Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive
Urbanizacao Da Cabocan, Santa Maria, Ilha do Sal 4111 Cape Verde
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Avg. $456 /night, 12/12 - 12/13
$456
per night
$339
per night
$221
per night
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About
4.0
#2 of 2 resorts in Santa MariaLocation
4.1
Rooms
4.5
Value
4.0
Cleanliness
4.4
Service
4.1
Sleep Quality
4.4
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
The 5 star Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive is located in the southeast of the island Sal, only a few minutes from the colourful town Santa María and Amilcar Cabral international airport. During your stay you will find relaxation and fun right on the fabulous Algodoeiro beach, with its white sand and turquoise waters. The resort offers spectacular suites and villas with up to 4 bedrooms, private garden and swimming-pool. Set in gardens there are 2 magnificent adult pools and 2 pools for children. Experience Yhi Wellness with sauna, Turkish bath, whirlpool, thermal circuit, fitness facilities, massage and beauty treatments. Dining options include a variety of 4 restaurants and bars, offering a selection of international and local cuisine. The Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive is also the perfect destination for windsurfing, kitesurfing or scuba diving. Events for up to 200 people can be organised in 2 meeting rooms with natural daylight.
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Property amenities
Free parking
Free internet
Fitness Center with Gym / Workout Room
Pool
Bar / lounge
Beach
Diving
Indoor play area for children
Parking
Public wifi
Yoga classes
Fitness / spa locker rooms
Fitness classes
Sauna
Pool / beach towels
Outdoor pool
Private pool
Restaurant
Breakfast available
Breakfast buffet
Complimentary welcome drink
Snack bar
Swimup bar
Poolside bar
Aerobics
Entertainment staff
Evening entertainment
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Kids club
Kids pool
Highchairs available
Free shuttle or taxi services
Airport transportation
Shuttle bus service
Conference facilities
Banquet room
Meeting rooms
Spa
Couples massage
Facial treatments
Foot massage
Full body massage
Head massage
Manicure
Massage
Baggage storage
Concierge
Currency exchange
Shops
Sun loungers / beach chairs
Sun terrace
Sun umbrellas
ATM on site
24-hour check-in
24-hour front desk
Dry cleaning
Laundry service
Room features
Air conditioning
Additional bathroom
Housekeeping
Private balcony
Safe
Kitchenette
Microwave
Flatscreen TV
Refrigerator
Room types
Ocean view
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Family Resort
Modern
Languages Spoken
French, Portuguese
Location
Urbanizacao Da Cabocan, Santa Maria, Ilha do Sal 4111 Cape Verde
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 36 out of 100
36
126 Restaurants
within 5 miles
Reviews
4.0
4,628 reviews
Reviews summary
This summary was created by AI, based on recent reviews.
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Nestled in a coveted location near stunning beaches, Meliá Tortuga Beach offers a lively atmosphere with music that some find a tad overwhelming, set against a backdrop of relaxed vibes. Guests have called out the need for an update in decor and room refurbishment, while the cleanliness of the premises receives mixed reviews, particularly in housekeeping and towel services. Despite the well-maintained pools and grounds, the hotel's amenities face scrutiny for issues like towel supply and erratic Wi-Fi.
Moreover, opinions on the value proposition are polarized, with many feeling the experience doesn't justify the price. Service quality also varies, with experiences of both commendable and disappointing interactions with staff.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Lively
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Expensive
Cleanliness
Mixed
Service
Inconsistent
Amenities
Mixed
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Detailed Reviews
Hotel's Favorite
Prior to our visit, we had been to Melia Tortuga 3 times before - this was our 4th visit, and we have visited Cape Verde over 10 times in total.
Throughout the pandemic the hotel was closed, but we kept in close contact with Vania (Guest experience) which gave us hope that we would be able to visit again.
On arrival we jumped in a taxi (15 euro) and were greeted by Vania and her colleagues.
The hotel is just as lovely as it was before the pandemic. A lot of the staff members from our previous visit were still working there and remembered us, which was so lovely. Many of them were not able to work through the pandemic, so are delighted to be back at the hotel. They all work tirelessly to make sure that your holiday is as perfect as it should be.
Rooms: We had a 2 bed room which was adequate in size and had 2 shower rooms (one with a bath). I would say that the rooms are starting to look a little tired, but they were fine for us. The only concern I had was that there were a lot of mosquitos around, and you could hear them in the room at night. This is something we had not experienced before, so it may be because the hotel was dormant throughout the pandemic. Hopefully this will be rectified. I was badly bitten (not all from the room), so if you are susceptible to mosquito bites then please take precautions. In addition, there was a loud buzzing in one of the bedrooms, which was quite annoying. I think it was the air-con from the room next door? Again, this was something that we did not notice in our previous visits.
Food: We ate in Spices (the buffet) for breakfast. It gets busy between 7:45am and 9:15am, so avoid this time if you want it to be quieter. This restaurant also serves lunch and dinner.
Speciality restaurants: We ate at O´Grille every day for lunch. Mario is a great restaurant manager and Eilene is an absolute ray of sunshine. Thank you also to Ludgero who always had a smile on his face! There is no reservation required for lunch, but it does get very busy from 12:30pm to 2pm.
You need reservations for O´Grille, Pasta Nostra and Aqua Nikkey in the evening. You can book these a few days in advance at the Late Bar.
