MELIÁ KNOWS RESORTS. JUST PICK THE RIGHT ONE.

Meliá is one of those brands Americans can underestimate until they start traveling more. The Spanish hotel company has been doing this for decades, and its footprint puts it in exactly the places BlkTravel keeps ending up: Punta Cana, Mexico, Jamaica, Spain, the Canary Islands and major cities throughout Europe. Beach resorts are where Meliá really starts making sense to us.

We like the range. A regular Meliá can deliver a solid resort vacation without murdering the budget. The Level gives you the upgraded lounge, better rooms and extra-service experience when you want to spend more. And Meliá Hotels International gives us other brands worth clicking into, including Paradisus by Meliá, ME by Meliá and ZEL, so this is one of those parent companies where one good stay can send you down a whole rabbit hole.

But we're not going to bullshit you: Meliá can be inconsistent. Some properties look fantastic after renovations while others generate complaints about dated rooms, maintenance, food, service or an experience that doesn't quite match the pictures. The Level can be worth the upgrade at one resort and leave you wondering what exactly you paid extra for at another. With Meliá, read the recent reviews. Not the ones from somebody's honeymoon in 2019.

Still, when the property is right, Meliá can deliver a damn good resort vacation for the money. Beautiful grounds, big pools, beachfront locations, plenty of food and drink, and enough resort atmosphere that you actually feel like you went somewhere.

That's enough to put Meliá at #20. Just don't book the logo.