to get the reservation; we opted for the buffets most nights, so that we weren't restricted to a 'time' Drinks were 'okay' - but most were premixes will little or no fresh content.
The staff promoting 'time share' (yes it IS time share) were very aggressive and very annoying. The resort has to change their method of selling. Overall the staff in general were not very friendly, made no attempt to communicate; basically took your order and went to fill it. Considering the resort caters to an international clientele, you would expect the staff to know the basics of some languages - but this was definitely not the case, unless, of course, you were Spanish! I know the basics of the language and still had a difficult time communicating.
We would not return to this resort, or to the Dominican Republic - the locals harass you when you walk the beach - and we haven't found this anywhere else we have gone; security is a MUST. We didn't feel comfortable or safe leaving the resort to explore the local culture, which is unfortunate. The country (not just the resorts) needs to understand the clientele if they want to compete in the tourist trade.
Compared to the Mayan Riviera, the D.R. has a long way to go; if the Dominican beaches could be transported to the Mayan Riviera than we would buy property there in a minute.
Don't go with high expectations (to the D.R.) and you won't be disappointed!!!!
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Leticia ~ Puerto Rico |
Dear friends from all parts of the globe
Our stay at the Melia Caribe Tropical was an incredible experience fill of great surprises and wonderfull time. My sister and I travel different parts of the world like Madrid , Mallorca, Ibiza ,Lisbon , Miami etc.etc.etc. and at Melia Caribe Tropical ( Punta Cana)we have the best time of our lives.
We thanks the hospitality and wonderfull service from the people who work there, from the front desk to the bartenders there all great persons always with a great smile and a awsome personality.
And talking about the food.......... just delicious and gorgeous presentation.
Don't doubt to experience the ''magic'' and exciting time that wait for you guys at the Melia Caribe Tropical at Punta Cana.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Carolyn |
Myself and boyfriend who are in our mid thirties stayed at the Meila Tropical February 25th – March 5th. We have been to the DR a few times before.
Overall Impression – Our favorite resort yet and we would recommend it to others. A very well maintained. For an older resort it did not show. It was very well laid out and easy to make your way around. Other reviews indicate that this is a large resort but we did not find it toll big as we normally book in 500 rooms or less resorts. We found to walk from the lobby to the beach was around 10 minutes. The trolley ran every 10 minutes and there was three going most evenings.
Check In – We were the first at the registration desk and our check in was speedy. We had requested a upper level room with king bed near the beach when booking and we were granted our request. We also requested a late check out and we were able to keep our room until 6 PM for $75US.
Room – We were assigned room 718 in the Tropical Section of the Melia Caribe Tropical. We have stayed at two other 4 start resorts in Punta Cana and this room was by far the best. We had a king size bed which was comfortable. In the room there was a table with two chairs and a couch. The tiny tings made the room nicer than other resorts, throw cushions on the bed and couch, mats on each side of the bed as well as a flat screen TV. The bathroom was a bit older but had everything and was kept very clean. Our maid service was great and our room was very clean. Some days the room was not cleaned until the afternoon but that was not an issue for us as we were never there. We always had towels, our fridge restocked with pop and water.
Food – There is a large selection of restaurants where this is a combination of two hotels. My overall impression of the food at this resort was high quality and lots of choice. We ate at 4 of the a la carte restaurants (Thai, Mexican, French and Japanese). We did not have any trouble getting reservations. They had a reservation service where you call and you can make reservation for that day and the next. We found if you were flexible you were able to get reservations. The Japanese was the hardest (also my favorite) but we were able to get a reservation after a couple tries.
We ate breakfast and lunch at the beach grill and never had any problems with finding something we liked. There is a pizza selection and pasta bar for those that are not able to find anything. Again the small things at the buffets made this resort enjoyable – candles on the tables at night, quick and efficient bar service (the house red wine is better than most resorts) and excellent soft serve ice cream.
Bars – Plenty of tables and lots of servers willing to take a drink order. We tended to go to the Lobby Bar and The Square Lounge (very funky)and we often drank the local beer - President with Lime and did not get too adventurous with the tropical drinks
Service – We had great service the entire week. Most staff spoke enough English that you can get by with no Spanish. We had no problem getting drinks at the bars or assistance from guest services and felt that the staff went above and beyond to make sure we had a great stay. We did bring lots of $1s and tipped often but not always and it did seem that our service was impacted by tipping.
Beach – Beautiful and well maintained. Lots of chairs on the beach, if you didn’t mind full sun you could arrive at any time of day. There was plenty of shade under the palm trees and the beach huts but you would have to be at the beach between 9 and 10 to get a shady spot. As with all hotels, people get up early place their towels down and do not return for hours.
Pool – Very large and well maintained. We only went to the pool once as we are beach people. There was lots of shade and activities for children.
Golf – The all inclusive package includes 4 rounds of golf per person per week. You can pick up your vouchers at guest services and they can book or you can call 6000 and book your self. We did not have any trouble getting early morning tee times as there was one or two of us. If you are booking with larger groups I suggest you call the golf course before you arrive and book your tee times. The golf course is well maintained and in great shape
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Martha ~ Bolton, ON |
At the end of January 2008, 4 of us again went to the Melia Tropical - this our 3rd year and had a wonderful time. We start as 2 couples for a week of golf and R&R, then the "girls" go home and the guys are joined by 2 others for an additional week of golfing. We were lucky to get a Royal Service apartment as well as royal service everywhere in the resort. Our maid did a great job stocking our fridge and adjusting her schedule to our rquests. Our waiters at the buffet lunch did so much to make our meals special and were ready with some "take out" refreshments.
We come for the combination of a great golf course (walking distance) and spacious rooms and great service from the staff. The resort has recently upgraded its buffet dining area (from last year) and seem to provide consistently good service. The all-inclusive price from Toronto is very reasonable. The experience was superior.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Pat ~ Ontario, Canada |
Arrival -
Our Air Transat flight had been delayed and consequently, we arrived at the Punta Cana airport at about midnight. Luggage was very slow in arriving and this slowed down the departure of the buses to the resort. We had booked Royal Service but were not able to utilize their check-in at 1 a.m. as they close at 11 p.m. After waiting another 20 minutes for the shuttle to take us to our rooms, we were literally whisked away to our building. We were asisted to our unit, but unfortunately neither key worked in the door. The bellman left us there to go back to the lobby to redo the keys. After 15 minutes, he returned to say it would be another 5 minutes and left again, never to return. Fortunately a neighbour was coming in and allowed us to use their phone to call the desk. At 2 a.m., a duty manager arrived with two new keys and we thought we were home free. As we were two women travelling together, we asked that the manager pull open the pull out couch as one of us would sleep there. There were no sheets. So off the manager went again and obtained sheets. He brought someone from housekeeping to make up the bed but there were no pillow cases nor was there a blanket. So off they went again. It was 3:30 a.m. before they both left and we could fall into our respective beds. This was the beginning of our 2 week stay from Jan 24 to Feb 7.
