Dreams Aventuras Riviera Maya

Excellent staff - exceptionally hardworking and attentive. Beautiful hotel - the decor is gorgeous, it feels special. Ok beach - not as some reviews suggest, there are definitely better beaches nearby. Kayak and paddle boards are brilliant. Safe for kids. Food - this is where we felt the hotel could share more. We loved that most of our dining experiences were à la carte but conversely it felt limited - having to ask for bananas, mangos, kiwis (anything more expensive), limiting bacon at breakfast by having to order it at the grill, no smoothies at the bar - just syrupy drinks. It just felt like the budget was tight - which doesn’t align with the wonderful staff or surroundings. Gluten free - one of our party was gluten free, the staff were amazing at recognising this need and helping us to plan in advance to avoid long waits for food - however around 60% of the time the order wasn’t ready on time and/or we had to re-order. It definitely felt the gluten free experience was second rate as burgers, any breads and sandwiches were all served in a weird cake like bread that instantly fell apart. It’s little touches like this (and the food as above) that could so easily be improved. Huge shout out to Sebastian - your energy is fantastic and the team are so inclusive. Hannae, Ezequiel and Jhonothan in the restaurant were so sweet and thoughtful- thank you! Romeo, Ariana and Francisco in the reception/front desk were all amazing! So helpful! Andrea is the best masseuse you will ever find! Thank you everyone for your wonderful warmth and care, it was felt on every level. Last note, the music was often so loud and sometimes two songs being played at once - please guys remember not everyone wants to rave at the same time

The Staff were all amazing and the location of the hotel being in a safe large gated community fantastic, Food was good and we never had any problems with stomach upsets etc, The hotel was spotless. We rented out golf buggies from Julia on Facebook ( $50 a day) and these were great fun allowing us to travel inside the large gated community ( Free Dolphin show at the Marina is well worth visiting at feed times which first was around 11/12 am). Drinks are free flowing and of reasonable quality, We went preferred and it was well worth the money. Room was large and very clean with a fridge kept topped up. There were loads of sun beds and no fight for towels as they were readily available in all locations.

Without a shadow of a doubt the staff at the resort makes this resort amazing. The hospitality and kindness was above average!

This would’ve been a 4+ review but… The Dreams chain in general has been both good and bad for our family, and in saying that I will start with the positives. The Dreams Aventuras has a really great layout, ocean view rooms ($), mostly great staff, nice pool, and very good food. The main buffet was great and so were the a la cartes. We picked this resort because of the size and for the beach. A calm bay for our small grandchildren to play in safely. The negatives: starting as we walked into the resort the smell of sulphur was overwhelming, and if you know what sulphur smells like it is not great and resembles the smell of sewage. We had no idea what created the smell until we went down to the beach and realized it was the massive amount of rotting seaweed trapped in the bay (please look at the photos as this is not just a seaweed issue. It is a mismanagement of seaweed issue ) They did have staff haphazardly trying to clear it, but as the week went on became worse. We were there for 10 days in total and our family of 9 were there for my wife's 60th birthday. The seaweed was bad enough that not only could we not swim at the beach, you could not even sit anywhere near the beach to look at the sea. The 10 days we were there one person sat on a chair and was reading a book as I am pretty they would not of stayed long with the smell, and looking at rotting brown seaweed. Now we do realize nature has its ways in the Caribbean and seaweed can be an issue, but the mismanagement of the entry of the bay opening made the seaweed problem totally unacceptable. Once the manager returned from holidays, the seaweed issue over the last two days at the resort was being removed and managed properly and cleared up to the point that the beach (as we were leaving), could of been used with daily management. The manager during the time we were there until day 9 and 10 was a young man by the name of Henry. I only know this as he was also taking our reservations and being the acting manager. Nice gentlemen, but you could tell didn't have the experience to act as a manager for a large resort. My wife and daughters wore silver jewellery that turned black by weeks end from whatever chemicals were used in the swimming pool. Maybe over compensating chemicals because of the large quanity of people in the pool every day with no swimming beach access. Another situation came up as I was leaving the bathroom near the pool there is a slope on the concrete and fell as there was no traction strips on the slanted surface, only a rug facing the wrong direction so the possibility of slipping is magnified. I did hit my head on the concrete wall and had a contusion. Accidents do happen, but could be easily been prevented with a bit of thought. They quickly put up a wet floor sign after it happened. If you are going to have a bathroom near a pool the proper flooring should be installed for people slipping especially when its near the bar and high traffic volume . I did mention to Henry immediately that its a problem, and he said he would take care of the it. I went back the next three days and nothing was done with traction strips, and I had to keep angling the mat down the slant as to prevent the same accident happening to another vacationer. The cleaning staff finally got the hint and left the mat in that position. I did reach out to the hotel and let it known I was not at all happy with these situations, and expected some sort of compensation for what is suppose to be a 5 star upscale resort for families. If you have stayed at a Dreams before which our family has, you know their quality standards and this hotel did not measure up to Dreams Jade in Puerto Morelos we stayed at the year before in June exactly one year before. They also had seaweed issues as to be expected, but managed it properly and were able to enjoy the beach all week long. The resort manager in short told me its not anything they did wrong and its just nature along with offering us a free message after spending over $15,000. When you bring a family for a special occasion to a high end resort, you do expect it to be managed properly, and would NEVER EVER expect not to be able to use the beach. When you spend thousands of dollars on a Caribbean vacation, you do expect to be on a beach PERIOD!

My husband and I spent our 10 year wedding anniversary here. The staff really made us feel special. They gave us a complementary special breakfast delivered to our room and bottle of wine to celebrate. Alejandra, our concierge was absolutely amazing! I also booked a head massage with Elizabeth. The best head message I've received in my life!!! Although I specifically mentioned two individuals, everyone was absolutely amazing and friendly. This resort provides top service with a smile , and is ideal for relaxation. Although a bit expensive, we booked a tour to the Chichen Itza and one of the Cenote, EVERYTHING was taken care of. All you had to do was show up. Very well planned. The only disadvantage is the cost of items in the resort. Hence 4 stars. E.g. 10 usd for crisps. Please note it's a family friendly resort, so you may not always have the silence of you need it BUT there's rules in place to keep noise to a minimum at night. Thank you for making our stay memorable. HIGHLY RECOMMEND