We visited family staying in the area, so I'm only going to comment on the beach because that's all we used. It's a beautiful and peaceful beach! Everywhere else had big rip tides, we'd almost given up getting in the sea! It has a silty bottom like an estuary but nice to float in about waist deep. You do have to walk across a field to arrive at the shore but it's easy, not necessarily accessible for those with limited mobility. We did drive to the beach parking lot. There was plenty of palm trees for shade and not busy on a weekday. read more

I'm going to give this resort a 4 star! I really enjoyed my time here and wish I never left! Lol, why must vacations be short?! So I loved my room because it was spacious and accommodating. I did not like that the only outlets to charge or phones was under the head board of the bed, so we had to pull the mattress to connect our phone chargers. With that being said, the resort is lacking on modern stuff. I wasn't a fan of the coffee machine because it didn't pour the right amount of coffee. TIP: pour one cup at a time and not two. Breakfast at cafe soleil was amazing! There were two days where the servers were "ok" and the rest of the days where our server were amazing! The food is amazing and they always have a different specialty everyday. I wish they served the crepes guava and cheese everyday lol. The pool is amazing! I loved it! The only thing that prevented this review from being a 5 star is the service at the bar. The bartender acknowledged me and told me to wait. A father and son came at the bar and she attended them completely disregarding me. I was waiting for her for 10 minutes as she finished making drinks for other customers. I just swam back and didn't order anything. They don't have servers to come by and ask if you want a drink. Also, it was ghetto that they used pandora to play music. You would think a resort would have their own station or at least pay for pandora so that the commercials didn't play. Parking is perfect. No complaints! read more

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I want to start by saying I was so skeptical about this resort before coming due to all of the horrible reviews, I almost canceled it. Let me also follow up by saying some people must be so hard to please and difficult to deal with, I feel sorry for the Gran Melia employees for having to put up with some of it. My fiancé and I could not have been happier with our stay at Gran Melia, don't let all of the horrible reviews stop you from coming here. We arrived on a Tuesday (May 19, 2015). I was expecting the worst service per some of the reviews on here but was immediately helped with bags and greeted with sincere kindness and welcoming. Check in took 10 minutes, golf carts are everywhere to take you to your room and we were relaxing in our CLEAN, air conditioned room within 15 minutes of arrival. Our room did not smell like mold and I checked for bed bugs (again, due to bad reviews) and did not find anything funky. The rooms and grounds of the resort are beautiful! Every employee we encountered was so amazing to us. The food is good (yes a little pricey, but what do you expect from a 4 star resort) don't lost your towel card or you'll be charged $50. Why are people complaining, it's an island and easy for people to take towels to the beach and not bring them back, simple solution, return your towel. Room service was fast and when I called housekeeping to deep clean our room (we chose to not have our room made the first 3 days), they were so polite on the phone and did it right away. A rental car is a must if you want to explore the island since the beach here is beautiful but not really swim-able. To top off our week, after checking out, we locked our keys in the trunk of our rental car. I was sure we'd miss our flight but the two gentlemen working the valet area assured me they'd fix this problem. Within only TEN minutes, they grabbed a metal hanger and popped open my door and I was on my way to the airport. They were so eager to help me and I don't know what we would have done without them. Thank you Gran Melia for making our trip awesome! read more

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This resort could be OK for you short term, but you have to THINK. If you just show up here and hope for the best, you will be caught in a tourist trap. But it doesn't have to be that way. Go there for the room. Nice and big. The beds were good and a nice couch to relax on. The room was grande, so to speak. It was nice and cool when outside it was sweltering. No complaints. Don't go here to swim at the beach. Lots of rocks and seaweed. You can find a sandy swimming beach at nearby Luquillo Beach, where you drive to IN YOUR CAR. Go to sit in a beach chair. The resort pool is nice. Don't go for the food and drinks. Due to the costoso prices for food and drinks, we imbibed elsewhere. Didn't even have one drink. But that's what we try to do when resorts charge too much - common sense isn't it? Remote resorts love to rip you off. The breakfast buffet was very good. We used the Club Melia 2 for 1 card, so that was appreciated because it was kinda pricey. Don't plan to eat at the breakfast buffet on a Sunday as all the locals come and crowd it up. Do rent your own vehicle. That way you are not "stuck". If you want to hang at a resort without a vehicle, go to Cancun and Riviera Maya in Yucatan, MX. Some of those 100 or so resorts are incredible, and most are all-inclusive. The resort is in a pretty good location if you have a car. It's fairly "close" to San Juan if you are not paying a taxi fare (should've rented a car, dummy), close to Bioluminescent Bay at Fajardo (excellent if you take the Park Service tour and not the canoe cluster-eff) and close to the famed El Yunque Rainforest (so you can go early and beat the crowds). Without a car you are "stuck in a remote location", aren't you? Don't do that to yourself as its a hella walk even to the store and bakery on the main road. We liked this resort for two nights and then we were off. Had a great deal on the room rate, or we wouldn't have been here in the first place. I think most others paid a lot more. For us all was well and we didn't feel ripped-off at all. This was the best place we stayed in expensive Puerto Rico. I'll give it a cautious four stars. read more

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If you love golfing this might be the resort for you. It plays host to the PGA tour and is beautiful. However....if you don't play golf you may want to skip this resort. Most rooms don't have ocean view. The rooms are nice but most have no view at all!!!! There are bungalows on the beach but are prohibitively expensive. The other thing to keep in mind is that the resort is so spread out you need to catch a cart to get anywhere quickly. If there isn't a ride close by plan on a 1/4 mile walk to the lobby. Food expensive and mediocre at best. They have several restaurants and bars. It's convenient and not terrible. However if you have a car drive East to the food Kiosks on the beach. Great food at a great price and the beach down there is amazing. read more

Not a bad stay at all. Let's start with the breakfast buffet... an amazing way to start the day. Complete with all breakfast staples, including local items. The restaurants are all right and reasonably priced. (I reviewed those separately for different occasions.) The rooms were comfortable enough, good enough to sleep in. I mean really, if you are spending the day enjoying outdoor activities, how fancy do you need your room to be? My daughter loved the two crabs that sneaked into our room. We had fun chasing them around to remove them. The walk from our room was quite long, but that was good too. Definitively a good place to stay at. Great service and friendly staff all over the facility. read more

We came to the resort for a relaxing birthday trip. I was not looking for a place to go party, have a lot of attractions or events and I preferred no children. We are from DC and just wanted a place to sleep, lounge, chill and experience puerto ricos beauty and we found it. This is not a resort for spring breakers, young single people or parties. Its a nice, quiet, romantic resort for couples and adults who are looking for peace and quiet. From the moment we stepped off the plane I feel in love with PR. A gentleman was traveling with the same bag as we were and we thought he has taken ours by mistake. A security officer ran outside and looked all over to make sure theyre was no mistake. Our bad, we found it!. The bus to take us to the hotel was nice. It was a short, easy ride. She was easily identifiable once we exited baggage claim. Once on the property I knew I would have a great time. Ill bullet point these as to not make this long. BTW, theres no cash allowed on the property except to tip. Everything has to be charged to the room or paid at the front desk with cash. Whatever you order will be taken from your deposit so don't be surprised if on checkout your deposit is less then your expect. Pay your balance daily is our suggestion. Pros: No line we arrived at 3PM on a Saturday. Easy check in with a wonderful associate. Clean Room service seems to be the cheapest option of food and everything was amazing, except the 3.00 delivery fee with added 17% tip. Windows in your room open completely. Everyone we've encountered from check in to housekeeping to the men riding you around the property, always welcoming, smiling and gracious. Room was clean and nice. The main pool was closed due to renovations but they allowed us to use the adult only red level pool instead (wonderful) Cons: Only allowed cash is for tips. Everything else is charged to the room or credit card. The only store on the property is expensive ($7.00 water). Main pool was closed which meant the wet bar and grill was closed as well. It can get pretty expensive to eat. The random stray dogs. Large security deposit. All rooms don't have balcony's. Overall were here for a 9 days and it's only day 3 and im very satisfied. The room could use a bit of an upgrade in the bathroom and couch, but over all i am pleased. If this were an all inclusive resort, I would have zero complaints. read more

