Given some of the comments and reviews, I left really not expecting much from this hotel. Having just returned I am sure people must travel to another planet or dimension as although not perfect, this hotel was a fabulous base to our holiday.
On arrival we were very pleasantly surprised, check in was quick and stress free and the view from the lobby down to the beach and turquoise water is beautiful.
Our standard room was comfortable and large, being on the first floor we had a terrace rather than a balcony with a sea view (I think every room has a sea view). I only found out a few days in that you can leave your spare key card in the energy saver so your air con runs all the time. Something I found quirky were the set of scales in the bathroom, I did not venture near them once.
During our stay they were undertaking some improvements the green bits on the outside are being painted canary yellow: overdue!! The main lobby bar closed for a complete remodel (thats what we were told) look forward to seeing the results and the roof was being replaced on the pool restaurant, none of which really impacted on our stay.
The grounds of the hotel are wonderfully manicured, hopefully the lick of paint will help improve a couple of tired looking walls and pillars. On the whole however the hotel is very clean and well maintained. The pool areas, beach and sea are fabulous. We preferred the beach as you got a nice breeze (a little too much some days). The sea is wonderfully warm.
The food is always an area of concern, especially all inclusive as you really are stuck with it for two weeks. With a choice of 3 speciality restaurants and the main buffet I did not go hungry once. I am a finicky eater and do not like bones or fat/gristle in my food. Neither of us were ill, despite consuming larger than normal portions some evenings.
In the cold section there was always a great selection of fresh fruits, veg/salad, cooked meats and fish (king prawns, muscles, crab), although I have to say I cannot eat cold Brussel sprouts. The hot section had a choice of veg and meat dishes, the cut of day which could be anything from pork, turkey to an entire fish (get there early is doesn’t last long) and the hot griddle where a chef will cook your chosen meat or fish in front of you. There is also a pizza/pasta bar and a desert area.
We tried all three speciality restaurants, returning for a second time to the Japanese which is great fun, watch the eyebrows though as they may get singed off.
If that really is not enough and you are still peckish, bar snacks are always available and a plate of fries or cheeseburger really do fill a gap at 2am in the morning and soak up the excess alcohol you will drink!!!!
It has to be said the hotel is not buzzing at night, but we still met some great friends in the main bar area and spent many an evening sampling the cocktails (they ran out of gin a couple of times) and generally getting merry. I would like to say a special thanks to Angela and James at this point who helped make our holiday extra special even if we did regret a couple of major hangovers. Still what are holidays for!
We checked out the evening entertainment three times and passed on the beach party for fear of mosquito bites, the sports bar was not our cup of tea and always seemed deserted. Talking of bites I think everyone we met got the odd few, they seem to eat you within your first few days and then just have a nibble from time to time. We did spray with repellent every evening, I wish we took a plug-in for the room, as I am sure the majority of them occurred whilst sleeping. The hotel do fumigate the grounds regularly.
Overlooking the very minor things our main grumble was with the sporadic service. It really can be summed up quite simply as ALL or NOTHING. From the names I remember Mavis and Leandro in the lobby bar were fantastic. A 5 CUC tip (about £2.85) does go a long way to ensuring your waiter returns and keeps your drink topped up. That said you cannot tip everyone all the time so pick your favourites and drink as much as you can before shift change at 11pm. I always found the beach bar staff grumpy and uninterested and helped myself to the still drinks rather than stress over their attitude. A 1 CUC seemed adequate at the grill in the buffet and our evening waiter seemed happy with anything from between 2-5 CUC. It's your call, but for the sake of a few ££’s it can make a big difference. Give your maids 10CUC and they even fold up all your clothes.
We ended our holiday with an overnight stay and tour of Havana which is an absolute must. This also avoids the 2.5hr journey back to the airport (if you fly with Virgin) on your last day. Don’t expect your hotel to be the same standard as the MLA, even though your rep promises it will be. Talking of whom (Eduardo, Virgin’s local rep) I found him a little stand offish and disinterested especially concerning my questions about the trip to Havana.
All in all a fantastic holiday, where we met some great friends so thanks to Angela, James, Lee, Richard, Sharon and Vincent for making our holiday so much fun, we hope you all arrived home safely.
Given this is my first review I have either rambled on or missed out great big chunks so if you have any questions just ask.

