Melia Punta Cana Beach Resort (adults only) – a comprehensive review for this completely renovated wellness all-inclusive resort
Table of Contents
Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort is a completely remodeled adults-only all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana and awaits you with a lot of surprises. A fantastic rooftop bar, several culinary highlights, the probably best tropical garden in Punta Cana, creative activities and a multi-sensual wellness experience concept await you here. No wonder this resort is also called “Meliá Punta Cana Beach – a Wellness Inclusive Resort Adults Only”. But is Meliá Resort Punta Cana worth it? Should you upgrade to The Level to receive better services? And where can you find the best restaurants? All these questions and much more are answered in this extensive Meliá Punta Cana review.
This is an extensive review of Meliá Beach Resort Punta Cana. If you’d like to know some general information about accommodation in Punta Cana, you can continue reading all the insider tips on how to find the best all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana and my recommendation on how to save money during an all-inclusive holiday in Punta Cana.
If you are interested in other adults-only resorts in Punta Cana, you can read the extensive hotel reviews of Royalton Chic Punta Cana, Riu República, Riu Palace Macao, Catalonia Royal Bavaro, Secrets Royal Beach, Live Aqua Punta Cana and Temptation Miches.
Where is Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort?
Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort (Adults Only) is located in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, featuring a prime beachfront location right at the famous Bavaro Beach. In case you haven’t heard of Bavaro Beach yet (read more about it here), this is the longest, widest and also one of the most beautiful beaches in Punta Cana, with 12 miles of finest Caribbean sand and a width of more than 300 feet, especially in the area around Meliá Caribe and Meliá Punta Cana.
Meliá Resort Punta Cana is bordered by Meliá Caribe Beach Resort on the one side and Lopesan Costa Bavaro on the other side. It features a pretty centric location within Bavaro, with several beach restaurants and smaller shopping areas in walking distance, as well as the newly-opened Katmandu Park Punta Cana next door, an immersive and state-of-the-art theme park in Punta Cana.
If you’re looking for Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort on a map in Punta Cana because you want to book your airport transfer in Punta Cana, you can rest assured that it is only a 10-mile drive from Punta Cana International Airport, which is a 20-minute journey approximately.
If you want to leave Meliá Adults Only walking, there are a few coffee shops and souvenir stores at the former Palma Real Mall, which is home to Katmandu Park Punta Cana today. Furthermore, there is a large local supermarket at a distance of approx. 15 minutes walking. If you leave the resort along the beach, there are several public beach clubs and restaurants you can reach within a 5-20 minute walk, among them Bibijagua Beach, Jellyfish and the Corales Area.
Definition of Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort
Before we start with this extensive Meliá Punta Cana review, let’s have a look at two important definitions that make it easier to make the right choice for your all-inclusive vacation in Punta Cana.
Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort at Meliá Hotels & Resorts Punta Cana
Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort is part of the entire Meliá hotel complex in Punta Cana (the biggest one of Melía in the Dominican Republic), which consists of 5 hotels:
– Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort (the resort this Meliá review is about)
– Meliá Caribe Beach Resort (check prices here*)
– Paradisus Palma Real (check prices here*)
– Garden Suites by Melía (check prices here*)
– Falcon’s Resort by Meliá (check prices here*)
As you can see, Melía Punta Cana Adults Only (respectively Melía Punta Cana Beach Resort – see the next section for the distinguished version of names) is just 1 out of 5 resorts on the grounds of Meliá in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
When booking Meliá Punta Cana Adults Only, you don’t have access to the other resorts of Meliá Dominican Republic.
Still, it is important to know what the other resorts are about to make sure you pick the right option for your Punta Cana vacation. Here is a quick overview of Meliá Caribe vs. Meliá Punta Cana vs. Paradisus Palma Real vs. Garden Suites vs. Falcon’s by Meliá:
Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort:
The resort this Melía Punta Cana review is about. It is an adults-only hotel with a specific focus on wellness experiences. The Level is part of Melía Punta Cana.
Meliá Caribe Beach Resort:
Formerly named Meliá Caribe Tropical, this is the family section of the entire Meliá Punta Cana grounds. If booked in the adults-only hotel Meliá Punta Cana, you do not have access to the family section and vice versa.