We ate at all of the restaurants and they were all exceptional. We must say that Peterson in Pasta Nostra was very attentive and remembered the little things about previous visits - an absolute credit to the hotel and someone who I would hire at the drop of a hat at home!
Please note that if you are vegetarian, there is limited choice at O´Grille and Aqua Nikkey. If you are vegan then you will be extremely limited. I am a pescatarian, but often eat the vegetarian / vegan options, which is why I highlight this. I can't comment on the Spices buffet, but if you are a vegan then you may want to enquire about this before booking. (Thank you to Mario for always ensuring there was something for me to eat when we had booked for the evening!)
The only other thing to note is that there are not many options for snacks in-between meal services which I think could be improved on. O´Grille had some bread, fruit and cold cheese / ham in between lunch and dinner, but that was about it. It didn't really bother us, but it may be important for others.
Drinks: We did not upgrade to premium drinks, but the options were absolutely fine for us. Most drinks you would expect were available, including Cava and cocktails. The only thing I would say is the plastic cups look quite worn, so I always preferred drinking from a glass when we were sat in the bar.
Pools & Beach: We spent every day at the beach which was very quiet. Every time we have visited this hotel there has never been any issue with getting sunbeds on the beach. There were lots of free beds at the pool whenever we walked past.
Trips: We didn't go on any trips as we have done most of them previously. However, I would absolutely advocate booking with the locals on the beach. They are very knowledgeable and friendly.
My husband is an avid kite-surfer, so we spent many days at Kite Beach. Mitu & Djo´s kitesurfing school is one of the best and there are good facilities on the beach (a bar, restaurant & toilets). We highly recommend this school.
From the hotel you can walk via the beach into Sal. It will take you about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. However, there is a free shuttle bus that runs from the hotel in the morning and back in the afternoon if you wanted to use this instead. A taxi from Sal is about 4 euro each way.
Another great spot is Ponta Preta which is about 20 / 30 min walk from the hotel. If the wind and waves are good then you will often see people kitesurfing and surfing, which is fantastic to see. There are also 2 beach bars that you can stop at and have a drink or something to eat.
Other considerations: The hotel have decided to try and reduce their use of plastic, which is a great thing. However, this means that thy do not hand out bottles of water. You can get glasses of water from the bar, but if you drink a lot of water (advisable!) then I would recommend taking a refillable bottle, and the bars will happily refill this for you too. There are reusable bottles for sale in the hotel shop and Sal, but they are quite expensive (20 euro plus for a small bottle). Bottled water to buy is about £1 per litre.
Prior to our visit, we saw that the local charities were asking for donations for the local children and the local animal charity, so we took over some items for them. If you need all of your luggage weight but still want to support the local charities, then you can just get in contact with them prior to your departure then they can organise for you to have additional luggage (for free). They are great causes, so please consider them.
Things that could be improved: The Wi-Fi is not very reliable, which is OK if you want to disconnect, but it's not ideal for the majority of people. The best (sometimes only) place to get Wi-Fi is on at the beach bar or in the lobby.
Once again, we must say THANK YOU to Vania (Guest relations) and all of the wonderful staff (especially those mentioned in our review). We would appreciate if you could provide some recognition to all of them.
We are already planning our next visit back! Thank you again.
Throughout the pandemic the hotel was closed, but we kept in close contact with Vania (Guest experience) which gave us hope that we would be able to visit again.
On arrival we jumped in a taxi (15 euro) and were greeted by Vania and her colleagues.
The hotel is just as lovely as it was before the pandemic. A lot of the staff members from our previous visit were still working there and remembered us, which was so lovely. Many of them were not able to work through the pandemic, so are delighted to be back at the hotel. They all work tirelessly to make sure that your holiday is as perfect as it should be.
Rooms: We had a 2 bed room which was adequate in size and had 2 shower rooms (one with a bath). I would say that the rooms are starting to look a little tired, but they were fine for us. The only concern I had was that there were a lot of mosquitos around, and you could hear them in the room at night. This is something we had not experienced before, so it may be because the hotel was dormant throughout the pandemic. Hopefully this will be rectified. I was badly bitten (not all from the room), so if you are susceptible to mosquito bites then please take precautions. In addition, there was a loud buzzing in one of the bedrooms, which was quite annoying. I think it was the air-con from the room next door? Again, this was something that we did not notice in our previous visits.
Food: We ate in Spices (the buffet) for breakfast. It gets busy between 7:45am and 9:15am, so avoid this time if you want it to be quieter. This restaurant also serves lunch and dinner.
Speciality restaurants: We ate at O´Grille every day for lunch. Mario is a great restaurant manager and Eilene is an absolute ray of sunshine. Thank you also to Ludgero who always had a smile on his face! There is no reservation required for lunch, but it does get very busy from 12:30pm to 2pm.
You need reservations for O´Grille, Pasta Nostra and Aqua Nikkey in the evening. You can book these a few days in advance at the Late Bar.
We ate at all of the restaurants and they were all exceptional. We must say that Peterson in Pasta Nostra was very attentive and remembered the little things about previous visits - an absolute credit to the hotel and someone who I would hire at the drop of a hat at home!
Please note that if you are vegetarian, there is limited choice at O´Grille and Aqua Nikkey. If you are vegan then you will be extremely limited. I am a pescatarian, but often eat the vegetarian / vegan options, which is why I highlight this. I can't comment on the Spices buffet, but if you are a vegan then you may want to enquire about this before booking. (Thank you to Mario for always ensuring there was something for me to eat when we had booked for the evening!)
