Reviewers Rating: 
Good
Melia Caribe Tropical 01/08/02 to 01/15/02Warning – Poor Food Handling Practices
I booked a week at the Melia Caribe Tropical from January 8/02 to January 15/02 along with my daughter and my two grandchildren
Upon first impressions, this is a beautiful resort with large well-landscaped grounds. The rooms are contained in two story villas and all rooms are junior suites. Mini bars are stocked with soda and water upon arrival but they are not refilled.
We did not have pillows or blankets for the two children but they had made up beds for them with sheets only. It took us two days to get pillows and blankets delivered. Neither our telephone nor our mini bar was working when we arrived. The telephone was fixed on the second day but the mini bar never was – it got lukewarm at best.
The swimming pool is very large and inviting and they have a beautiful beach.
There are twelve restaurants to choose from, 4 are buffet style and the remainder is a la carte. It is necessary to make reservations in advance to attend the a la carte restaurants, but this is very difficult as they get booked up quickly and availability is limited.
Be very careful of what you eat or drink on this resort. After two days both my daughter and I became extremely ill with vomiting and diarrhea. Fortunately, my daughter recovered in 24 hours, but I continued to get worse. After a couple of days of these symptoms my daughter called the resort doctor. He called an ambulance and sent me to the hospital. I was admitted there with three different infections and also diagnosed with dehydration. I had to remain in hospital for a week, as I was deathly ill.
As a result, we were unable to depart on our scheduled date. My daughter asked the Sunquest representative to extend our stay until I was well enough to travel, but he told her that he could do nothing as the resort was fully booked. She was told to look for another hotel. She then approached the hotel management and received the same story.
After a lengthy and emotionally exhausting battle with the resort management, we called home to Toronto for help from that end. They finally backed down and agreed to let us stay. Neither the resort management nor the Sunquest representative would help with transportation to and from the hospital and it cost a total of $355.00 for taxis.
After returning home my own doctor examined me and told me that I had food poisoning or ecoli infection but he could not be sure as the hospital had not taken the proper tests to confirm this diagnosis. However, given the amount of hours that had passed since I last ate in Toronto he determined that I definitely consumed contaminated food or drink in the Dominican Republic. I had never left the resort since our arrival and therefore I did get this infection from either food or drinks at the Melia Caribe Tropical. I was unable to return to work for two months as I was extremely ill and even though I am now back at work, I am not entirely well and am still suffering from this infection.
The hotel management refuses to take responsibility for my illness as they said that no one else was ill during the week I was there. I find this very hard to believe as my daughter saw the ambulance on the grounds many times during our stay.
I would appreciate hearing from anyone who was there in January (especially for the week of 8th to 15th) who was also ill or knows of any other guests who were ill. Please email me at donna_madge@caribline.com. I have seen some articles posted by other people who were ill but do not know how to contact them. If Erika Parris sees this please respond.
Donna Madge
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