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PR Gran Melia Resort EPIC FAIL People that were ROCKSTARS & should NOT be fired: -Tomas - Director of Operations -Lisbeth - server @ oceanfront view -Karina - red level check-in -Edward Oneil -Marilyn Janeiro - wedding POC -Leslie - red level pool bartender -Melissa @ bar near arcade -Gilbert - banquet captain -Aixa - awesome server at our wedding reception -Carmen - housekeeping -Braulio - server @ Cafe Soleil -Ramon - red level desk *14yrs as a couple...we decide to have our wedding @ the Gran Melia PR & brought (67) RED LEVEL guests from Monday 03/10 thru Monday 03/17/14. Easily $100k in business for the resort btwn the rooms, money spent at onsite bars & restaurants & room svc. *I want to preface this review by stating that I have worked in the service industry for over 20yrs now...as a server, bartender, manager in restaurants in the DC-VA area & as well as a banquet captain & team lead for numerous catering companies...corporate catering as well as rock and roll touring catering which is light yrs beyond the "best service" that this so-called resort has to offer. Not to mention 90% of our (67) guests currently work in the service & operations support industry - we are ALL VERY FAMILIAR w/being on the other side & catering to guests. BOTTOM LINE WAS THE ONLY WAY OUR GUESTS WERE ABLE TO GET A ROOM OR ANY KIND IF ATTENTION AFTER BEING HERE FOR HOURS WAITING WAS TO CONTINUE TO COMPLAIN UNTIL IT WAS RESOLVED...HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE OVERALL. NO INCENTIVE TO CREATE AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE = EPIC FAIL ON THE PART OF MANAGEMENT. YOU ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR WORST EMPLOYEE... BEST WAY TO RECTIFY THIS IS TO CLEAN HOUSE..........FIRE YOUR ENTIRE STAFF (except the ones mentioned at the top of this email) AND START OVER. And unfortunately for us, we are the ones that have to apologize to OUR guests due to the lack of focus & attention to the details ON YOUR END. At the end of the day my new bride looked at me & said on multiple occasions throughout this unfortunate experience, "We should've gone to Vegas to get married & just stayed at the Venetian b/c their level if service is LIGHT YEARS beyond this...." This statement is BURNED INTO MY MEMORY b/c I LITERALLY heard it daily...this is an EPIC FAIL on your part...... PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CONTACT ME OR RECTIFY THIS SITUATION.... THIS IS NOT POSSIBLE. TAKE THIS AS POSSIBLE AVENUE FOR CHANGE.... I truly hope (for your future guests) that you take note of the above & put some action to making this slip of land you have a GREAT memory instead of a regretful experience filled w/anguish, embarrassment & remorse at the fact that we chose YOUR RESORT as our place to be married. I. WILL. NEVER. VISIT. YOUR. RESORT. AGAIN. FOR. FUTURE. WEDDING.ANNIVERSARY. CELEBRATIONS. Please change for future guests...... read more

I wish I could give this resort more than one star because the location was amazing. But I'm going to leave an honest review: My 2nd time coming here- the first time was great, hence why I came back. We checked in to our room (113) and our room was ok. Until we we there for an hour or so relaxing- then we see roaches everywhere. I counted 11. I immediately called the front desk and they sent someone over to give us a room change. The guy was grossed out- he saw the roaches and didn't even want to come in the room further. We were moved to room 104- (in the same building). The toilet did not work unless you lifted the lid in the back and pulled the chain each time you needed to flush. I was so tired by this time I didn't even care. Woke up in the morning to see yet another roach scurry across the floor. Come on??!! Went to the manager and he was very apologetic. They moved us to the Club Melia side. Absolutely gorgeous upgrade. I literally couldn't have been happier. Luxurious room and serene pool. Ocean view. I was very happy with the solution they provided and with the quick response. However- I woke up to go the bathroom and turned on the light to see roaches run for the corners. One was in my bed!!! Oh my god. Really?? They got into my cappuccino machine and I had to take the entire thing apart when I got home. We had to shake out our clothes as we packed to make sure we didn't bring them home. I mentioned it to a worker and he said that during the rainy season they have a lot of roaches. (He told me this in confidence). I was just disgusted, appalled. When I went back to the desk/ they took 150.00 off of my bill. Really?? That's laughable. The woman then told me to go ahead and write a review if I'm not happy in a very condescending manner. What an awful reply. I wish I could come back because I used to love this place. In fact, last August I gave it a 5 star review on Trip Advisor. I will never come back here. I can't believe after having to see with roaches for a week- they took off 150.00. Disgraceful. read more

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First the good, the hotel lobby is off the hook- it is opulent, open air, gorgeous. The pool is big, with a great, swim up bar. Now the rest of the story. If you choose to stay here, you will need to have lots of time and lots of money. The way the Gran Melia is set up, everything is far away from everything else. Get ready to walk or wait for a golf cart to go anywhere. Want food? Be prepared to pay top dollar for mediocre to average food. Don't want to make the haul from your room and want to order room service? Maybe you will get your food. In an hour or two. Maybe you won't. Since it takes 20-25 mins to get out and away from the resort since it sits at the very tip of a penis shaped peninsula, if you do not have a car, you are kind of boned. The little gift shop does have an espresso machine and it is easily the best deal at this hotel. The beach is for sitting only. The water at all places around the hotel is brackish and vegetated. Not the beautiful blue, clear water you think of when you think of Puerto Rico. For that, and for great food, reasonably priced you will need to drive out of the resort, turn left onto Rt 3 and find your way to the Kioskos that sit between the road and the beautiful beach. read more

Gran Meliá - The location of the Gran Melia. Coincidence? I think not. The Donald's resort. - Resorts Near Me - Río Grande, Puerto Rico

