Spent a week in March 2003 in RIU Melao. Everything was better than I expected. The hotel area is beautiful surrounded by gardens. The rooms were clean. The staff was extremely friendly and active. Riu Melao has many activities (Merengue lessons, water gym, ...) thoughout the day.F ood was excellent. The dinner buffet menu changes daily. Food and beverages are available all the time. Most of the guests were more than 30 years old (couples) or children. Guests were mainly from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, USA and Canada. I suppose Riu Melao is not an ultimate partying resort for those who want to party heavily. During the nights (11 pm - ...) there was not disturbance from the surrounding environment at all.

August 2002: Booked a last minute 7-day package deal - and what a deal it was! Clean rooms, great service, good food. Rooms are stocked with a free mini-bar and fridge with soft drinks and beer.Beaches were very nice. Strong breezes kept the heat down. There are palm trees that ring the beach line, letting you sit in the sun or under the shade trees - your choice. A barrier reef forms a break water, creating a pool effect in many parts of the beach. Decent snorkeling opportunity. Boat operators were very conscientious about respecting swimming zones, too. The on-site dive operator uses outboard motor driven open boats that they run right up on the beach to pick you up. Diving was good for beginner - ok for medium skill level, but not challenging (except climbing back into the boat - no platforms). Surf can be fairly heavy here, except in August (seas were 3 ft or less while we there)! Clientele is heavily European (i.e., fair number of topless women - but the hotels STRONGLY discourage full nudity, especially at the pools!) English was widely spoken, but probably 3rd or 4th on the list (Spanish, Dutch, German, Engilish).There is shopping at the RIU complex, an open market about a mile down the beach (nice walk), and in town (about 10 minute taxi ride).This was a good place to unwind - no problem recommending it!

My husband and I just returned from spending 15 days at the Riu Melao in Punta Cana. This was our third consecutive year in Punta Cana, but the first time at the Riu Melao (last year we stayed at the Riu Bambu). The Melao is the smallest of the 5 Riu Hotels in the complex there. It is also the oldest. The swimming pool is small, but okay. The rooms are small, but also okay with twin beds pushed together. If you like to use a washcloth, take your own. They don't supply them. Also the sheets are not fitted so they have a tendency to rumple up around you during the night while you sleep - especially if you are a large person. I brought special sheet garters that I attached to the sheets and slipped around the corners of the mattress- they worked quite well. The food can be repetitious, but it is good. The Melao is very close to the beach so that is nice. The trees and plants around the Melao are quite spectacular. You feel like you're in the jungle. The director, Gustavo and sub-director, Ernesto are very, very nice as well as accomodating. If you have a problem and tell them, they see that it is taken care of immedately. We needed extra pillows, our bathroom lights burned out, and the lock on our sliding glass doorwall out to our terrace needed to be repaired. All of this was done within a few hours after we reported our needs. The staff is extremely friendly even though we often times had a hard time understanding each other. Most staff speak Spanish with a smattering of English thrown in. We'll return to the Riu Hotel complex next year, but probably stay at the Riu Bambu or Riu Taino. These hotels are newer, have bigger pools with swimup bars, have better and more of a variety of food, and have better nighttime entertainment and daytime activities.....they are much more glamorous than the Melao. We did enjoy the Melao though.

My husband and I visited Punta Cana for the first time the beginning of February and thought it was one of the most beautiful places we have ever been. The beaches have soft, white sand, the water is the beautiful, clear Caribbean water and our resort was awesome. We stayed at the Riu Melao and were pleasantly surprised. The grounds were immaculate, service was speedy and friendly, drinks were yummy (and strong) and the food was better than expected. Our only complaint, and this is coming from spoiled Americans, is that the air conditioning in the rooms was less than adequate. I know we went south for warmth, but there was never any relief from the heat. The restaurants are not air conditioned, so you are always hot and sticky. Maybe the 5 star Riu Resorts had better HVAC. We loved that we could use all 5 of the Riu Resorts. We did eat at the ala carte restaurants twice and thought they were pretty good. My husband did get sick towards the end of our trip probably due to the water. Do NOT even brush you teeth with the tap water. This is definitely a true beach vacation, so if you want lots of activity, this might not be for you. But it's beautiful!