Rooms -
The morning did not bring the relief we expected as the support straps on the pull out couch were broken. The thin mattress just fell into the hole in the centre of the bed. In the morning the mamager for the Royal Service was called and she ordered a sheet of plywood to be placed over the broken frame and had them place 2 mattresses on top. Although this was satisfactory, the bed squeeked terribly.
Restaurants -
Over our two week stay we enjoyed outstanding restaurant meals at the Japanese, American, Thai, French, Capri (seafood)dining ardeas. The two disappointments were the RS Gabi menu and the International Gourmet for dinner. The house wines which were served with dinner left a lot to be desired, but better wines were available for purchase if desired. The Gabi was fine for breakfast although the service was not the best. RS room service for breakfast was wonderful.
Bars -
The lobby bar was always busy with excellent service.
Beach and Pools -
The RS beach was a short shuttle ride from our unit. The beach was beautiful with plenty of lounge chairs. We were usually able to get our own palapa or share one for some shade and protection from the rain. There was some seaweed on a few days. The RS bar service was nice. The RS pool was nice but a little chilly. Unfortunately finding a lounge chair by the pool was difficult as they were saved for hours with no sight of anyone claiming them until late in the afternoon when they came in from the beach.
Grounds -
Very lush and tropical grounds were very well attended. For our tastes, the property was too large. Many activities were too far to walk to and after 2 weeks, too tiresome to have to wait for shuttles. We were plagued with mosquitos on the balcony, in the room and around the grounds. Our two weeks were quite breezy and rainy as a cold front had settled into the area. My friend became quite ill from infected bites on both arms and had to visit the resort doctor who sent her to the hospital. A note of warning..if you need access to your insurance company while away, a 1-800 number will not be accepted if you are going to use your credit card. Be sure to have a direct dial number with an area code.
Activities -
Nightly stage shows were quite enjoyable and we saw a different show every night for the two week stay. The small casino helped to pass some time and a few dollars. The RS lounge served daily appetizers, offered evening drinks and espresso. The two computers were well used. Several books and magazines were available for those looking for reading material. Dominoes, card and board games were also there to pass the time.
Conclusion -
Overall, we did have an enjoyable stay at the Melia. The staff is wonderful and the grounds are beautiful. The Royal Service was definietly worthwhile. Special thanks to Yuly Sotto, the RS manager who was our lifeline when problems arose.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Inger |
Our family, including our 2 children ages 2 and 4 enjoyed a wonderful week at the Melia CaribeTropical from Jan 10 – 17. We spent our first 4 days on the Tropical side and last 3 days on the Royal Service side after deciding to upgrade. We had a great time on both sides but the Royal Service was definitely worth it. Either way, you’ll have a great time.
Rooms: Check-in was very quick and easy. After giving a nice tip we were upgraded to a family suite right near the beach and pool instead of in a room near the lobby. The room was clean and comfortable but nothing extra special. With two young kids it was difficult to have much of a life when they were napping/sleeping. I also found the room to be very noisy. We only encountered one large bug in our room. One night we decided to check out the Royal Service rooms and couldn’t believe how big and nice they were. It’s like a huge 1 bedroom appt with a dining area, kitchen, separate bedroom, Jacuzzi tub and plasma tvs. It was an awesome room and the price to upgrade was definitely worth it!
Restaurants: We enjoyed a great variety of delicious food throughout the resort. I love good food and my family had no problem finding something to our liking. We never experienced any sickness whatsoever. We spent many breakfasts and lunches at the beach restaurant as the beach provides a beautiful backdrop. It’s also nice to enjoy lunch at the RS pool from the pool grill if you’re on RS. We ate at the marketplace buffet 2 x and it was good. The Mexican and Japanese were excellent and the American Grill was just ok. The Gabi in RS was excellent. We really had some great meals there. We had difficulty getting reservations at an early time in the Japanese but a wonderful employee we met from him stopping to give us a golf cart ride hooked us up with a private reservation. He would also come and get us every night for dinner and made our stay most enjoyable. Getting to know the people, being nice, and generously tipping goes a long way. The staff really went out of their way to make our stay pleasant.
Beach: The beach was absolutely beautiful. White sand beaches, plenty of lounge chairs in the sun and shade, and either relaxation or activities are available. The beach restaurants/bars are fairly close to the beach. The RS bar and service on the beach is nice. There is some seaweed but nothing that should really bother you from how nice it is. There is shopping right down the beach but the vendors are really aggressive and will try to sell you lots of interesting things but it was fun.
Pools: The Caribe and Tropical pools were very nice. They were pretty clean most of the time and the swim up bars were a lot of fun. The pools are a little chilly this time of year. The RS pool was definitely more relaxing and in better shape. There were plenty of lounge chairs at all pools. There’s also a small but nice adults only pool at the spa for a relaxing time.
Grounds: The resort is really large but we enjoyed this aspect. There was so much to experience and explore in an absolutely beautiful lush tropical setting. Don’t let the size intimidate you. It takes a couple of days to get the lay of the land but there are maps everywhere and staff stopping to help you out all the time. We never had any problems with Mosquitoes and the wild birds are very enjoyable. We walked, got golf cart rides frequently, and found the trains ran very often.
Spa: I enjoyed two wonderful massages at the resort; one in the tropical spa and one outside by the pool. I think I actually enjoyed the one outside better as the massage was better, it was nice being outside, and it was a more relaxed atmosphere.
Staff: We enjoyed great service from all the staff especially in RS. The time share people can be annoying at times but nothing that will really bother you. Many days we were never approached and they’d back off pretty easily. Just tell them you’re not interested. We did talk to a couple of people about the vacation club and it was actually pretty interesting.