Paradisus Palma Real:
The premium-tier resort on the Melía complex in Punta Cana, especially after its renovation in 2023. If you want to splurge, this is your resort to go (even though the difference to The Level at Meliá Punta Cana is not that big as you can read further below in this Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort review)
Garden Suites by Meliá:
Formerly named The Reserve at Paradisus Palma Real, this hotel is Melías multi-generational resort in Punta Cana and might rebrand soon to a completely new resort experience in Punta Cana.
Falcon’s Resort by Meliá:
Formerly named Paradisus Grand Cana (just after it was opened as The Grand Reserve at Paradisus Palma Real), Falcon’s Resort by Meliá is the only resort in Punta Cana that has tickets to Katmandu Punta Cana included for free – therefore it is the perfect family resort in Punta Cana among the Meliá hotels in the Dominican Republic.
Different names of Meliá Punta Cana
Okay, now you know that we’re sharing our experiences about Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort Adults Only – A Wellness Inclusive Resort in this review. However, when browsing through the internet, you will find a lot of different names out there, as naming is not always consistent.
Here is a list of names you could see somewhere – they are all talking about the same hotel.
- Meliá Punta Cana
- Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort
- Meliá Resort Punta Cana
- Meliá Punta Cana Adults Only
- The Level at Meliá Punta Cana
- Meliá Punta Cana Beach
- Meliá Wellness Punta Cana
- Meliá Beach Resort Punta Cana
- Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort Adults Only
- Meliá Hotel Punta Cana
- Punta Cana Meliá
- Meliá Punta Cana Wellness Resort
- Punta Cana Hotel Meliá
- The Level Punta Cana
- Meliá Resort Dominican Republic
- Meliá Punta Cana Beach a Wellness Inclusive Resort Adults Only
- Meliá Adults Only Punta Cana
- Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort Adult Only All Inclusive
- Meliá All Inclusive Punta Cana
- Meliá Punta Cana Beach Wellness
- The Level at Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort
- Meliá Hotel Dominican Republic
- Meliá Punta Cana All Inclusive
- Meliá Punta Cana Beach a Wellness Inclusive Resort
- Meliá Punta Cana Wellness
- Meliá Dominican Republic Punta Cana
- Club Meliá Punta Cana
- The Meliá Punta Cana
- Meliá Hotel Punta Cana Dominican Republic
- The Level at Meliá Punta Cana Beach
- Meliá Punta Cana Beach Adults Only
- Meliá Resort Punta Cana All Inclusive
- Meliá Beach Punta Cana
- Meliá Punta Cana a Wellness Resort adults
As you can see there are a lot of names around for Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort, but it is always the same hotel. What you already can see from the definition and the different names is that Meliá Punta Cana Resort is focusing on four key experiences:
– adults only
– wellness experience
– all-inclusive
– beach
Overview of Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort
Alright, this was enough as a kind of preamble to show you which hotel we are talking about and where Meliá Punta Cana is located. Let’s start with this Meliá Punta Cana review with a virtual tour through the hotel so you can get a better idea of what to expect.
Immediately when you reach the lobby you see what Meliá Beach Resort Punta Cana is about: Wellness. A large sign greets you with the view of the tropical landscape, which is another major factor when talking about this particular adults-only resort in Punta Cana.
When entering the lobby you also can see one of the bars, which is newly designed and features an attractive and welcoming vibe, surrounded by high chairs, sofa loungers and Bali Beds – super comfy to enjoy a drink at night while listening to some live music.
To the right of the lobby you can find the sports bar and the spa (check out further below at this Meliá Punta Cana review for further impressions of the spa), to the left, there is a large and spacious area with the buffet restaurant and two à-la-carte restaurants, Mar y Sal and Muio.
There is also a bar called “Balance” in this area, which serves natural cold teas, freshly brewed coffees and some pastries. It is similar to the coffee shops other all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana offer but with a focus on wellness and balanced nutrition.
Once leaving the lobby area, you’re immediately greeted by the incredibly lush vegetation and green gardens Meliá Hotel Punta Cana is offering, accompanied by some accommodation buildings.
