Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa

My husband and I went for a getaway to celebrate my birthday and our 30th Anniversary. We are not new to AI resorts and have stayed at numerous Dreams properties in the past. The resort is absolutely beautiful; the lobby was breathtaking and the common areas, grounds, gardens, and pool areas are kept immaculate. It was the perfect size to get around easily. We went for long walks every morning and the beach in front is nicest spot in my opinion. Every evening it is cleaned with the “beach Zamboni” and staff are out there doing their best with the seaweed. Most days the water was beautiful and blue, the only days that were not is when the wind shifted and the surf picked up. Preferred Club/Room We stayed in the Preferred Honeymoon Suite on the fifth floor, which offered stunning views from a spacious balcony equipped with a table, two chairs, a lounge, and an outdoor jetted tub. As Preferred Club guests, we received a full bottle of liquor—vodka, tequila, wine, or sparkling wine—and a turn-down scent. However, the turn-down service was usually around 5:30 and 9:30 and were in the room during those times. The only issue we had was that all the ice machines in the building were not operating. You have a full bottle of liquor and had to go in search of ice at one of the bars with your ice bucket. The lounge was a nice spot to grab a drink and a snack with seating indoors and outdoors. As for the preferred section of the beach, it was always busy and very full. They do not ask or confirm if you are a preferred guest so not really a perk worth the extra price. There was no pool area for preferred guests like other resorts we had been to. In prior trips to Dreams resorts the Preferred Club also included one complimentary day in a Bali Bed, this is not the case anymore. Food/Beverages Always subjective, but we found the food very good. We particularly enjoyed dinner at the Himitsu (Asian), Oceana (Seafood), Seaside (Steak) and Bordeaux (French), however we were quite disappointed with our experience at El Patio (Mexican) and Portofino (Italian). There were a couple of times we were told they were out of the items we wanted. We dined at the Seaside or the World Café for breakfast most mornings. Coco Café was the coffee spot every morning for a delicious Mocha and the Barefoot Grill was okay to grab a quick lunch. Entertainment There was something going on every night, we did not really attend though. People In one word; Fantastic! Every staff member we encountered was smiling, kind, helpful and genuine. I did not get everyone's name but a few standouts that really made a difference to our stay were: - Israel at the Infinity Pool made my birthday unforgettable, creating a fun and special experience. It was one of my best birthdays and I am deeply grateful and cannot thank him enough for the memorable day. - Francisco, Pool/Beach Concierge. An embarrassing misunderstanding on my part is how we met Francisco. Not only was he very courteous and kind but continued to check in with us almost every day to ensure we were having a good time. He was incredibly caring and was a huge part of making our holiday great. - Asael at the Seaside, a genuinely nice guy. Got our day off to a great start with wonderful service. - Erik at the Seaside had us in stiches with his humour and great service as well. - Santiago and Martin at the Preferred beach kept the icy refreshments flowing with the smile and a laugh. A special shout out to Hernan, the Preferred Concierge. He was gracious and very accommodating to every request we had. I had spoken with him on the phone a month before our arrival to make a couple of requests, not only were they met but he actually recalled our phone call. Very flattering and a great way to start a memorable holiday! Comments We never found the weddings intrusive and enjoyed watching the ceremonies of people starting their lives in a happy beautiful environment. We watched the receptions from our balcony and enjoyed the music. We did find quite a bit of loitering at the beach bars by the beach vendors and a couple of times were left waiting to get the bartender's attention. The only complaint I will fully agree with many about are the Bali beds at the Infinity Pool (Adult only). They blocked the entire front of the pool including restricting access to the pool itself. Many sat empty daily as the $250 USD cost was pretty steep (beach Balis were $100). An obvious money grab and insulting to those that come for a beautiful holiday away from the winter only to look at the back of a curtain for a view. Unfortunately this is the one thing that would affect our decision to return. Overall we really enjoyed ourselves and had a lovely vacation.

Our family of four really enjoyed our week at Dreams! Jonathan and Xiana from the entertainment crew were top notch :) A vacation to remember

We had a great week! We enjoyed the pool, awesome restaurants, and evening shows! The Entertainment Team and wait staff was incredible. Vive, Erwin, Johnathan, Oliver, Ximena, Edgar, and Marco and the waiters David and Jonathan were spectacular. Thank you for a wonderful week!

Such a fun resort for families. The staff made our birthday and anniversary celebrations so special...we have many wonderful memories that we will cherish forever...Oliver was so awesome!

