TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Just returned home after a one-week vacation, and I wanted to share my experience. Please note that this review is based solely on my personal experience. The resort itself is beautifully landscaped and well maintained. Since we travelled during low season, the resort was not busy at all, which was really nice. The beach is beautiful. There was sargassum in the water, but I don’t feel that should impact my rating of the hotel because this is something that is outside of the resort’s control. As for the food, the buffet was good, in my opinion. During our stay, I also ate at Touro, the Japanese restaurant, and the Italian restaurant. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the New York steak at Touro. It was extremely tough and difficult to chew, so I ended up going to the buffet afterward to have dinner. The Italian restaurant was okay, but unfortunately, our server was not friendly at all, which really affected the experience. The Japanese restaurant was also okay. The lobster, however, had a very strong taste compared to other lobster I’ve had. My friends ordered the beef and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I also experienced something very upsetting at the Japanese restaurant. I accidentally left my prescription glasses on the table. When I realized I didn’t have them and returned to ask about them, no one had seen them. I was very disappointed to discover that they were gone. It’s unfortunate when you lose something and, instead of having it turned in, it appears that someone took something that did not belong to them. I honestly don’t even know what someone would do with prescription glasses that aren’t theirs. We also did the Saona excursion during our stay. Personally, I would not do it again. It was very different from what I remember experiencing when I was in Punta Cana 11 years ago. Based on my personal experience, I did not feel that the excursion was worth it this time. ?? **The worst experience I had during this vacation was actually after getting my hair braided at the beach, and I really want to alert other travellers about this.** If you decide to get braids at the beach, please be very careful about going into the pool or ocean afterward. The braiders apply a wax/product to the hair, and after we went into the pool with our braids, three of us experienced extremely foggy vision. For me, this resulted in the worst last day I have ever experienced at a resort. The following day, my eyes were extremely irritated and watery. I could barely keep them open because they burned so badly. I could not tolerate sunlight or even wind without significant burning and discomfort, and my vision was very foggy. I was later advised that the eye irritation could potentially be related to the hair product/wax going in your eyes when swimming in water. **My advice to travellers is that if you get braids, consider washing your hair thoroughly before going into the pool or ocean to remove as much of the product as possible.** Please be aware of this, because none of us expected this to happen and it really affected our vacation. We also encountered some very rude workers during our stay, although there were also employees who were kind and friendly. My biggest recommendation to the hotel would be to focus on customer service and employee training. As travellers, it’s important to us to feel welcomed and to interact with staff who are friendly, approachable, and willing to help. A smile and a positive attitude can make such a big difference in a guest’s experience. I would also recommend educating staff about lost and found procedures and the importance of turning in items that guests accidentally leave behind. We work hard for the things we purchase, and guests should be able to feel confident that if they accidentally leave something behind, it will be returned rather than taken. Overall, we enjoyed some aspects of our stay, especially the beautiful resort grounds, beach, and the quietness of low season. However, the service experiences, the loss of my prescription glasses, and especially the eye irritation after getting the beach braids were very disappointing experiences that I feel are important to share so other travellers can be aware and make informed choices.

Your staff is beyond amazing , stop pressuring them to get reviews we got asked 15 times a day on top of that you ask them to take pictures of the review which just makes clients feel pressured , but anywad josue sandoval was the absoulete best !!!

Perfect! Matches all resort massages I’ve ever had!

Exceptional Service and Great Coffee at Café Boreal! We had a wonderful time at the Meliá hotel. The property and amenities are great, but the absolute highlight of our mornings was visiting Café Boreal. The coffee is fantastic, but what truly sets it apart is the incredible service. A huge thank you to Dulce Garcia! She was exceptionally friendly, welcoming, and always had a warm smile. Her kindness and positive energy made a big difference in our daily routine and made us feel right at home. I highly recommend staying here, and definitely make sure to stop by Boreal and say hello to Dulce!

We arrived to small difficulties with our reservation but when concierge Maria saw my frustration, in 5 mins all was resolved. The property is absolutely perfectly maintained. Very beautiful and all staff is very friendly. (I speak español so that helps). The buffet restaurant was really great. The server Grismaldy Jimenez was a standout! She really made us feel welcome with her big smile, friendliness and outstanding customer service. We visited one of the speciality restaurants but can not really recommend that. Service was excellent but the food did not make the cut. The pools and pool bars have great service. The security officer on the beach was a big plus defending everyone from the constant flood of local street vendors. The room was beautiful, clean and with comfortable bedding. Overall we highly recommend and will return.