I believe that this place is now called The Resort at Coco Beach, a Hyatt Affiliate. Let me start by saying that I don't usually write reviews but this place definitely made me want to, and it will be lengthy. From the moment you enter pass the security gate thing, nothing screams, welcome to our resort! It's pretty open land with some palm trees here and there, but nonetheless i look past all that and continue driving. The actual resort/hotel (I'm going to call this a hotel from here on out) is about 5-10 mins after the gate (gate attendant just told me to keep on driving). When you pull up to the hotel you notice a sense of emptiness. There is two parking lot, one valet and one self parking, both with hardly any cars, but the valet was ready to open the door and get the bags. The main hotel lobby is very open and spacious with little pods everywhere with fish in them. Now here is where the issues begin: For this hotel being so empty, it somehow took 45 mins for me to check in! There was one person at the front desk helping a disgruntled customer and no one else in site for at least another 30 mins. Once someone else showed up, she started to check me in but couldn't find my reservation, no biggie, it happens. She eventually called someone and got me squared away, even upgraded me to the ocean view room for the issues. The bellman was from honestly not professional at all. He tried to act more like my homie than a professional bellman, but whatever people have different personalities right. So lets move on, he didn't know which golf cart to get in, which mean loading one, finding out he doesn't have the key to that one, him going to get another one, swapping everything to that other cart, and no we are on the way. Mind you we stood around for 45 mins already trying to check in. Our room is upstairs, so in an attempt to not make more than one trip the bellman tries to carry all the bags at once, once he realized he couldn't he asked me if i could carry one of the bags myself. I could look past the personality traits and the golf cart but this is very unprofessional for a "resort". The room was nice and the bellman quickly showed us around it and asked to get us some ice, to which i agreed. While he was gone we noticed a dirty towel next to the bed (had make up on the towel), another sign of the lack of quality. When the bellman returned i told him about this towel at which point he questioned if it's even dirty and then commenced to smell the towel!!! He then took it with him and left. The TV didn't work, just continued to show no signal on an extremely clear day. There was no water in the fridge (we were told there was some), and once on the balcony, you cant get back in if you close the sliding door with our smearing your finger prints all over the glass. I have no idea who thought that was a good design. Oh and i forgot to mention, unless they plugged in the fridge as soon as we arrived, it wasn't working! And yes i checked and the temp was turned to the max. The hotel/resort is very open which in one hand can be nice as long as that open space is filled with people, in this case there was probably a handful or two of people on the entire resort which made the entire place feel completely deserted and very dreary. The lack of reviews for this place made me weary to begin with but i decided to go ahead and give it a shot since the pictures looked nice, but we canceled our reservation immediately and went elsewhere. I should've known something was up when the total number of cars in self parking was 3 and only 2 in valet (including my own). Needless to say, i do not recommend this place to anyone at all, especially not for the price!!! If you are looking for a resort style place in this price range, check out the wyndham which isn't much farther, and if you're willing to spend more money stay at St. Regis. Trust me when i say you will be completely blown away by the level of service, quality, and expertise the Regis has to offer. read more

This place could be great. After all- what could seemingly be wrong with an oceanfront location only 45 minutes from Old San Juan, tropical weather, a great spa, lush landscaping, championship golf course and a pool area that sits right on the edge of the ocean? Well., let me tell you- plenty is wrong here. While I get the concept of "island time" where everything is a little laid back- after flying 5 hours to get to this place and arriving at 5pm- I expected my room to be ready given that check in was supposed to be at 3. Not the case. I was told to wait in the bar for an hour or two (what?) and to keep checking back. Finally got into my room at 7pm. I opened the door to my room to an overpowering smell of mildew. Yuck! I went to use the phone to ask for a change of rooms but the phones didn't work and when I went to turn on the light to see what was the problem with the phone- there were no light bulbs in 5 of the lights in the room! I tried to turn the TV on with the remote- but the remote was missing it's batteries. Unbelievable!! Hmm . . . Was this really a "room" or were they putting me in some sort of ancillary room that they only use when the hotel is full? I still wonder. There was no Internet access (even after I purchased a $15 cord to use their "wireless system") and cell service required you to stand with one foot in the ocean and your arm in the air spinning crazily (kidding-but there was only cell service in strange places but never in your room or public buildings!) Lots of space at this resort- so I hiked the 1/2 mile back to the front desk to alert them to some of the problems in my room and the hotel staff could not have been less interested. They could not move me to another room as the hotel was sold out. It took me all 4 days I was there to finally get some light bulbs and the phones working just in time for me to check out! The highlight of the place? The pool and the spa. The service at the pool area was great. Drinks actually came with the ice in them not melted which was not the case at the other lounges. And the spa- if you go- ask for Galahad. He's got some magic hands that can make all of life's irritations go away- and I so needed that at this place!!! I understand that the Gran Melia is undergoing a transition to new management- going from an all inclusive resort to a pay as you go place. I can only hope that a "service culture" is also instilled. This place has so much potential- but without a series of changes, I won't be back. read more

I booked through cheapcarribean.com was not sure what to expect as the reviews seem like this was going to be a mid-level accommodation. But, I was very impressed and pleased at how nicely maintained the resort was and how friendly and helpful the staff were. The pools, the beach, the hammocks, EVERYTHING....was great. No hassels, we did change rooms day 2/6 because we wanted a colder refrigerator...without charge moved into a room with a kitchenette. SWEET....it was a perfect interruption to the Arctic chill. LOVED IT! read more

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FYI - There are way more pictures and reviews on TripAdvisor for the Gran Melia. It's pretty out of the way, though close to El Yunque Rainforest. You definitely need a car if you're staying here - it's a 5 minute drive from the main road to the hotel itself! Rent a car from Avis (from the airport is fine..or at the hotel itself) as you can park in the Avis lot for free rather than pay $10+ a day for parking! The lot really isn't that far from the lobby, as someone on TripAdvisor said - it's a bit of a walk but not nearly as far as some people make it out to be. They also have golf carts that can take you to your room (bc this is also a bit of a walk, but we did it several times a day w/ no problems). The line to check in took over 30 minutes! Also, since it's a tropical area, the lobby is outdoors, so it was really hot. They really need to have two lines - one for checking in/out and one just to get your towel! You give them a card w/ your name to borrow a towel for the pool. Don't keep the towel or lose the card - there's a steep fee for that! It's a nice hotel with a huge pool (shallow so you can't drown unless you're three feet tall) and a bar in the pool, but the water was too warm for my liking. It reminded me of pee water. The rooms were spacious and clean. The main complaint was that the sheets on one bed smelled like mildew (not surprising considering it is really humid). My other complaint was that the shower didn't get hot enough for me. However, all the staff we encountered were nice, there's a free small gym, the lobby/restaurant/grounds are beautiful, and we got a deal at $99 a night! Oh, they also have a small casino (bring a jacket bc it was freezing in there) for you gamblers! read more

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My family and I stayed here from 7/4/14-7/10/14. The hotel is about 30-40 minutes from San Juan. Additionally, you are about 15 minutes from the main road, as you drive up. The golf course locale is nice, but the long drive gets tedious over time. You definitely need to rent a car. They charge you for parking, which is ridiculous considering how remote this resort is. But, this hotel charges you for quite a bit, so be prepared for that. The staff here are very nice. But if they are busy, you will have a wait. We had a problem with the mold in our rooms, and we reassigned the same day with little issue. The room itself is spacious and very comfortable. I had no problems with housekeeping in my room. Use the pool to swim. The beach is not swim friendly. However, you get great shots of the sunset. There is not much to do on this side of the island. So, be prepared to go out. My main complaint was location of hotel and charging for parking. I definitely recommend a massage while you stay. The spa is amazing. Yes, the drinks were pricey, but I expect that at a resort. Overall, this was an average experience for a lovely island. read more

Gran Meliá - Sunset on 7/9/14. - Resorts Near Me - Río Grande, Puerto Rico

OK so the grounds here are very beautiful! The lobby, the pool and the grounds are wonderful. Our room is big and so is our bathroom! My daughter and I are here celebrating her graduating from Suffolk university! We are both shocked to report that the front desk staff are VERY rude and condescending. Its hard to shake off when you're on your vaca and are used to being treated with utmost hospitality. The men here on the grounds however, have been very helpful and kind to us. There's no beach at this hotel. It is covered in beach grass. We took a catamaran trip to experience the beach somewhere else. The restaurants are overpriced and the food is meh. You need a lot of $$ to sustain yourself while here. Kind of a buzz kill. I spoke to another guest at the pool, and she also reported how very rude the front desk is. Its not just us. We won't be returning to this place. read more

