Melia Dunas Beach Resort & Spa All Inclusive

We visited this hotel back in 2022 and the resort itself was pleasant enough. The rooms where clean and tidy throughout the stay. The reception staff were lovely and spoke great English. There's plenty of night time entertainment and the on site restaurant always had a verity of food. There are bars and pools from the top of the resort to the beach. The beach has white sand and turquoise water. When we visited you could see the crabs and fish in the shallows. Some locals do venture onto the beach to sell things like drips, juice and hand made goods. They can't be quite persistent until you buy things but security is on the beach at all times.

Having been to other 4 and 5 start hotels in Africa, I must say this hotel definitely does not deserve its 5 star rating. The hotel is very tired. The upkeeping of many things isn’t being looked after as it should. The rooms are bland, the linens and towels are stained, there are no mosquito nets on the windows, making it impossible to air the room without being invaded by loads of mosquitos. The beds are not super comfortable and the sofa bed in our room where our son slept was hugely uncomfortable. The bathrooms lack in cleaning and maintenance. There is only one buffet restaurant that can’t keep up with the amount of guests when the hotel gets slightly busier, there aren’t glasses, cutlery is scarce, not enough tables, etc. Food is mostly ok and there’s enough variety to feed every taste. There are 4 a la carte restaurants you need to book included in the all inclusive per week, however they are nothing to write home about. We only tried two and gave up the other two bookings due to the disappointment in the first two. The pools are all in a poor state, not super clean but also with loads of tiling that needs maintenance. Staff is super lovely but not the most prompt in resolving issues. We speak Portuguese and still had issues, not sure how it feels to non Portuguese speakers. Concierge works poorly and slowly. There aren’t many snack options in the all included beyond the mealtimes at the main restaurant. There is only one other restaurant working from 10-17h but you have to sit in, and it’s by the beach which is considerably far from the swimming pools. It’s great for lunch after a morning trip to the beach though. On the plus side, there are several pools and even when the hotel is busier, there’s space for everyone. Other less relevant things maybe: The time for the mini disco does not align with dinner time. It’s almost impossible to make it to the mini disco at 7:30 when dinner starts at 6:30 and does not always open on time. Dinner after mini disco with little ones is hard due to sleep needs and also due to the busyness of the restaurant. During check in there is lack of information of resolution during check in, mainly regarding getting a second key card or other informations regarding the resort. The resort is very big, from reception to the beach there is at least a 10 min walk. It’s very accessible for strollers and wheelchairs. The beach is filled with people selling all types of things, from souvenirs to tours and it can get quite exhausting saying no thank you (mainly when you spend 2 weeks doing it). The beach is nice and big, the water is mostly calm and good for swimming a bit to the left of the hotel (facing the water) - the bit right in front of the hotel has rocks which makes it hard to swim safely. The sand is super sticky, check the talcum powder hack online to get rid of it more easily. The hotel is a 10 min car ride from Santa Maria and considering how small the island is it’s quite well located for all the tours you might want to take. A taxi ride to Santa Maria is 5€. Overall it was a good holiday, ok value for money for us, but I believe there are better hotel options in the island.

I wasn’t going to bother writing a review but the unfriendliness and apathy displayed by the staff has pushed me to review. This is not a 5* level hotel. It might look pretty in photos but it falls very short of expectations. Disregarding the uncomfortable beds, at times questionable food (e.g., undercooked chicken), lack of hot water in the evenings, shower that doesn’t drain, subpar level of room cleaning, the broken safe and telephone in the room, and barely functioning WiFi, I can give some select examples below: Firstly, the parasols at the beach are unusable - they are so old that there is barely any sun cover when you sit under them - a very basic expectation from a beach resort. Secondly, the aforementioned level of apathy from the staff. As an example, last night, we visited the Sahel restaurant (very average). Due to the shakiness of the table, a glass of wine spilled all over the table and onto my white dress. Two staff members saw the situation unfold and both ignored the situation completely (and the shaky table to begin with), only to come back 10 mins later and place our food on top of the wine-soaked table and walk away. Thirdly, upon check out, if you want to leave your suitcase/belongings with reception, you’re told to leave it *on the street in front of the hotel*, with zero surveillance or protection. Absolutely bizarre and, again, met with disinterest from the staff. Lastly, none of this is surprising to me considering that the feedback form that Meliá sends has no space for free text. If you don’t ask your customers what can be improved, naturally the customers cannot expect positive change - which seems desperately needed considering the reviews that this hotel is receiving (and Meliá’s generic replies). Having stayed in more resorts than I can count (including another in Cabo Verde), I’m disappointed, but considering Meliá’s apathy, not surprised.