Melia Caribe Tropical

By Nina Flores from San Jose, California • Nice family resort

Overall Rating: 6   Location [5] • Room [5] • Service [8] • Value [6]

	Your kids will love it! Good Service
	If room is not close to the beach, you'll end up doing a lot of walking.

We've heard that Melia Caribe Tropical is a great family resort. It came out to be true. The hotel has a decent daycare (our 2 year old girl didn't want to be left though). She had a couple of great naps at the daycare while we enjoyed the beach.

The pool areas were not as clean as we are used to, but the water was warm enough and the kids loved the little shallow areas.

Food is good. The beachside restaurant close to the baby club is very kids friendly. Wide choice of fruit juices and snacks on it betweeen meal hours.

Rooms are nice and clean. Good size. Not a 5 star, but sufficient since you should not be spending much time in the room anyway There was a curtain that I could clip shut to keep our girl from watching us while she fell asleep in the crib in the sitting area.

Grounds are beautiful. Huge. Very lush. The train (shuttle) is fun for kids. It was only ocasionally needed in the evenings to go from our room (almost at the beach) up to the restaurant area and lobby.

Conclusion: It is not a 5 star resort. So don't expect that. Go because your kids will love it or if you get a great deal

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By adamparks22 from Chicago • Aug 5th (05) Awsome!!

Overall Rating: 10   

August 5th, 05

Stayed in building 51 - totally recomend asking for that building or one in the new section. Construction was finished as far as we could tell.

I'll give you an honest opinion of what was good and what was bad. The actual hotel was absolutley amazing. I highly recommend staying on the Carib side if you are traveling without kids. The other side (tropical) is for kids. The Carib side is geared for adults and the area is newer. If you can upgrade to the Serviceo Real (Royal Service) you'll find it well worth it. You might even be able to get the upgrade for free if you ask (we did). The benefits are top shelf liquor, WAY better rooms, preferred reservations, free internet and faxes (key for business travelers) ect ect..
All in all it's just a better trip if you can.

The resturaunts are all very nice. The food wasn't all THAT great but we didn't expect Ruth Chris steakhouse or even Outback for that matter to begin with. The Japanese place is very nice, fun and the food is great. We also at at the Mexican (yuk) and the Italian (good). Set up your reservations early or you'll have a hard time getting in. If you have 2 in your party you'll do better but if you have a $5 or $10 bill you'll pretty much be a shoe in.

The other one we liked was the one by the Carib side that was by the pool (forgot the name). The whole set up on that side is VERY cool and the music was great too.

The entertainment was fun and lively. The Casino staff is very unfriendly. I was a big winner the first night so they probably were just annoyed with us, maybe you'll fair better. The 'fun pub' was a younger crowd but worth a visit.

Excursions:
Saola Island - forget it. You'll spend half a day on a bus there and back, two hours on a packed catamaran (and not a nice one) 4 hours on a scoarching hot beach with no breeze. Skip it.

Jet Boats - pretty cool. worth it.

If you get a chance check out "the Jellyfish" which is a restraunt/bar about a 10 minute walk on the beach (not part of the all-inclusive). It's not expensive just don't expect to pay your bill with a wristband, get it? The atmosphere was worth checking out. I'd go there about dusk and head back before dark, You never know.

The staff was SUPER friendly to us. I found them to be very accomodating and we kept hearing "No no, we'll do that for you, you're on vacation" and we weren't throwing around money or anything. In fact, we tipped only when someone really went out of there way or made dinner more fun and enjoyable.

Keep your own bags when arriving at the airport. The airport porters will ask to carry your luggage for you which is cool and cheap for $1 a bag. Until you realize that you only needed to carry them 10 more feet and your at the transportation area. Just walk the extra 10 feet to the transportation area.

All in all it was totally worth it, very beautiful and we will be returning as soon as we can. Have fun and say hello to Rafael at the Apple Vacations counter. He's very helpful with excursions and will give you the tips and trades of Punta Cana. Nice guy. Tell him Adam and Gina sent you.

One more thing.. Try the Mamma Juana. I know it sounds like Marijuana but it's a shot. The 'dominican viagra'. Maybe, maybe not. But when you're in the Dominican, you probably won't need any help.

Be safe, travel well.

Adam and Gina Parks - Chicago
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By All-Caribbean User from Santiago, Chile • 5 stars well deserved

Overall Rating: 10   Location [10] • Room [10] • Service [10] • Value [6]

Sol Melia Caribe Tropical is really great, the villas are scatered in a really beautiful garden, full of palms.
All the facilities were excellent, nice beach, incredible pool, lot of water sports available and daily activities.
The food wasn't so great, there were a couple of good restaurants, but the rest was way average. You have to book them in advance, which turns to be the only stress during your stay. If you are not successfull with your reservation, you have to go to the buffet restaurant, that is usually crowded.
The hotel staff is very friendly.
Overall, a very good experience.
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By All-Caribbean User from Wharton, NJ • We hope to go back soon!

Overall Rating: 10   Location [10] • Room [10] • Service [10] • Value [10]

	Friendly staff, beautifully landscaped, variety of restauran
	none

This was our first visit to the Dominican Republic and we were very impressed with the Melia. We found the staff to be very friendly and accommodating (waiters, housekeeping, receptionists, etc.) The property is beautifully landscaped, and we enjoyed having a choice of restaurants to dine in. The room was always clean and the staff always provided ample towels, and toiletries. We enjoyed dancing in the open-air lounge each night, and enjoyed the one show that we did see. The only complaint was that the water in the pools seemed to be a little chilly, as did the water in the ocean. We were there the week of Feb. 11th '05. Aside from that, we would certainly recommend the Melia Tropical to anyone who is looking to escape the northern winters and enjoy all of the warmth the DR has to offer!
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By All-Caribbean User from NJ • Wedding in Paradise

Overall Rating: 10   Location [10] • Room [8] • Service [8] • Value [10]

We were married at the Melia on 12/4/04, and it couldn't have been more perfect. The person that wrote below about the complaining brides is WRONG. Angelica, the wedding coordinator, was fabulous. We moved to Secrets Excellence for our honeymoon (no kids), and we can honestly say that Melia has a much nicer wedding gazebo than Secrets.