Kids: We did not use the kids club but went in to check it out. A couple of the ladies were very nice and as the week went by I would have felt comfortable leaving my children with a few of them. We’re just paranoid parents and don’t feel comfortable at this point leaving them and enjoyed spending our week together as a family. One couple in RS seemed to have a private nanny provided which was a nice alternative if you have the $s. The resort has done a nice job with the Flinstones theme. This is definitely more of a family resort and for the most part all kids were well mannered and having a great time.
Other: We didn’t attend any of the nightly shows other than the kids shows since we have 2 young children. The kids had a good time. I’ve stayed at many other resorts and wish the shows here started earlier as they do many other places. The gift shop was a little pricey but not totally over the top. We did purchase sand toys and a couple of other small items for reasonable prices. The shopping mall across the street is very upscale and nice. It was not a problem to get one of the golf cart drivers to bring us over there and pick us up. We did not take any excursions as we were having too much fun at the resort.
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay at the Melia and have no reservations recommending this resort. It was really a great value for an incredibly beautiful and relaxing week. It exceeded my expectations after all the negative reviews I have read. Go with the flow, have fun, and relax in the sun. The Dominicans are wonderful people and the island is beautiful.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Sandra ~ Ottawa, Ontario |
We arrived December 22nd 2007 and quickly checked in. We had our bathing suits and sandals in our carry on and quickly reached out room and changed. Our luggage arrived shortly afterwards, but we were already at the beach by 2:00 pm.Rooms -
Lovely. Second floor of building 28 on the Caribe side. Two minute walk to the pool and beach. 10 minute walk back to the main entrance(s). Quiet and even though the resort was full never saw many people around. The Tropical side has the kids daycare so we figured many with kids stayed on that side.Restaurants -
Very good, plain (meaning not spicy) food. Christmas Eve dinner was special and awesome. Lots of fish. We booked 5 of the 7 nights in the sit down al a carte restaurants-Japanese (great), Thai (great), Ma Maison (great beef tenderloin), Dominican (really good), Italian (not to my liking) but my friend really liked it. No problems reserving. Everday we called during the day and asked for reservations/cancellations and ALWAYS got a seat. Maybe because we were only 2, it is easier. Some rude and ignorant people thought they could bully their way in. One family dressed in bathing suits and skimpy coverups, the man in a Hawaiian shirt and flowered bathing suit were livid when they were turned away. Their tour was late coming back and they "said" they had no time to change. Then don't try to come to an elegant meal. They caused problems yelling at the staff for 15 minutes outside the Thai restaurant.
Pool restaurants were great and served almost the same as the main buffet. Omelets for breakfast. Lots of choice for lunch, including hotdogs, hamburgers and fries. Wonderful breads, rolls, sweetbreads and croissants. All water is filtered and they give you bottled water most of the time. Makes it easier around the pool and I think most people found it easier to drink water than the drinks. Bars -
Great. Mamajuana a specialty drink with weeds in it. Supposed to be an aprodisiac for men. Not sure what it was supposed to do to women, other than to get them drunk!Beach and Pools -
Perfect. Lots of kids but none obnoxious. Many Europeans from-Britain, Germany, Italy, Australia, Canada and Americans. Only stayed around the Caribe pool and beach. The Tropical side has more kids as the kid club was located there.Grounds -
Beautiful, well maintained, manicured. Peacocks roaming freely as well as flamingos and other small birds. They would come right up to you looking for bread crumbs.Activities -
Nightly shows at 10:00 very professional. They only resort I have been to that I wanted to stay up to see the shows--that and my friend insisting we go to the shows. Dance lessons at the beach, pool aerobics in the pool at noon. Many other activities which my friend did. I like the sitting by the pool and reading the best (along with a good drink). Christmas activities included a special Christmas Eve dinner, Nativity scene with live characters, decorated trees.Tours -
None taken, but heard they were well liked by those who went.
Conclusion -
Of the 5 times I have been to all-inclusives, this is the only one I would definitely return to. Quiet, peaceful, relaxing. Loved the size of the resort. Loved being able to take the long walk to the main entrances. It is about 1/2 km to the beach from this main entrance area, but lets you get some exercise to counteract the food and drink. If you are disabled and can't walk a lot, choose another resort. If your kids don't like to walk, choose another resort. There is a train, but it is sometimes full. Staff is wonderful, helpful. I am surprised reading some of the negative comments and wonder if these complainers were actually at the same resort. It is a definite 5 star (4.5 star for food). There is a Money exhange facility in the resort (at both the Caribe and Tropical sides). Also a small shopping center at the main road, a two minutes walk.
Overall, a must go to resort.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Karen & Paul ~ Ontario, Canada |
Arrival -
We arrived on 30 November for a weeks stay. We stayed in Royal Service as we were here for our wedding. We were joined by 6 close friends who didn't stay in Royal Service. We were whisked away to the VIP Lounge for check-in and greeted with champagne and orange juice and a lovely smell of candles, which permeated the whole resort, it was very nice. We were then taken by golf cart to our gorgeous room.
Rooms -
Our room was more like a gorgeous condo, we were upgraded to a 1 bedroom suite. I've never seen a more lovely room, marble floors, a huge jacuzzi, 3 sinks, separate shower, living room, dining room and kitchen.
Our friends' rooms were very nice as well, one of which was a honeymoon jacuzzi room which they really enjoyed.
Restaurants -
We were able to make reservations for the 8 of us through the VIP Lounge, but it was equally as easy if not staying in Royal Service, just by making a phone call a day or two beforehand. We enjoyed Le Gourmet, Italian, Japanese, Mexican and American Grill. After we left, our friends also ate at the Chinese/Thai restaurant. The food at each place was amazing, with very large portions (too large). The desserts were very good, particularly the cakes.
Bars -
We spent some time in each lobby bar, the Caribe side being the most active at night, with the shows off of this lobby. We loved the Avenue Bar and also the bar outside the buffet, they had very comfortable round couches that made moving very difficult!
Beach and Pools -
The beach was awesome, yes there is a little seaweed but nothing that would bother you. It was pretty windy for 3 days, necessitating sitting by the pool, where we used the floaties we brought with us. There was never a need to save chairs at anytime of day, there were plenty at both the beach and the pool.
