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The Melia Caribe Tropical has a long standing reputation for being one of the most family friendly resorts in Punta Cana. Our Vacationkids staff usually visits the Melia Caribe Tropical every time one of us visits Punta Cana. That's because this resort is always upgrading and offering guests all the latest luxuries.
The Melia Caribe Tropical Resort is techincally one large resort complex of over 1000 guest rooms. The property is divided into two sections...the Melia Caribe and the Melia Tropical. For the most part, guests can use all the facilities on either side of the resort but most of the children and family areas are located on the Melia Tropical side of the property. The complex spans the shore of the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic, and is surrounded by palm trees,lush gardens, lagoons and the Cocotal Golf and Country Club.
The Melia Caribe Tropical is located about 25 miles from Punta Cana airport and 55 miles from LaRomana airport. It sits right on Bavaro beach, one of the most beautiful beaches on the Caribbean side of the island boasting 25 miles of white, fine sand, uncountable palm trees and crystal clear
blue water. 1600 feet of the beach is exclusively reserved for hotel guests. The Melia Caribe Tropical with it's five star service is perfect for families with children of all ages, multi generational family groups and celebrations of important life events like weddings, birthdays and anniversaries.
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The Melia Caribe Tropical makes you feel right at home the moment you check in. The open air lobby is surrounded by lush, beautiful water gardens. Upon first impression this resort can feel a little overwhelming and large but it's very easy to navigate. There are little shuttle trains that constantly circle the property so if you don't feel like strolling along, you can easily hop aboard. The trains are always a bit hit with the kids!
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The gardens at the Melia Caribe Tropical are simply breath-taking! Every where you turn you see flamingos, peacocks and tropical flowers with all the colors of the rainbow. In the very center of it all is a gazebo, perfect for a story book wedding, and it comes complete with a horse and carriage ride for the bride and groom.
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Did we mention the Melia Caribe Tropical is a big resort...well, it's big enough to offer guests 12 bars and 13 different restaurants...
Agora Grill And El Turey- Beach Restaurants located just a few
steps from the swimming pool and right on the beach offering
International buffet, sandwiches, hot dogs, salads and other snacks.
Capri - Fish and Sea Food Restaurant open for dinner with lobster
El Guarapo Restaurant - traditional colonial
Dominican homemade cuisine.
Hokkaido- Japanese restaurant with three special rooms with sushi
and Teppanyaki open for dinner.
La Gondola -Italian Restaurant offering pizza and pastas
specialties with buffet service for lunch and dinner.
La Hacienda- Traditional Mexican restaurant.
La Pagoda- Asian Restaurant.
Le Gourmet- Gourmet French and
International cuisine at dinner time.
Ma Maison Bistro - exquisite dinner time cuisine,
lobster every night.
The American Grill- Snacks and American cuisine.
Market Place - Air conditioned buffet with 6 live cooking stations open for breakfast and dinner.
Even the kids have their own special dinning room complete with a specialized menu of kid friendly foods
and even character breakfasts.
IMPORTANT - most restuarants at the Melia Caribe Tropical have an evening dress code and require reservations. For access to all restaurants in the evening, gentlemen are not permitted to wear shorts and sleeveless shirts, sandals or any other type of open shoes. Women and children can wear Caribbean casual outfits but beachwear is not permitted.
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And speaking of characters...Parents and kids alike will recongnize all their favorites from the Flintstones. The Melia Caribe Tropical offers their littlest guests a Flintstones themed kids club that looks like it came straight out of Bedrock! The kids club has it's own building and is open from 10am-1pm then again from 3pm - 6pm along with an evening mini disco. Parents must register children before kids can join in all the fun. For younger infants, proof of age may be required. We found the staff to be very dedicated. For example, no one is allowed to enter the toddler area wearing shoes because the staff wanted to keep the floor clean for all the crawling children. All kids clubs at the Melia offer all children age appropriate activities that they will find fun and engaging...
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4 months to 4 years...
Infants and toddlers have their own separate kids clubhouse area. Baby Rock is for infants and toddlers and this club includes
a separate sleeping area, safety padded floor, kitchen and bathroom adapted to their size.
