Dreams Sapphire Resort & Spa

1/5 – By far the worst all-inclusive resort experience I have ever had. Wow, where do I even begin. This was by far the worst all-inclusive resort experience I have ever had. We booked and paid extra for a premium upgraded room, and unfortunately, the resort fell far short of what was advertised and what we expected. Room – 1/5 Our first premium room was old, musty, and in poor condition. The shower was broken and leaked water all over the bathroom floor. The air conditioning seemed to have only one setting: freezing cold. The room faced the back of the resort toward trees, with very little natural sunlight, and looked nothing like the photos used to advertise the property. We were eventually moved to a newer room that looked much more like the advertised photos. However, the air conditioning still would not turn off, and extremely loud music played until 11 PM every night. It was so loud that it felt like we were sitting inside a concert rather than trying to relax in our room. There was also no remote for the TV in the room. Grounds – 2/5 The resort is not particularly well maintained. There was debris along some of the pathways and weeds growing around the pool areas. Broken tiles, dangerously exposed electrical boxes near the pool, broken cabanas held up by paver stones, poor workmanship in several areas. The premium adults-only pool is located at the back of the resort, near the parking lot, with no ocean view. Visually, there is simply nothing particularly impressive or special about this resort. It feels more like a basic, inexpensive jungle resort than the upscale property portrayed in the advertising. Location / Beach – 1/5 The resort is approximately 25 minutes from Cancun airport, which is convenient. However, our experience with the beach and surrounding conditions was extremely disappointing. We travelled in September and encountered a significant amount of seaweed, along with an extremely unpleasant sewage-like smell throughout much of the resort. Imagine trying to eat, sleep, relax by the pool, or enjoy your vacation while dealing with a strong, sour sewage smell throughout the day. The resort made no attempt to clean the beach. Most resorts are terraced down to the ocean, but this resort is very flat so all the seaweed smell comes right into the resort. Food – 2/5 I have never been this disappointed with food at an all-inclusive resort. The buffet is small and located in a dark hall. Much of the food we experienced was dry and tough, and the overall selection was poor. There was very limited protein options at the buffet, and sadly no bacon. The à la carte restaurants were better, and the portions were very large size, but the dining options were still limited. The japanese restaurant was actually pretty good, minus the canned tuna they used for the spicy tuna sushi. Only certain restaurants are open each night, three of the six restaurants were closed each night, including the buffet. The hibachi restaurant also comes at an additional cost, which was disappointing for an all-inclusive resort. Service – 5/5 The one area where I genuinely have very little to criticize is the staff. The service throughout the resort was genuinely good. The bellhops, servers, concierge, and other staff members were consistently helpful, friendly, and kind. They did their best to help us throughout our stay, and did not charge us a cancelation fee when we requested to leave. It did take management 3 days to respond WestJet Vacations which ruined half our vacation. Entertainment - 2/5 Most resorts have a stage or dedicated music area. This resort builds a make-shift stage in the middle of the lobby. Music plays extremely loud until 11pm at night. There was not any elaborate entertainment, mainly vocal and musical artists. On day 3 we found a billboard with activities which looked fun, like a guacamole making class. The waterpark slide had green foam at the base of the slide, there is no way i would swim in that sludge. The mini golf area had 1 golf club located under the slides. The archery area looked shutdown and abandoned with tables being stored in the path. Overall – 1/5 I would not return to Dreams Sapphire, and based on our experience, I would not recommend it to someone looking for an all-inclusive resort. The biggest issue is the disconnect between what is shown in the advertising and what you actually experience. The rooms, grounds, dining, maintenance, atmosphere, and overall presentation did not resemble what we expected when we booked. There are plenty of resorts in Cancun and Riviera Maya. I would strongly recommend researching the property carefully and reading recent reviews before booking this one.