Continuing towards the beach, you will pass the natural mangrove area as well as several so-called silent and relaxing spaces – an important part of the wellness-inclusive concept of Meliá Punta Cana Adults Only. There is a circle with taino paintings, a relaxing walk to breathe or a cute corner to enjoy nature – just to name a few examples. You can also find several “Hug Me” trees or a beautiful swing on a tree. You partly feel like on a nature trail instead of in a big Punta Cana resort.
Further down, you reach the beachside area with lots of further accommodation buildings – regular Deluxe Rooms, Beachfront Rooms as well as Meliá Punta Cana The Level rooms. They are dotted by an incredible amount of palm trees which adds to the fantastic tropical vibe Meliá Punta Cana features.
Among the palm trees, hammocks and lounge chairs are waiting for you if you want to relax in this peaceful atmosphere.
Once you have passed this area, you have finally reached the pool and beach area of Meliá Punta Cana Adults Only Wellness All Inclusive. Here you will spend the majority of your time during the day, it doesn’t matter if you are a regular guest or have booked The Level at Meliá Punta Cana.
This area is home to the large pool area, incl. the swim-up bar, the exclusive The Level building, the towel booth as well as the beachfront buffet and beachfront à-la-carte restaurant.
Going on to the beach, you have finally reached Bavaro Beach, one of Punta Canas’ best beaches and also one of the most famous beaches in the Dominican Republic thanks to its enormous length of 12 miles with thousands of palm trees and endless sand. Here, at Meliá Punta Cana Beach (a Wellness Inclusive Resort – Adults Only), you can find one of the amplest parts of the beach as it is more than 300 feet wide, dotted with an abundance of palm trees, guaranteeing shade and a particular tropical vibe. Even though – as in most other Punta Cana all-inclusive hotels – the seasonal seaweed might impact the beach occasionally (read more here about the seaweed season in Punta Cana and how to avoid it), this is without a question one of the best stretches you can base yourself at.
Please note that the way from the lobby to the beach is around 2700 feet, hence you will walk 10-15 minutes depending on your pace. However, frequent trolleys are running around the resort, I’d say around every 5 minutes on average, which makes it convenient to move around the resort if you don’t want to walk that much (or in case you have one of the very few rainy days in Punta Cana).
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The beach at Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort
As mentioned, the beach is one of Meliá Punta Cana’s main attractions, the resort definitely can count with a prime location. For me, this part of Bavaro Beach between Corales and Bibijagua is one of the best, thanks to its width, the thousands of palm trees and the fine sand. You can see more beach photos at our hotel reviews of Secrets Royal Beach, Dreams Royal Beach or Lopesan Costa Bavaro, which are right next to the Meliá and Paradisus Resort.
There are enough beach chairs and most of them are in the shade. The Level at Meliá Punta Cana guests also have a separate beach section with waiter service and upgraded lounge chairs. You can read more about the advantages of The Level rooms further below in this Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort review.
The rooms at Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort
Melía Punta Cana Beach Resort features approx. 400 rooms which have been all renovated in recent years. They come with a decent design and are neither the most spectacular rooms on the market nor the worst ones. They are just comfortable, spacious and offer all you need for a pleasant stay.
Meliá Punta Cana Adults Only offers the following room categories:
- Deluxe Room
- Premium Room Beachside
- The Level Suite Beachside
- The Level Suite Beachside by Stay Well
- The Level Garden Suite by Stay Well
- The Level Ocean Suite by Stay Well
- The Level Master Suite Beachside
Before we have a closer look at the Meliá Punta Cana room details, let’s focus on three important recommendations when booking your room.
Location:
As indicated above, Melía Hotel Punta Cana is a large all-inclusive resort – not regarding the room count, but regarding the resort grounds. This being said it might be important for you where your room is located: closer to the beach or closer to the evening happenings (buffet, à-la-carte restaurants, lobby bar, entertainment).
Deluxe Rooms at Meliá Punta Cana are mostly closer to the lobby, the other room categories can be found closer to the pool and the beach. Only approx. 20% of the buildings are located in the lobby area, the other 80% are closer to the beach.