The only other thing to note is that there are not many options for snacks in-between meal services which I think could be improved on. O´Grille had some bread, fruit and cold cheese / ham in between lunch and dinner, but that was about it. It didn't really bother us, but it may be important for others.
Drinks: We did not upgrade to premium drinks, but the options were absolutely fine for us. Most drinks you would expect were available, including Cava and cocktails. The only thing I would say is the plastic cups look quite worn, so I always preferred drinking from a glass when we were sat in the bar.
Pools & Beach: We spent every day at the beach which was very quiet. Every time we have visited this hotel there has never been any issue with getting sunbeds on the beach. There were lots of free beds at the pool whenever we walked past.
Trips: We didn't go on any trips as we have done most of them previously. However, I would absolutely advocate booking with the locals on the beach. They are very knowledgeable and friendly.
My husband is an avid kite-surfer, so we spent many days at Kite Beach. Mitu & Djo´s kitesurfing school is one of the best and there are good facilities on the beach (a bar, restaurant & toilets). We highly recommend this school.
From the hotel you can walk via the beach into Sal. It will take you about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. However, there is a free shuttle bus that runs from the hotel in the morning and back in the afternoon if you wanted to use this instead. A taxi from Sal is about 4 euro each way.
Another great spot is Ponta Preta which is about 20 / 30 min walk from the hotel. If the wind and waves are good then you will often see people kitesurfing and surfing, which is fantastic to see. There are also 2 beach bars that you can stop at and have a drink or something to eat.
Other considerations: The hotel have decided to try and reduce their use of plastic, which is a great thing. However, this means that thy do not hand out bottles of water. You can get glasses of water from the bar, but if you drink a lot of water (advisable!) then I would recommend taking a refillable bottle, and the bars will happily refill this for you too. There are reusable bottles for sale in the hotel shop and Sal, but they are quite expensive (20 euro plus for a small bottle). Bottled water to buy is about £1 per litre.
Prior to our visit, we saw that the local charities were asking for donations for the local children and the local animal charity, so we took over some items for them. If you need all of your luggage weight but still want to support the local charities, then you can just get in contact with them prior to your departure then they can organise for you to have additional luggage (for free). They are great causes, so please consider them.
Things that could be improved: The Wi-Fi is not very reliable, which is OK if you want to disconnect, but it's not ideal for the majority of people. The best (sometimes only) place to get Wi-Fi is on at the beach bar or in the lobby.
Once again, we must say THANK YOU to Vania (Guest relations) and all of the wonderful staff (especially those mentioned in our review). We would appreciate if you could provide some recognition to all of them.
We are already planning our next visit back! Thank you again.
Read more
Date of stay: December 2022Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Management Team, Outro at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive
Responded Mar 28, 2023
Dear 976bethanh, Firstly, we would like to thank you for your trust in having chosen Melia Tortuga Beach Resort and SPA for another holidays and for having set aside some of your valuable time to share your feedback with us and with fellow travelers online. It has been truly a pleasure having you as our loyal guests, having read your descriptions regarding each aspect of our services we are sincerely pleased to perceive that you have had an enjoyable stay with us. Such feedback is very motivating and satisfying for our team as our guests are our main priority, having said this, we will gladly share your kind compliments on our staff with the whole team. With this impression in mind, we look forward to the pleasure of welcoming you as our guests again in the near future. Kind regards, Melia Tortuga Management Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed in a four bed roomed beach front villa over Christmas and New Year. The villa was great, spacious and clean. A bonus was that it had its own small pool and a private garden with comfortable loungers. These came in very handy as all the sun loungers around the main pools would be gone really early. Even the beach ones were being reserved with towels from 7.30 and were all gone by 10.
We did encounter some problems with the accommodation. The main one was the unbelievably loud music from Bikini Beach. It would start in the afternoon and go on until the early hours some nights, well mornings.The base would vibrate through the villa. I did know we were going to be quite close to Bikini Beach but never expected the music to be that loud. Further back in the resort it couldn't be heard so would advise anyone to request rooms closer to the pools rather than the beach.
Another problem with the villa was the animals. Now I love dogs and it didn't bother me that one of the stray beach dogs would hop over the wall and into our garden but others may not be so keen. I also love cats but the ones that visited us were a pain. There are lots of cats roaming the resort and if we left the patio doors open a couple would walk in, go exploring in the bed rooms and pee on things. That did bother me!
The entertainment staff were fantastic and most nights we would watch the shows and joined in with the beach party. The guys who put the chairs out in the evenings for the shows were always very helpful and would go looking for chairs for you if couldn't find one. The rest of the staff I found to be indifferent. In fact a couple of the bar staff I found to be quite rude, despite a smile and hello from me.
We were self catering and Santa maria has many lovely, reasonably priced restaurants and there is a small supermarket in the complex across the road from the Tortuga. We had bought our own duty free drinks and purchased sodas from across the road, so had our own little bar going. Sometimes we would get a cocktail from one of the bars and found these well priced. We opened a tab and just paid for them at the end of our stay. There is also a larger supermarket, Cazu in Santa Maria and another supermarket which was good for stocking up on crisps and nibbles on the main street. A taxi into Santa Maria is three or four Euros depending on the time of day or night. Some people in previous reviews have said they got pestered in the town. We found a "No thank you" was sufficient and we never felt threatened by anyone.