Grounds -
The grounds were spectacular, very lush but also very manicured. Little ponds, bridges and walkways were so much fun to explore. Yes, it is a large resort, but we enjoyed the walk and it's really not that far from one end to the other. The photo opportunities are limitless at this resort. They do have trolleys to transport you or golf carts if staying in Royal Service.
Activities -
There are numerous non-motorized water sports to take advantage of, sailboats, pedal boats and kayaks. We also went parasailing right from the resort.
Conclusion -
We picked this resort for our wedding based on pictures of the gazebo. I knew this was it, I had to get married here. We had been communicating with the wedding coordinators for about 6 months and met with Sol the day after we arrived. The planning took about a half hour, she had all of our e-mails and requests and carried them out perfectly. There was no stress, only a fairytale wedding for both of us. We hired the trio and the horse and carriage, both making it all that much more special. We had our wedding dinner in the Mexican restaurant in a separate area which was just perfect. I used the salon to have my hair done, they have pictures you can use or take your own as they speak limited english.
We loved this resort and have nothing bad to say about it, we would love to return someday and relive the wonderful memories this place holds.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Frank ~ Warren, NJ |
This facility representing the merged and updated combination of two lovely resorts offers one of the most elegant facilities anywhere, and as a guest in the Royal Service sector you will enjoy superb service. We've been here three times for stays of ten days, but as much as we enjoy the premises and the very obliging staff and the great food, we won't likely return again. This is a "kid friendly" resort, which is fine in concept, but in the experience is a howling nightmare. The probem is that there is a very international mix of guests, and many parents here believe that their registration entitles them to allow their young children to terrorize the entire property and disturb the tranquility many guests seek, from early every day until midnight. Of course, the problem with out of control kids is the fault of the parents, but the resort management is unwilling to do anything whatever to control bad behavior by requesting parents of screeching, unruly spoiled infants that their little darlings are disrupting entire pools and dining areas and to either control or remove them from the immediate areas they are disturbing. Bye-bye Melia Caribe, the most expensive day care facility on the planet! Our next stop will be an adults only resort.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Canada |
My husband, myself and our 16 year old daughter as well as 15 of our friends stayed at the Melia Caribe Resort from Nov. 8/07 to Nov. 22/07. I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this resort. The resort is beautiful, beyond my expectations, the beach is beautiful, the rooms were great with no problems whatsoever and the employees are wonderful people. They were extremely friendly, helpful and always smiling. The resort is very large, but they have small motorized trains and golf carts to get you around. I can't imagine a resort being any more beautiful and very well taken care of grounds.
We took a lot of 1$ bills and 5$ bills for tips. The small tips you give are greatly appreciated and remembered. We left a small tip on our pillow each day for housekeeping and sometimes with a small gift (such as pencils or hair elastics). This was greatly appreciated and we in turn got our bedspread and bathroom decorated with flowers each day.
Some small tips that I got from other travelers were: take faceclothes if you want them (hard to come by there), take travel coffee cups for your drinks, they are great to have on the beach and in the pool. They will make your drinks exactly how you want, don't worry about the ice in drinks or food as it is purified. You just can't drink the water straight from the tap. Lay off the coconut drinks as they are made from fresh coconut which is a natural laxative and it will catch up to you. Take disposable water cameras as they are very expensive there and go to the tour guide meeting that they ask you to go to as it is very informative and quite short.
I can't say enough about this resort and the Dominican people. We will definately go back.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Wendell |
We had a Great holiday at the Melia Caribe. We stayed there for two weeks. So I can tell you a little about the standard rooms and the royal suites as well as we stayed in each for one week. The standard rooms were very clean we were right next to the pools and the beach. section 16. There was three of us, my wife and I had a king size bed, and my daughter had the hide-a-bed. No problems with power failures or plumbing. The Maid was awesome she decorated our room with flowers (suggestion: tip her a dollar or two or give her a little present from time to time) We went to the dollar store before we left for vacation and bought sunglasses, hair elastics, pencils, and toys etc. It is true Bavaro beach is beautiful white sand nothing like it. The first week was busy for us, we did three different tours, the first was the Bavaro runners, where you can see the different stages of how Dominican's live, from the farmers, the fruiters, and the miners. all just small villages, we stopped at a local School just outside of of many sugar cane feilds, we gave the children some toys and the School a bunch of pencils, careful the children are very grabby, and seen two slapping eachother trying to get to the truck we were in. The teacher was very greatful for the School supplies we all gave her. The second trip was the Snorkeling with the searays and the mud sharks, I found it a little intimatating at first, but soon enjoyed it, all the colourful fish in the reefs was breath taking, after the snorkeling we did some drinking and dancing on the boat and were offered lunch which wasnt very good, it was just sandwiches on stale bread, but other than that it was a memorable experience. The third one was Saona Island. You drive through Higuey a large city with approx 130,000 people, very interesting to look out your bus window and see how they live. We took a two hour bus trip to the boats, when we arrived there it was pouring rain big time, we stayed in our bus until it let up, lasted about 15 minutes, We got on a boat equipped with two, two hundred horsepower out board engines and sped off to saona island, we stopped just short of the island we were offered drinks and did some swimming in a shallow part of the Caribean ocean, the colour was so beautiful. we seen star fish and got some pictures. Saona Island is truly a tropical paradise. There was plenty of food buffet style, and all the drinks you could drink. Caution to the new travelers. Ease up on the coco loco drinks or any other drinks that have coconut in them as coconut is a natural laxative. I learned the hard way!!!! As we left Saona Island, We were taken out to a big Catamaran. They lifted there sails, and we headed back to the Dominican, Dancing and drinks were offered it was a great time.
The facilities at the Melia Hotel are awesome at the beach we took out a small catamaran for an hour was lots of fun, we also did some parasailing, great view from up there. We went to the markets on the beach, be ready to bargain, I lost my sunglasses, so went to one of the many beach stores to find some. I seen the ones I liked, he says I got a deal for you I'll give to you for 90.00 dollars, long story short I got him down to 15.00 dollars.
We hung out lots at the beach and our favorite swim up bar, where we met danni our bartender, he was loads of fun and kept us laughing and always a drink in our hands, again a tip from time to time helps. The Dominican people are very friendly and always willing to help out, good to know a little spanish they respect you for trying. At night we would go to the Market place where we had a favorite waitress Chistina. She was so sweet and looked after us very well. I read some reviews of others complaining. about this Hotel. But I'm thinking perhaps they are just not happy about life in general. I would go back to this Hotel in a heart beat.