Yes, you do have to make dinner reservations early. Vacations are what you make of them. Go with a good attitude, and the little things fall into place.
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By Nicolas from France • Good resort (provided you get the good room:-/)

Overall Rating: 8   Location [10] • Room [10] • Service [4] • Value [8]

	Beautiful resort, fantastic pool, beach and garden
	none

Our 4th trip to Punta Cana after Catalonia Bavaro (Jan02), and twice Occidental Flamenco (March03 and 04). We stayed at Melia Caribe last week of Nov04

* Good points :
- very nice resorts, a lot of space (it's huge !), fantastic gardens, good restaurants and variety, very nice buildings especially reception, great pool, great beach, all very clean
* Bad points :
- a noisy resort : many scooters/minitrucks that the staff use to travel round this huge resort, noisy rooms (do ask a 1st floor !)
- quite bad service : not a 5* standard, people far less friendly than in other resorts visited in PC, seem to be expecting tips to smile...:-/

SPECIAL WARNING :
The hotel is currently building a huge new wing, which causes a lot of noise in all the CARIBE part, beach and pool included. And works start at 7:00AM and end at 10:00PM !
Room advisor : as a result, during check-in, do make sure you are not given a room in bungalow 41 to 45 or 31 to 36. Rather ask for one in bungalows 7 to 16 or 24 to 30.
Enjoy your stay !

Nicolas & Karine, France
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By Karen B from West Paterson N.J. • Our vacation

Overall Rating: 10   Location [10] • Room [10] • Service [10] • Value [10]

My husband, sister-in-law, and myself had the best time of our lives. We went there just to relax and get away and it was just wonderful. The service was great, and our room was ocean front. Because there were 3 of us the maid always made sure that we had extra towels and she also made sure we had extra pillows when we first got there.

After reading some of the comments that were made I am really surprised at some of the negativity. We had the best time dancing by the fun pub at night and going to the casinos. And some of the shows that we did see were fun to watch.

There was not one bug that we saw while we were there. The place was as clean as could be. The maid even use to wash our steps outside of our rooms. All I can say is that I can't wait to get back there. We enjoyed it so much we got ourselves a time share. And as for the food. There wasn't a problem at all. Everything we ate was great. We can't believe how the weather was and the water was crystal clear. It was like being in a lake swimming. The only time we saw a wave was if someone went by with a boat which was practically nill. The pools were great too, the water in them was just as warm as the ocean. Well I hope that who ever did not like it tries it again a second time. The Caribe really deserves a second chance. Just don't go there anytime from August through November.
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By christine canosa from colonia, nj • Melia Caribe, Punta Cana

Overall Rating: 2   

We booked our trip secondary to everyone's raves and praise. What we found was a deserted facilited in which one portion had actually closed. The room was mediocre, the food was miserable except for one beach buffet. There was no transportation from point a to point b...tram cars from the beach to the main resort, your room, restaurant, etc. The tram car was supposed to appear every fifteen minutes, one day we waited 45 minutes. The minimal staff available were very friendly, but definitely understaffed.

At every turn, there was a representative from the time share....and it truly is a time share! If they had utilized half that staff from the time share, we possibly could have eaten at one of the four, not twelve, available restaurants. If you did not get up at 8 am each morning and immediately make a reservation, it was back to the buffet for pork chops (for breakfast, lunch and yes, they were also there for dinner!). The shows were mediocre, the entertainment staff poorly informed and coordinated. On halowween they had my husband and daughter running back and forth for over two hours....remember the tram would eventually come. The water at the beach was dirty, but this could have been secondary to the hurricane a few weeks prior. I gave a scathing report on their version of a press ganey, and to date, we have not heard a word. We left the Melia Caribe on 11/05/05 and today is 11/24/04. We will never return there! Be very careful of this resort! Ask to see suggestions from the above week. Or more important, if you are planning a wedding there,
Ask to speak with any of the brides from that week. They will gladly tell you their horror stories. Our heart broke one night listening to a newlywed couple tell their $26,000.00 nightmare! We will go back to the dominican republic, but probably back to the Iberostar.
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By • A wonderful experience

Overall Rating: 10   

I have read the good and the bad reviews. I found the service to be great, then again, I was polite to the help. I saw how some tourists treated the locals... I would have pretended not to speak English too! The grounds were emaculate! The one small problem we had (a clogged toilet) was resolved in five minutes flat when help arrived on a moped. I would definitely return!
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By • Excellent All Inclusive Resort. Fell in love with it.

Overall Rating: 10   Location [10] • Room [10] • Service [10] • Value [8]

Going to Melia Caribe Tropical was like going to heaven. The hotel was very beautiful, the food was great, the scene was spectacular, and the service wasn't too bad either. I loved this resort so much that I have now gone there for the past 4 years. You have to go and experience it!
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By • Great!

Overall Rating: 10   Location [10] • Room [10] • Service [10] • Value [10]

It was my first time going to the Dominican Republic, and I received the best service ever. I'm returning again, and I'm reserving at the Punta Cana, Melia Caribe Tropical hotel. Everyone should!
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