An Unforgettable Romantic Dinner and Exceptional Staff! Our most beautiful memory at Dreams Sapphire was the romantic rooftop dinner by the pool for my partner’s birthday. The view was absolutely incredible, the atmosphere was perfect, and the food was delicious. Carlos, our server, was outstanding and incredibly attentive. He even spontaneously took photos of us throughout the evening, which made the experience even more special. I can hardly find the words to describe how wonderful this evening was. We were offered five different locations for the romantic dinner, and we chose the rooftop. We would choose it again without hesitation. It is absolutely worth it! From the moment we arrived, we received a very warm welcome. We had booked the Preferred Club and were escorted to a dedicated area, where our check-in was taken care of while we were given information about the resort. Throughout our entire stay, whether we needed information or wanted to exchange money, we were always greeted with kindness and excellent service. A special thank you to Rafael at the front desk. And the staff… wow! Always smiling, always saying hello, always ready to help. Edgar, who works in maintenance, noticed that we looked a little lost when we first arrived and spontaneously walked us all the way to the Preferred Club pool. Such a simple gesture, but one that really touched us. The food was excellent. We especially enjoyed breakfast and lunch at the buffet, with plenty of fresh and delicious options. A special thank you to Santiago for his delicious omelets, and a huge thank you to Eduardo, Gumer, Sergio, and so many others for their wonderful service at the buffet. We also really enjoyed Portofino, the Italian restaurant, as well as Bordeaux, the French restaurant. Another special thank you to Resendo, Jenry, Carlos, and Jose for their amazing service at the Preferred Club pool. You helped make our days by the pool even more enjoyable. And thank you to David, the bartender in the lobby, for his great service as well! What truly made this vacation so special was the people. There were so many wonderful staff members that it is impossible to name everyone, but their smiles, kindness, and attention made a real difference throughout our stay. We will definitely be back. There is no doubt about it!

We have just returned from an amazing stay at Dreams Sapphire Resort & Spa, and we are already talking about when we can come back. What really made this holiday for us was the team. Across the resort, the friendliness, genuine warmth, attention to detail and level of service were consistently excellent. I want to mention several people individually because they genuinely deserve the recognition. Firstly, Santos, the Bar Manager at the pool bar, deserves a huge amount of credit. He works incredibly hard, leads and trains a really strong team, and runs one of the cleanest and most organised bars I have seen anywhere. I work in hospitality in England, so I probably notice these things more than the average guest, and the cleanliness and organisation behind that bar genuinely impressed me. The standards were exceptional. Santos and Jose together make the pool bar one of the best parts of the resort. It is easily the most fun and lively place to spend the day. They create a great atmosphere while still delivering fast and professional service, even when the bar is busy. The drinks offering was also far better than I expected from an all-inclusive resort. This is not a basic house-spirit setup. The bar is extremely well stocked with premium brands, including the full Absolut range, Johnnie Walker Red Label, Appleton Estate, Jack Daniel’s, Jim Beam, Coors Light, Stoli and plenty more. The quality and choice of drinks throughout the resort were excellent. The World Café also deserves a lot of praise. The whole team clearly puts a huge amount of effort into maintaining the buffet. Food was constantly monitored, serving spoons and utensils were replaced regularly, and if anything started looking untidy or the presentation dropped, somebody quickly came along and corrected it. Again, coming from hospitality myself, these small details really stood out. Santiago on the egg station is an absolute legend. His omelettes and fried eggs were genuinely some of the best breakfast eggs I have had on holiday, and he was consistently friendly and welcoming. There was also a lovely female server in the World Café with beautiful tattoos on her hands whose name, unfortunately, I did not manage to get. She was fantastic throughout our stay. She was extremely pleasant, kind, personable and attentive, and always seemed to be completely on top of everything. She is exactly the sort of person who makes a guest feel genuinely looked after rather than simply served. The entertainment team were another major highlight of the holiday. They put an incredible amount of effort into getting to know the guests around the pool and genuinely try to involve everyone without ever making it feel forced. I am normally somebody who happily sits by the pool and avoids most organised activities, but because the team were so much fun and brought so much enthusiasm to everything, I found myself getting involved every day. A massive thank you in particular to