Gran Meliá - My daughter in the front lobby area - Resorts Near Me - Río Grande, Puerto Rico

Upon our arrival what a beautiful resort I mean the place looks so manicured to a tee...........they have a gorgeous African Gray in the lobby (margarena) .......from there on in nightmare the main pool closed still the golf carts are ready for the cemetery you call the front desk they answer if they want too called various times no answer (lmao) I am actually paying for this crap......the room awful throw pillows were old dirty and smelly threw them outside to the patio...went to get extra pillows they told me they would bring them right over a maintenence guy brings them over really!!!! Breakfast was good that and the Parrot were the only things there for me ........... read more

Gran Meliá - Beautiful Parrot - Resorts Near Me - Río Grande, Puerto Rico

Expectations were low coming in. The area before the resort was kinda ghetto. But when you enter the resort property it's really nice. The staff told us what to do step by step so we weren't confused. Check in was at 4 and there was a bit of a wait at the check in desk but we were in our room by 4. Our golf cart driver, José, was a cool guy. He drove us around the resort taking the long way to our room. We got into our room and we weren't disappointed. The only thing that didn't work was the ice machine right outside our room. We rented a car at the airport because if you don't you'd be stuck at the resort. You have to get a validation for the car which is kind of a hassle. Something like a key card that we can buzz ourselves into the resort property would be easier. But instead they have two people with garage clickers to click open the gate. Two people is kinda unnecessary. With the validation on your dashboard the staff open and close the gate without question. Validating the car could be done any time before you want to go out of the resort to explore. The pool is huge but the water is warm. There were a lot of kids. The beach is rocky but the scenery is beautiful. Drinks are overpriced but what do you expect. I just can't get over how beautiful this resort is. We check out tomorrow! read more

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Awesome place. Beautiful property. Great food and service. If you are looking for a nice quiet place ... relaxing and taking in some good fresh air you won't be disappointed. The staff is very nice. The restaurants are very good. For breakfast we always asked to be seated by Braulio's area. He is amazing. The rooms are nice and comfortable. Love this place. read more

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Day 8 of 13 @ Gran Melia (07-09-14) My husband and I were going to give a final review as soon as we got back but this could not wait... He just got stopped by the 'ice police' at the Gran Melia. More about that later...When reading all the other reviews and people commenting about the ice machine not working, they are 110% correct! On the first day we got here I tried the ice machine and it seemed to dribble out about 5 cubes at a time. After about 5 minutes or so I was able to fill my bucket half way. On the second day I tried the same machine and sure enough it did not work. On fourth of July weekend we went out and checked 5 different ice locations and came out with nada! My husband decided to take matters in his own hands and went to Ralph's Supermarket and bought a styrofoam foam cooler and a bag of ice. Came back and had no issues whatsoever of bringing it back to our room. This lasted us about a few days. We did a second ice run today and got a whole new experience! Myself and our 4y old son went ahead of my hubby to the room as he had to carry the styrofoam cooler, bag of ice and a few other bags. As he got to the entrance, the security guard (S) stopped him and told him he could not bring in the cooler. Hubby told him it was a bag of ice. The guard persisted and said "you still can't bring it pass this location." Hubby told him "none of your ice machines work, so what do you want me to do?" Guard said, "I am doing my job and to read the sign." Hubby said, "What are you talking about?! If your machines are broken what do you expect me to do?!" Then, this over zealous security guard had the audacity to tell him to calm down and asked if we had children. Hubby said , "yes and why should that matter?!" We told him to call his supervisor; dropped the cooler and out comes the ice with our son's milk. When we got back to speak to his supervisor, sure enough the 'ice guard' was nowhere to be found. The supervisor listened to what we had to say and KNEW that the ice machines were not working. He was professional and actually took the cooler back to our room and apologized. He did say that if we run out of ice to call his extension and they will refill it... Hubby was still fuming of how we were treated by this 'ice guard' and needed to speak to the manager at the front desk. On our way back the 'ice guard' was back at his post. We asked for his name and he addressed it with a 'sir' this time around?! After waiting 10-15min to meet with the manager (P); I finally spoke to him and he seemed to listen (I think). He acknowledged that the ice machines were not working and apologized for the inconvenience. He also said that if we run out of ice he would refill the cooler...Thanks? Anyway, the bottom line is, where is the courtesy and common decency when dealing with your customers? This ice guard needs customer service training and more importantly some common sense. If your machines do not work and my cooler has only ice and milk, do not make a big deal of it. I am paying out if pocket when this should be included. This hotel is rated 4stars yet the service is 2.5 stars at best. On a positive note: the grounds were great and the pool was fantastic (when it's clean). The room was good but we encountered some loose 'bed legs'. Maintenance came by and fixed it. We did not try any restaurants yet due to sooo many negative reviews. If you are staying in PR for more then 3 days; rent a car and do some exploring. Great stuff out there! read more

Gran Meliá - Nice day - Resorts Near Me - Río Grande, Puerto Rico

As an all-inclusive guest here for 5 days, I can definitively say that this place is the worst!! I really didn't expect much coming in considering the low ratings on Yelp, but I also didn't expect it to be THIS bad... Upon arrival, I was pleasantly surprised by the ambiance/decor of the lobby. The huge white columns, koi fish ponds, and unique plant life made it look like a tropical palace! I was quickly disenchanted, however, after waiting 40+ minutes for check-in. There weren't even that many people in front of us (only 2-3 parties), so I'm not sure why the process was so long?! Additionally, we were told that our room wasn't ready yet (it was already 4 PM...what's up with that?!), so we went straight to eat at the pool bar and I got my first taste of their mediocre service and even more mediocre food. It took around 15 min to flag down a waiter for our table, who hastily took our orders and never bothered to check up on us during the meal. Defs skip out on the raw fish ceviche options they have here the fish is so slimy/mushy/gross :( Most of the entrees leave much to be desired... My overall thoughts on this place: SERVICE - I've encountered many of the servers and workers throughout the resort, and while some of them are very friendly and courteous, others have been egregiously rude and unhelpful... the ladder of which have really ruined my experience and impression of this place. FOOD - The quality of food was absolutely unacceptable for the $1000+ per person price tag of this resort. The breakfast buffet was worse than my college dining halls (trust me, that's pretty bad), with nearly rotten fruit, soggy bacon, dry pancakes, and disappointment served at every counter. I did appreciate the omelette station though -- that's basically all I've been eating. The Japanese and Italian restaurant options are pretty limited because they have a $20 surcharge for many of the nicer menu items. Also, you're only allowed to order one appetizer, one entree, and one dessert. What's the point of paying for all-inclusive if you can't eat all your heart desires?!? This was especially annoying to me at the Japanese restaurant because the portions were so small and the entree options were super boring. I ended up ordering the Mongolian BBQ ribs which came with a rack of 3 ribs. Yes, that's right...just 3, and the flavor was pretty meh. My sister ordered a sweet & sour chicken which tasted like soggy Panda Express. My mom's spider roll was probably the best option of the bunch, but came with a measly 5 pieces. The Italian restaurant has much better portion sizes and food quality. Honestly, this restaurant is the only decent thing in the Gran Melia. I didn't get to try any of the steak that other people in my party ordered but it looked very sizable and quality! Would defs recommend the Pappardelle Mare e Monti if you're a fan of red sauce. DRINKS - Alll fruit drinks are made from concentrate (not fresh), and they don't make very good mixed drinks here either...if you don't want to be disappointed, just stick with beer or wine. Drinks are only included with your dinner, otherwise you have to pay extra (so stingy lol) ATMOSPHERE - There are WAYY too many people living at the resort, and they don't really have the proper facilities to host this many people. Breakfast buffet lines can get crazy long...be sure to come early or expect to wait outside in the sweltering heat. The main pool was also very crowded every day during our stay here, and didn't seem to be very clean. Also, the amount of hotel rooms are huge -- so huge that they offer golf cart rides to get from your room to the lobby, but it often takes ~10 min to wait for a golf cart to become available to you. Walking back and fourth between the pool area, dining area, and hotel room quickly became a huge headache I came here with my mom and her co-workers so, unfortunately, I didn't have much of a say as to which resort to stay at. If you do find yourself at this sad excuse for an all-inclusive resort, here are some tips I've picked up over the past several days: - Make reservations for dinner days in advance if possible -- they book up fast - The Italian restaurant is by far the best option and the servers here are actually very attentive...the Japanese one is barely passable - Go to the breakfast buffet around 8-9 AM for no wait and the freshest food options (I've noticed the food they bring out deteriorates in quality the later you go) While the rooms/facilities of this resort are decent, the service and food are by far the worst I've ever experienced. You're better off spending your money elsewhere. read more

