Meliá Caribe Beach Resort

We had our wedding in late May 2019 at Melia Caribe Beach resort and had a wonderful experience. We had approx. 90 guests attend the wedding and that also stayed at the resort. We stayed at the same resort four years ago and at the sister resort, Paradisus Punta Cana two years ago. Main noticeable difference between the two is the food. Paradisus restaurants were amazing, while Melia Caribe Beach were good/average (see below for more info). Wedding (Caribbean Magic Package): Our Romance Wedding Coordinator was Paola Reyes and was absolutely amazing to work with. She quickly answered all of our questions. We kept in touch throughout our entire stay and she catered to our needs, even after the wedding took place. Asia Mateo, the Romance Manager, was also very attentive and helpful throughout our stay. Any issues we ran into were quickly addressed by either Paola or Asia. Our ceremony and cocktail hour was on the beach and the set-up was beautiful! Our reception was at the lower level of Merkado (supposed to be on beach but moved due to wheather). The back-up reception location was very beautiful as well, as it was open to the outdoors/ beach. It was probably even better than having on beach. DJ was included in package and only extra items we requested was the LOVE sign, dance floor, and MC. Reception (3 hours) flew by so I recommend paying extra for another hour if you enjoy dancing. The wedding and reception was everything I dreamed of and more. The food and cake were actually really great! The one issue we ran into on the day of the wedding was at the spa. We had 9 appointments scheduled (3 an hour), but they only had two individuals working hair and make-up. This pushed us behind 1-2 hours and made us rush some pre-wedding photos. However, while we were waiting we were enjoying champagne in the spa. Juana did a great job on my hair and make-up! At the end of the reception, Paola assisted in gathering our guest book and other items we brought at our welcome table, so we didn't have to worry those items that night. The following day they were brought to our room. We were all shuttled to the lobby to continue the party and then also moved the party to the Sports Bar (Adult Only section) where they started to play music and the dancing continued. The MC (JSAV) did a great job and our videographer (Novia Mia) was also great! We brought our own photographer from the states and he commented on how he had a great experience with the videographer and that they worked well together. Note: our photographer booked via our wedding room block and therefore we did not need to pay an outside vendor fee. Our romantic dinner on the beach, which was included in our package, was excellent. Food and ambiance were great! Overall Resort Experience: Facilities - As others mentioned, the resort is pretty large. I didn't mind it as I enjoy walking and the shuttles ran frequently. From my experience, the resort was well-maintained and beautiful. The rooms were average, but we spent most of our time at the beach, pool, or exploring. Pool and Beach were great. Loved playing beach volleyball. Recommend guests not only bring sunscreen, but also mosquito repellent given the tropical environment. Staff - Generally speaking the staff were very pleasant, friendly, and accommodating. I could see how some may come across rude if you don't know Spanish. In particular at the front lobby, I could see this being an issue. Front lobby staff should probably be the most pleasant given it is the first impression. We had a large group for our wedding and I'm happy to say that no one went out of their way to let us know they had issues at check-in. We particularly had a pleasant experience with the staff at the Splash Island Water Park. Food - Merkado buffet was generally enjoyable, but nothing special. Omelet station in the morning was great. Ate lunch at Rumba buffet one day and I would recommend over the Merkado buffet. Rumba was on the Adult Only side, but adults from Melia Caribe Beach side are still welcome. This is the same for the adult only restaurants and lobby area. Our favorite restaurants were Casa Nostra - Adult Only (Italian) and La Hacienda (Mexican). The Dominican place was pretty good (specifically Bistec Encebollado and Rice Pudding) and some of our guests really enjoyed Capri (Mediterranean), excluding the red snapper though. Since there were children in our wedding group it made it difficult to go to the adult only restaurants and left us with more limited options. Entertainment: Splash Island Water Park - Enjoyable food fresh off the grill. Highly recommend for a burger. The waiter Andres and the bartender Rocquelito were very attentive! Our nieces loved the water park and it was even fun for adults. Some adults from our wedding group were there almost every day. Evening Entertainment - the nightly shows were enjoyable. Live entertainment/music at either one or both lobbies every night. On the adult only side they had a silent disco which was a lot of fun. Once the music stopped in the lobbies it moved to the Sports Bar (around 11pm). The Sports Bar is a hit or miss depending on the crowd at the resort and who can actually find the Sports Bar. We had a blast a few of the nights we were there since our group was so large and was dancing to the music. Alcohol/Bar - I recommend guests bringing an insulated mug since paper cups are pretty small and drinks can get warm quickly. Drinks are not always that strong, so recommend asking for a double. Unfortunately there were no servers on the beach. When we came 4 years ago, they definitely had them. I recommend that the resort bring them back. Outside of the Resort - Highly recommend an excursion (i.e. party boat/snorkeling, etc.) through Olympus or Otium. Both provide a great experience. I would not recommend buying from a vendor on the beach as they cut corners and don't always provide the experience they promise. Overall an amazing and memorable experience. We would definitely come back to this resort or another Melia resort. We would also recommend Romance by Melia for a great wedding experience.

