Melia Dunas Beach Resort & Spa

We are in room 5074 for all inclusive We would expect some soft drinks in fridge first hotel not doing this that we have stayed.Room big so many spaces for clothes shame not a walk in shower.Food very good had a Indian last night totally different from newcastle but very good waitets were lovely and girl on desk

Stunning resort. Open, airy and very big! The hotel wasn't at full capacity so there was a lot of areas to relax in. No need to rush out to loungers. From the beginning to throughout my whole stay the staff are so friendly and attentive. Nothing is a hassle and you are always greeted with smiles and humble locals. My room was located near reception so the beach and a la carte restaurants were a bit of a walk away but the grounds are so well maintained and pretty I didn't mind the walk! There is a piano bar by reception, handy when grabbing a beverage on way to my room after a peaceful day on the beach. This is 1 of 2 places for evening entertainment too. Live bands and a 'White' party were guests got involved with salsa dancing. The amphitheatre is located a short walk from reception. Entertainment was focused around children but was good to go and see some shows. Initially I thought the beach was dirty but turned out the sand is mixed. White and black sand. Strange but beautiful. Again, plenty of loungers. Note, it's very windy so hair clips and beach towel clips are recommended. There are toilets located behind the beach bar and they were kept clean. There is a good selection of restaurants. As a Level Guest I was spoilt as I was able to dine at the a la carte restaurants as often as I wanted. This includes breakfast served until 11am at Atlantic. The food was so fresh, everything tasted amazing. I had a culinary experience I was not expecting. I am a foodie so this was heaven for me. The buffet catered for all, breakfast here was good too. Choice of everything from Cereal, eggs whichever way you prefer, salads and fruit. I treated myself to a devine massage. The masseuse was fab. There are other spa facilities and a well equipped gym onsite. As a solo female traveller I felt Very safe. The men are very respectful to women. The beach is guarded and there is always people about. I loved my trip to Cabo Verde and look forward to going back.

We loved this hotel. Arrived home late last night. People writing the recent reviews are your classic English holiday moaners! I think they are a little uneducated and perhaps don’t really understand other cultures. Perhaps they are used to other package holiday destinations. Personally we didn’t come to Cape Verde just to sit by a pool and eat. We came to experience the culture and traditions and this hotel was a fabulous base. If you treat the staff in a friendly manner they will help you in anyway they can. When you go to a tiny beautiful island in the middle of the ocean don’t expect it to have all the things you have at your fingertips at home or Europe! They have to import everything! And power-cuts do happen! They last only a few minutes and big deal! We found it fun! I think we had two during our stay. The people are very friendly, the vibe is laid back. Relax! You’re on holiday! On arrival our room wasn’t ready. It was 3pm. We were given our wrist bands straight away, and went for a wonder, we were hot and tired so I went straight for beer, then a wine, then another wine. We never had any issues ordering drinks from anywhere. After an hour and a half our room was ready. It was huge, I recommend a 2 bedroom for a family. It was massive. The cleaning staff were friendly (it wasn’t cleaned everyday but probably 4 times out of the 7). If we were short of anything we just asked and it always appeared, bottled water/towels. Never had to ask twice. I said I didn’t have my pool towel cards to reception and they gave me 4 with no problem at all. Then I found the original ones. So we had more than we needed all holiday. The restaurant was nice. Plenty of choice, spaghetti / fish cooked in front of you. Was very nice. We choose to eat at Aqua most lunchtimes. This is included in the package but has a price list so could be confusing. It’s table service and they cook fresh pizzas, burgers and I loved the vegetable lasagna. They chilled the red wine too which was nice. As soon as you arrive, while waiting for the room go to the piano bar to book your restaurants. It’s August so I guess busier time. We were able to book 3 of the restaurants. We only went to the Atlantis in the end as we prefer to explore outside the hotel. It was only 5 euros for a short taxi to Santa Maria. Lots of restaurants to choose from and our favourite was Ocean Cafe which had lovely food and cocktails. We choose a pool near our accommodation rather than the larger main one. The bar service was great. Anderson was so friendly and made me anything I asked for. Beach is gorgeous. Sea is warm. Snorkelled right off the beach, not lots to see but if you go near the rocks you will see a few. We spotted quite large swordfish a few pretty fish. The water is so clear. There is a hotel beach bar which was great to get a cold drink after a swim.

