At Zel Punta Cana, your well-being is our priority. Under the Caribbean sun and just steps from the crystal-clear waters of Playa Bávaro, this all-inclusive resort is inspired by the energy of the Mediterranean lifestyle, in partnership with renowned Spanish tennis player Rafa Nadal. With architecture designed around open spaces, the resort offers swim-up suites, pools, a beach club, a concept store and includes up to seven restaurants that blend the best of Mediterranean and Caribbean cuisine into your experience.
Run along the beach with friends, relax by the pool with a specialty coffee, join a HIT or energetic fitness class, or enjoy a sunset drink at our beach club. Here, everything flows: relax, activate your body, nourish your mind, and live to the rhythm of your own well-being, in your home in the Caribbean.
Location
Punta Cana - BeachProperty information
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Resort details
General policies & fine print
Check-in Policy - Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy - Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
Hotel Spring Break Policy - This hotel cannot guarantee a spring break-free environment.
Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price. Minimum night stay restrictions may apply. Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
Customer ratings & reviews
TripAdvisor traveler rating
10133 reviews
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Nov 14, 2024Melia treats repeat customers very poorly
Garden Suites By Melia Bavaro Beach Disappointing At my check-in, I was asked for my VISA credit card which was already used for prepayment and my credit card company billed me. I didn't have the card with me and I was told that although I already paid, I would have to pay again. Fortunately, I had a different card with me and I was able to pay. Hansel at the desk refused to give me a statement that I would receive a refund. I was very upset. Also, although I had been Melia Punta Cana 19 times previously, when I booked this time I thought I would have a room in the Level area, and I was told it would impossible to change my current reservation. Although I have previously written many extremely Trip Advisor Reviews, this time it will be very negative Safe should work. More hand towels and wash cloths. There should be night table on both sides of the bed. The on/off switch for night table lamp should on the lamp, so the guest doesn't have to get out of bed to turn the lamp on or off The hallway staircase should be illuminated to avoid tripping and falling. Soap and shampoo dispensers should be in the shower area
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May 20, 2024Great family trip to Garden Suites!
We had an amazing family trip to Garden Suites by Melia. The staff as always made us feel right at home and took care of our everything professionally. The food was great! And the weather was beautiful every day. After dinners we walked the stunning grounds, the flower gardens and trees are amazing and very well kept. Thank you for everything!
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May 06, 2024
Not 5 star
The property looked and was tired... pools missing lots of tiles and lots of debris.. Hot tub was not working... The buffet is tiny and not very hot even when you show up at 6.30.... the cooking station is nice though.. Mizu was the best speciality dining.... One night the hotel chose last minute to close all specialty dining restaurants for a night being stuck at the buffet... Very Very agressive timeshare / Circle club sales... Not worth the money... not super bad but not worth 700$ a night and not 5 star... Stayed at Melia's before and this was the worst
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Apr 26, 2024Quite possibly my worst vacation ever
Here is the letter I wrote to Melia outlining our horrible experience. They did not seem to care. Why would they, they received my payment. I recently returned from a family vacation at the Garden Suites by Meliá, where my family and good friends of ours stayed from July 29, 2023 – August 5, 2023. Upon my return home, I purposely waited to write to you, not wanting to send an email out of anger and frustration. I do however feel it is necessary to relay to you the downright disappointment that we experienced while staying at your resort. Below is a list of itemized issues that we encountered while at the Garden Suites. 1. We booked directly through Meliá, where we requested and we told we would be accommodated with a two-bedroom garden suite facing the pool. Our original room was on the second floor opposite the pool and the room we changed to (see #2) was on the third floor. 2. During the first day of our trip the air conditioning in our room was not functioning properly. The unit in the second bedroom was not operational, leading to the room to be unseasonably warm. Our concierge Javier, was unable to accommodate a room change on night 1, leading to our daughters needing to sleep in bed with my wife and I to keep cool. Despite several open rooms, we were forced to stay the first night in a room with insufficient air conditioning. In addition to the inadequate AC, our original room was dirty, smelled, and was clearly very outdated with numerous amenities not working. 3. On day two, we were finally granted a room change, later in the day. This room did have a properly functioning air conditioning unit, however the exterior jacuzzi tub did not function, one of the televisions was broken and the room in general was not well maintained (leaking shower heads, broken couch, old furniture, missing iron, etc.) 4. In relation to the room. The resort advertises an in-room minibar. The mini bar consisted of water, juice boxes, six bottles of soda, and 6 beer cans. The in-room snacks were two cany bars, a few small bags of chips and two small packs of cookies (have pictures of both food and drink). Based on the advertising, this is extremely misleading to guests. 