Dreams Aventuras Riviera Maya

We just got back yesterday. A very mediocre hotel. The preferred level isn’t worth it. The perks were not there: no top shelf liquor (same as other bars at resort), no checking to ensure only preferred used the preferred pool which caused it to be overcrowded (sounds entitled but why include it as a benefit if not enforced), the very small adults only part of the preferred pool was just not enforced, no chair side service in beach side preferred area (there was chair side service in the non-preferred part of the beach), and the preferred lounge food was blah. The food throughout the resort was fine, except at Gohan which was horrible; breakfast was the meal of the day. Our main issue came on our last night. We had booked and paid a premium for a romantic dinner on the beach. It was supposed to be on Monday at 7p, but they called because of some rain and said the dinner would need to be moved inside or rescheduled. We chose to reschedule for the next day, our last day at the resort. On Monday, we instead went to the Italian restaurant for dinner. We were seated on the covered patio and had a clear view of the area where our dinner would have been that night. And, we saw a dinner had been set up and a couple arrived at 7:45p for that dinner. The storm had also completely cleared up a couple hours before and we hadn’t been contacted to see if we still wanted our dinner that night. We realized the change wasn’t actually because of the weather it was because they’d doubled booked. Fine, no big deal, we had the dinner the next day. The dinner was supposed to come with a bottle of red wine (a cab or merlot). We arrived and there was a bottle of white. They said that’s what we selected but no one had ever asked us, the menu had just stated a cab or merlot. It was a steak dinner, and we preferred a red. I told the server and he brought out a wine menu and pointed to the red wine and said to choose one. I confirmed so many times that we could choose any of these and it was included. I reconfirmed right before he opened the bottle. I initially chose one of the lowest cost reds (because I was still confused about the situation) but they were out of it so the server brought two more expensive options and I chose one of those, and confirmed again it was included. At the end of dinner, we were presented with a receipt for payment for the wine. We were confused again. The server got a manager and then the manager got the concierge who booked the dinner. She first tried to claim that we’d chosen the white wine - I told her she never asked us about the wine. She then insisted the dinner came with a white wine - I showed her the online menu that said otherwise. She then said we didn’t choose one of those - I explained how we got to the wine we ultimately had. She then claimed that any changes to the included wine had to be approved by her first - I asked how we were supposed to know that as she never discussed the wine in the first place. I then tried to insist that we shouldn’t have to pay for their mistake and I would have chosen differently had she been up front. She still insisted we had to pay. So I brought being lied to about rescheduling the dinner and said that’s probably how some of this confusion happened. She the tried to gaslight me about the rescheduling. Eventually, my husband, who I adore but really dislikes confrontation, just agreed to pay. It wasn’t even about the money. I was frustrated that they messed up and then had us pay for their mistake. It also caused us to end our trip on a very sour note and colored our whole experience. We stayed at dreams because of an amazing experience we had in Costa Rica in 2019. We were so confused by the difference in experience, that after some brief research, we realized that Hyatt bought dreams in 2021/2022 and that many people had noticed a decline in the brand since then. The dreams we stayed at doesn’t even exist anymore and is now a JW Marriott. If this is Hyatt’s version of luxury, we’ll pass. No more dreams or Hyatt for us.

Our stay at this property was a disappointment on nearly every level. The biggest issue was that there is essentially no usable beach and no direct ocean access. Unless you pay extra for the Preferred Club, there is only one main pool. Unfortunately, it was exceptionally dirty during our stay—there was hair in the water, an oily film on the surface, and even trash floating around. Because the pool is so shallow, the water was very warm and not refreshing. There was also very little space to lounge in the sun, and the resort allows floats and pool toys, so it was difficult to relax without constantly being splashed or hit by balls. I understand this is a family-friendly resort, but it would have been nice to have a designated quiet area for adults. While you can find unobstructed sun on the beach, the shoreline was covered in sargassum, and the sand itself was very rocky, making it far from the relaxing beach experience we expected. The food was decent, but the service was excellent. Every staff member we interacted with worked incredibly hard and was genuinely kind and helpful. However, the resort appeared to be understaffed, which resulted in long wait times throughout our stay. This is clearly a management issue and not a reflection of the employees, who did the best they could. Another inconvenience is that the restaurants do not accept reservations. During dinner hours, you're required to wait for a table, so be prepared to plan your evenings around potentially long waits. If you do not plan accordingly, you will also miss eating/drinking at certain restaurants or bars, as they are only open per the provided schedule. We missed 3 of the 5 restaurants due to the combination of schedule, illness, and choosing dining over scheduled activities because of overlap. Again, reservations would greatly help this issue. The most disappointing part of our trip was that we both suffered food poisoning while on the property. Our stay was only three days, and we spent two of those days confined to our room, violently ill. We reported what happened, but no one seemed interested in addressing the situation or investigating the possible cause. If you are not staying in the Preferred Club, be aware that your beverage options are very limited. Most liquor available is off-brand, and the only beer offered is warm draft beer. Canned beer and premium or name-brand spirits are reserved for Preferred Club guests. On a positive note, our room was very clean, housekeeping was excellent, and everything was exactly as expected in that regard. Room service was fast, but they provided substitutions for our order, and just sent them versus contacting us, and it was too late to rectify, as they were closed once the food arrived. The highlight of our trip was unquestionably the spa. Brenda and Lucia gave my husband and me incredible tension-relief massages. We were celebrating our wedding anniversary, and they made the experience extra special by surprising us with chocolate-covered strawberries and champagne in a private room after our treatments. The spa facilities were outstanding, with beautiful shower rooms, robes, high-quality bath products, and every amenity needed to relax and refresh afterward. It was a truly luxurious experience and the one aspect of the resort that exceeded our expectations. I would absolutely return for the spa without hesitation. Overall, we genuinely regret booking this trip. It was an expensive vacation that fell far short of the quality and experience we expected, making it feel like a complete waste. We chose this resort based on our wonderful honeymoon experience several years ago, but this visit was nothing like that. Unfortunately, we left feeling disappointed and wishing we had spent our time and money elsewhere. We will not be returning to this property or booking future vacations with Dreams properties.

It was okay. Resort rooms need some tlc. Staff was friendly and housekeeping was good. Almost everywhere smelled of mildew. It was like pulling teeth to get a normal / not tiny portion of any meal other than the buffet. No premium liquor for preferred as advertised. Pool chairs were hard to come by. Food quality was pretty good, just not much of it. Need more nightly activities. Stop trying to sell me things at check in and holding my room hostage until you talk for 30 min about tours I’m not interested in. Overall, kids had fun as did we, but we wouldn’t return. Too many better options. Would suggest the swim up room and renting golf carts to explore the gated resort town.

We had great time for 10 days. We had some amazing trips to Akumal, Xel-Ha and Puerto Morelos. Leonardo was amazing for the pool entertainment and Nestor was awesome in the spa, he gave a great massage!

Location of resort was as expected near the Marina and activities. The staff were very attentive and responsive to our needs. The beach was not the best and is overrun by sea weeds in this area. Room was excellent with all the amenities promised for our stay. Staff kept the room clean and the noise level at the resort was adequate. Enjoyed the food and drinks and the variety prepared at the various restaurants served. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay for a fun and relaxing week. Amado at the preferred club makes the best drinks.