Review of Melia Dunas, from our perspective. Pros.. Arrived quite late due to a 2 hour delay. Check in was quick, we were the only guests checking into Melia. They gave us our bands and took our luggage aside and told us to go get some food in Spices. After we ate, a nice chap took us and our luggage to our room on a golf buggy. Hotel is nice, very big, rooms are clean and spacious, bed is comfortable. Sofa bed comfortable. Plenty of storage space, fridge and kettle. 2 TVs but we didn’t turn them on so don’t know what channels. WiFi worked on the balcony but not in the room. I had emailed ahead and asked for a balcony overlooking a pool, with afternoon sun, and this is exactly what we got, it was lovely. We also asked for restaurant bookings in our email and were really pleased that all 4 restaurants had been booked prior to us arriving. Safe had no batteries on arrival but reception provided us with a pack on asking the following day. The air conditioning was leaking above the bathroom and again, told reception and they came straight away and fixed it. Pools are big and spacious. The main Melia pool gets very busy, you need to be down before 9am if you want a sunbed. There are other pools that are quieter and have more sunbeds available. Water park is fun for an hour, only a few sunbeds around but we managed to get some to watch our teenager on the slides for a bit. Restaurants – Spices is nice, we aren’t fussy eaters and always found something. The focaccia bread was really nice, and there was always a good selection of meats, fish, pasta, salads, breads, vegetables, along with some traditional Cape Verde foods. My husband had an upset stomach for 2 days and didn’t leave the room, unsure if this was the food or a bug, myself and my daughter were fine. I had taken Imodium, rehydration tablets, paracetamol and flu sachets and these seemed to sort him out. The desserts in the main restaurant were delicious. Really nice. I like my puddings and usually I expect abroad desserts to be a bit pants (I brought 2 large bars of dairy milk just incase) but I had 4 mini desserts each night, they were that good. Pleasantly surprised and my dairy milk remained untouched. The a la carte restaurants were all delicious, it was worth booking Melia just for these. Not a bad word to say about any of them. Also Aqua at lunchtime did the best spicy pizza, loved it. Gabi beach bar was lovely just to chillout and relax either during the day or after tea, we didn’t spend a lot of time at any other bars. Entertainment is mostly for younger children we found, and not on every night. They seemed to really enjoy the magician. Couldn’t work out where the white party was so we didn’t go to that. One night there was a power cut on the Suneo side where the amphitheatre is and the dancers came and performed in the outside bar area at Melia, it was brilliant, definitely the highlight of our holiday at the hotel itself. They are very talented and engaged the audience. Th

Stayed at the Meliá Dunas Resort and Spa mid-June with my wife for a 1 week short break. Our flight arrival was late so we were taken to our room in the dark. The room lounge area was very large but sparsely furnished with a sofa, fridge, coffee table and tv - which looked very weird. Bedroom was small with a double bed - and bathroom adequate but little storage. All looking very dated. 11:30pm the air conditioning unit decided to pack up, so maintenance had to fix that night which to be fair they did. Next morning shower leaked water all over floor as the plastic seal was missing from the glass panel over the bath. Another job needing fixing. Both were basic issues that should have been sorted before our arrival. Realised in morning our balcony (room 3057) overlooked the front of the hotel, so we were effectively staying in a Melias Dunas owned block in the TUI Suneo Dunas hotel - all a bit confusing!! First day by the pool we were subjected to a full on fight in front of our sun beds (and other guests some with children) between two drunken lads who weren’t even guests of the hotel!! Staff eventually responded but not until two Dutch guests intervened. Entertainment at the hotel was not clearly advertised and it was not until the 4th evening before we realised shows were on in the amphitheater - which was in the TUI Hotel complex. Food was basic (even when eating a la carte to be fair) and was local cuisine (lots of fish) which didn’t suit my wife’s plain appetite. I’m ok eating most food but even I struggled. Deserts tended to be the same every night as well. Pool was clean, shallow and big with plenty of sun beds, and the beach fantastic - though you will get approached about trips and gifts. We did do a VIP Island tour in a 16 seater a/c coach - but with Tui, not one of the beach touts, as we could see guests piling into the back of 4x4s outside the front of the hotel every morning - not safe based on rocky desert terrain!! Hotel staff in bar/restaurant are very friendly but reception less so. When trying to get a late checkout room we were just told they were ‘fully booked’ so had to use an unventilated hot/steamy courtesy room on the last day. We were given a voucher for €100 each due to our late arrival but as these can only be used in just two hotel owned expensive shops or the spa/hair and beauty salon then they were realistically not of benefit. All in all despite the cost of the holiday this hotel failed to live up to our expectations for a 4 star hotel - nearer a 2-3 star at best.

The hotel was really nice. The food in the buffet was good and it was easy to book the restaurants (the food was also really good there, but you can only book one time per restaurant). The room’s maintenance it was not up for the standards: the room wasn’t always clean by the midday, sometimes they forgot some towels. The beach was amazing. In general, the staff was professional and kind, specially Dilza (she was great!!!). Overall, I would recommend this hotel to everyone!