Toddlers can participate in fun activities like arts and
crafts, fantasy make-up, imaginative games, costumes, music
workshops, puzzles, movies, story time, sensory stimulation
and more. The resort even offers stroller rentals for parents. Individualized child care is available for a cost of $15 per hour per child and can be arranged 24 hours in advance.
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5 to 8 years...
Members of the Bamm-Bamm Club have their own game room and
playground. Bamm-Bamm members participate in a variety of
imaginative and stimulating activities, including pool
games, camping, T-shirt painting, balloon art, even costume
and magic workshops. In Flintstones Land even mealtimes are an
adventure. Kids can start the day by having Bronto Breakfast
with Fred and Dino. For lunch there are 2 choices and both
offer delicious and nutritious meals. Betty's Kitchen is the
ultimate mealtime hangout. The kid-friendly Flintstones
decor, designed by Betty herself, combined with tasty treats
and a fun atmosphere, makes this unique eatery feel like
home... but here, drawing on the tablecloths is encouraged!
And at Fred's Bronto Burger, kids can sample a delicious
Brontosaurus Hamburger.
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9 to 13 years...
Roca Flash Club is for older children and features competitive
outdoor activities such as pool games, camping, workshops
and sports. There is even a rock climbing wall and resort zip line challenges.
Zipline is for kids over age 12 that meet certain height requirements.
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And just to be certain parents never hear those dreaded words "I'm bored" on their vacation, families can also enjoy pools including a flintstone themed family pool, windsurfing, water polo, kayaks, canoes, pedal boats, water bicycles, sunfish sailing, snorkeling, diving lessons, water bicycles, beach soccer, beach volleyball, table tennis, darts, dance lessons, evening entertainment and board games... not to mention simply kicking back on one of the most beautiful beaches on the island.
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With all this fun chances are your family will eventually need a little rest. The Melia Caribe Tropical makes it easy for families to stay together and be comfortable. As far as the kids prices are concerned, children 0-4 years are free, kids ages 5-12 pay a children's rate and teens ages 13-16 pay junior rates.
All rooms are considered to be junior suites at the Melia Caribe Tropical. These rooms are one large room with a sitting area. All rooms offer hairdryer, air conditioning, patio or balcony, television (remote controlled, satellite), ceiling fan, safe deposit box and minibar with soft drinks and water.
Deluxe Junior Suite 450 square feet with either 1 king bed or 2 double beds and a partial ocean or garden. Maximum occupancy for this room is 3 adults OR 2 adults and 1 junior OR 2 adults and 2 children.
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Junior Family Suite These are the rooms are the only rooms that will allow families of five...that is two adults and 3 kids under age 12. They are located near the family pool and kids club. Basically they are the same floorplan as the Deluxe Jr suite with 1 king bed or 2 double beds but in the sitting area there are two daybed sofas with one being a trundle bed and that pull out and sleep two children. The Junior Family Suites also come outfitted with sheer curtain between the beds and sitting area to afford parents a slight bit of privacy and one other family friendly feature is that these rooms have video games. As a final touch, kids receive their own special welcome gift and bathroom amenities kit complete with a rubber duck.
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Royal Service Families at the Melia can also upgrade to Royal service which includes extra VIP touches. Some of the Royal Service areas are adult only and can be subjet to change but it does offer families a bit more pampering and extra services like...
-Private check-in/out lounge
-Special in-room amenities, like pillow & butler menu
-Access to private pool and beach area with concierge service
-Private transportation within the resort
-Access to Royal Service lounge offering: daily continental
breakfast, free Internet access, coffee & tea service all
day long, premium branded beverages and liquors, special
chef's selection of hors d'oeuvres throughout the day
-Room service from 7am until 11pm.
-Private butler that families can contact via hotel cell phone
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At the end of the day we think your family will agree that the Melia Caribe Tropical is the perfect vacation spot for families of all ages. PLEASE remember, if you have three kids and need one of the Melia's
family of five Family Jr. Suite rooms...PLAN AHEAD!!!...especially if you want to travel during spring break or the December Holidays. These weeks usually sell out 6-9 months in advance.
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