A review of this time-testing Cable Beach all-inclusive is tough to write, since big changes are about to come to the property. The resort has passed through many hands and many brands over the years, and is currently seriously showing its age, though the guest rooms with their modernist wood furnishings remain comfortable. 
 
However, at press time the Melia was undergoing extensive renovations (though remaining open as it does so) to become part of the new, behemoth Baha Mar complex being built along this 3,000-foot stretch of sand. It’s slated to open in December 2014. 
 
Designed to compete against the Atlantis across the water, this new resort city will feature four other, newly built hotels, including a 200-room Rosewood, a 300-room SLS LUX, a 700-room Grand Hyatt, and a 1,000-room namesake Baha Mar hotel-casino—plus 30 restaurants, a performing arts center, two spas, 20 acres of pools, and an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course. 
 
You can keep up with the ongoing project at www.bahamar.com. 
 
A few more notes on the Meliá itself: “The Level” rooms are Meliá’s “club” rooms, with dedicated check-in and restaurant reservation services, private sections of the pool and beach, and upgraded amenities.  Also note that you can just get a room-only rate in summer, and sometimes (on doubles) in early and late winter as well.