Beachside:
Don’t let yourself be confused by the Meliá Punta Cana rooms called Beachside – they are not necessarily right on the beach. It just indicates that your room is located in the buildings closer to the beach. The maximum distance from these rooms to the beach is around 800 feet, hence the beach is never more than a 2-4 minute walk away from those rooms.
Wellness Experience Rooms:
As indicated before, Meliá Punta Cana Beach Adults Only is also called a Wellness Inclusive Resort which focuses on different aspects of well-being. This is why some of the Melía rooms have the addition “by Stay Well” which comes with additional advantages we explain further below in this Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort review.
In general, all the rooms are equipped with everything you can expect from a well-established and comfortable all-inclusive resort in Punta Cana, among them air-conditioning, balcony or terrace, walk-in shower, sofa or seating arrangement, in-room coffee machine, ironing facilities and minibar.
WiFi is included as well and works in the entire resort like a breeze. You don’t have to reconnect several times like in other properties, you stay connected the entire time.
The Meliá Punta Cana Wellness Experience Rooms (“by Stay Well”) additionally feature well-being elements such as an air-purification system, sunrise simulator, yoga mat, weights for exercising, day bed, shower with Vitamin C infuser, thermal mattress, healthy minibar and free bicycle rental. Plus, all Stay Well rooms grant you a complimentary spa treatment daily (!), a pretty impressive feature if you love being pampered.
The rooms at The Level at Meliá Punta Cana are not that much different than the regular Meliá Punta Cana rooms, just slightly more modern and slightly upgraded. Booking The Level is more about the amenities and extra services throughout the resort. You can find out more in the separate section about The Level Punta Cana below. Furthermore, The Level Meliá Punta Cana rooms have room service included, while there is a 10 USD delivery charge for room service when you have a room not assigned to The Level.
All “Stay Well” rooms automatically have all “The Level” services included.
Booking and Prices at Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort
When booking your vacation at Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort – Adults Only, the most important thing is to book indeed the right hotel, particularly as there are different Melía resorts in the Dominican Republic and in Punta Cana. Therefore, you can use the following table to check the current prices for Melia Punta Cana Beach Resort at your preferred booking website.
In case you haven’t booked your flights yet, you should also check if it might be cheaper to book a flight and hotel together as a vacation package instead of booking everything separately. This can be cheaper, but not in all cases, which is why it is important to compare package prices*.
More important than where to book is knowing when is the best time to travel to Punta Cana and when you can find the cheapest prices.
Currently, prices at Meliá Punta Cana Wellness Resort start at around 230 USD per room per night on selected dates in September and October. November is only a few dollars more expensive, May and June are currently priced at around 310 USD per room per night. During the high season in Punta Cana, from January to March, you should expect to pay at least 400 USD per room per night. All these prices are for the Deluxe Room at Meliá, flexible and can vary from day to day.
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If you’re looking for better services and additional amenities, you can also check out The Level at Meliá Punta Cana. Those rooms have a guaranteed location close to the beach and many additional amenities you can read further below in this Meliá Punta Cana review. Price differences between The Level rooms and Meliá Punta Canas’ regular rooms vary but are currently at around 50 USD per person per night additional compared to the Deluxe Rooms. If you want a room from the Beachside room category anyway, then the surcharge is even less and possible between 35 and 45 USD per person per night. However, these prices vary, so the best is to check your dates here* and have a look at the prices for The Level at Meliá Hotel Punta Cana.
Restaurants and bars at Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort
Let’s continue with the food and drinks at our extensive review for Meliá Punta Cana Adults Only – a Wellness Inclusive Experience. This was one of the strongest plusses during our visit, as the food improved significantly compared to our last visit around 6-7 years ago. Back in this time, only The Level restaurants at Meliá Caribe and Meliá Punta Cana were competitive, but now you can expect an entire culinary journey at all stages of your stay (it doesn’t matter if you have booked a The Level room or not) – maybe with slight deficits at the buffet.
There is no strict reservation policy for the Meliá Punta Cana restaurants when you want to eat à-la-carte. However, it is advisable to make your reservations either through the reservations desk in front of the buffet (for Non “The Level” rooms) or through your butler (for Meliá Punta Cana The Level rooms).
But let’s have a look first at what restaurants Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort is offering.
