I stayed at the resort over the Thanksgiving weekend for 5 days. First of all, I was planning a trip for my family (wife, 3 year old, 8 month old) as well as my golfing brother and parents. I spent literally weeks searching for the best all-inclusive for the money. It was difficult since there were negative reviews on every resort, e.g., Riu Palace, Riu Santa Fe, Royal Solaris, Presidente Intercontinental and Crowne Plaza. I had finally narrowed it down to Riu Palace and Melia. I decided on Melia on these reasons:

1) I thought that there would be more families at Melia (vs. more party-goers at Palace) - Yes, there were a lot of families here and so we felt pretty comfortable here.

2) I wanted to be close to a golf course for my parents AND get a discount - All the internet sites said 10% off but we actually got 25% off (and almost 1/3 off for the second round). This was a huge plus as we saved almost $500.

3) Free shuttle - As others have said, they did not offer this, which was a shame but what are you going to do.

So 2 out 3 isn't bad.

As for the food, which I was really worried about when some people said it was unedible, it was not too bad. It was much better than the last all-inclusive I had gone to, Dreams Cancun. Yes, there were some items that were not good but there were some items that were good. And yes, the variety could be improved upon but what can you expect from an all-inclusive. At least the variety is better than what you get at home. Among the negatives was the fact that the Asian restaurant would be open one night and the Italian restaurant would be open on another but not on the same night. It's probably because the resort was only about 50% booked. But all in all the food was good enough that I gained 4 lbs (to 165 lbs). I just think that the people that said the food was "horrible" or "inedible" need to spend hundreds or thousands more at a 5 star since their tastes and standards are so high.

Lastly, the service was exceptional. Enough said. And the entertainment was ok and could be improved upon. I've found that nobody seems to be as good as Club Med in terms of entertainment (and food) for all-inclusives. Notwithstanding, my 3 year old daughter really liked the pools, the zipline and the virgin Strawberry Daiquiris.

We stayed at the Melia Cabo Real from November 8-14 in 2008. My husband and I are in our 20s, and this was not a honeymoon. It was just a fun, relaxing vacation. I'm not sure why everyone was complaining about the customer service. We had a wonderful time and everyone we encountered was very nice.

Weather
The weather was awesome. It was 85 and sunny everyday. The ocean view from the hotel was great. The pool was a little chilly, but after laying out in the sun for so long, it felt nice!

Bars/food
The food was very good. The breakfast and lunch buffets had lots to choose from, including American-style foods and Mexican foods. The drinks were easy to come by, whether we were at the pool bar or the lobby bar. We had excellent service and we tipped accordingly. The waiters and bar tenders were very friendly and liked to chat with us. Also, the buffets had really flexible hours. It was nice!

Hotel room
The room was great. We just got a regular old garden view room, which was fine. We could see the ocean from our room anyway though. We could also see a nice golf course from our room. The room had a great air conditioner that kept things nice and cool. A good selection of TV channels, though many of them were in Spanish. I guess we were in Mexico though! We got two double beds, but they were pretty big anyway. Not a big deal. The shower was a little annoying. It was very touchy, but once we figured it out, we had nice, warm showers every morning. The maids did an excellent job, and often checked in with us to see if we needed things like towels and bottled water. The mini fridge was stocked daily with water, pop and beer. I'd recommending tipping the maids for two reasons. One, to be nice, becuase they don't make much money. And two, they did an awesome job cleaning.

Grounds/Pool Area
The resorts grounds were very nice! They have a lot of desert type landscaping and then nice flowers and palm trees by the pool. The pool area was awesome. Not too crowded, and always a lounge chair available. They provided large towels for guests. For those who are more active, some energetic hotel staff members lead games in the pool in the afternoon. They played pool volleyball and some other games. There were some nice palapas on the beach, although you couldn't really swim in the ocean. Not safe!

Restaurants
We got the all-inclusive package, so food and drinks were included. We ate at La Terraza and Kujira, the two sit-down restaurants. Food and service were excellent. Portions are small, so make sure to order enough food. :o) We never had any problems making a reservation at the restaurants.

Beach
Don't go in the water! There were red flags up everyday we were there, meaning the water isn't safe for swimming unless you're an experienced ocean swimmer. We made the mistake of getting a little too close to the water and we got soaked! The water was nice to look at. The beach was a vast area of sand with lots of broken bits of coral and rock in it. Wear sandals! :o)

Prognosis: We loved this hotel and Cabo! We definitely plan to come back again some time. Maybe next year. :) I'd highly reccomend this hotel. I'm not sure how you would find anything to complain about with this place.