This was our third visit to Sal and I would return again but I would want a decent nights sleep, no peeing cats in rooms and more friendly staff so would not stay at the Tortuga again.
We did encounter some problems with the accommodation. The main one was the unbelievably loud music from Bikini Beach. It would start in the afternoon and go on until the early hours some nights, well mornings.The base would vibrate through the villa. I did know we were going to be quite close to Bikini Beach but never expected the music to be that loud. Further back in the resort it couldn't be heard so would advise anyone to request rooms closer to the pools rather than the beach.
Another problem with the villa was the animals. Now I love dogs and it didn't bother me that one of the stray beach dogs would hop over the wall and into our garden but others may not be so keen. I also love cats but the ones that visited us were a pain. There are lots of cats roaming the resort and if we left the patio doors open a couple would walk in, go exploring in the bed rooms and pee on things. That did bother me!
The entertainment staff were fantastic and most nights we would watch the shows and joined in with the beach party. The guys who put the chairs out in the evenings for the shows were always very helpful and would go looking for chairs for you if couldn't find one. The rest of the staff I found to be indifferent. In fact a couple of the bar staff I found to be quite rude, despite a smile and hello from me.
We were self catering and Santa maria has many lovely, reasonably priced restaurants and there is a small supermarket in the complex across the road from the Tortuga. We had bought our own duty free drinks and purchased sodas from across the road, so had our own little bar going. Sometimes we would get a cocktail from one of the bars and found these well priced. We opened a tab and just paid for them at the end of our stay. There is also a larger supermarket, Cazu in Santa Maria and another supermarket which was good for stocking up on crisps and nibbles on the main street. A taxi into Santa Maria is three or four Euros depending on the time of day or night. Some people in previous reviews have said they got pestered in the town. We found a "No thank you" was sufficient and we never felt threatened by anyone.
This was our third visit to Sal and I would return again but I would want a decent nights sleep, no peeing cats in rooms and more friendly staff so would not stay at the Tortuga again.
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Date of stay: December 2019
Value
Rooms
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from TortugaMelia, Melia Tortuga Management Team at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive
Responded Jan 28, 2020
Dear SundersGirl, We would like to thank you for having chosen Melia Tortuga Beach Resort & Spa for your holidays and for having taken the time to share your opinions with us and with fellow travelers on TripAdvisor. We regret to perceive that due to some external aspects you were not able to enjoy your stay. We are surprised that you perceived some of our staff to be rude as this is not the usual feedback that receive from our guests, our staff have always been noted to be friendly, attentive and very helpful towards our guests. Please be informed that the beach is a public area and the local authorities have recently taken measures to remove the dogs from the beach, and at the Hotel our Sustainbility Manager toguether with the outhorities are handling this situation. Kindly note that although the Bikini Beach advertises at the hotel, it is a separate business and is not under our management. We understand that you did not stay under our All Inclusive management hence you were unable to enjoy the benefits of the All Inclusive service that the hotel offers to its guests. As per the apartment facilities these are provided directly by the owner and not by the hotel. Lastly, should you wish to reserve with us under All Inclusive package you are more than welcome to do so and it will be a pleasure to have you as our guests in the future. Warmest regards, Melia Tortuga Management Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
A lot to digest? Read an AI-generated summary of recent traveler reviews.
Loved the resort and apartment which we are just back from a 10 night stay. We had a 2 bed apartment and we normally prefer self catering as can get board of all inclusive quickly, but this hotel had the usual buffet but also 3 separate restaurants that you just had to book. Food was brilliant in all 4 places. Right on the beach, couldn't of asked for a better location. Hotel staff excellent and very friendly. We went for a few TUI tours - island tour, quads, buggies, sharks and organised a few things ourselves like short taxi into Santa Maria, a walk from the hotel to the Botanical Gardens, Bali bed hire on the beach and a try dive resulting in a wreck dive which was amazing. Can also recommend the spa at the hotel, we went for our first massage and got a voucher for a second with 50% off so just had to go back. You can also postpone housekeeping over some days for 10 Euro credits per day which you can use at the spa or for a bali bed on the beach. Just loved it here and planning to go back next January - Brilliant.
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Date of stay: January 2020
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from TortugaMelia, Melia Tortuga Management Team at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive
Responded Jan 28, 2020
Dear Cosmopolitan273038, Thank you having chosen Melia Tortuga Beach Resort & Spa for your holidays and for having set aside some of your time to share your opinion with us and with fellow travelers through Tripadvisor. We are grateful for your kind comments regarding the facilities, the accommodation, our staff members, the hotel grounds and the food. Our guest’s opinions are greatly appreciated as they give us an insight on how to offer an even better service every time, and if the review is positive, even better, because it means that we are on the right track. It has been truly a pleasure for us to have you guests, we are pleased to read from your description that you have had an lovely holiday at our hotel. We appreciate you having recommended our hotel to prospective travelers and thrilled that you would definitely come back as we are already looking forward to welcoming you as our guests again next January. Warmest regards, Melia Tortuga Management Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This was our first visit to Cape Verde and it met all our expectations very well. Our flights and transfers were good (but seating very tight on Tui flight) and arriving at the hotel we were given an upstairs 2 bedroom apartment which was clean and spacious with a balcony that attracted afternoon sunshine (beach facing).
