Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa

We just got back from Dreams last week. I'm an experienced traveler and super picky. I love high-end resorts...even now that I have 1 baby and a toddler. Overall, this resort is great and we will probably go back. Here are my details: I'll address the "negatives" that I saw on here before I went - the items that made me worry before I left. -Seaweed: There is some...but it really depends on the day. A couple of days we were there we couldn't even swim in the ocean because it was floating in the water. But, then after it rained one day...there was almost none. The resort has a big tractor that they use to clean up the beach area all day long and it does help. I wouldn't let this stand in your way of coming. My favorite beaches (most beautiful with calm waters, white sand, etc) are Punta Cana and Grand Cayman. Riviera Maya beaches have slightly darker sand bu the water is a beautiful turqoise color. It just depends on what area you are in and what time of the year for the seaweed. -Unsafe drinks: A lot of people have been talking about how resorts are using tainted or cheaper alcohol that can be dangerous. We didn't experience this at all. The AM Resorts are also an American company and they have been around a long time. If you are worried - just stick to wine and beer. -Food quality: Overall, we thought it was great. Mexican resorts are going to be a little different than the US (obviously) but you can still get almost everything you want here and we were not bored with the selection. Is it super gourmet? Not exactly...but we had a lot of great meals and they have tons of stuff for kids (not just chicken nuggets, etc). See below for more. -Mosquitos: They do have some here. I'm from Houston and I didn't think the ones here were as bad (or as big) as the ones in the states. They provide a natural spray in your room to use or you can bring spray or wipes (good for kids) with you. We only used it once when we were dining outside one night. -Air Conditioning: We didn't have an issue in our room. It stayed around 74/75 during the day and then got colder at night. It may not get super cold - but that's because it's really hot outside and the room has a lot of large windows, so if you leave your blinds open or door open a lot it's going to take longer to cool. All of the restaurants were cool, except the Asian restaurant was a little warm but that's only because they had the fire from the hibachi going. The lobby is open-air so it's going to be warm. There were plenty of places to cool off. -Pools and chairs: The pools were really great and we didn't find it too hard to find a chair. They have a lot of umbrellas so if you need shade it isn't an issue. They also have some out on the beach. -Complaints about weddings: I saw many reviews where people were complaining about all of the weddings. I really don't get this. Yes, they do have weddings there almost every day or night but most look amazing and the guests are all dressed up and having fun. They were all professionally done and I felt it made the resort even more attractive. Rooms: Overall they are very nice and attractive. The beds are comfortable and the bathrooms are very spacious (they are just separated by one wall so there is a small privacy issue).My only complaint is that the shape of the room isn't great and makes it hard to have a crib in the room. Although the bathroom area is big (which is great for beach location) - the room part is a little cramped. Just keep this in mind if you have 2 kids or need a crib - you may need to get creative with your suitcases, etc. Also - be really careful of the shower hot water. It's super easy to hit the nozzle and change it to scalding hot water. We had to guard it when we were showering off our kids. I would suggest to the hotel that they adjust it so that it never gets above a certain temp. I accidentally turned it too hot for me and almost got burned. Neighbors can be an issue - so if you have little one (or even for you) I suggest putting a white noise (we like Pink noise) on your phone. Your phone can plug into the speakers/clock on the nightstand and drown out noise. We had a plunge pool and it was great. There isn't much privacy outside - especially if your neighbors are out, but if you have kids they will love it! Sometimes it was just easier for us to let them swim there (like after naps) than hauling all our stuff to the main pool. I would highly recommend it. Having a minibar with stocked bottled waters and beer was great. I wish they could have put a few mini bottles of wine in there too. The internet was hit or miss. If you have more than 3 devices (laptop, ipad, phones) per room - it will kick one of them off. Sometimes the speed seemed ok then other times I couldn't connect. I recommend getting the Mexico plan added to your phone for data reasons. They can back date it too so if you get there and realize you have a lot of charges (turn off roaming) call your provider. Restaurants/Food: The World Cafe (buffet) was really amazing. They had a ton of variety and they changed it up most days (at least for lunch and dinner). They have a healthy section and also a kids section which was great. We really liked Portofino and should have eaten there more than once. The poolside buffet at Barefoot grill was good and convenient during the day for the kids. I would have liked to see some fresh fruit or grilled vegetables to go along with the burgers and fries, but they did offer a veggie pizza. I would have also loved some fresh grilled