5. In regards to our Concierge Javier. He booked us each night for a different restaurant. Based on menu and dietary needs (which were expressed prior to our arrival), we immediately asked for a few reservation changes. When doing so, he told us that this was all that was available for the week and that we would have to repeat restaurants regardless of our reservations. Come to find out “Rubi Rocks”, which we did not have a reservation for, was a fantastic place to eat and hang out, and was fully available. Clearly Javier was unaccommodating and dishonest to us. 6. Javier also continuously harassed us to take part in a time share/membership presentation. When we informed him repeatedly that we were not interested, he continued to badger us and told us “I would like you give me a hand in this, because I really neede”. (I have all of these communications on my “What’s Up” app). He seemed more concerned with trying to get whatever bonus or prize he would receive to get us to this presentation, than he did addressing our concerns. 7. We paid for an all-inclusive resort, however each menu contained both food and drink items that were additional costs. In addition to the additional costs, the brand of liquor seemed to vary by bar/restaurant. As an example, some bars had Tito’s Vodka (gluten free) while other bar/restaurants did not have Tito’s. 8. The food at most of the restaurants was decent, however the buffet at the Garden Suites was absolutely revolting. Cold food was hot and hot food was cold. There were several items that were unrecognizable, and clearly some of the food was spoiled. The orange juice was watered down, the toaster did not toast and it appeared to be simply unsanitary. 9. We reported to Javier that our friend had become violently ill after eating at Aqua. It was believed that she had ingested a bad/spoiled salad. He basically dismissed us by saying “sorry”. 10. We were approached on the beach and harassed by vendors, that asked us to buy, towels, souvenir’s, parasailing adventures, boat rides, cigars and cocaine. I could not believe that I was propositioned to purchase hardcore drugs while trying to relax on the beach. 11. When we did sit with guest services at the Falcon resort, we explained our dissatisfaction to Peter (unknown last name). While he originally seemed genuinely concerned, asking what he could do to make it up to us, he quickly tried to move us along. What was most troubling, was the fact that when he found out that we were staying at the Garden Suites, he informed us that “I wouldn’t recommend anyone to stay at the Garden Suites”. That's like going to the hospital for emergency care and while being treated, the doctor telling you that he would have never come to this hospital. 12. While talking with Peter, he informed us that the Garden Suites was getting ready to close down for renovations? Is this why the staff and amenities seemed to be lacking? 13. House keeping performed their job extremely sub standardly. Towels were not replaced adequately, the mini-bar was not restocked appropriately, and the room was simply overlooked. Housekeeping consisted of making the beds, emptying the garbage’s and replacing the toilet paper. On several occasions, we had to contact the front desk for new towels only to wait for long periods of time. 14. We booked a family photo shoot with a worker/company that was advertising poolside. When we arrived at the lobby for our appointment, the company was absent. When we asked hotel staff at the front desk for help, they appeared to have no idea about this service or company. How are people walking around the resort advertising services that the resort has no knowledge about? 15. There are motion sensors located throughout the room. When the room is temporarily unoccupied, the power shuts down. This leads to the room temperature rising and the room being unseasonably warm at the end of the day when you return from the pool or ocean. After a long day relaxing in the sun, you are forced to sleep in a warm room as the air conditioning struggles too catch-up. To say that our time with the Garden Suites was a disappointment would be an understatement. When you pay over $5,000 for an all-inclusive resort, you expect to receive the treatment and services that are advertised. Garden Suites by Meliá, completely mislead us upon booking and then once on property, did absolutely nothing to try and rectify our many concerns. The only bright spot of the entire vacation was Leonardo Ramirez (poolside waiter) and the daily poolside activities. Leonardo and the gentlemen responsible for the poolside activities (DJ, pool aerobics, etc.) clearly understand what customer satisfaction means. These few employees should be commended. If it were not for them, I would likely have left vacation early. Absent from this email are the pictures taken as evidence related to our substandard accommodations, the uncounted text messages from Javier harassing and dismissing us, the voicemail and text messages from Peter dismissing us. What is also missing is the fraudulent charges made to my credit card, just days after checking out of the hotel. The very same credit card that was utilized to pay for this vacation. My hope is that this is just an isolated incident. I surely hope that this is not the business model practiced by Meliá. I look forward to hearing from someone about our experience and hope that we may come to an amicable resolution. If you would like any of the pictures or communications referenced above, please let me know. I would be more than happy to provide you with the overwhelming evidence related to the above reference topics.
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Apr 25, 2024
Restaurant: Aqua
I went to one of their restaurants called Aqua. My overall experience was amazing. The drinks were divine. The food tasted really well. The service is efficient. I would definitely come back.