Food at all the restaurants was fine - main area is cafeteria style but food was ok every time we were there. O Grill was OK, lobster dinner excellent. Pasta restaurant does excellent filet mignon. Japanese restaurant also good. Drinks quality generally good for an all inclusive deal.
Not a lot to do is our only slight criticism. The beach is ok but the sea can be very rough so not great for swimming. The pools were cold too. Ents staff do some activities but not a vast programme, but their evening shows are as good as you get in this sort of holiday.
However, most of the staff are friendly and helpful. We have special thanks to send to a few - Jacqueline on reception for all her help with a missing piece of post, bartenders Patrick, Ivan, Romario and Carla who never let us go thirsty and gave us some good laughs.
We had some great waiters too, but a definite mention for Eilene who’s baby is due within a few weeks but was still working very hard.
And a thank you to our friendly trip organiser Roy Nice Guy. He is. Find him down by the beach for well managed locally sourced day trips with good value.
All in all a great but quiet holiday but perfect for a battery recharge. Would be happy to return for winter sun and relaxation.
Food at all the restaurants was fine - main area is cafeteria style but food was ok every time we were there. O Grill was OK, lobster dinner excellent. Pasta restaurant does excellent filet mignon. Japanese restaurant also good. Drinks quality generally good for an all inclusive deal.
Not a lot to do is our only slight criticism. The beach is ok but the sea can be very rough so not great for swimming. The pools were cold too. Ents staff do some activities but not a vast programme, but their evening shows are as good as you get in this sort of holiday.
However, most of the staff are friendly and helpful. We have special thanks to send to a few - Jacqueline on reception for all her help with a missing piece of post, bartenders Patrick, Ivan, Romario and Carla who never let us go thirsty and gave us some good laughs.
We had some great waiters too, but a definite mention for Eilene who’s baby is due within a few weeks but was still working very hard.
And a thank you to our friendly trip organiser Roy Nice Guy. He is. Find him down by the beach for well managed locally sourced day trips with good value.
All in all a great but quiet holiday but perfect for a battery recharge. Would be happy to return for winter sun and relaxation.
Read more
Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from TortugaMelia, Melia Tortuga Management Team at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive
Responded Feb 12, 2020
Dear JoS969, Thank you for your trust and preference in having chosen to visit Melia Tortuga Beach Resort & Spa for your stay and for having spare a few valuable moments this time to share your opinion with us and with fellow travelers online. It has been truly a pleasure having you as our guests and we are very happy to perceive that the restaurant, the rooms and the facilities have contributed to a fantastic holiday. We do our best to meet the holiday expectations of our guests and when this is so it is very motivating to notice this. Thank you for your kind acknowledgement of the staff mentioned, it will be a pleasure to share your feedback with them and with the rest of our team. We also thank you for bringing into our attention the details that require our immediate attention, we will forward it to the department in charge for their consideration. We are delighted to hear that you will return for another visit as we are already looking forward to welcoming you to our resort! Kind regards, Melia Tortuga Management Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We stayed in this beautiful resort for one week (too short). We stayed in a two-bedroom apartment, which was very spacious and also had a terrace. We had an option to opt-out housekeeping service for extra credit which we later on used towards SPA treatment.
The hotel has many restaurants to dine in. Food is delicious and limitless ;) The same with drinks. Cocktails, wines, beers, lots to choose from, any time. We very much enjoyed the beach restaurant/bar which offers a beautiful ocean view.
The staff is very nice and helpful.
Beach is clean, with white sand and turquoise waters.
If you planning a trip to see the island, highly recommend booking with locals as they offer significantly cheaper prices then holiday providers. You can find them on the beach in front of the resort. We booked with Roy - The nice guy. Had a great experience of the island tour and horse riding.
Santa Maria is the town nearby. You can take a taxi for £3.00. It has a beautiful beach and town center. If you like walking, I would highly recommend taking a walk on the beach which will take you approximately 2h but is worthed.
Great holiday, would definitely come back.
The hotel has many restaurants to dine in. Food is delicious and limitless ;) The same with drinks. Cocktails, wines, beers, lots to choose from, any time. We very much enjoyed the beach restaurant/bar which offers a beautiful ocean view.
The staff is very nice and helpful.
Beach is clean, with white sand and turquoise waters.
If you planning a trip to see the island, highly recommend booking with locals as they offer significantly cheaper prices then holiday providers. You can find them on the beach in front of the resort. We booked with Roy - The nice guy. Had a great experience of the island tour and horse riding.
Santa Maria is the town nearby. You can take a taxi for £3.00. It has a beautiful beach and town center. If you like walking, I would highly recommend taking a walk on the beach which will take you approximately 2h but is worthed.
Great holiday, would definitely come back.