fish or grilled fish tacos outside. It was nice that they made paella and fajitas some days out by the pool and also served fresh coconuts (rum optional). The gardeners around the property will also cut one down for you (my son absolutely loved that!). As for pool drinks - I would have liked to have my pina colada and strawberry margaritas made with some fresh fruit. Most of the tropical drinks were not made with fresh fruit - so I stuck to Rose wine (which was good), mojitos and other drinks that were made with fruit juice (vs. syrup). The Coco Cafe was great...another bonus for kids and also coffee lovers. They have a lot of coffee drink options (and milks) and we loved it. The deserts weren't as good as some of the other Dreams, Now and Secrets. Usually one of the restaurants has a warm chocolate cake or something other than the cold deserts that can be found at the buffet (maybe we missed it?!). They were good but just the same everywhere. The other courses had lots of options and I felt like each restaurant was different. Even the kids chicken fingers at Himitsu weren't the standard nuggets...they had a panko breeding which was great. Overall the staff were friendly and nice. The gym was small (above the spa) but had a variety of equipment and was kept very nice. I enjoyed taking the yoga classes every day (they have a separate large yoga room) and they offer spin sometimes too. The spa was great and my massage by Laura was perfect. The services are pretty pricey though ($185 for 50 minute massage). Also, beware when you check in if they tell you that you will have $200 in resort credit to use at the spa. This is NOT the case. They failed to give me my coupon book and explain. Basically you will get a book of coupons and you can only use one at a time and the max at the spa is $40 and can't be combined with anything else. It's just a way to get you to spend more money so just be aware of that. The spa was great though and the outdoor hydrotherapy circuit is great to do by yourself or your significant other (that part is co-ed). The grounds are beautiful with tropical landscaping and gorgeous plants. The lighting at night was also really pretty. We enjoyed the shows every night too. My only complaint about that is they should make them non-smoking even if they are outside. They put up chairs for everyone to sit and watch but multiple nights we ended up having to move because someone would sit down next to us and smoke cigarettes or a cigar and I didn't want my baby breathing it in. It's a shame people can't watch a short show outside without lighting up. I also wish that they had more dinners out by the pool. Twice they advertised on the SunDial (newsletter) that dinner would be out by the pool (like the Mexican buffet) but then they ended up moving it inside to the World Cafe. I can understand if it's due to weather - but at other AM Resorts we loved having a change of scenery and dining outside by the pool or beach on those special nights. Tips for little kids and babies: High chairs were available and staff accommodating. Bring extra fruit and snacks to your room from buffet or get from coco cafe. Bring a stroller if your baby is little. There are places to park them and ramps. I saw many around. The explorer club is 3-12 but they actually have a little room for babies and parents but they don't advertise it. Our kids loved it! There is a ball pit and lots of toys. We were able to also take our 4 year old in there. The explorers club looked like a lot of fun but our son just didn't want to stay since he's still little. I think the older kids were having a blast. There is also a small playground outside of the explorers club that we found and anyone can use. Again...they don't tell you or put it on the map so just ask. I wish they had more activities for kids outside of explorers club for parents that don't want to leave there kids. Also more adult classes like cooking, etc. the yoga was good. Bicycle would have been good but it was 10 and up. Maybe they could include trailers and helmets for smaller kids. Overall we loved it and will return.

We really enjoyed out stay at the resort. The food, shows and activities were very well planned and very enjoyable. The facilities were clean and the staff very friendly. The excursions to town shopping, fishing and swimming with the dolphins were easy to arrange and enjoyable as well. Snorkeling was amazing! A HUGE shout out to Cancun Sailing and Victor and his crew. They are "beyond" accommodating and truly want you to have an amazing snorkeling experience.

Amazing hotel, food, facilities, beach, restaurants and staff they could not do enough for us! We went to our friends wedding it was a fantastic day. Would highly recommend the hotel can't wait to go back.

We had a ocean view room on the forth floor. The room was ok although it felt crowded with the four of us. The kids were bored after just a day at the hotel pool and beach. The pool had a lot of adults drinking and the beach was full of seaweed. The staff were super friendly but were not trained or knowledgeable. We had problems with room service, food and drinks etc. They fixed it in the end but it took multiple tries. The construction is a hastle but for us it was not a big deal except for the one elevator.

Stayed here for our honeymoon and what a wonderful holiday. Staff were always attentive. Food and drinks were always of a good standard. Had a few trips out which were definitely worthwhile, swimming with turtles, cenotes, ruins, crococun..... Will most certainly be returning.