We had an incredible two weeks at the Melia Las Americas in April/May. At the end of our stay, we could have kept on staying for months.
The hotel was wonderful, our accomodation (bungalow junior suite) could not have been inproved on and the staff went out of their way to be so pleasant, especially Maria who made the most incredible things from our towels, Aurora in the buffet restaurant, who has the most incredible smile on this planet, Santana ensured that our wine glasses never, ever emptied. In fact, all of the staff we encountered during our stay were really exceptional.
We are planning to return as soon as the pennies and time allows.
M & D (a couple of oldies 60+ )
Morinville Alberta Canada

We stayed at Melia Las Americas for two weeks..The restaraunts all except the bbq one had excellent service and the food was great. The rooms were very clean. The people there are very accomidating. The italian restaraunt was excellent as well as the restaraunt inside the hotel that served lobster The Japanese restaraunt was to die for. The Buffet was pretty good. They could have served more potaoes and more variety of soup, Clam chopwder would have been nice. Desserts were to die for.The Drinks were great but they could have used a little less rum. If you don't like your drinks too strong you have to ask for small rum.The pool and bar restaraunt were good also..You could get a hamburger or hot dog and fries for a change. for lunch instead of the buffet.They always had sandwich makings in the afternoon, for those hungry golfersand of course everyone. These were served inside the hotel at the bar. The entertainment was awesome, shows everynight and before supper the animation group and differt singing groups would perform. They also had piano players that would come in a different times and play the piano for the guests.. It was a glorious place to spend a holiday. They had activities on the beach and you could win prizes for different events. I won three bottles of rum. I thas a beautiful golf course and you are given free golf times with your all inclusive package. The beach is beautiful..Tip the people and bring them things from home and you will be treated like royalty. They are a very happy thankful and courteous people.They appreciate everything you do for them and can't seem to do enough for you. We would go back there anytime and are in fact going back this february. We spent my husbands birthday there and they sent us a bottle of champagne to our room and a bottle of wine and a cake for supper. Hows that for hospitality. There was no extra charge either. We upgraded our room and never regretted it. we had a beautiful room overlooking the ocean and the Dupont manson. They had lights on at night so you still could see the beautiful color of the carribean ocean.There are elevators at the hotel. Another tip you can get lobster, huge one in varadero for 13-17 dollars and shrimp for 3.50. if you want a change from the hotel food. Can't beat that price,Viva Las Americas!!!!!!!!!!!!! Carol Knaus. Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

My husband and I have just returned from this resort, We went there for our Son's wedding, there was a group of 35 of us ages varied from 20's to early 60's....people came from places a far away as Japan and Chile. The wedding was done perfectly we couldn't have asked for anything nicer, the photographer was very good indeed and was so professional I would definitely recommend this resort for weddings. I was a little anxious at some of the reports about the food, but in my opinion the food was o.k......sometimes very good, we never went hungry and went to all the restaurants. I did take a small bottle of maple syrup for pancakes and waffels for breakfast and a bottle of seafood sauce for the seafood. The pools near the bungalows was our favorite place so peaceful and there we had floaters on the chairs which was very nice in the water......food at the swim-up bar was also good......I had almond pie with ice cream everyday there loved it. The lobby had huge couches which was a little dated and sagged, but really I didn't have a problem with that at all.....what I did find that was a problem was they had rugs under the tables and they would just bunch up and you had to be careful not to trip on these, the hotel needs a little paint and up dating. The room was facing the golf course and it was nice to sit on the balcony in the morning and watch the golfers try to hit the balls over the water......nearly everyone missed and the ball would go into the water. I had no problem at all with the room and the bathroom was all tiled and kept very clean by the maid. A nice little touch in there was a clear zipped bag with 2-bottles of shower gel and a bottle of shampoo as well as soaps, these would last you all week, but if you did need more the maid gladly gave you some.Sometimes the service in the buffet was a little slow......but you are on vacation just relax and go with the flow... I would go back to this resort again. I liked the fact that it was an adult only resort.