The second week we went to the Royal suites, our room had a full kitchen, jacucci bath, large patio, two 27 inch lcd tv's but we hardly watched tv, so much to do. The rooms were very nice. and spacious, was like an apartment. was told we would have a butler,, hmmmm ,, I never seen him, was no biggy,, you got access to the royal beach where the chairs were more comfortable you would be served while being on the beach, they had there own pool and resturant, the food is all the same no matter where you go, the only difference was the royal had a snack bar at the pool which was handy, and these beds under grass huts. the bar at the royal pretty much served the same drinks, I did see a few different bottles of liquor at the royal service but not that much. Our maid was at the standard room was much better, we tipped the same for each maid, but she didnt put in any extra effort. you get to choose from a pillow menu at the royal, feather pillows foam and others. we placed our order and it took a day and a half to get them, they said you can phone for a golf cart and they will take you anywhere you like, when I phoned one time reception told me to take the train, which is in the standard section. Most times we got a cart, but also had to wait at times for one. So my personal feeling about royal is it's not as cracked up as they say it is. We preferred our standard room, (section 16) closer to the beach and pools, where the royal is about a 10 to 15 minute walk. The resort is breath taking the gardens are very nice, the resort is very big, took us a few days to get our bearings straight. The weather overall was great we had one day of rain and boy does it come down!! we had a few other days of rain but would only last up to a half hour tops. very humid and hot.
Overall. We loved being in there country, I wish I could do more to help the locals in the small shacks they lived in. Makes you relize how lucky one is living in Canada or the United States. It was sad to leave but a trip we will never forget!
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Sheila and Chris |
We have just had our holiday of 14 wonderful nights at the melia caribe tropical. Fantastic holiday, staff were always eager to please, food was great with lots of options, some people felt the food wasn’t hot enough we found the food hot but if you had a lot of food on your plate it went cold quickly because of the humidity – the al a carte restaurants were defiantly 5*. Beautiful white sands and clear sea. The gardens and many water falls wear amazing. Great place for a wedding.
We cant find any fault with this resort and we have high standards. Sheila and Chris
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Jim ~ Ontario |
I just returned from a week at the Melia Caribe Tropical Nov 4-11. Everything about the experience was positive. Check-in was quick. We were in the 1700 block and the rooms were very clean. The food quality and choice was excellent. The beer is very good as, of course, is the brand name liquor. Only the wine was not to my liking but nothing to dwell on. Only the International restaurant was closed. We had no difficulty arranging bookings in the other restaurants except the Japanese which we were not able to book despite 3 attempts.
As it was a guys’ golf trip we golfed 6 days. The course is in excellent shape. There is a constant bustle of activity due to construction around the entire course. The only criticism of the course is they could use a course Marshall to keep up the pace of play. We had two very long rounds, the longest 5.5 hours due to a foursome ahead of us that seemed oblivious to basic golf etiquette to keep up to the players ahead of them.
The aggressive time share guys that others have commented on were never a factor for us. If you don’t slow down to be drawn into conversation when passing their booth they seem to just leave you alone. Staff were very attentive and courteous every where. The property is immense but as so much of it is gardens and trees it was a pleasure to walk whereever we were going.
I look forward to returning whether for golf or to explore the other activities more extensively.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Calvin & Linda ~ Jamestown, NY |
Airport/Customs was a breeze. Unless you really need help with luggage, hang on to your own bags at the airport. Bag men will have your bags literally in their hands waiting for you to claim them, then they want to carry them to your bus, about 20 steps outside, for a tip. We always take our own bags so we have no one to blame if they get loaded on the wrong bus. We also stand outside the bus until we see our bags get physically loaded. Check in at the resort went pretty smooth. It was very late when we arrived so not many staffed at reception. Otherwise went smooth with no problems.
Rooms -
Our rooms were beautiful. Marble everywhere. The pillows and matress wasn't like home but who cares when you're in paradise for a week. We traveled with two older children, 18 and 19 and had rooms right next door to each other. I have heard of other people complaining about bugs but we had only the tiny near invisible ants in the bathrooms that didn't bother us. I will note that we were on the second floor in our building so maybe that had something to do with it.
Restaurants -
There were plenty of places to eat. We ate most of our breakfast and lunches near the beach and only traveled to the lobby area for dinner. This is our third all-inclusive trip in three years and this resort had the best food of all so far. Don't expect things to taste like they do at home. I was told the chocolate milk didn't taste good. The best food we found was at the Japanese. We went there twice and would have gone more often had we known it was the best. The American Grill had a decent Rib-eye, but the Seafood was the worse, lobster overcooked. We didn't have any problem getting reservations but that could be because the resort wasn't fully booked.
Bars -
Plenty of bars on the resort. Some are only open in the evening during dinner/show times. If you like frozen drinks the best are pina coladas and bahama mamas. The pool bar was nice and we usually hit the lobby bar before/after dinner.
Beach and Pools -
I would have to say the cleanest place I've ever been. I never saw debris at the beach or pool. I would see guys working on the pools daily scrubbing the side walls and skimming leaves. Be aware that there are thongs and topless women. This didn't bother us.
Grounds -
The grounds were always being worked on. Everyday there were men trimming trees or planting new landscaping. Our building was even painted while we were there. The wildlife was beautiful. Peacocks roam the grounds, pink flamingos in the water areas, and other wildlife not seen in North America except in zoos.
The resort is very large and has a train running from the housing area to the lobby area all the time. We would catch the train if the timing was right, if not we would walk the 10-15 minutes. It was always a beautiful walk so never an issue for us.
Activities -
We didn't look for activities as we were there to relax, but our children made friends with the activity staff and was always off doing something, learning spanish, finger painting, dancing.
Tours -
We did book one excursion thru our tour rep. We took a snorkel trip and had a great time. Only a 4 hour trip, we snorkeled in a reef area with many colorful fish then was taken to an enclosed tank to snorkel with sharks and manterays. You swim with a guide who will dive down and take pictures with your underwater camera. Be sure to buy one before you go but if you don't they do offer them on the boat for sale.