My husband and i have just returned from Here, on arrival they wanted us to upgrade to VIP for €50 per day per person. This upgrade is what you would get in a Rui Hotel as standard.The rooms are very tired and attached pictures will show you. Our room was over the general store and the balcony overlooked a cobble street which became very noisy as the electric vehicles use this to make deliveries and a cut through, its starts at 6.30am until 12.00am. Towels were clean everyday and re-stocked water daily and bed made. Do not buy trips with TUI go to the man on the beach in the orange T-shirt he is a third of the price for an island tour and you get a driver in a 4x4 and a guide who speaks good English. The food is cold in spices and mosaic unless you get there when they open. We both had diarrhea while we were there and had to go to Santa maria Pharmacy in a Taxi. They don't have all the drinks on the All inclusive list , you would think they would take them off. They give you Raspberry's in the Strawberry cocktails. You can get lunch from the Aqua restaurant as part of the all inclusive and you can book for evening meals. Rancho did not have steak on the night we booked and its a steak restaurant !!!! . THE beach is beautiful and sea refreshing, and it was always empty. no getting up early for sunbeds as there was always loads still at 10-11am. I would not stay here again i would stay at a Rui as we did last year in Boa Vista.

Very calm days, it was a very great experience, which I made myself comfortable to enjoy very great restaurants. But as I wanted to live a unique kind of travel, I decided to try a particular restaurant called Signora Sassi. I was served really good, very good people welcoming the visitors, a menu with plenty of options also vegan ones. It was a very nice night, where I was able to enjoy my own company but also chat with the young people working there, very polite persons but also respectful. Great food, great drinks. I started my dinner with a cheesy Garlic Bread which costed 2.5€, then I enjoyed a very great Spaghetti alla Puttanesca for 10€ while degusting a nice wine, my dessert was a Homemade Tiramisu for 6.5€ and my dinner was around 30€. The price was okay, for a very fresh Pasta and for a nice evening like this I'd pay really really more. Thank you Signora Sassi's team, you were incredible and I would highly recommend, and go there every time I can. Ps: it is also for non residents of the Hotel and Extra charged restaurant. Top Tier.

Overall 2/5 stars disappointing for what was paid. At time of booking rated as 5-star then changed to 4-star. Overall impression would suggest a borderline 3-star resort. All inclusive option should be relabelled full-board. Hotel was constructed in 2014. In need of desperate maintenance and renovation in some areas. Overall cleanliness across the resort was poor with some areas cleaner than others. Very pushy on upselling from walking in the resort doors. VIP at a cost of €50pppn Adults and €30pppn Children (10-18) is not worth it. This package would be deemed the all-inclusive at many other resorts. Since 1st May the Sol Dunas side of the resort has had an element rebranded to TUI Suneo Dunas. This has resulted in disgruntled guests who have been left with only one restaurant to eat at. They can still use 5/6 pools and standard bars but not the a-la-carte. Recommend to others: unfortunately I would not. Please see below for detailed reviews by area. Reception & Staff - 3/5 Check-in process was smooth and Stivin was polite and efficient same with bell-hop. Check-out - paid €40 for late check-out (16:00) but they forgot to reactivate room key so locked out and took 20 mins to resolve. Staff - generally appeared like they did not want to be there. The moral felt low. One morning in the Spices restaurant a guest accidentally dropped and smashed a plate. They ended up cleaning up themselves as no staff came over. The Room - 2/5 2-bed apartment consisting of double room en-suite, x2 single beds, shower room, lounge/kitchen/dining. Air-con available in double room and lounge as described. Air-con showing signs of lack of maintenance, evidence of leakage. Decor tired looking with occasional touch ups. Paint drips on skirting where looks rush job. Blankets on bed looked like off-cuts from old curtains. Shower head was leaking from the hose but replaced same day. Water doesn’t drain so accumulates whilst showering. If you ran the bath the water was yellow looking which either meant issue with water or was exaggerating the discoloured bath. The bath shower panel was missing rubber seal so water went everywhere. Double room and attached en-suite where off centre so the furniture didn’t sit right resulting in narrow gap between wall - wardrobe - bed and table. Not good design. Wardrobes had good space for hanging but only 2 small drawers so not enough for family. Lounge area was dated with unclean sofas (food crumbs between cushions). Fridge available along with hob and coffee machine and kettle. Teabags and coffee pods not replenished unless paid for (or upgraded to VIP). Net curtains to patio doors dirty and the doors themselves required a bit of effort. Small Melia shampoos provided day 1 and not replenished. Catering - 1/5 Spices - breakfast. buffet style which was hit and miss and repetitive. Atlantis - not reviewed as unavailable Provides breakfast for guests upgraded to The Level / VIP. Mosaico - lunch and dinner for all. Buff