We booked this trip to Cabo as a last minute alternative to our cancelled trip to Turks & Caicos due to the hurricane. We are divers, but thought we'd take a chance on something new & were not dissapointed. This is the most relaxing trip we have ever been on. Hotel is spread out & there is a little bit of a trek to get down to the swimming beach. Little exercise never hurts, especially when you've been drinking & eating all day. Also, beach bar was closed while we were there - kind of a bummer, but not a deal breaker. We are beach people through & through & rarely stay close to a pool, but we thoroughly enjoyed lounging in the cabanas around the pool where there are fabulous views of the ocean. Food was above average for an all inclusive. There is an expedia excursion guy on the lower level of the hotel that is straightfoward & very helpful. We booked a sunset cruise, fishing, & america's cup sailing through him. Very easy. Count on $25 cab fare to & from downtown Cabo or you can take the public bus on Mexico time for a couple of bucks. (Don't be in a hurry if you take the bus) You are not in downtown Cabo at this hotel, thus relaxing! Beach is nearly deserted everyday & is breathtaking. FYI - hotel ATM is in pesos & you can get american dollars out of ATMs in Cabo (near market near marina & cruise ships). We wish the pool bar opened earlier, so order your alcoholic drinks @ breakfast if you HAVE to have some booze before 11am. Hangover cure = Clamato! Have breakfast or lunch @ the Office. Don't sit @ a table right on the beach though or you will be hounded by the vendors! Huge bonus @ the Melia is there are no timeshare salesmen around!!! If the pool activities people try to get you involved in an activity, just do it! It's actually really fun. We strongly resisted getting involved with any activities the first couple of days. We finally caved & had a blast with everything we did ( water polo, volleyball, karoke, etc).
Places to go:
Cabo Wabo, Giggling Marlin, Elbow room, strip club across the street from Giggling Marlin (great drink specials!), Solomon's restaurant (on Marina), the Office, Cabo Dolphins

We decided on this hotel based on the reviews we read here on Trip Advisor thanks to all of you who left a review. Most were right on the spot. This was a great place to stay and we would definitely recommend this to all our friends. It's not perfect for everyone but it was perfect for us.
Check In/Out
Check in and out was harmless. No issues whatsoever. You're issued a blue band that shows you as a guest and that's pretty much it. Upon check out the band is removed.
Service
Service was impeccable. From the moment you step off your cab you are greeted by the friendliest of folks. All were eager to meet our needs. Just as long as your within an open bar area you're fine. Don't expect to be waited on if you're on the beach. The bar down there is only open during beach parties.
Room
Room looked great. We had a deluxe suite overlooking the garden/pool. The bed was a little too firm but bearable.Bathroom was nice nothing shabby at all. Only complaint was the Hair dryer it will be a little underpowered for most women. Iron worked well no problems there. Ironing board was a little shabby. Had stains on it but it wasn't that big of a deal. Room also had a small fridge that was lightly stocked with soda, beer and water.
Food
Food was OK not the best. Nothing really to write home about. They have a total of 5 "restaurants". There is a snack bar by the pool that serves bar food like pizza, burgers, chicken fingers etc.., food wasn't that great but they pretty much stay open most of the day. It's convenient for a snack in between meals. Further down there is another outdoor restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner at certain times. Breakfast was great and lunch is OK. Its all buffet style. They have an omelet station in the am and Pasta in the pm. The best part is the view of the ocean. We loved eating there in the morning. We only ate at one other restaurant, the Italian buffet place. Food was once again OK. No big deal. The other 2 we never visited. One was a Japanese sushi place that was closed all the time and the other was a Mediterranean Style restaurant. We didn't have a chance to visit the Mediterranean Restaurant.
Pool and Beach
Pool was fantastic, very clean and well maintained. Plenty of chairs for everyone and it was fairly quiet during our stay. They also have a swim up bar that opens at 11 am every morning that serves just about anything you'd like. There are also about 12 to 15 large out door beds that you can use as well. Felt great to lay out and do absolutely nothing. This was my first trip to Los Cabos and I was not aware that the beaches aren't safe to swim in. There is only a small portion behind the hotel next to us that had swimmers. During all of our stay we were under a red flag beach warning. I'm not big on swimming in the ocean and neither was my spouse so it was no big deal to us.