My husband and I wanted to get away for our anniversary, and despite the mixed reviews, we chose to stay at the Gran Melia. Let me start from the beginning. According to some directions, the hotel is only 13 miles from the airport. However, it's more like 45 minutes away, if you know exactly where you are going. We got lost using the directions provided by the hotel, and we had to call for help. Maria from the front desk stayed on the phone for the entire time it took us to find our way, and I greatly appreciated that.

Check in was not as hard as some of the reviews suggested. We waited for about ten minutes because there were a couple of guests ahead of us, do this was nothing out of the ordinary from our perspective. When we got to the desk, we had everything explained to us very thoroughly, and I was able to ask all of the questions I had. We signed up for the mas program, in the event we decided to eat breakfast at the hotel. I would suggest doing the paper work right then and there so that you get it out of the way.

We were then driven to our bungalow and it was very clean, spacious, and nicely air conditioned. I did smell a very slight smell, but it did not bother me at all. I have severe allergies and I did not sneeze once during our visit.

It's true- getting ice can be a problem. My husband had to try a series of different times in order to score some ice and it was hit or miss at best.

The hand towels were not replaced everyday as other guests have commented. We were there for one of the days that housekeeping came, and they did a better job that day. I agree that what is used should be replaced, but this wasn't a big deal for me.

We wanted to save money and get an authentic idea of PR cuisine, so we choose to eat off of the resort grounds 90% of the time. We went to La Familia Bakery 2, and our entire meal came to 11 dollars! It was fresh, made to order, and this price included drinks and a dessert. Because we rented a car, this was a better option for us than the $25 buffet offered by the resort.

If you are not comfortable driving in a city, I would suggest staying on the resort or getting a taxi. My husband and I are from Grenada and Queens, NY respectively, and the combination of island/ city driving is something that we are accustomed to. People do what they need to do to get where they are going. The only thing that I was uncomfortable with was that the streets were not clearly marked.

On our actual anniversary, we went to Pasion on te resort. The food was pretty good, but as mentioned, it was overpriced. I expected and budgeted for this. The only reason we went was because it was our anniversary and it seemed like the thing to do. Most nights, we went to El Verde BBQ, and we were very happy with the service, price, and taste of the food.

Regarding getting back to our bungalow.it was a far walk from the main office. However, we are both in shape and we didn't mind walking if a golf car was not readily available. If you are impatient or are unable/unwilling to walk, you may want to reconsider staying here. I am 7 months pregnant, and I think that the exercise was good for me.

The grounds were beautiful, and very well cared for, and overall, this was a very good stay. I can't say excellent because of the varied inconveniences, but we had a great time. I hope this review helps in making informed and well-rounded resort selections.

We are from Humacao and the stay was excellent. The service was always verifying if we needed anything. Everywhere you went was a beautiful scenery. The only thing that I thought was a bit price was the guests parking. From Friday 5:30 pm until Sunday 1:00 pm I paid almost $35 , it's to expensive,for local guests we need a some discount for that .

In overall experience was amazing , and I approve this message , come here and enjoy our paradise.

Since the hotel is affiliated with the Trump International golf course we thought we would be staying in a good place but our bad experience started at the airport where the shuttle the hotel arranged (through a sub-contractor) was not a pick up for us but a bus for many. We were supposed to wait more than 30 minutes for other people and pay $37.50 per person. Taxis, readily available and spacious cost $69 for both of us. When we arrived the check-in took a long time and our suite was not available until after 5pm. We tried to eat something while we waited for our room and got a Caesar salad with dressing coming in a plastic pouch. My wife tried to arrange a quick treatment at the spa but the earliest an appointment was available for 2 days later, although we were staying in their high end "Red Level" Suite which was supposed to have priority. The pool and outside facilities were not as clean and maintained as we would have expected from - what they call themselves - a 5 star resort, so we checked out before we checked in and went to the St. Regis nearby. Of course more expensive but worthwhile the move. I would highly recommend everybody NOT to go to the Gran Melia.

My girlfriend and I stayed here for a long weekend. We bid on priceline and got a very nice room for $80 a night. The property was beautiful, staff was helpful, and pool was great. However at checkout we did get charged a $12/night resort fee which was not expected. Apparently priceline is the only company who does not include this (according to the hotel staff). Our stay was better since I had read alot of reviews before going and knew some pitfalls to avoid. For example, we rented a car from Avis so we could park for free in the Avis lot. We bought instant oatmeal to make for breakfast in order to avoid the $25 (!!!!) breakfast buffet. We were looking for an economical break in a nice facility and this was a great choice for us. The location was close to El Yunque, Fajardo, and the ferry to Culebra. As long as you have a car, it is a good choice.