Hello Jolene,
I don?t know the RIU Melao Hotel, but last year in november I stayed in the RIU Bambu Hotel which is in the same area. The beach there is very lovely, a lot of white sand and many palms. To get from the Melao to the beach you have to go throug the "caribian street" with lots of stores. There are nice small caribian houses and nearly no cars (it?s not a real street). In this street there are the disco and the casino entrance.
To my mind, the RIU area at Punta Cana is a nice place. But there you are far away from any bigger town. You can book some trips, but they are expensive.
Think, you will have a nice holiday there!
Jessica
