Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa

We have just returned from a family holiday at Dreams Riviera Cancun and came away with mixed feelings. We had a fantastic holiday, but that was largely thanks to the incredible staff rather than the management of the hotel. The resort itself is beautiful. The grounds are immaculate, exceptionally clean and very well maintained. Everywhere was spotless throughout our stay, which is a real credit to the housekeeping team. There was never much of an issue getting sunbeds, although on one day we couldn't find four together. We loved the adults' infinity pool, and it was great that our 16-year-old daughter could enjoy it with us. The food was excellent throughout our stay with plenty of choice and consistently high quality. A special mention has to go to Francisco at Himitsu, who provided outstanding service and made our evening there one of the highlights of our holiday. The biggest asset this hotel has is its staff. Victor and Martin around the pool were always friendly and welcoming, but the real stars were Erwin, Oliver and the entire entertainment team. They were absolutely fantastic from the first day to the last. They remembered guests, made everyone feel included and encouraged people to join in activities such as pool yoga, beach volleyball, archery and many others without ever being pushy. They created such a fun atmosphere every day and genuinely made our holiday. If I were rating the staff alone, they would receive five stars without hesitation. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the management and reception experience. Before travelling, we emailed the hotel twice requesting that our rooms be close together. Our daughters, aged 18 and 16, were sharing a room, so it was important for us to be nearby. We never received a reply. We then contacted British Airways, who confirmed our booking requested rooms in the same block. When we checked in, we were told our daughters had been allocated to a completely different block. We didn't even leave reception and instead spent a considerable amount of time trying to resolve the issue before being given our room keys. German on reception did his best to help and managed to move our daughters into the same block, although they still couldn't be placed close to us. We appreciated his efforts, but it was frustrating that a request made several times before arrival hadn't been honoured. We were told the hotel was around 60% occupied when we arrived, dropping to around 40% later in the week. Given those occupancy levels, it was difficult to understand why our request couldn't be accommodated. Our original room also overlooked a service lane with rubbish and unpleasant smells, so we never wanted to sit on the balcony. For the second half of our stay we eventually paid for an upgrade. The upgraded room was excellent and transformed the rest of our holiday, but it was disappointing that it took additional cost to achieve something we had requested before we even travelled. The room move itself was also poorly organised. We were assured our new room would be ready and our luggage transferred by 7pm while we spent the day out. When we returned, neither had happened and we were left waiting at reception yet again. Another disappointing evening came when several restaurants were closed due to a private event. We were advised there would be around an hour's wait for the Italian restaurant. When we returned after an hour, the queue was out of the door and there were still around ten families ahead of us with no indication of when we would be seated. As the French restaurant is adults only, our only realistic option was the buffet. Many other guests were also complaining that evening. This certainly wasn't the fault of the restaurant staff, who worked incredibly hard. In our opinion, this was a management decision, as too many restaurants, including the Mexican restaurant, had been closed at the same time, leaving insufficient dining options for the number of guests staying at the resort. The seaweed on the beach was disappointing, although we knew about this before travelling and appreciate it is completely outside the hotel's control. It was just a shame not to be able to enjoy swimming in the Caribbean Sea directly from the hotel. The biggest disappointment for us was the management and organisation, not the people working so hard every day to look after guests. I particularly want to recognise the housekeeping team, waiters, bar staff, pool staff and entertainment team. They worked long hours, were always smiling, and made us feel genuinely welcome throughout our stay. Their professionalism never changed. Erwin, Oliver and the entire entertainment team were exceptional and truly made our holiday. Victor and Martin around the pool were fantastic, and Francisco at Himitsu provided some of the best service we received all week. Those members of staff are the reason we still came home having had a fantastic family holiday. They deserve enormous credit. I just hope the hotel's management listens to the feedback because the staff deserve the same standard of organisation and communication that they provide to guests every single day.

I think my favorite part of this place was the staff. Each staff member, especially Erwin and Jonathon (on the entertainment team) made each activity and day extremely great. They are absolutely incredible at their jobs and deserve so much praise for how they do it! Erwin got many people together for activities and Jonathon was very engaging. I am very pleased with how they treated myself and others. Big shoutout to them and the heart that they have for people and their job!! To be honest, it didn’t seem like a job to them but more of a fun time and something they LOVE! Thank you!!

this is by far one of the most beautiful dreams resorts I’ve been to! Excellent location and beautiful scenery! Our rooms had such a unique vibe and they were very clean when we entered. Our rooms came with excellent care and such friendly staff and service. At night the noise level was relatively low unless you had noisy neighbors🤣 the number one thing I loved about this resort are the staff members. Each member has such amazing kindness and a love for the guests! I would definitely come here if you want amazing food, new friends, and amazing memories💕

Abraham Mariel Lara and Santos there service was great at seaside grill thanks for taking the time to wish me a happy birthday

Abraham, Mariela laia and Santos were such a delight. Made us feel special on our anniversary! Great service!!!