- Mosaico: buffet restaurant, usually open for breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Serendipia: beachfront buffet restaurant, usually open for breakfast and lunch
- Muoi: Vietnamese à-la-carte restaurant for dinner
- Mar de Sal: Mediterranean à-la-carte restaurant for dinner
- Quimera: à-la-carte restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner, exclusively for Meliá The Level guests
- Calathea: à-la-carte restaurant for dinner, exclusively for Meliá The Level guests
- Hokkaido: Teppanyaki table (for an extra charge, located at Meliá Caribe Beach Resort)
Just from this list, you can already see a big pro and a big con of Meliá Punta Canas restaurants and gastronomy:
PRO: Beachfront restaurant for everyone:
In many resorts in Punta Cana, the main buffet is located in the lobby area or some other centric parts of the hotel. The beachfront restaurant might be reserved for VIP guests only. At Melía Resort Punta Cana, you have the Serendipia buffet right at the beach, which offers breakfast and lunch with a stupendous view of Playa Bavaro and the ocean. This also has the big advantage, that you can spend the entire day in the pool and beach area without heading back to your room.
CON: Only two à-la-carte restaurants:
If you’re not a Melía The Level guests (in other words, if you have only booked a Deluxe Room or a Premium Room Beachside), you only have two à-la-carte restaurants for your dinners besides the buffet. This is one of the lowest number of choices among all all-inclusive hotels in Punta Cana. Therefore, if you love to have more options, The Level Punta Cana at Meliá might be beneficial to you as this gives you further restaurant options.
But, there is also another, very positive side of the aspect: the few available restaurants are insanely delicious. There is a good amount of creativity included in all of Meliá Punta Canas’ restaurant menus. Various vegetarian dishes, interesting new creations and wonderful presentations are just a few of the things you can expect when eating à-la-carte at Meliá Hotel Punta Cana.
For example, our dinner at Mar de Sal was incredibly wonderful. Not only that we had some interesting starters with grilled vegetables or super delicious mussels, but the highlight was definitely a heavenly grilled octopus which was (nearly) softer than melted butter. It was simply amazing.
Also, the Vietnamese restaurant Muoi was very good with typical flavors – better than most Asian restaurants in similarly priced Punta Cana resorts. The vibe here was really nice especially as it is one of the few Asian resort restaurants which does NOT have a Teppanyaki show, which makes it much quieter and more sensual to eat here.
The buffet is a good alternative, in case you don’t want to have an à-la-carte dinner or haven’t been able to get a reservation. There are thematic nights for every dinner buffet, even though they are not very distinctive and visible. But, the food is very good and particularly the ambiance feels much different from your typical all-inclusive buffet, as it has more of a personal feel with an attractive design compared to those large buffets where you feel like in a random canteen (even though Meliá’s buffet restaurant is indeed pretty huge).
Furthermore, the breakfast at Meliá Punta Cana Adults Only Hotel is very good. Besides a large array of fruits, cheese, bread, yogurts and healthy options, you also can mix your own juice or smoothie, which makes it even easier to maintain a healthier nutrition.
If you’re a Meliá Punta Cana The Level guest, you can enjoy an even better culinary attraction at the Quimera restaurants. Here you can get well-elaborated a-la-carte meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And indeed each of these meals with varying menus is a motivating journey for every stomach (even though our first lunch at Quimera was just mediocre, but all the other meals we had here were simply outstanding).
Breakfast starts with many different healthy options, including avocado toast, oven-baked bread as well as detox options and yogurt and fruit combinations – most of them resembling the Wellness Inclusive Experience of Meliá Punta Cana.
For lunch, you can choose between different international meals, including salads, delicious Gazpacho or different kind of seafood (and meat, obviously).
Dinner brings another explosion of senses and tastes. Particularly the risotto served on top of a grilled eggplant was insanely delicious and to die for, but also the beetroot carpaccio and the raw tuna steak were super tasty and another proof of the creativity of Meliás’ menus I mentioned above.
Are you hungry already? You should be because the food at Meliá Punta Cana All Inclusive was indeed super tasty. But the drinks weren’t bad either!