Disclaimer, this is not a hotel we would normally stay at since we prefer adults only, however, our flight had been cancelled due to weather and our previous hotel could not accommodate us. We had to quickly find a place to stay and being familiar with this brand and also its close proximity to our previous hotel, we chose Dreams. Upon arrival, we were blown away by the beautiful lobby which is also the main evening hang out. Having booked preferred club (mostly because that was what was available) we were brought to the Preferred club check-in which was located at the bottom of the building our room was in (nice and convenient). The lounge was small but had both indoor and outdoor seating, a nice bar, and food that varied all day. After a quick check in, we were brought up to our room by Sergio and we were blown away. We stayed in a king, ocean view and pool front. The bed faced out to our view which was spectacular. There were two jetted tubs, one inside and one on the balcony. Of over 20 years of going to AI hotels and visiting more than 13 different properties, this was one of our favorite rooms. We loved that we could lie in bed and see the ocean. Also,.I loved the jetted tub on the balcony. The one negative is that it was a loud room due to the location of the pools right in front of it. You could also hear the weddings that were going on every night (although they were done by 11 at the latest) Besides the room, our other favorite thing about this hotel was the food. This was some of the best food we have ever had at an AI. We’re not big breakfast eaters but did get room service breakfast every morning. It was always delivered by the wonderful Juan. For lunch, we went to Oceana every day to have their fabulous ceviche, shrimp toastadas, and ahi tuna served by either the wonderful Abigail or Pablo. Every lunch began with chips, guacamole, and pico de gallo. This was some of the best and freshest seafood we’ve had in all of our Mexican visits. After an unpleasant experience with a hostess at the Seaside Grill, we ate at El Patio our first night. Our server (forgot to write down his name) was wonderful and so was the food, however, this was a very loud restaurant and many parents let their unruly children run around the restaurant. The next night we ate at Bordeaux (the only AO restaurant) . We were there by 6:30 to avoid having to wait for a table. Roberto was our amazing server and we loved everything about this meal (quiche lorraine, cheese/salad platter, French onion soup, beef and duck slices, and crepe dessert). While dining, Jessica, the food and beverage manager found us after hearing about our unpleasant experience from the night before. She was quite lovely and asked where we wanted to dine our last night. Of course, we said Bordeaux again! While we didn’t think it could top our first experience there, we were wrong. Once seated, we were told by our most fabulous waiter Manuel that the chef would be preparing us a special meal. This was one of the best we’ve ever had. They started by combining some of the starters we liked the night before. Then the chef, Carmine, came out with a plate with mashed potatoes, shrimp, mussels, and little neck clams while he then proceeded to cook us filet mignon right at the table. Not only was it perfectly cooked, but it was delicious. Everything was good (and I don’t usually like potatoes but these were too good to pass up). Even though we were both stuffed, Manuel insisted we have crepes and he cooked the sauce right at our table. He is one of the best servers that we have ever had (and we’ve both worked in the hospitality business) This meal was fabulous and we cannot thank the staff at Bordeaux (including hostess and manager/Enrique) for such an amazing experience. While the property is beautiful, all three pools (one AO infinity pool) are all right next to each other which makes it very loud during the day. The seating reminded us of cruise ships where loungers are right on top of each other and hard to get. The same was for the beach but you could move these loungers and have a little more space between you and your neighbors. (We didn’t really notice a difference between the preferred bach and the regular one except better alcohol choices at the bar) Throughout the property were bali beds but all of these cost extra ($100 a day for most and $150 for the infinity pool). We hate when resorts nickel and dime you and thought that this was a major flaw of this hotel. We had just come from a resort where bali beds were also common but first come first serve and not extra so this was a huge disappointment. This resort is geared towards families (and I was very surprised to see how many were under the age of 4) and big groups for weddings. Not our scene. However, we made the most of it. We did like the nightly entertainment in the lobby and that the singers had two shows a night so you could catch them before or after dinner. We also liked the vibe of this room and the lobby bar. We had some excellent cocktails in the preferred club lounge thanks to Wilbur the bartender but it wasn’t a place we really wanted to hang although it did have a nice outdoor area to sit. While we didn’t partake in their Mexican fiesta night, we did catch a little of the show and it was excellent. We also really liked the vendor set up that night along the walkway. Compared to other hotel’s premium clubs, we thought the concierges here were excellent. Hernan was able to exchange our money for us and even set us up with transportation. All our interactions were friendly and efficient. So while we had some wonderful moments at this hotel, we’d most likely not return due to it not being adult only -maybe if we went to a wedding there - we saw 3 in our short stay. However, for anyone looking for a family resort, I would recommend this one.