Four nights at Melia Punta Cana, The Reserve
We took off on a four night, five day getaway at the Melia Paradisus Palma Real resort in December, 2023. The forecast showed mid 80s and mostly sunny for the duration of our trip and the weather did not disappoint!
We arrived on a Monday, and were early for check-in at the adults only Reserve desk. The staff gave us our wristbands and checked our bags with the bellman. We headed off to grab lunch at the buffet while our room was being prepared.
By 3pm our room was ready and we were introduced to Nicholas, our dedicated concierge for the week. He gave us a tour of the resort and our room, pointing out the perks of our stay in the Reserve adults only section. Before he left, we connected with him on WhatsApp so we could message back and forth with any needs we might have during our stay. He also made a dinner reservation for us and explained he would be in touch daily to make our reservations for the week.
Pro tip: Pack a pair of shorts and sandals to change into in case your room isn’t ready when you arrive so you aren’t uncomfortable in the heat!
We stayed in a garden view junior suite room which was perfect for our needs. (We’re not spending any time looking out the window of the room anyway). The room was located a short walk from the adults only pools and beach area. As well as Sante, the restaurant exclusive to The Reserve where we had an excellent dinner the first night.
On Tuesday we enjoyed breakfast at Sante, which has the option of al a carte dining or buffet throughout the day. The buffet is minimal, but the al la carte is options are very good. We noticed service at breakfast was a bit slower than dinner the night before. Still, of the staff are super friendly and helpful. Fresh blended fruit and green juices are a nice touch to the breakfast menu here
If you are not a Reserve guest at Melia, your option for breakfast is at the main buffet restaurant. During the busy season, there is a second buffet that opens, but we were a week early in the season to experience this.
We messaged our Nicholas that we found the room to be too hot overnight while we were eating breakfast. By the time we returned to our room after eating, maintenance was already there to check it out! The issue was resolved quickly for us.
We spent most of Tuesday enjoying the pool area which has the option of Bali beds, or lounge chairs. The bali beds are limited and popular, you need to be at the pool early to snag one! The pool itself is nice. Though we noticed the poolside drink service is a little slower than other resorts we’ve visited.
Tuesday evening we dined at Tokimeku restaurant which is Melia’s take on hibachi. The chefs put on a good show for the group of about 20 around the grill area. We found the experience as a whole a bit gimmicky, but it wasn’t bad at all. The food was good- not amazing, everyone got to sample the fully menu of Beef, Salmon, Shrimp and Fried Rice.
Pro tip: make sure to request your dinner reservations with your butler before 9am. They get access to request reservations at the restaurants at that time, so you want to make sure they know your preference!
After dinner, there is a great atmosphere in the main plaza. All of the bars and restaurants are housed in one area of the resort. So, its a great meeting spot to enjoy a drink before or after your meal and enjoy the nightly entertainment.
On Wednesday morning we grabbed a coffee at the Ginger bar before heading to the beach. We found this to be the best coffee at the resort, with a full espresso bar available.
At the beach, there are plenty of lounge beds available. The attendants will grab towels and make up a bed for you. We had no problem getting a comfortable bed with an umbrella at the beach. There are also nicer Bali beds available to reserve in advance with your butler.
Pro tip: Grab a beach bed in the second or third row back from the water for a more peaceful experience. Beach vendors are pretty rampant selling souvenirs and excursions, but it seems they’re less likely to come up deeper into the rows of beds to make their sales.
There are a few lunch options for Reserve guests, including the main buffet, Sante restaurant and the Kanna snack bar. After dining at Sante for breakfast, we decided to check out the snack bar for a quick lunch and it did not disappoint. We were treated to quick service and great tacos!
We tried out the swim up bar at the main pool after lunch. It was a different vibe than the quiet, adults-only pool area we had enjoyed on Tuesday. They were playing loud, upbeat music and it was busy with families enjoying the pool. We enjoyed our drink at the bar, but didnt last long before we retreated back to the adults only side.
Pro tip: Bring an insulated water bottle or drink cup to keep your water (or cocktails) cold at the pool.
We tried out the Mina steakhouse restaurant for dinner, which we found to have great food quality and large portions. The house wine left something to be desired. We were surprised when no one offered us a menu to upsell us to buy a bottle.
By Thursday we had our morning routine down- breakfast at Sante, coffee from Ginger bar, and a lazy morning lounging at the beach. The lifeguard station had a green/yellow/red flag to warn beachgoers of rough seas. We found the waves to be very manageable and enjoyed swimming even when the red flag was posted. When our beach day was cut short by a short rain storm on Thursday afternoon we retreated to Sante for a late lunch.
When the weather cleared a short time later, we headed to the second adult only pool. The pool area was massive and felt totally empty, and there was even a swim up bar! Because it was not in the reserve section, there were no bali beds to enjoy. Only your standard lounge chairs with umbrellas but they were comfortable enough!
Pro tip: We love bringing along a pool float for an extra touch of relaxation to a lazy afternoon in the sun!
We enjoyed a final dinner at Blue Agave, Melia’s Mexican restaurant and had great service here! We agreed it was our best dinner experience yet with fun staff, great food, and great service. After dinner, we ventured into Kicks sports bar where we enjoyed a game of pool and mingled with the other guests. Later in the night, the sports bar turns into more of a club atmosphere but we had a very enjoyable night here.
On Friday, check out was super easy. After breakfast, Nicholas sent a bellman to our room to retrieve our bags and we were able to keep our wristbands on to enjoy a final coffee while we waited for our transfer service to arrive.
Pro Tip: When booking through Melia’s website, you might see a list of coupons available with your room package. If you see an airport transfer coupon is included with your stay, you must contact Melia at least 72hrs before your stay to take advantage of this offer and make a reservation for the transfer.
All in all, we had a great stay at the Melia Paradisus Palma Real resort. We enjoyed the quiet privacy of the adults only Reserve benefits. The room was very comfortable with all the amenities you could want including a stocked mini bar and plush, comfortable bedding.
The beach was beautiful with comfortable beds and great service. The pools were sparkling clean, though we experienced slightly slower drink service when compared to the beach. Our meals were all quite good, with our only complaint being the inconsistent availability of certain cocktails at the various bars on the property.
We would not hesitate to return to this Melia property again!