I have traveled all over and I will admit the scenery and the hotel itself was beautifully breathtaking. It was the picturesque backdrop to what paradise should be. The rooms were housed in secluded bungalows that were framed with a plethora of palm trees. Everything was easy to get around to and as you walked through the resort everything was extraordinarily pleasing to the eye. One could get lost in the beauty that this hotel had to offer. I am not one to complain, but unfortunately the staff in this hotel is the rudest and most unfriendly workers I have ever had the unfortunate experience of dealing with. They took away from the tranquility that the resort has to offer. The all around service was atrocious. From the front desk at check in, to having to constantly repeat ourselves to housekeeping to ask for more towels (when I checked in my room had 0 towels in the entire suite), to asking for a working coffee maker for the room, and even trying to make reservations at the hotel restaurants was difficult (and its the only way to eat there. You have to have a reservation). And trust that it was not a language barrier. We are Hispanic and speak fluent Spanish. Whether we asked in English or Spanish not once did we have adequate service. The only time we were treated graciously and with even a little respect (not that we are the type to demand that but all people, especially when spending money that they saved all year for, should be treated as guests and not nuisances) was at the Hotel grill at the pool and at Pasion (which is technically independently owned). This resort is secluded, as in a 15-20 minute drive to get to any type of civilization. Renting a car is a must. They have Avis on the grounds which, if you don't mind extraordinarily slow service, is the best way to go. For a day it was $60. $50 cheaper compared to the airport Avis price; however, if you rent a cab to drive you to Gran Melia from the airport be prepared to pay over $65. If you want a shuttle you need to request one 48 hours in advance. Like I said, renting a car is a must because it would be a shame to come to Puerto Rico and not visit Old San Juan and eat authentic Puerto Rican food or go to the Rainforest and just take in what nature has to offer. The meals everywhere at this resort are over priced and unfortunately not that good. The best thing we had were cheeseburgers at the Hotel Pool Grill. With tip the total is about $17. A little expensive but the cheapest thing you will eat for 1 person anywhere on site. Would I come back, probably, but only because of the scenery. Definitely not for the staff and their treatment, but for the relaxation, the seclusion, and the overall paradise feel that this place gives you. Based on that alone I would recommend this resort, but also make sure you have a rental. I can't stress that enough. Hope this helps. I didn't read the yelp reviews until now and I definitely agree with many of the other yelpers. read more

Gran Meliá - Walk along the beach - Resorts Near Me - Río Grande, Puerto Rico

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Most Excellent Resort!! I loved everything... almost. I aim to provide an accurate account of my experience staying at the Gran Meliá Resort. The security at the gate takes your name and allows you passage onto the property. Upon arrival the entrance to the property is stunningly gorgeous. The landscaping is impeccably maintained. You will love the atmosphere that has been created. I have so much I can carry on and praise the resort about but that would mean I would have to write a book about all of the great things about this resort, i.e. the private beach area, the restaurants, the bar, the pools, etc., etc., etc. Now I will say there are a few opportunities that can be brought up in this review. I will touch on the most important ones to me. First the check in process was quite lengthy. The problem here was twofold, not enough clerks at the front desk to accommodate the amount of people checking in at the time we arrived, approximately 7pm, and the way deposits & payments are processed is very tedious and somewhat confusing. To add to this dilemma, our card was being declined because of an issue VISA was experiencing at a global level that day. Once all that was done it was pretty much smooth sailing. Next, the rooms were lacking a decent amount of towels for my wife and I to use. We had to call the front desk and ask for more towels, repeatedly, day after day. Which leads to the next issue, the phones in the room. Only one phone in the room worked, not counting the one right next to the toilet. Who uses the room phone while on the pot? The phone on my nightstand wasn't even plugged in. When calling the front desk for anything the phone rang incessantly. Sometimes it would get disconnected, or it seemed that way. You have to call the front desk for a taxi, golf cart, to come pick you up so that you can make it to the parking lot, restaurants, bar, etc. So this made for a frustrating experience when the phone wouldn't work. Once you got a hold of someone at the desk for a taxi to be sent, the taxi would take a minimum of 20-25 minutes to arrive. So if you were in a hurry you might as well walk to your car, restaurant, etc. or else you would be waiting. The lesson learned here was to call the front desk at least 30 minutes prior to needing the taxi, towels, room service, etc. I think that if they had more staff available for the taxis or front desk this would not be an issue at all. I do want to say that at non-peak times these taxi drivers were Johnny on the spot! Last but not least, the plumbing seemed to need some work. We had to flush the toilets multiple times. I'm not sure if the resort is on a septic tank or if they have a true sewer line but the drains in the sinks, bath, & toilet were extremely slow. A couple of times I was afraid the toilet was going to backup. Thank goodness it did not! All in all my family and I loved the resort and would gladly stay there again. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the ice machine outside of our bungalow was out of service the entire duration of our stay. I would have to walk two buildings over to get ice. Not a huge inconvenience, but it was out of the way. ALSO, FYI, you will have to pre-pay for your parking for the duration of your stay. read more

Gran Meliá - Beautiful property. - Resorts Near Me - Río Grande, Puerto Rico

Has anyone bought a timeshare at this place? If you have I'm sure you all are aware that they have sold to Coco condominium and kept everything nice and quiet. They recently send out letter that Sol Melia VC was acquired by the company mentioned above. After months of calling and all pretending the resort was being renovated for opening of Dec, 2018 was like more of an excuse after another. There is no way they did not know this all was happening. Now no one has any answers for timeshare holder. We are all left to fend for ourselves. Someone needs to come forward with answers to what is happening. So disgusting what they have done. So unprofessional!! read more

I am waiting in line to check in. We have been here for 20 minutes and they have probably cleared 2 guests. I dont expect to get checked in another hour. For a resort this is the slowest check in i have had almost like waiting in line get visa to north korea read more