If staying at Meliá Punta Cana, the brand selection at the pool bar, lobby bar and restaurant bars are on a par with similar resorts in the price level of 250-300 USD per night per room in Punta Cana’s low season. You find a few decent international brands as well as very good local rum, including Barcelo Imperial, which is definitely premium rum in the Dominican Republic.
My biggest recommendation for you is to definitely try out the Jigger Bar, located between the two à-la-carte restaurants, Muoi and Mar de Sal. Here you’re getting indeed tailor-made cocktails with premium ingredients from passionate barkeepers who are happy to mix your favorite cocktails or even invent a new one. Similar to the Taboo Bar at Royalton Chic, where we had an impressive cocktail demonstration, Jigger Bar doesn’t feel like a bar in an all-inclusive resort – it more feels like an elegant place around the corner where you know the barkeepers and where they attend you according to your preferences. A very intimate but still classy place – make sure to try it out for a couple of pre-and/or after-dinner drinks.
Another notable place for drinks is the Balance Bar, where you can get fresh coffee specialties, natural juices (not that many as the name of a juice bar would imply) and cold tea infusions without sugar – a perfect “balance” bar.
Besides those two specific bars mentioned, you can also enjoy the pool bar, the beach bar, the lobby bar and the sports bar – enough space to get your drinks. In case you have booked a The Level room at Meliá Punta Cana, you also have access to three to four additional bars: one The Level beach bar and three more bars in the The Level building:
– a pool and restaurant bar on the ground floor
– a fully-stocked self-service bar in the lounge on the first floor
– a beautiful rooftop bar on the second floor with marvelous pool and ocean views
The highlight of those bars is the Quimera Rooftop Bar. It is elegant, features amazing views, serves well-prepared and tailormade cocktails and is indeed a perfect place for a sunset drink or an after-dinner drink.
The self-service bar at the The Level lounge is also an interesting option as this not only allows you to serve yourself your favorite brand, but you can also try out combinations and mixers you might be too afraid to ask your bartender. 😉
As you can see in the photo, The Level at Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort features a significantly extended drink menu with international premium brands, among them Bacardi, Smirnoff, Absolut Vodka, Campari, Aperol, Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, Baileys, Agavita, Dewars and Chivas.
The included house wine at The Level is also much better than the one Meliá Punta Cana has included for their regular restaurants.
Entertainment and service at Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort
Meliá Adults Only Punta Cana is for sure not a party resort in Punta Cana – this would be pretty hard to combine with the wellness experience this resort is offering. But still, there are some considerably interesting entertainment offers, which are different from other typical all-inclusive hotels in Punta Cana.
First of all, there is no theatre at Punta Cana’s Meliá, hence there is no Michael Jackson or magic show like you might have seen already ten times in other hotels. Instead, you will have live acts and smaller shows in the lobby area or the sports bar, such as a Latin Show, Silent Party or Revival Music.
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Second, when it comes to entertainment, Meliá has a system of the so-called 5 spaces – completely focused on wellness and well-being, hence we’re not talking about the typical lifestyle entertainment:
- Silent Space: a place to reflect and enjoy the surroundings, such as the circle walk or the Taino paintings
- Social Space: places to enjoy company, such as the heart-shaped photo opportunity or the boot camp
- Personal Space: usually referred to as the rooms at Meliá Punta Cana Beach Wellness
- Culinary Space: the bars and restaurants at Punta Cana Hotel Meliá
- Sensory Space: places where you can feel nature, such as the “Hug Me” trees or the swing
But also if this sounds like too much wellness or too extravagant for you, you can find more of the typical resort entertainment. There is a watersports center where you can rent kayaks or Hobie cats for free, there is a large pool area with daily activities (such as pool dancing, agua gym, etc.) and there is a wide program of other well-known resort favorites, such as yoga, Pilates, spinning, dancing classes or beach volleyball.
But, and this is the interesting fact, Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort has also put much effort into creating activities that contribute to the wellness-inclusive experience. Some examples are a mud cleanse course, a painting workshop, a reflexology activity, Flow Yoga, a healthy cooking workshop or the 7 Chakras workshop.
As you can see, Meliá Punta Cana Beach – a Wellness Inclusive Resort Adults Only, is not only a name, it is really an experience and the resort tries to fill this experience with activities on every segment of your stay.