Conclusion -
We would come back to this resort. We found the new shopping plaza in front of the resort to have a nice variety of items. The drugstore had the best prices on just about everything. We paid $6 and $15US for new sunglasses. It was a small store with a little bit of everything.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Grant |
I visited The Melia Caribe Tropical, Punta Cana with my wife and our 3 year old son and we had a great time.
Firstly a little bit about the hotel in general - This is a huge site with over a thousand rooms, 8 a la carte restaurants, bars, several large free form pools and lots more. The hotel is split into two halves, the Caribe side which is mainly English speaking and the Tropical side which is mainly Spanish speaking. That said, the facilities on both sides are open to everyone and we never met any staff that couldn't speak basic English. Due to the size of the site there are two 'trains' that are running constantly that you can hop on and off at the main areas (however we chose to walk most of the time as our little boy just loved looking at all the wildlife - peacocks, flamingos, herons, turtles, lizards and woodpeckers were just some of the animals in abundance).
The restaurants and bars are located around the lobby area, approx 10 minutes from the beach, which is the furthest you would ever have to walk.
Other facilities include a kids club, activity area, tennis courts and shops. The whole place is maintained & cleaned to an excellent standard.
On arrival we were met in the lobby with cocktails and snacks and contrary to other reports I had read prior to travelling we were booked in very quickly.
We decided to upgraded to Royal Service and stopped in a one bedroom master suite which was amazing! It had a kitchen area, dinning area, lounge area with sofa bed, master bedroom, jacuzzi room & a wonderful bathroom with a full sensory shower. Royal service has quite a few benefits over the standard accommodation which include butler and concierge service, private pool and beach areas, unlimited room service, nightly turn down service, private restaurant and bar and priority booking in the a la carte restaurants. I cannot tell you how much you are looked after by the Royal Service staff. Well worth the extra £900 that we paid for the two weeks.
The general accommodation is made up of two and three storey blocks scattered throughout the site amidst beautiful gardens and pools. Although we didn't see inside any of the standard rooms we spoke to families who were stopping in them and they had no complaints.
Now for the restaurants - amazing! The a la carte restaurants include Japanese, Chinese, Dominican, American, Mediteranian, International, Italian and Mexican. Every single one had top class service and some of the best food we had ever eaten. The choise and quality of the food really is one of the highlights of the holiday and they catered for everyone including our young son. The mexican was particularly good. There is also the buffet option which offered food to pretty much the same quailty as the a la carte restaurants but in a less formal environment.
Drink - The lager is the local brand Presidente, which isnt too bad at all. The wine was a bit hit and miss but all the cocktails and shorts were great.
Beach and pools - The beach was just like you see in the post cards, white powder sand with palms leaning over to the warm blue sea. Both the beach and sea were very clean and there are lots of activities on offer. However, we found it very difficult to tear ourselves from the pools. With their amazing swim up bars, jacuzzi's, loungers in the pool and beautiful surroundings we just fell in love with them.
Service - The Dominican people are the most welcoming we have ever met. They really couldn't do enough for us and they adored our son.
Top tips - Take plenty of dollar bills for tipping. Look after your maid and regular bar man and they will look after you... No need to take beach towels, they are provided at the hotel. Make the effort to learn the basics in Spanish (hello, thank you etc) it will get you a long way. Use very high factor sun screen for the first few days, the sun is deceptively strong! Visit the Hard Rock Cafe for a really good night out. The marinarium trip is great, swimming with sharks & stingrays!
Bad bits - There are just a couple of things that I will mention although they didnt spoil our holiday in any way. During the low season (September to November) some of the facilities and restaurtants are closed for refurbishment. What this meant for us was that the Chinese & Italian restaurants were closed, but their food was served in the main buffet instead. Also most of the evening entertainment was in Spanish. Like I said, neither of these things bothered us at all.
Overall - This was the most relaxing, enjoyable holiday we have ever had. I have stopped all over Europe and also in Canada and the States and this was by far the best holiday hotel I have ever stayed in. I can't recomend it enough to families and couples.
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Sarah ~ Toronto |
My husband and I, along with our 13 month old daughter, stayed at the Melia Caribe Tropical from September 15 - 22, 2007. It was a last minute trip for us and we had a really nice, relaxing time. My initial impression was not good, because the resort is so large and we had to do a lot of walking. However, once we got our bearings and learned our way around, it was fine. Also, there is a little train that drives around the resort that you can hitch a ride on.
Flights: Skyservice. The flights were not full so the airline staff were kind enough to book an aisle and window seat for us, and block off the middle seat so we could lay the baby down to sleep during the flight. Food was decent. Flights were uneventful (which is just how I like it).
Transfers: Fast and comfortable. No problems whatsoever.
Location: On Bavaro Beach, which is absolutely stunning.
Check in: Took a bit of time, but the girl at the front desk was very sweet.
The room: We were in room 3121, on the second floor. The room was nice. There was a king size bed, sitting area with sofa, balcony with garden view, mini fridge stocked with water and pop (there is a sticker that says that it is only stocked once upon arrival, but we returned to our room to find more water on most occasions), safe (there is a cost of $2 USD per day to use it), coffee maker, and a marble bathroom with a tub and shower. Even though the room was very clean, we found some tiny fleas of some sort. We just made sure not to keep food out in the open in our room and it was not a problem.
The pools: There are 8 pools in total at this resort. We mainly used the main pool at the Caribe side. There is a swim up bar and there is always lots of noise near it (although the rest of the pool was fairly quiet). The pool had a great fountain in the middle of it, and plenty of shallow areas for the kids. There were plenty of lounge chairs (but then again, we travelled during low season). They have some beds by the pool (well, mattresses really) that are shaded by huge palapas and they were perfect for us, because the baby could nap on the bed under the shade while we took turns in the pool.
The beach: Heavenly. Hands down, the best feature of this resort. Powder white sand and turquoise water. Plenty of lounge chairs and palapas.
The food: Some meals were just okay, but some were excellent. I don't think I had a bad meal there. We always found something good to eat. I wasn't too keen on the desserts in general... they were fine but not fantastic.
Turey Buffet: Located on the beach in the Caribe section. We had breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack here several times. Great variety at breakfast. Lunches were good but got a little repetitive after a week. During the afternoon they have burgers, hot dogs, nachos, fries, salads, desserts, etc. They also have a soft serve ice cream machine and a popcorn machine. You are allowed to take ice cream and popcorn to the beach or pool.