Gran Meliá - Resorts Near Me - Río Grande, Puerto Rico

My wife and I stayed here for 6 nights over the new year holiday. This place is on a beautiful property and has so much potential but there are corners being cut. For starters, on the bed there was no fitted sheet or duvet cover and instead there were flat sheets used for everything which would always get mixed around at night. The mattress cover was old and torn and was always coming undone because it was too small for the mattress. Our room was cleaned only 3 of the 6 days we were there and once it didn't get cleaned until 6pm. The food and drinks here are way over priced and not worth it. Luckily we had a car here and were able to go restaurants off resort which were better and cheaper or go to a market for some simple groceries and liquor. An entire bottle of Bacardi at Walmart costs as much as 1 drink on resort. I cannot stress enough how important it is to RENT A CAR! I they charge $16 a night for parking (which is ridiculous) but if you plan on getting around and sightseeing it is more than worth it. An excursion to El Yunque will cost over $100 but is next to free if you go by yourself. And a taxi 1 way from San Juan is about $100. The resort itself, while gorgeous, does not offer too many on site activities. They offer excursions, all which are way more than what you would pay for anywhere else. Even some small activities would be nice at night like dancing lessons or something similar. The pool is great during the day but it can get quite boring at night. All in all there are small things that can be done to help make this a great place great if the effort was put into it. But based on past reviews it doesn't seem to be getting any better. I would consider this place for the location alone read more

Seems like a really cool place... I wouldn't really know because from the moment we arrived it rained 100% of the time with little breaks of overcast grey skies and hard winds. A little annoyed that the hotel lied to us when we called, claiming that the weather channel was completely wrong and it would only rain for 15 min bouts here and there. The island is a nightmare in the rain--people drive like maniacs and the roadways appear to have been designed by a kindergartener. The resort has a few places to entertain you until midnight, but it's pretty dead... I missed the whole "live music" that supposedly exists. Best advice ever: don't buy a flight more than 5 days in advance because this is supposed to be the "best weather to visit" .... and don't trust ANYone who claims the weather channel forecast will be wrong because it was spot on. Oh also didn't eat any food at the resort except for room service... the sushi place wasn't open until 6PM which is inconvenient... the room service though was super awful. Also they have lots of juice options but none are fresh (yet they cost $3). read more

I was very nervous about this place after reading all the negative reviews on Yelp but let me tell you this place is better than I could've imagined. Rooms are huge pool is big and clean iguanas all over the resort very friendly and helpful staff. Come stay here when you come to PR you won't be disappointed read more

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Absolutely loved this resort!! My best friend and I stayed for 4 nights and we did not want to leave this resort:) The Gran Melia Resort staff are so polite and nice, especially, Cesar who works at the front desk, helped us a lot. Everybody here has smile on their face:) This hotel has a 24hours pool. We enjoyed looking up the stars and swimming at the night. The food were great too. We tried 3 restaurants there and all of them were delicious! Actually, I was nervous about this hotel after reading all the negative reviews here but it turned to most amazing resort experience in my life. Thank you The Gran Melia Resort! read more

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Gran Melia is gorgeous and has everything you are looking for in a resort. But here are a few tips that I want to share with others planning their vacation. My husband and I stayed here for 6 days and it was also during the Puerto Rico Open. 1. There is only one shuttle allowed to pick guests up from the airport and take them to the resort. The shuttle is Dragonfly. They charge $35 each way ($70 roundtrip to the airport). This is unless you decide to rent a car. You could take a taxi but they are very expensive. 2. Make sure you rent a car from Avis (either from the airport or from the Avis desk at the resort). Avis is the only free parking allowed at the resort otherwise it is $15 per day. And you will want a car to see other parts of Puerto Rico. And to get to the main road, the resort is a good 1-2 miles. Also, go online to get the best rate for the car - the resort's location is RG9. I include this because we couldn't find the location without the rep's help at the desk. We were able to get a car for $20+ cheaper online than the price the rep quoted us. 3. Upon check in, the resort asks for a $100 deposit per night for incidentals on your credit card. This is not written anywhere but it is in other reviews and we were asked. We told them we didn't have $600 to put a hold on a card so that they wouldn't do it. And they just held $100 for the entire stay and told us that we couldn't charge anything to our suite which was fine with us since we planned to sightsee and eat food outside of the resort. Let me also clarify that the deposit is used for any charges made towards the room - the shuttle, drinks at the bar, snacks at the market, meals, etc. so if you plan to stay at the resort the entire time then pay the deposit. 4. Make sure you sign up for MAS Rewards before you arrive so that you can take advantage of the benefits - buy one, get one free breakfast buffet at Cafe Soleil (regular $18 each), 10% off dinner at Nami and Tempo (two restaurants at the resort), and points for your stay. The other restaurant on site is Pasion which has caribbean cuisine. The food was out of this world -we had the whole red snapper stuffed with lobster and the churrasco mofungo. 5. We stayed in the Gardenview Junior Suite. The suite was nice and very clean. But it smelled moldy for a majority of our stay. We read this in a review so we expected it. The rooms are cleaned daily but the smell lingered. 6. There is a shuttle (large golf cart) that will take you to your room from the lobby. They will also pick you up from your room when you call which is a great service because some rooms are 1/4-1/2 mile to the main building. However, with the pick up from the room (on weekends), make sure you call at least 10 minutes before you are ready to leave. The guys are more than happy to take you anywhere on the property including the Avis parking lot. Overall, we had a fantastic time, the resort is amazing and has everything you could ever ask for. If you would like more information about the resort, or tourist areas, email me at tmwhightower@yahoo.com. read more

If you want a fun, relaxing time on the beach, this isn't the place for you. All resorts are expensive but at the very least they will have service. As a frequent traveler who has stayed in many resorts around the world, I can safely say this is the worst place I have ever stayed. To boot, we were there for a wedding and they screwed almost everything up. Only Jesus could have stopped from exploding in anger. Highlights: - 6 hour check in (for red level no less) - waiting an average of 30 minutes at every bar for a drink - waiting for a minimum of 2 hours to get your food at a restaurant - food that tasted like cardboard no matter where you went - beach has no waves on shore and you have to walk across urchin infested seaweed to get to any breaks So if you want to pay resort prices, and get the above by all means waste your money. If you want something real, check out next door. The St Regis will eat your wallet but at least you'll be getting something in return. read more

Gran Melia Puerto Rico is as good as it gets. This resort is luxurious like you would not believe, everything is open and outdoors, walls are nowhere to be found and you are able to feel the tropical air, sounds of "Coqui" and warm breeze on your skin at any location within the resort. The resort itself its a little secluded and you might not be unable to find it at first due to the fact that the resort itself is so deep in the jungle lol, you literally have to drive about 2 miles just to find the actual entrance of the resort, with no signs pointing in any direction, which can be a little confusing at first. Once you find the resort entrance you are greeted by valet and staff at Gran Melia, you will be in amazement how beautiful this resort is. The resort is located on the beach and you feel the nice breeze all day. The rooms are located in bugalos, they are all separated from one another, so if you are traveling with a group of people make sure to request that your entire party stay in the same bungalow or near each other because nothing is walking distance and you must take a golf cart to mostly any loication within the resort like, pool, restaurant, Bar, lounge etc. Tips: 1. Make sure to rent a car in order to travel and visit other parts of the island. 2. Try to eat outside of the resort, although the resort offers many restaurant options and buffets, they can get a little boring and expensive after a few days. 3. Upgrade to "Red Level" its worth it, you get a room upgrade, complimentary breakfast and other perks like complimentary drinks in the evening and Red Level pool access which comes with many other amenities, everything pays for itself with just breakfast alone. 4. Pool is open 24 Hours I recommend Gran Melia to anyone visiting Puerto Rico, the resort is beautiful and relaxing but can get a little boring due to the lack of entertainment, I recommend you rent a car and use your YELP app in order to find great places to eat and for entertainment, the Yelp app helps a lot! read more