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Date of stay: March 2020
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from M Tortuga, Other at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive
Responded Aug 13, 2020
Dear nikavero222, Thank you for having chosen Melia Tortuga Beach Resort & Spa for your holidays and for having taken the time to review our hotel. We are very pleased to read that we have exceeded your expectations and that the hotel accommodation, the restaurants and the bars, and the staff service have all contributed positively to such an enjoyable stay. It is also wonderful that you took the opportunity to visit around the island by land and by sea. We hope that you will not hesitate to recommend our hotel to your family and friends and we are very happy to know that you will be coming back as we are looking forward to welcoming you as our guests again very soon. Kind regards,
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Arrival prompt and professional and quickly allocated the room type previously requested. Rooms are great definitely on par with any other 5* we’ve stayed in. This resort offers four places to eat; Spices main restaurant which offered a choice based on the needs and wants of quite a varied cliental. O Grille with lots of meat and fish dishes. Pasta Nostra as the name suggests offers pasta and pizza and there is Aqua which offers a range of Mediterranean food. Big shout out for William who supported us through the Gluten Free options, its always a challenge when one of the party is Coeliac. First day we shared our concerns and William pulled out all the stops, pre-booked us into each of the la carte restaurants for dinners, discussed menu options, tailored a few even made time to call in to make sure all was well. It made a massive difference to our holiday knowing the food had been cooked and segregated from any cross contamination, that was most definitely five star service. Trying to play Cape Verdi game Ouril by the pool some staff (sorry guys didn’t get your names) who were refilling the bar stocks, saw us struggling playing the game and then sat with us, watched us play giving advice then played a game to demonstrate their skills and typified for us what a holiday is about and more importantly how great the staff really are. Highly recommend a visit and we’ll be returning hopefully for a longer stay this time and certainly hope to see some familiar faces again.
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from TortugaMelia, Melia Tortuga Management Team at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive
Responded Jan 17, 2020
Dear SLAHNorthWestUK, Thank you for having chosen Melia Tortuga Beach Resort & Spa for your holidays and for having taken the time to share your holiday experience with us and with fellow travelers through Tripadvisor. It has been a pleasure having you as our guests and we are glad that our accommodation, our staff friendliness, our facilities as well as our daytime activities have all contributed to this positive experience. Please rest assured that your warm words of praise will be forwarded to the entire Melia Tortuga team to motivate ourselves in our daily efforts to create unique moments for our valued guests. We do our utmost to cater to the different needs of our guests and we are glad that we were able to cater to your dietary needs during your stay. We would like to thank you for your kind comments regarding our staff members who we are proud to have such a dedicated team on board, it will surely be a pleasure to forward your message to them. We thank you for your contribution and for recommend the Hotel, we are delighted to hear that you will return for another visit as we are already looking forward to welcoming you to our resort! Kind regards, Melia Tortuga Management Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
We are currently staying at the resort for a week, with a couple of days left to go. I'm normally not one to complain but feel it necessary on this occasion. Grounds are pretty but not very clean, we came across what looked like a nest of flies and wasps swarming in the relaxing pool which was not pleasant next to our sunbeds. The rooms are fairly clean but not a 5 star standard- for instance the shower a day later still had sand in it after a day at the beach. I asked the cleaner multiple times for more water and it never appeared.
Food was ok, nice food at o grille but slow service for breakfast - not enough staff, simple things like waiting a while for glasses or cups for a drink are not what you would expect of 5 star standard. If you want more of a chilled breakfast go to to the o grille as spices is chaos. Lunch was nice at spices but flies swarmed around the food so needs to be covered.
Snack breaks were not good enough. I have a gluten allergy and I went to the pasta place and they didn't seem interested in offering me something to eat, again at o grille all I could eat was fruit as they had nothing. I emailed the hotel in advance and they have made no effort in asking I have been ok with the food. One of the evenings we went to aqua and the service was fine up until dessert. 15 minutes went by and it didn't arrive. One of the waitresses came up and asked for our order again and I said we already ordered, and we expected her to come back but our dessert never arrived even after the reminder!
Staff have mostly looked like they dont want to be there which again is very off putting and makes me nervous to ask them for things. I asked for two lattes at the bar next to spices 'two lattes please' and the lady turned her back and actually mocked me saying 'two lattes please' seriously? Not great. I will be addressing these issues on checkout to reception.
Lastly, when you pay for a '5 star resort' you at least expect wifi. We dont even get it in our room anymore. It's not a massive issue but when you've paid nearly £1000 each you really should expect that at least.
Will I be coming back? Unlikely.
Food was ok, nice food at o grille but slow service for breakfast - not enough staff, simple things like waiting a while for glasses or cups for a drink are not what you would expect of 5 star standard. If you want more of a chilled breakfast go to to the o grille as spices is chaos. Lunch was nice at spices but flies swarmed around the food so needs to be covered.
Snack breaks were not good enough. I have a gluten allergy and I went to the pasta place and they didn't seem interested in offering me something to eat, again at o grille all I could eat was fruit as they had nothing. I emailed the hotel in advance and they have made no effort in asking I have been ok with the food. One of the evenings we went to aqua and the service was fine up until dessert. 15 minutes went by and it didn't arrive. One of the waitresses came up and asked for our order again and I said we already ordered, and we expected her to come back but our dessert never arrived even after the reminder!
Staff have mostly looked like they dont want to be there which again is very off putting and makes me nervous to ask them for things. I asked for two lattes at the bar next to spices 'two lattes please' and the lady turned her back and actually mocked me saying 'two lattes please' seriously? Not great. I will be addressing these issues on checkout to reception.
Lastly, when you pay for a '5 star resort' you at least expect wifi. We dont even get it in our room anymore. It's not a massive issue but when you've paid nearly £1000 each you really should expect that at least.
