TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

Here is the letter I wrote to Melia outlining our horrible experience. They did not seem to care. Why would they, they received my payment. I recently returned from a family vacation at the Garden Suites by Meliá, where my family and good friends of ours stayed from July 29, 2023 – August 5, 2023. Upon my return home, I purposely waited to write to you, not wanting to send an email out of anger and frustration. I do however feel it is necessary to relay to you the downright disappointment that we experienced while staying at your resort. Below is a list of itemized issues that we encountered while at the Garden Suites. 1. We booked directly through Meliá, where we requested and we told we would be accommodated with a two-bedroom garden suite facing the pool. Our original room was on the second floor opposite the pool and the room we changed to (see #2) was on the third floor. 2. During the first day of our trip the air conditioning in our room was not functioning properly. The unit in the second bedroom was not operational, leading to the room to be unseasonably warm. Our concierge Javier, was unable to accommodate a room change on night 1, leading to our daughters needing to sleep in bed with my wife and I to keep cool. Despite several open rooms, we were forced to stay the first night in a room with insufficient air conditioning. In addition to the inadequate AC, our original room was dirty, smelled, and was clearly very outdated with numerous amenities not working. 3. On day two, we were finally granted a room change, later in the day. This room did have a properly functioning air conditioning unit, however the exterior jacuzzi tub did not function, one of the televisions was broken and the room in general was not well maintained (leaking shower heads, broken couch, old furniture, missing iron, etc.) 4. In relation to the room. The resort advertises an in-room minibar. The mini bar consisted of water, juice boxes, six bottles of soda, and 6 beer cans. The in-room snacks were two cany bars, a few small bags of chips and two small packs of cookies (have pictures of both food and drink). Based on the advertising, this is extremely misleading to guests. 5. In regards to our Concierge Javier. He booked us each night for a different restaurant. Based on menu and dietary needs (which were expressed prior to our arrival), we immediately asked for a few reservation changes. When doing so, he told us that this was all that was available for the week and that we would have to repeat restaurants regardless of our reservations. Come to find out “Rubi Rocks”, which we did not have a reservation for, was a fantastic place to eat and hang out, and was fully available. Clearly Javier was unaccommodating and dishonest to us. 6. Javier also continuously harassed us to take part in a time share/membership presentation. When we informed him repeatedly that we were not interested, he continued to badger us and told us “I would like you give me a hand in this, because I really neede”. (I have all of these communications on my “What’s Up” app). He seemed more concerned with trying to get whatever bonus or prize he would receive to get us to this presentation, than he did addressing our concerns. 7. We paid for an all-inclusive resort, however each menu contained both food and drink items that were additional costs. In addition to the additional costs, the brand of liquor seemed to vary by bar/restaurant. As an example, some bars had Tito’s Vodka (gluten free) while other bar/restaurants did not have Tito’s. 8. The food at most of the restaurants was decent, however the buffet at the Garden Suites was absolutely revolting. Cold food was hot and hot food was cold. There were several items that were unrecognizable, and clearly some of the food was spoiled. The orange juice was watered down, the toaster did not toast and it appeared to be simply unsanitary. 9. We reported to Javier that our friend had become violently ill after eating at Aqua. It was believed that she had ingested a bad/spoiled salad. He basically dismissed us by saying “sorry”. 10. We were approached on the beach and harassed by vendors, that asked us to buy, towels, souvenir’s, parasailing adventures, boat rides, cigars and cocaine. I could not believe that I was propositioned to purchase hardcore drugs while trying to relax on the beach. 11. When we did sit with guest services at the Falcon resort, we explained our dissatisfaction to Peter (unknown last name). While he originally seemed genuinely concerned, asking what he could do to make it up to us, he quickly tried to move us along. What was most troubling, was the fact that when he found out that we were staying at the Garden Suites, he informed us that “I wouldn’t recommend anyone to stay at the Garden Suites”. That's like going to the hospital for emergency care and while being treated, the doctor telling you that he would have never come to this hospital. 12. While talking with Peter, he informed us that the Garden Suites was getting ready to close down for renovations? Is this why the staff and amenities seemed to be lacking? 13. House keeping performed their job extremely sub standardly. Towels were not replaced adequately, the mini-bar was not restocked appropriately, and the room was simply overlooked. Housekeeping consisted of making the beds, emptying the garbage’s and replacing the toilet paper. On several occasions, we had to contact the front desk for new towels only to wait for long periods of time. 14. We booked a family photo shoot with a worker/company that was advertising poolside. When we arrived at the lobby for our appointment, the company was absent. When we asked hotel staff at the front desk for help, they appeared to have no idea about this service or company. How are people walking around the resort advertising services that the resort has no knowledge about? 15. There are motion sensors located throughout the room. When the room is temporarily unoccupied, the power shuts down. This leads to the room temperature rising and the room being unseasonably warm at the end of the day when you return from the pool or ocean. After a long day relaxing in the sun, you are forced to sleep in a warm room as the air conditioning struggles too catch-up. To say that our time with the Garden Suites was a disappointment would be an understatement. When you pay over $5,000 for an all-inclusive resort, you expect to receive the treatment and services that are advertised. Garden Suites by Meliá, completely mislead us upon booking and then once on property, did absolutely nothing to try and rectify our many concerns. The only bright spot of the entire vacation was Leonardo Ramirez (poolside waiter) and the daily poolside activities. Leonardo and the gentlemen responsible for the poolside activities (DJ, pool aerobics, etc.) clearly understand what customer satisfaction means. These few employees should be commended. If it were not for them, I would likely have left vacation early. Absent from this email are the pictures taken as evidence related to our substandard accommodations, the uncounted text messages from Javier harassing and dismissing us, the voicemail and text messages from Peter dismissing us. What is also missing is the fraudulent charges made to my credit card, just days after checking out of the hotel. The very same credit card that was utilized to pay for this vacation. My hope is that this is just an isolated incident. I surely hope that this is not the business model practiced by Meliá. I look forward to hearing from someone about our experience and hope that we may come to an amicable resolution. If you would like any of the pictures or communications referenced above, please let me know. I would be more than happy to provide you with the overwhelming evidence related to the above reference topics.