If you’re looking for a gym, there is a small one close to the beach. Even though it is not that big, it is very modern and definitely is inviting for some exercise.
If you’re interested in the spa, Meliá Punta Cana Beach Adults Only is home to the renowned YHI spa, where you can enjoy beauty treatments, massages, a hydrotherapy circuit and much more. Same as the entire resort, YHI Spa at Meliá was completely remodeled and now awaits you with a new and shiny concept to pamper your senses. The ambiance between the burbling water, the stimulating scents and the relaxing music is indeed well done. The massage we enjoyed here was a great way to relax from the daily stress (yes, even living in paradise might be tough sometimes 😉 ) and it was a joy to use the hydrotherapy circuit afterwards.
Last but not least, the service at Meliá Punta Cana was really top-notch – compared to other similarly priced all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana. While there are always certain flaws and little mishaps (like in every other hotel in Punta Cana), particularly the friendliness and professionalism of every staff member impressed us. There was not one single occasion where we felt that someone didn’t like their job, there were so many smiles and personal contacts and also the level of professionalism was pretty high, considering that we’re talking about an all-inclusive resort with hundreds of staff members. Overall, we were super pleased with the level of service.
The Level (VIP Level) at Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort
I have already mentioned it a couple of times throughout this Meliá Punta Cana review – The Level is Meliá Punta Cana’s VIP Club (or Preferred Club, Platinum Club or however you wanna call it). This means that as long as you have booked a The Level room at Meliá Punta Cana, you can enjoy all the additional amenities that come with it. The Level is not a membership program or something like this, The Level simply describes additional services you can enjoy when booking a The Level room.
And The Level comes with some pretty cool advantages, which are definitely worth some extra dollars. To start with, here is the complete overview of The Level Punta Cana’s advantages:
- Access to the “The Level” Quimera building with the following advantages
- > exclusive à-la-carte restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner
- > 3 additional bars with upgraded premium brands
- > The Level lounge with dedicated working spaces, relax terrace and concierge service
- > Fingerfood buffet from 11 am to 6 pm at the Quimera lounge
- > Self-service bar at the Quimera Lounge
- > Exclusive rooftop lounge on the upper floor of the Quimera building
- Private check-in and check-out at Quimera
- Additional beachfront à-la-carte restaurant for dinner
- Private butler service
- Guaranteed room location closer to the beach
- Hydrotherapy at the spa (one per person per stay)
- Private Meliá Punta Cana The Level pool with separate bar
- Dedicated beach area with waiter service
- Separate The Level Punta Cana beach bar at Bavaro Beach
As always with those kinds of VIP Clubs in Punta Canas’ resorts, not everything is super important for your stay. Furthermore, the importance of those advantages varies according to your preferences. What is important for you might not be important for other guests.
For example, we didn’t use the dedicated beach area but absolutely enjoyed The Level Lounge as well as the Quimera rooftop terrace. Furthermore, the Quimera restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner was awesome, particularly as it gave us additional options for breakfast, lunch and dining (and because the quality at Quimera was awesome).
Furthermore, the choices of drinks at the Quimera lounge and the rooftop bar were amazing – you could find a lot of well-established premium brands. And generally, the rooftop bar was top-notch – I went here every day. The views from the rooftop bar were amazing and so far there are not many resorts in Punta Cana with a rooftop bar – so far I only got to know Tropical Deluxe Princess and Grand Bavaro Princess.
Usually, we don’t use the butler service during our resort visits that much, but interesting enough, here at Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort Adults Only All Inclusive, we used them for a simple reason: they always seemed to be around. It doesn’t matter where we were, we always stumbled a couple of times per day over our butler and he always made sure that we were doing great – without being obtrusive.
So if you’re wondering if The Level at Meliá Punta Cana is worth it, I’d say in most cases yes. It was definitely a perk with many amenities and not like in other Punta Cana resorts a status with hardly any advantages. On the other hand, it is also not the cheapest upgrade, but if you plan well in advance and check the prices, you can find this upgrade for around 50 USD per person per night – well-invested money if you appreciate certain kinds of extra services, additional restaurant options, rooftop bars, butler service and premium drinks.