Will I be coming back? Unlikely.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from TortugaMelia, Melia Tortuga Management Team at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive
Responded Jan 13, 2020
Dear hcrate, First of all we would like to thank you for choosing Melia Tortuga Beach Resort & Spa, and taking some of your valuable time to write an review about our property. It was a pleasure for us to have had a chance to accommodate you during your holiday in Cape Verde. We are sorry to perceive that we were not able to meet your holiday expectations.There is always a Guest Experience manager available at the hotel all day and during the evening to listen to our guests and offer any assistance should they require it, and of course our Management Team are always available at the Hotel for our guests, therefor we always recommend our guests to not hesitate to contact us during their stay for any assistance that they may need. In Melia Tortuga we believe that it is through listening carefully to the feedback of our customers, that we will be able to achieve the constant improvement, guest satisfaction and quality service that we strive for. Once again, thank you for sharing your feedback and thoughts. We look forward for your return to have you witness the improvement we will have made by then and let you experience the true Melia Tortuga Beach Resort & Spa stay and craft a memorable stay with us. Warmest regards, Melia Tortuga Management Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The hotel is in a great location directly on the beach, a short distance from Santa Maria. The hotel area is large with plenty of space. But there is a lot missing for a top score. The staff seems very uninterested in delivering satisfied guests, and there seems to be generally very low service attitude with many of the staff in the bars and restaurants. You always have to ask several times to order food and drink, to fill empty dishes in the buffet, missing cutlery and the like. This should have been easy to do something about.
The cleanliness of the restaurants, bars and common areas is not much to boast about. However, it is worth highlighting the beach bar which serves as a great meeting place directly on the beach. Strange that no more employees are hired to work here to limit queue and keep it clean and tidy throughout the day.
Plus for large and spacious apartments and villas of good and welcoming standard. But all in all, this hotel does not compete with other hotels in the same price range. Too bad, because with a little effort and increased service attitude, this could have been a much better facility and provided a completely different overall experience for the guests.
The cleanliness of the restaurants, bars and common areas is not much to boast about. However, it is worth highlighting the beach bar which serves as a great meeting place directly on the beach. Strange that no more employees are hired to work here to limit queue and keep it clean and tidy throughout the day.
Plus for large and spacious apartments and villas of good and welcoming standard. But all in all, this hotel does not compete with other hotels in the same price range. Too bad, because with a little effort and increased service attitude, this could have been a much better facility and provided a completely different overall experience for the guests.
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Date of stay: December 2019Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from TortugaMelia, Melia Tortuga Management Team at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive
Responded Jan 13, 2020
Dear kristianh861, Thank you for having chosen Melia Tortuga Beach Resort & Spa for your holidays and for having taken the time to review our hotel. We are surprised that you consider our staff to be uninterested, as this is not the general perception of our guests who find them friendly, helpful and very polite. This can be noticed at almost all of our reviews. Our hotel grounds, the rooms and the facilities are well kept and maintained continuously so as to ensure your comfort and well-being. As many of our guests may have noticed, there is a cleaning team who work tirelessly throughout the day every day to ensure that everything is in its prime condition. Once again please accept our most sincere appreciation for having shared your comments and feedback with us, we will take it into account for future improvements, We do our best everyday to ensure that our guests feel welcome and enjoy their holidays, it’s a great pity that you did not enjoy yours, we hope that you will give us another chance to change your perception on this matter.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This is a beautiful place and location lovely too . We enjoyed our stay at this hotel . The rooms are a great size we had a couple of problems with our room but they were seen to really quick. I think the grounds could be kept cleaner as seen a lot of bags of rubbish left in parts of the resort. The food was good better then I expected good variety to choose from think the booking into the restaurants was hard to get booked into but never seemed to be really busy when we passed. On the beach I didn’t like the fact of stray dogs running around as I felt uneasy with having to young children so that did spoil this a little. The pool is ridiculous for getting a sun lounger they didn’t seem enough for the size of the place We struggled to get a bed . The staff some where really friendly and some where miserable it makes a huge difference when you get a smile and a little hello off hotel staff. We did enjoy our stay the entertainment staff are all lovely and work so hard the entertainment was good .
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from TortugaMelia, Melia Tortuga Management Team at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive
Responded Jan 28, 2020
Dear hayleyh1978newcastle, Thank you for having chosen Melia Tortuga Beach Resort & Spa for your holidays and for having taken the time to tell us about your holiday experience. It is always delightful to read that our guests have returned home pleased with their stay at our hotel and carrying nice memories of their time here. The team of Melia Tortuga work tirelessly every day to ensure that our guests make the most of their holidays and feel at home with us, having said this, we would like to thank you for your kind acknowledgement of the staff mentioned, they are a credit to our hotel and we are proud to have them on our team. We thank you once again for your contribution and we hope that we can look forward to welcoming you as our guests again in the not so distant future. Kind regards, Melia Tortuga Management Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
My 18th trip to Sal and Boa Vista first time staying up by Bikini Beach. Should have stayed here with my brother for 10 days from 16th February. However we had a days delay at Manchester owing to a TUI technical flight delay which is no fault of the hotel. Arrived at hotel on 17th and checked in and went to our apartment. Apartment was huge and more than met our expectations. Chose the Tortuga for this reason as we were on a fishing trip and wanted the extra space. Our apartment (466) was relatively quiet and away from the entertainment and pool. Did not use the pool at all during the stay but there is a quiet pool as well as a noisier pool so there is choice as to which you use.