Tropical Lobby Buffet: We had breakfast and lunch here a few times, but it was quite far from our room and from the beach, so we didn't go often. However, this was our favourite of the two buffets. Fantastic croissants at breakfast, and a tasty pasta bar at lunch.
Dominican: Our meals were decent, but the plate of smoky pork they brought us "just because" was out of this world.
Seafood: Our least favourite. I had a meal of lobster tail, steak, and bacon wrapped chicken breast, and I found it to be just "ok". The beef in the Dominican Republic definitely has a different flavour than we are used to in Canada. It was prepared fine though.
French: Decent food here as well, but not particularly memorable.
Steak House: American themed, with lots of country and western music playing. I usually prefer more "ethnic" type of meals, but oddly enough, I really really enjoyed my meal here. I had a chicken breast with honey mustard sauce and it was great.
Mexican: Another one of my favourites (I love Mexican food in general) but our baby was acting up, so I didn't really get to enjoy myself much. They had an incredible salad and appetizer bar.
Japanese: This one was the most fun, because we got to chat with our tablemates, who all happened to be Russian. We had a lot of fun trying to communicate and they did a great job of entertaining our baby! The food was very good.
The bars: Other than the swim up bar, we used the bars in the lobby areas. Lots of cozy seating areas. One of the bars even had round beds that you could lounge on.
Entertainment and Activities: We did not do any daytime activities because of the baby, and we also had to head to bed early so unfortunately we missed all of the evening shows. They do have shows each night and they have a theatre for these.
Kids club: We used this for one hour one day. They allow infants, which was a nice surprise. It was our first time using a kids club and so we were quite nervous. We stayed at the pool directly in front of the kids club in case there was a problem. Our daughter had a blast there, and the girls who work there were great. Every day they came up to her in the buffet to say hello. The kids club has a Flintstones theme and one night we caught a big Fred Flintstone walking around the resort.
Off the resort: We took a taxi to El Corticito which is a shopping area in Punta Cana. It is basically shop after shop of tourist wares, and the shopkeepers are extremely aggressive. They might have been more aggressive due to the time of year (fewer tourists). We bought our rum and coffee and got out of there. The cab ride was $10 USD per direction and we did buy quite a bit there so it was worth it to us. However, if you're just going there to buy a few bottles of rum, you're better off just getting it in the hotel gift shop. We also went to the shopping mall across the street from the Melia and it is very upscale. If you aren't keen on the food at the Melia (but the food really is good there) you can go to the Hard Rock Cafe or Tony Roma's. Not exactly the Dominican experience, but might be good for picky eaters. They also have a Brugal store.
All in all, we had a fantastic time at the Melia Caribe Tropical and would not hesitate to return!
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Mark & Theresa |
I just had to write about what a wonderful wedding we had at the Melia and what a wealth of information Debbie’s was prior to going on our trip. We left from Philadelphia on Monday August 27th on USA3000 Charter thru Apple Vacations. The flight was wonderful and on time, no problems what so ever going or coming back. We arrived at the Melia around 10:30am, about a 20 minute bus ride from the airport. We booked are stay in Royal Service, we also had 18 guests some of which stayed in the regular rooms, all Jr Suites by the way. Our check in was simply minutes, we were greeted with a tropical drink, as were are guests. Our bags arrived promptly are rooms were bright and clean, so within about 30 minutes, we were all meeting at the beach.
I had read some of the reviews about the Melia that were not so good, and frankly I cannot imagine how anyone could possibly complain. The grounds are simply beautiful, the beach pure white, the water baby blue, the restaurants were very good. Our favorite was the American Grill (Steakhouse & The Dominican Restaurant) El-Guarpo. We had no problem with reservations at all and we were a big group.
The staff was very pleasant and I had gotten info from Debbie’s site to take plenty of small bills for tips, and I also brought school supplies (pencils, crayons, note paper etc) as I was told it is very expensive in the DR for such items. As a matter of fact, I went a little overboard and had a small suitcase filled with all sorts of stuff to give out to some of the help. They really do work very hard and I can tell you everything I gave away, was much appreciated. A couple dollars and some hair ties or whatever I had daily and our maid loved it. I am not saying anyone has to do what I did, but it did feel very good giving to others in a small way.
Our wedding: We got married in the Gazebo on Sept 1st, 2007. I met with our wedding coordinator a few days prior to the wedding to set everything up, and then relaxed and let them do their thing, and they did it quite well. The wedding was beautiful, my wedding coordinators Sol & Evelyn were excellent, and the photographer took beautiful photos. I and all my guests loved everything about the Melia. The stories about the train not coming, bad service etc must be from people who are so uptight that they just simply cannot sit back and enjoy another country. I personally didn’t experience anything but beautiful surroundings, pleasant staff and service.
Debbie’s website was a critical tool I used to plan my wedding and get advice and even make some friends. What can I say; we love the DR and will go back again next year as we have been the past 3 years. I would most certainly recommend this hotel to anyone.
If you would like to see a slide show of our wedding day, and some shots of the Melia, go to loveday.ws click on our wedding and we are Mark & Theresa (Sept 1st)
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Michael |
My family stated at the resort Aug 28-Sept3. 3 kids, girls ages 11 and 7 and a boy 5. We are from New York, outside of the city in the suburbs. This was our 3rd trip to DR, twice staying at Sunscape the Beach. While we loved Sunscape and had no major complaints, we felt it was time to try a new resort, plus we wanted to be on the "other side" with the white sandy beaches and turquoise water. I used this site to help determine my decision, so I would like to return the favor.
We had a wonderful 7 night stay. >From leaving the airport with ease to getting to the hotel in 25 minutes, it was all uneventful. Check in was swift, and informative. We were not greeted with drinks but who cares? Did not effect us one bit as we were anxious to begin our vacation. We hopped on a train to our room and the bellhops were waiting for us with our bags.
Yes, the resort is very spread out, and yes, the train is a bit of hassle but mostly due to the other riders who do not know what first come first serve means. They would walk up to a crowded waiting area, and nudge their way to jump on first, in front of families with kids who obviously were waiting ahead of them. Again...not a huge deal. We ended up walking several times and as many other reviews have stated, the walk is beautiful and scenic. If it had not been for our 3 tired kids (at 11pm after a show) we would have walked all of the time.