As i landed in the island for the first time i noticed the humid climate and that for the first time in many years a power outage in the entire island. Somehow i managed to get my car rental and headed to my hotel (30 min away east) of which was one of a few that had a generator. This hotel is great especially if you want to experience the island as i planned to have daily mini adventures in PR. The hotel is close to El Junque national park and other attractions. A 30min drive to Old San Juan which I did practically daily. read more

Our experience at the Gran Melia Resort was not the best. The place is gorgeous! No doubt about that but the staff is extremely unorganized and they do not keep their word. As soon as our group and I arrived to the resort we upgraded to the ocean front view (3 rooms) Liza told us that upgrade would include strawberries with chocolate and champagne which we were there for 6 nights and every day we would call ask for our strawberries but they never arrived. Liza also said that our upgrade would come with an "open bar" at the red room for 2 hours (5pm-7pm) every night but she never told us that the open bar would only come with one unknown nasty beer, sangria and one option of wine in this tiny little room. When she said open bar we were expecting at least 10 alcohol options in a normal bar. Also my husband had to go back to the front desk 4 times because the key to our room did not work. Finally the 4th time they were able to fix it, it was truly such a waste of our time and not only that but the jacuzzi was not functioning properly, he called for an iron because the one that was in the room was broken and no one ever brought us one until we went to the front desk the next day to ask for one, the remote for the television was no where to be found and we had to ask more than twice for them to bring us one, also the water from our shower was leeking so much that it wouldn't let us sleep at night. They did eventually fix most of those problems but we would literally would have to be calling them and bugging them to do so. Our first night we went to a restaurant at the resort called Tempo, it was supposed to be "high end" but it was honestly the worst steak and pasta we had ever had. The quality of the food was horrible, my husband compared their meat to a typical BBQ you would make at home. We were supposed to be on vacation but after all of this we felt like we were working for the hotel, chasing them around to fix everything that need attention. On the other hand, as I mentioned the resort is gorgeous! The main pool is 24/7 and the temperature of the water is always perfect. We did end up trying another restaurant in the hotel and thankfully that one was delicious, I forgot the name but it's an Asian one across from Tempo. The breakfast they have there is also good! They have the typical buffet style omelettes, fruit, etc. So do yourself a favor and find yourself a better resort!! read more

Gran Meliá - Resorts Near Me - Río Grande, Puerto Rico

So most of the reviews for this resort are pretty worthless. These patrons are either bitching about: A) the weather (which is uncontrollable;you should obviously plan better and do research on when the best time is to go) Or B) their ride situation Well, if you have your shit together, assuming you properly planned and did your homework, this place is legit! As a broke ass student who yearns for luxury (I'll get there someday, right!?), this place was freaking paradise! You have your own private driveway (and don't be scurred cus it is dark at night) and the resort is parked at the edge of an island, on a beach. Next door, sharing the vicinity down the road, resides the "Trump Suites". Well, once you step foot on the Gran Melia you will feel like a Trump yourself. The hotel reception area is truly unique. It's a welcome station of outdoor humidity, the smell of the ocean, a talking bird, and decorations fancy enough to make you feel like a millionaire. Regardless of the fast paced Spanish floating through the air, there's no need to buy a Rosetta Stone to stay here. It's tourist friendly-hence the food prices. The resort in itself, you can get good deals from cheapcaribbean.com or priceline or whatever. But unless you have the money to burn, don't eat here. It's expensive and not an authentic representation of Puerto Rican food-by no means. (Although, it is nice to have lunch on the beach at least once to complete the "rich bitch" experience). But I suggest to go down to Luquillo and get some empanadas, a REAL pina colada with fresh fruit and $3 shots. Yes, you should rent a car. Make arrangements for that ahead of time and handle that straight outta the airport. There is nothing walking distance from the Gran Melia. The rooms are pretty nice-super clean with top notch bathrooms. Every room has a balcony (nice to hang wet bathing suits). The property is gorgeous. There should be peacocks walking around because I feel like this resort would compare to what a Playboy party set up feels like-minus the fake chicks. There is a gym on property, which is awesome and air conditioned. There's also a casino that has penny slots! The bar is really upscale in a low key kind of way (aka: it has that classy vibe, but you can hang out in your wet beach clothes. You can dress up or down, it doesn't matter). There is a private pool area and a grand pool of small swimming pools that connect together for maximum fun. There is a pool bar. Tons of cabanas to chill on, no need for some BS reservation. YOU are the only V.I.P. here. The beach is picture-esque. Like I said, the resort is on the beach, so you get Coco Beach available at your feet. You can literally put the lounge chairs in the water and sip on a cocktail (its like living in a postcard!) I highly recommend this place. Its affordable while making you feel like royalty. The only downfall is that you'll get so desensitized to luxurious living that it sets the bar for future travels;you'll forever be spoiled. read more

Horrible customer service!! Our 5 month son is sick and we are trying to get some sort of credit or let the wedding party use the room we have paid for and the hotel customer service people could care less- basically their response was, sucks to be you but we already charged you and now they won't let anyone else use it. STAY ANYWHERE ELSE!!! read more

Why would you have 2 people to check in when it takes 30 minutes to check people in?! Great way to ruin my experience and first impression. But alas, let me shake it off with a drink at the pool!! Nope... Bartender, while really nice, was completely A.D.D. Only 4 people sitting at the bar, none of them ordering but me, still forgot to make my drink. Just started cleaning. Beach was... Meh. Sand full of shells. Areas were small and sporadic along the coast. Expected a lot more based on the location. Ocean front rooms don't even have a direct door out to the beach. Maybe the room will redeem? Again... Nope. First walk into the most terrible mildew smell. The pullout bed mattress - I've seen better thrown out on the side of the road. YUCK... SIMPLY YUCK. The actual bed was comfortable (+1 star). Parking people didn't properly set up my card, so another inconvenience when trying to leave. When I went to check out it was another hour wasted as no one ever came to pick us up. I finally decided to walk across the property to get the car when I find out they never charged me correctly and they couldn't figure out how to work their credit card machine to let me leave!!! Ugh... I could not leave this place quick enough. You would think Trump owns the hotel too as it seems to be teetering on bankruptcy and the service/services were completely inadequate. Better off staying in San Juan or drive a few extra km to Fajardo and get on the ferry to Culebra. DO NOT WASTE YOUR PRECIOUS TIME OR MONEY ON THIS "RESORT". If you want to ruin your vacation vibe, stay here. WORST POSSIBLE PLACE TO STAY ON THIS ISLAND. read more

I never write reviews, but I am compelled to share this one! I'll do my best to brief. Beautiful resort, landscaping, pools, cabanas but attentiveness and customer service were absolutely horrible and everything costs extra (though you've already paid to be there as a guest.) Parking is an extra fee (what hotel does that and I've stayed all over the world), late check out is an extra fee (though no one else is checking in), pool towels are an extra fee if you don't bring them back by 6 (huh??) . Rooms are basic, with old furniture, though at request they are cleaned daily. However, the rooms include NOTHING. No refrigerator, no microwave, coffee maker but they never leave cups, phone works intermittently and they were doing construction EVERYDAY starting at 7AM. It's vacation, who wants to wake up to loud talking and furniture moving and hammering at 7AM. And again though the rooms included nothing, upon check in, a large hold is placed on your credit card for incidentals. What incidentals??? You provide nothing! You have to get a pass to leave, a pass to come back,( it's like a plantation) and if you request something, it takes an hour to bring it, or they never bring it at all. Lastly, you can't use cash anywhere in the resort. Geesh. Again, beautiful resort, but until they learn to pay more attention the needs of their guest and update the amenities, I will never go back! read more