The beach is nice but spoilt by a few factors mainly caused by the nearby Bikini Beach. On several occasions the noise from the BB was excessive so be aware if you want to relax listening to the waves it’s not quite the place for that. Also the construction of BB has caused massive coastal erosion of the previously beautiful swathe of sand that existed about 8 years ago. The result is a rocky beach totally unsuitable for bathing. The resultant lagoon however is calm with a sandy entry and offers good snorkelling with many different fish species on view. Alongside the Tortuga is a major construction project of another hotel. The piledriver used to start first thing in the morning and thud away all day. Not a huge noise but enough to irritate you if you wanted it quiet.
Gym facilities bit limited but ok for Cape Verde. For Cardio it’s best to have a run in the morning then use gym for bit of weight training. Free weights available, I multi stack weight machine, I inclined bench press, 1 cross trainer, 1 running machine,1 bike and one hand crank machine. Space pretty limited but not many guests seemed to go in there.
Food and drink was pretty average and adequate but you get what you pay for. If you want fine dining with good cuts of meat I’m afraid it’s not the place for you. However again it met our needs. Only big down side for me was the O Grille restaurant/ bar on the beach. Lunchtime was absolutely rammed with noisy non residents and insufficient tables available. The staff were terribly overworked here and clearly stressed by the amount of people they were having to accommodate. There was a large table that seemed to be permanently allocated to a group of non residents, unacceptable when paying guests were waiting for tables. Would I stay here again? Definitely not as a couple but if I was coming as a group of guys fishing or chilling out it is a good base to operate from.
The beach is nice but spoilt by a few factors mainly caused by the nearby Bikini Beach. On several occasions the noise from the BB was excessive so be aware if you want to relax listening to the waves it’s not quite the place for that. Also the construction of BB has caused massive coastal erosion of the previously beautiful swathe of sand that existed about 8 years ago. The result is a rocky beach totally unsuitable for bathing. The resultant lagoon however is calm with a sandy entry and offers good snorkelling with many different fish species on view. Alongside the Tortuga is a major construction project of another hotel. The piledriver used to start first thing in the morning and thud away all day. Not a huge noise but enough to irritate you if you wanted it quiet.
Gym facilities bit limited but ok for Cape Verde. For Cardio it’s best to have a run in the morning then use gym for bit of weight training. Free weights available, I multi stack weight machine, I inclined bench press, 1 cross trainer, 1 running machine,1 bike and one hand crank machine. Space pretty limited but not many guests seemed to go in there.
Food and drink was pretty average and adequate but you get what you pay for. If you want fine dining with good cuts of meat I’m afraid it’s not the place for you. However again it met our needs. Only big down side for me was the O Grille restaurant/ bar on the beach. Lunchtime was absolutely rammed with noisy non residents and insufficient tables available. The staff were terribly overworked here and clearly stressed by the amount of people they were having to accommodate. There was a large table that seemed to be permanently allocated to a group of non residents, unacceptable when paying guests were waiting for tables. Would I stay here again? Definitely not as a couple but if I was coming as a group of guys fishing or chilling out it is a good base to operate from.
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Date of stay: February 2020Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from TortugaMelia, Melia Tortuga Management Team at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive
Responded Mar 6, 2020
Dear 77NeilR, Thank you having chosen Melia Tortuga Beach Resort & Spa for your holidays and for having set aside some of your time to share your opinion with us and with fellow travelers through Tripadvisor. We have enjoyed reading your description about our services and we are delighted to learn that you were happy to stay with us and that the hotel facilities and the service have all contributed to this positive impression. We also thank you for bringing into our attention the details that require our immediate attention, we will forward it to the department in charge for their consideration. We hope that you will return for another stay as we are already looking forward to welcoming you as our guests again in the not so distant future. Kind regards, Melia Tortuga Management Team
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Why do u need this service
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"Take lots of suncream and mosquito replant it's very expensive to buy locally Take euros "Read full review
"Walk down to the beach early in the morning, see the turtles being released. Then walk along to the cove where the water is calm and swim!"Read full review
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PRICE RANGE
$124 - $323 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
FORMERLY KNOWN AS
Meliá Tortuga Beach
LOCATION
Cape VerdeIlha do SalSanta Maria
NUMBER OF ROOMS
262
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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Claim Your ListingMELIÁ TORTUGA BEACH - ALL INCLUSIVE - Updated 2024
Frequently Asked Questions about Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive
Which popular attractions are close to Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive?
Nearby attractions include Djunta Mo Art (1.6 miles), Projeto Biodiversidade (1.3 miles), and Ponta Preta Beach (0.6 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include a swimup bar, a pool, and an on-site restaurant.
Which room amenities are available at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive?
Top room amenities include a kitchenette, air conditioning, and a flat screen TV.
What food & drink options are available at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive?
Guests can enjoy a swimup bar, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive?
Yes, free parking is available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive?
Conveniently located restaurants include Marea Italian Restaurant, Baraonda, and Ocean Cafe.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive?
Yes, guests have access to a pool, a fitness center, and a sauna during their stay.
Does Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive have airport transportation?
Yes, Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive offers airport transportation for guests. We recommend calling ahead to confirm details.
Are any cleaning services offered at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive?
Yes, dry cleaning and laundry service are offered to guests.
Does Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive offer any business services?
Yes, it conveniently offers meeting rooms, a banquet room, and conference facilities.
Which languages are spoken by the staff at Meliá Tortuga Beach - All Inclusive?
The staff speaks multiple languages, including French and Portuguese.