I went to one of their restaurants called Aqua. My overall experience was amazing. The drinks were divine. The food tasted really well. The service is efficient. I would definitely come back.

Stayed at melia gardens with friends/family. Rooms were big but very outdated. Food was soso. Not many options daily (maybe 1 a la carte and buffet). Buffet was very small. Thought we had access to all melia properties, we did not. Beach was nice but 10min walk from hotel. Little seaweed. Lots of chairs. No rocks in ocean. Waves were Abit rough. For the amount we paid, I do not feel satisfied with our stay, had a better experience at riu hotels. Better food, more restaurants, nicer rooms, more daily activities, more nightly entertainment and cheaper. Do not recommend garden suites by melia.

We stayed three nights at the Melia Garden Suites after spending the first portion of our DR trip in a large adults only all-inclusive resort. This was our first stay at a Melia property so we weren’t quite sure what to expect, but the Melia Garden Suites exceeded our expectations. The staff was so lovely and accommodating from the moment we arrived on the property. From the front desk to the restaurants/bars, we received excellent service from everyone we encountered. The suites are spacious and it was great being able to spread out and relax at the end of the day. The large balcony was also amazing with comfy chairs and a jacuzzi tub. It was a short walk or a complimentary golf cart ride to the beach, where there were chairs/palapas, towels, and bar/restaurant service. While we enjoyed the beach, the pool area at the resort was also outstanding with lots of bali beds and hidden nooks where it felt like we had the whole resort to ourselves. The resort grounds are like a tropical oasis and one of my favorite days was just spent reading by the pool. We really enjoyed this boutique style resort as it felt much more intimate and relaxing than the larger AI resorts.

Five stars! An exceptional establishment for families visiting Punta Cana with excellent and high quality food as well as spectacular service and presentation. Reserve early as seating is very limited for this must visit restaurant in The Garden Suites by Melia in Punta Cana!