You can check here for some of the best The Level Punta Cana prices* or you use the table posted further above in this Meliá Punta Cana review to check with your preferred online travel agency.
Interchanging facilities between Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort and other Meliá Resorts in the Dominican Republic or Punta Cana
A couple of years ago, Meliá Punta Cana and Meliá Caribe Beach were one big resort, where you could move around to your liking. This changed a couple of years ago.
This being said you don’t have access from Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort to Meliá Caribe Tropical Beach Resort nor other resorts of Meliá in the Dominican Republic or in Punta Cana.
You only have access to Katmandu Park, Punta Cana’s newest theme park, which is partly connected to Melía Dominican Republic, but have to pay your entrance fee for Katmandu.
Excursions from Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort
Let’s hope you’re not only coming to the Dominican Republic and Meliá Punta Cana to stay in your resort. The surrounding areas have so many beautiful attractions to offer that it would be a pity to miss all those amazing things to do in Punta Cana.
Of course, the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Melía Punta Cana excursions is Katmandu Park, which was already mentioned a couple of times throughout this Meliá Punta Cana review and is right at the doorstep of the resort. No transfer is needed here, you just can walk there. If you want, you can get your Katmandu Park ticket in advance here* and check the extensive Katmandu Park review here.
If talking about proper half-day and full-day tours in Punta Cana, Saona Island is probably the most popular Meliá Punta Cana excursion. This island is simply so beautiful that it is one of the most paradisical places in the country – and also one of the most beautiful beaches in the Dominican Republic.
Another great option is Scape Park Punta Cana, another theme park in Punta Cana and great if you don’t like the immersive character of Katmandu. Scape Park is famous for its incredibly turquoise Blue Lagoon in Punta Cana and some super cool water games they have.
Considering that this hotel of Meliá Dominican Republic is an adults-only resort, one of the best Meliá Punta Cana excursions is an adults-only catamaran tour with snorkeling. There is one particularly famous one* in Punta Cana which gets the best reviews for many years and guarantees 4-5 hours full of fun in elegant surroundings with a constant ocean breeze.
And last but not least another great adults-only excursion from Meliá Punta Cana is a professional rum tasting with Oliver rums, some of the best rums in the Dominican Republic. This is even a perfect budget excursion in Punta Cana, as it costs less than 50 USD, but offers a high-class rum tasting in a personal and elaborate environment*.
Summary
This was our super extensive Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort review. I know it was long, but there was so much to tell about this particular adults-only hotel in Punta Cana which got completely renovated and now is offering a so different experience compared to many other hotels in Punta Cana. Even though the wellness-inclusive experience might be misleading if you’re booking one of the regular rooms and are expecting to have spa treatments included (which you only have with the “Stay Well” rooms), the wellness topic got indeed implemented in so many different aspects in the hotels. The entertainment is much more geared towards quality instead of just blasting loud music, the menus include more vegan and vegetarian dishes (especially at Quimera restaurant) compared to most other resorts in Punta Cana and the concept with the 5 spaces shows the love into details Meliá Punta Cana put into when reinventing their hotel grounds.
Therefore, Meliá Punta Cana Adults Only is particularly suitable for those looking for a relaxed vibe in a high-quality adults-only environment, very good food (considering that Meliá Punta Cana is priced in the middle-class segment), a creative entertainment program and wonderful tropical gardens, which are among the best you can find in Punta Cana. Contrary, you shouldn’t visit Meliá Punta Cana Beach Resort if you like to have everything close together and don’t want to walk more than 2 minutes, if you need at least 5 à-la-carte restaurants or if you are looking for an active party-like environment.
This being said, Meliá Punta Cana is a great choice for your adults-only vacations and offers an outstanding price-value ratio compared to other resorts, especially when you get a great deal for The Level at Meliá Punta Cana rooms.
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CHRIS
Author, Travel Coach & Punta Cana based digital nomad
Hey, I am Chris, a born and raised German, travel-addictive and Caribbean Soul. Since 2011 I have been living in the Caribbean, among them 5 years in the Dominican Republic. Punta Cana is my home-base here in the country and I’d love to tell you more about how to experience Punta Cana off-the-beaten-track and give you all the advice you want to know for your vacation in Punta Cana.