The beach is fantastic. Our favorite part of the resort. Beautiful white sand with pink sparkles. The water was crystal clear and very calm, enjoyable for our entire family. There was some seaweed, but heck, it is the ocean. I was up early every day and walked the beach in both directions and noticed a few things.
1. There was a crew raking seaweed all along the shores every day. They raked it into white sacks and was taken away on a truck. There must have been hundreds of bags raked each day. Point is, they did their best to manage the seaweed and keep the beach clean and it showed.
2. Facing the ocean, walking left is where you will see other higher star resorts. I did manage to sneak up and take a peak, and yes, their pool and interiors were nicer and newer, but their portion of the beach was not nearly as nice and green and tropical as Melia. Reason is those resorts are newer and it looks like they cut down a lot of the greenery to fit the resort in. Melia had shady trees, shady green bushes, cool little sand paths within the beach area to the pool and other nice touches.
The pool area was adequate. Keep in mind we were spoiled for 2 visits by the Sunscape Pool which is bar none, the BEST pool in the DR. We ended up setting up "camp" at the beach every day and simply walking back and forth to the pool (30 second walk) Those that had set up camp at the pool looked like they were enjoying themselves. The pool is large and spacious with a nice swim up bar. My only complaint would be (again) with other guests and their manners. There were many empty plastic drink cups along the sides of the pools. Yes, the resort should have had someone to clean up every hour, but jees, would it kill someone to swim over to a nearby trash bin (there were many around) and throw away their cup..OR simply bring it back with them to the swim-up bar when they got their next drink? Sometime you just have to shake your head and wonder.
I was scared when I read about all of the problems people had with the restaurant reservations. Apparently they have a new system. You can start calling at 9am for reservations for the next night. I did this every morning and the longest I had to wait was 10 minutes. If you are an early bird, this may be a problem for you, but their are many house phones around if you are not in your room. The tough part will be on your first day. You will probably not see your room until 1pm so you are then forced to eat at the buffet (which was not bad) for the first 2 nights, as you will not be able to make a reservation for the next night. They do allow you to call after 2:30pm to check on cancellations so you may get lucky. Again, you have to find a bright spot about all of this which I did. Yes, making the reservation did require some planning and who wants to have to worry about that while on vacation, HOWEVER, once you had a reservation you walked right in the restaurant without waiting. Every single time we went we were at least 20 to 30 minutes early and we got right in. For those us with kids, it was a PLEASURE not having to wait for a table. We were there 7 nights and we went to: Chinese (very good) Italian (Excellent) American Grill (Good) And Japanese (Excellent) We had a reservation at Mexican, but we simply did not feel like leaving the beach so we bagged it. On the other nights we ate at the buffet which was perfectly fine. Trust me, if you are like me and enjoy a good breakfast and lunch, you will appreciate a light dinner. I suggest dining outside at the Dinner (Lobby) buffet as it is much more scenic and you avoid the hustle and bustle of eating inside near the food.
Breakfasts and lunches were great. Their are 2 right on the beach. Make sure you treat yourself to an outdoor table a few times. Eating breakfast with a view of the white sand 5 feet away and the water in the background makes it all worthwhile. Same for lunch, 2 outdoor spots on the beach. Never too crowded and always something for everyone.
As for the folks walking around with yellow shirts asking you to buy time shares, yes, they were around but I NEVER felt like they were harassing me. Tell them no thank you, once, maybe twice and you are fine. I did not opt for the 2hr tour of the timeshare, but spoke to a couple that did it and they enjoyed it as it gave good info on the resort and area.
The staff at the hotel were very nice, and the guys in red shirts running the daily beach activities were great. We did stretches in the morning, pool exercise at noon, and then games after lunch. Each day there was a different animal to get your picture with. (Lizard, Snake, Parrots, Monkey) which the kids enjoyed. Photos are $8.00 and non-negotiable, but they are a must have, at least one for every family member. Make sure you get a family shot as well. They will even take pictures (poses) of you near the beach and by the pool without the animals. We saw many couples taking advantage of this.
There is lots to buy on the beach from outside vendors. Those folks may bother you, but again, if you do not want to buy just say no thank you and move on. If you do want to buy, BARGAIN, BARGAIN. BARGAIN. There is a huge inflatable water-slide just off the property and by the second day I was getting many extra rides for my price. Also, my two daughters got their hair braided by the woman off-site of the hotel. They use cell phones to punch in the numbers to negotiate price. At first they wanted $100 each for my 2 daughters. I ended up getting them down to $40 each, and I bet I could have gotten even lower. I felt that I have a lot more than these folks do and $40 was a fair price for the service. Try to remember that when you bargain, lots of these folks need that extra $5 or $10 A LOT more than we do. They also add to the ambiance of the area.
The night life here is very good. Lots going on with a nice "buzz" in the atmosphere. The shows were good. Don't miss the "Magic" show or the "Night at the Movies" show. Our two favorites.
All in all a great trip and we enjoyed ourselves very much and miss it already! (home 4 days) Would I stay here again? Well, I will look to see what else it out there using Debbie's site, only because now I am curious about how other resorts are run and what they have to offer, but I know I cannot go wrong if I decide to come back to Melia again...or Sunscape the Beach for that matter! Enjoy!
| Melia Caribe Tropical | Pam and Durelle ~ Baltimore Maryland |
First of all I’ve stayed in many DR resorts (Riu Palace, Caribe Club Princess twice, Palladium Bavaro twice, Sunscape Punta Cana Grande, IFA Villas Bavaro etc. These resorts range in their ratings from 3 stars to 6 stars. I have also visited all inclusives all over the Caribbean. I’ve been faithful to Apple Vacations because their Apple ratings are usually accurate and our experiences in the resorts have been relatively flawless and enjoyable. Something usually isn’t perfect but we take the bad and are able to make the best of it in most cases. I always write a review and this review will be the first negative trip review for me.
I stayed at the Melia Caribe Tropical several years ago and had a pretty flawless stay. I hated the beach restaurants at that time but was able to find great buffets and restaurants in other areas of the resorts. I also read the other reviews regarding this resort and chalked poor reviews up to picky patrons who couldn’t be satisfied anywhere. Please reread those negative reviews. I was wrong. If you have not taken your vacation yet, please call your travel agent right away!! and change resorts. We traveled to this alleged five star resort on July 6, 2007.
The Good Now for the Very Bad