I write today to review my recent stay at Gran Melia Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. My family of 8, ages 12- 58 traveled to the Gran Melia resort on Sunday, July 23- Saturday, July 29. Arrival: We arrived at Gran Melia after 7 hours of traveling from New Jersey at about 2:45PM. Check-in is scheduled for 3:00 PM. We waited in line for 2 and a half hours before we finally reached the front desk. We had 3 children with us and it took until dinnertime to get the hotel keys. After an hour and a half, we had to go through our suitcases for bathing suits in the lobby and sent the children off to the pool as to not have them waste their vacation day on the check-in line and they were excited to finally be in PR. Once we finally arrived to the counter at 5PM- 2 and half hours later, we provided the gentlemen with our confirmation print out. Our confirmation was for 2 Deluxe Garden view rooms with two Queen beds in each room. The gentlemen proceeded to explain that we were going to be in 2 rooms with 1 king size bed and one pull out couch. We requested he find us rooms with 2 beds as that was what we paid for. He denied our request. After some back and forth, we requested to speak to a manager. The gentlemen went into a back room then came back and said the best the manager can do is give us two double bedrooms one building apart. Room 0720 and Room 0615. Although not impressed we settled with that agreement as it was now reaching close to 6PM. When we booked the rooms we were offered a $500 room credit per room. While he was making room keys and giving out bracelets we requested he explain how the $500 room credit worked. A little impatiently he answered "he'd get to that in a minute" he had to move fast to ensure the two rooms he just offered us were processed so that other people didn't take it. Needless to say, we never got an explanation of how the $500 room credit worked until later in the week. He rushed us away with our keys and to fend for ourselves as there was no explanation of the resort services, guide to where to go or anything else. This is where Gran Melia officially ruined our first day of vacation. My family and I reviewed the map and had to ask valet parking how we could pull the car up to the rooms to unload near the rooms. They told us to pull our rental vehicle up to the lobby to unload and take a golf cart from the lobby to the room. I ran out to get one of the two vehicles as my family waited in the lobby with the kids. We had 8 people, two rooms, the two cars had a mix off individuals luggage due to chaos at the airport. When I pulled up to the lobby the gentlemen for Gran Melia directing traffic asked me if I needed help I explained that we had just finished checking in and needed to unload our luggage. He then told me to go park my car in the parking lot and that a golf cart would pick me up. I asked, how will the golf cart know to come find me in the lot? He explained I was to park my car then walk back to the lobby to wait in line for a golf cart and the golf cart would drive me to my car to unload my luggage to the golf cart and then to the room. WHY???!? I burned another 30 mins driving in circles looking for parking again. The parking lot is not that large and some guests were finding their way back outside of the parking gates parking in a dirt lot. My family waited in line until I returned for the golf cart. One large golf cart drove up and I said. We're going to need two golf carts. 8 people fit on the golf cart but where are the luggage's going to fit? And we have to stop at two cars that are clear across the parking lot from each other. I pleaded that they give us two separate golf carts for the two separate cars and we'd figure out amongst ourselves who's luggage goes where when we get to the rooms. They promised that we had nothing to worry about and everyone and all the luggage would fit. During the ride to the cars I thought, maybe they'll strap them to the roof of the golf cart? Packed with my family on this golf cart we drive to the first car. They load the luggage in the first seat next to the driver. Guess where my mom had to sit- in my seat. Guess where I had to sit? On my boyfriends lap with my backpack on. THERE WASN'T ENOUGH ROOM! The driver insisted I just hop right back on. Although we didn't get nasty we did raise our voices at each other it made my nieces start to cry. They were upset, cranky, hungry, tired and could sense the pure aggravation from all of us. We arrive to the second car. I almost break my leg trying to get off of my boyfriends lap to help my mom unload the trunk of the car because the driver took no initiative to help. The driver has luggage stacked the full height of the golf cart, driving with one hand on the wheel one hand on our luggage. Everyone in my family had bags stacked on their laps and in between their legs. I rode the rest of the trip with one hip on my boyfriends lap and the rest of my body hanging outside of t read more

Lets start by saying.. Gran Melia needs a new General Manager, Lots of bad annoying things that grind my gears. For being over 30 minutes away from San Juan.... They need to step it up. Its not all bad though. My bf booked this hotel off a travel site. It was a pretty good rate. The pictures online did it justice. If you stay here, You NEED a rental car! Please avoid further issues by RENTING a car from the airport. Gran Melia is in the middle of nowhere, unless you are a serious golfer. The only close attraction is El Yunque. 10 mins away. To get to the Gran Melia, you need to drive 30 minutes from the airport and 5 minutes down and secluded peninsula. Once you pass the security checkpoint gate, Its very beautiful and well landscaped. As soon as i arrived at check-in, i was VERY IMPRESSED with the BEAUTIFUL lobby! Spanish Villa Decor with waterfountains and parrots. =] THEN MY experience went from great to horrible when they told me to wear these REDICULOUS wrist bands! I DID NOT. The front desk man, told me I needed to wear the wrist band the ENTIRE stay, even when i drove off to SAN JUAN and DINNER. I had a absolute B!TCH FIT and ripped it off in front of his face, They said its for the pool and restaurants, so they know who is a guest. Um... NO.. I dont see any 5 star hotels make you wear some ugly bracelt like a prisoner. I'll carry my ROOM KEY as proof of residency. This is not some VIP LUXURY OASIS. dont get cocky GRAN MELIA!, thinking you need wrist bands. NOBODY WOULDdrive half an hour to use the pool here. Parking here is SUPER EXPENSIVE AND VALET IS TOO! such a rip off. Actually EVERYTHING is really really EXPENSIVE. Thats resort living for you. For being far away from everything, I really didnt like paying over a hundred dollars for parking. I did not even try the restaurants here, after I read all the YELP reviews, saying that the food is generic and overpriced. I drove into town to get a delcious cheap bbq meal. WARNING! The drinks at the bar are poorly made and made wrong. How do they mess up a Mai Tai? oh gosh. waste of $ I bought my own Bacardi from the liquor store. SO this resort is pretty massive... With villas and townhouses connected by golf cart friendly walkways. The grounds of this hotel are BEAUTIFUL and lush. Looks like Hawaii. The rooms being far away from the lobby were not a bad thing. They have golf carts to scoot you to and from. The room was pretty nice! I liked it alot. Big and spacious with a nice bathroom. Yes, the room smells mildewy but its not the hotels fault. Its so humid here. I understand the mildew smell that everyone complains about. One of the BEST things about this resort was the GYM. open 24 hours. I liked the equipment. Had all the essential machines and weights. It actually surprised me. The pool itself is wonderfull and HUGE! ..with a swim up bar for more overpriced drinks. hahaha. I DONT UNDERSTAND why they only have a few tanning chairs and sun beds?!?!? GRAN MELIA NEEDS MORE POOL FURNITURE AND TANNING BEDS! =[ Do they not want people to tan or something? The only attraction here is the pool really, so this angered me alot! The ''Beach" here is a dangerous coral reef with rocky sand. Nice too look at only. No swimming here. IN CONCLUSION, This resort is a SOLID 3 stars. BEAUTIFUL/Breathtalking views with Overpriced everything. I probably wouldn't stay here unless the room rate was free. $$ Too far from San Juan for me.... AND i DONT Golf. I did not come to Puerto Rico to use the Pool all week. Oh Yeah, WI-FI is free but the internet router is in the lobby so service sucks read more

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