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Melia Cayo Guillermo 11/02/02
Reviewers Rating:  Excellent
Returned last weekend from this resort after having stayed there from Oct 19-26, 2002. This was a vacation for myself and my fiancee, we are both 25yrs old, and were really looking for just a week to relax and unwind after a busy year. We had a great time! NOTE: This was my first trip to the Carribean and the second for my fiancee (she stayed at the Bahia Principe in the DR 2yrs ago, this resort was better in every area!) Flight The flight down was on Air Transat out of Toronto and was uneventful and ontime. The plane was actually decent and the seats were comfortable and gave minimal but sufficient legroom for a 6' tall person. To my surprise they even served a somewhat tasty pasta meal which I didn't really expect on a flight just over 3hrs leaving at 2:30 or so in the afternoon. The flight back on the other hand was horrendous! The plane and seats couldn't have been more cramped, the meal (I was told, I didn't eat it) wasn't very good. Getting pillows was a bit of an ordeal, people who had paid for Club Class or had Reserved Seats were told that they wouldn't be honoured (the plain was small and didn't have a club section), it just wasn't a nice end to the trip! Check in/Check out After a 1h40min bus ride we were at our resort. We were greeted with dancers and music and a refreshing beverage. Very nice. Check in was quick and painless. We took our own bags to our room (although someone would take them for you) and then headed to the buffet before it closed. Check out was also very easy. Rooms Our room was spacious, clean and colourful. We were on the top floor (3rd) and had a nice view from our balcony over the grouds and out to the ocean. The maids kept the room spotless, would make nice little swans or hearts out of the towels or blankets, and even folded and tidied our clothes if we left without doing it ourselves. The power for the room was controlled by your room key (card) at the front of the room (also controls the A/C), as is the inroom safe. Having said that, any card can be stuck in for the power (we used our Blockbuster card). The King bed was comfortable and the pillows weren't as bad (for us anyway) as some have said. Twice during our stay the A/C went down, but a call to the desk and it was back up within the hour. Only one day did we have problems with hot water. Food The food was good. The buffet wasn't spectacular, but there was enough of a selection to find something you liked each time you were there. A la cartes: The Italian and Cuban Beach Grill were open for lunch. We only ate at the beach grill once, I enjoyed, my fiancee wasn't crazy about it. After that we ate at the Italian where the pizza was VERY good, and the pasta was also quite good. For dinner there was the buffet, and the Italian and International ran on alternating nights, some people were upset with this, but I wasn't. It was offseason, if the resort had more than 100 people in it I'd be surprised, and for the price you could get it for! I mean it cost us more for our charter to England two years ago than it did for our weeks vacation here! The Italian for dinner was ok, and the International was very good. There is a dress code for dinner, mainly that guys have to wear pants and most people did try and look nice. Bars/Drinks There are 4 bars at the resort. The lobby bar, disco bar, pool bar (both swim up and landside) and the beach bar (at the beach grill). The bartenders are good and friendly but may not know how to make your favourite drink from home, if they don't know how to make it, just tell them and they are more than happy make it your way. Entertainment The animation team is always around, but in a nice understated way. They are some of the friendliest people you will meet and run organized activities for the guests everyday. If you don't want to participate, that's fine, they won't pester you. Every night there is a music/dance show. These dancers are unreal. They are seemingly tireless and can really dance! My fiancee used to dance competitively across North America and she was very impressed by the guys and girls in the show. After the show the dancers would join you in the disco, but by that time we were usually ready to turn in. Grounds The grounds are beautiful and mature. Palms, flowers, lily ponds are all over and are kept in incredible condition by the grounds staff who are very friendly. Pool/Beach The Pool is fairly large, but not huge. It is clean and clear and was a nice temperature all week. There was no shortage of chairs poolside and shade was readily available (although at peak time I can see how shade could be at a premium). The beach was great! Long with white sand and clean clear turquoise water and a long pier you could walk out on. When the tide was in the beach became quite narrow, but there was still room for you! Summary This review is already getting quite long and there is still many things I haven't covered! We had a fabulous time at this resort and would definately consider a return visit. I didn't talk about excursions or activities or about how the resort is beautifully hand-painted throughout and with many murals. If anyone has any questions about our time here feel free to email me. Ryan ryan.young@rogers.com
Ryan
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