Looking for Info on the Melia
- Thread starter rje634
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ckofabq
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OK, I'll chime in. We traded our timeshare for a stay with them in June '05.
Loved the island, the people, the diving... had another week to burn and were delighted to stay with them again in October '05.
Um, did I mention the part about the hurricane?
The people who left their homes and families to take care of us (about 150 people) simply can't be thanked enough. The theater became everyone's "bunker" and served us well. The place looked like hell after Wilma departed, but if it's all put back together, I would enthusiastically recommend the Melia. (though we personally wouldn't spend a moment back inside the theater for our next trip :-> )
We've done several AIs and the Melia ranks right up there. Very good food variety, a reservations restaurant (do book 1st thing each morning) for dinner (usually exceptional) and international brands of booze if that's important to you. Rooms were better than many we've stayed at before, but not fancy.
Rather than taxis, I would strongly recommend renting a car. It'll let you enjoy so much more than just what an AI has to offer... and you really should take in the wonderful restaurants around town, drive to the other side of the island, etc. And taking a cruise to the marina to meet your dive boat is a nice way to start the day!
MAJOR kudos to Christi and Blue XT-Sea. If you can dive with her wonderful operation, don't miss it.
Look forward to your trip report!
Craig & Jane in Albuquerque
Loved the island, the people, the diving... had another week to burn and were delighted to stay with them again in October '05.
Um, did I mention the part about the hurricane?
The people who left their homes and families to take care of us (about 150 people) simply can't be thanked enough. The theater became everyone's "bunker" and served us well. The place looked like hell after Wilma departed, but if it's all put back together, I would enthusiastically recommend the Melia. (though we personally wouldn't spend a moment back inside the theater for our next trip :-> )
We've done several AIs and the Melia ranks right up there. Very good food variety, a reservations restaurant (do book 1st thing each morning) for dinner (usually exceptional) and international brands of booze if that's important to you. Rooms were better than many we've stayed at before, but not fancy.
Rather than taxis, I would strongly recommend renting a car. It'll let you enjoy so much more than just what an AI has to offer... and you really should take in the wonderful restaurants around town, drive to the other side of the island, etc. And taking a cruise to the marina to meet your dive boat is a nice way to start the day!
MAJOR kudos to Christi and Blue XT-Sea. If you can dive with her wonderful operation, don't miss it.
Look forward to your trip report!
Craig & Jane in Albuquerque
ckofabq
Contributor
Oh, you asked about mandatory AI... they will let you do alcohol only or skip the AI altogether. You won't be able to buy anything from any bar/restaurant on site, except for snacks & such from the gift shop.
For our October '05 trip, we skipped the AI, rented a car and enjoyed the time we had before being shut out by the airlines... then we had AI "refugee" style.
Seriously, three hots daily during and after that nasty hurricane was an amazing feat, pulled off by an incredible staff.
Enjoy the Melia- and the great people of Cozumel.
We're heading back in December, though not at the Melia. We'll see if our new "home" property, the Park Royal, is finally up and running. I'm not holding my breath, it looked like a bomb had gone off last I looked.
For our October '05 trip, we skipped the AI, rented a car and enjoyed the time we had before being shut out by the airlines... then we had AI "refugee" style.
Seriously, three hots daily during and after that nasty hurricane was an amazing feat, pulled off by an incredible staff.
Enjoy the Melia- and the great people of Cozumel.
We're heading back in December, though not at the Melia. We'll see if our new "home" property, the Park Royal, is finally up and running. I'm not holding my breath, it looked like a bomb had gone off last I looked.
OP
Thanks for the excellent info, looks like we'll be going there at the end of this summer. Hopefully we won't have the same experience that you had your last tripckofabq:
I agree with you about Christi, we used Christi on our trip last Dec and she earned some customers for life