This was our 3rd trip this year and I can't say I was as impressed as I was the first 2 times we had stayed here. It was not their busy season so half the resort was shut down. Dining options were changed to where our teen aged son (16) was not welcomed due to "Adults only" restaurants. Now with this being said I can understand due to the fact that in the family restaurants the kids were on their Ipads with the volume to maximum levels. It was irritating. One day, we jokingly called Earth Day due to no power in the morning and returning to our room at the end of the evening to no hot water. People were not as friendly as I remembered from our past visit which was the main reason why we returned to Melia. We went out of our way to thank them for their services or strike up conversations with them and were not even given a smile in return. Drinks were watered down and at some bars were out of stuff to make specific drinks. In the past excursions were appointed at the front desk and guards kept vendors from approaching the guests. Now their sales force are on the beach from sun up to sun down and you are approached 5 + times a day by different adventure groups all selling the same packages. They also allow the beach vendors to sell their wares so you have about 10 of them approaching you thru the day. It makes a difficult time to sit and chill with a constant stream of people hitting you up. The property was clean, rooms turned over quickly and beaches were groomed twice a day.

Hotel ground are beautiful, beach side rooms beautiful close to the buffet and beach, service HORRIBLE the server at merkado choose who they will serve and if you tip them you get attention if not you could wait over 20 minutes just to get water on your table. Structure is beautiful service horrible

This property is beautiful. There's pretty good WiFi, the beach is really beautiful and the pools are nice as well. Well, that's where it ends. The food is terrible. You don't really expect Michellin star meals but man, the food is always cold, either too salt or no flavor and that's for every single restaurant. Most of the waiters and waitresses are unpleasant and in some case downright rude. The tables at the Merkado (Buffet which is closest to the beach and serves lunch and breakfast) are dirty for long periods and it takes forever to get someone to service your request. Many of the workers nearly speak english so that's a challenge. We lost water and power and these guys did not have a backup generator. The property is literally too big and the carts that serve as transport don't run on a schedule or based on routes so getting one can be challenging. To top that off, mosquitoes are everywhere, my wife's legs are a mess right now.While checking out we were told that we had a $6 charge for calls made from the room. We disputed it and one of the rudest person I've ever had to deal with after spending 1000s of dollars (Chayny Brito) with a company told us she is not paying for it so we had to and that we can't report her. She basically told my wife to shut up because she's speaking on the phone. She lied when we asked for a supervisor and said there's none but later got one who was calmer but no better. Worst customer service ever and I will NEVER visit another Melia property

This isn't a resort really but more like a hotel with access to the beach, nice pools and below average food. The food lacked flavor and it tasted prepacked. Juices and drinks were watered down. Most servers at the restaurants didn't look happy to be there and were not eager to serve you. The rooms condition: the shower got flooded on our first day, AC very loud in one room and stopped working in another, door handle to terrace falling off, and there were workers banging and working right outside our doors; there were pieces of plaster left on the floor that posed a danger to guests. Overall, we wish we would have done more research before booking this place. You live and learn!