Sophia, Nar, Tony and Louis. Their energy throughout the day was brilliant, and you could see how hard they worked to create a fun atmosphere. They remembered people, spoke to guests throughout the day and made the activities genuinely enjoyable. They were a massive part of why we enjoyed the resort as much as we did. At the indoor bar, Martin, or possibly Marvin, also really looked after us and provided excellent service. The ladies working in the coffee shop were fantastic too. Friendly, efficient and always welcoming. One of the things that impressed us most about the resort overall was that there always seemed to be enough staff. You were never left feeling as though the hotel was trying to operate with the bare minimum number of people. Whether around the pool, in the restaurants, at the bars or around the hotel, there were team members available and willing to help. The cleanliness of the hotel was another major positive. The pool appeared to be properly deep-cleaned every day rather than simply skimmed and tidied, which made a noticeable difference. The whole pool area was consistently clean and well maintained. The beach team also worked incredibly hard clearing the seaweed every day. When we first arrived there was understandably some seaweed and a noticeable smell, but after the first couple of days the work being done made a huge difference and we barely noticed it. Considering this is something largely outside the hotel’s control, I thought the team handled it extremely well. We also made use of several additional services during the stay, including the evening turndown service, room service and requesting additional toiletries for the room. Every request was handled efficiently and everything arrived exactly as expected. Those little touches all contributed to making the holiday feel relaxing and well looked after. The food overall was very good and there was plenty of variety. One thing I particularly appreciated was having sushi available regularly on the World Café buffet. There were a few areas where I think the resort could improve. The first was the Sky restaurant. We were disappointed to discover that we could not use Sky for lunch because it is restricted to Preferred Club guests. This was not particularly clear to us at the time of booking, and I think the resort or booking information could communicate this more clearly. That said, we got over the disappointment fairly quickly because there were plenty of other good food options available. Compared with some other Dreams properties we have visited, we also noticed significantly more upselling and optional extras being offered around the resort. It did not ruin the holiday by any means, but it did slightly take away from the relaxed all-inclusive feeling at times. Personally, I would prefer a little less emphasis on additional paid upgrades once guests are already at the resort. The restaurant system is another area I think could be improved. Most of the restaurants operate on a first-come, first-served basis. On some evenings we experienced waits of around one hour and twenty minutes for a table, and this was while the hotel appeared to be operating at roughly 50% occupancy. That made me wonder how challenging the waits could become during the busiest periods of the year. I personally think Dreams Sapphire would benefit enormously from introducing a daily restaurant reservation system, similar to the system used at Dreams Corfu. Guests could reserve their preferred restaurant and time during the day, allowing the kitchens and restaurant teams to plan covers more effectively while also allowing guests to organise their evening. I also think the resort would benefit from another evening bar option, particularly an outdoor one. The Sports Bar will appeal to some guests, especially when there is a DJ or sport showing, but it was not really our preferred atmosphere. The main lobby bar is nice, but because it is very open and close to the evening entertainment, it can become extremely busy and loud. My suggestion would be to keep the upper section of the pool bar open until around 11pm. It would not need to become a full late-night party bar. A few coloured lamps, some comfortable chairs or loungers and perhaps blankets on cooler evenings could turn it into a fantastic relaxed outdoor drinking area. It would give guests somewhere quieter to enjoy a premium drink outside after dinner. I also think the fountain area outside the coffee shop is currently under-utilised. It is a really attractive part of the resort and could potentially become another lovely evening seating or drinks area. These points are suggestions rather than major complaints because, despite them, we had an excellent holiday. What ultimately stands out about Dreams Sapphire is the people. The team genuinely could not do enough for us. The level of service was excellent, the hotel was extremely clean, the food was very good, the drinks selection was premium, and the atmosphere around the resort was friendly and relaxed. Most importantly, it never felt as though the staff were simply going through the motions. So many members of the team made an effort to speak to us, remember us and make our stay enjoyable. Santos, Jose and the pool bar team became a big part of our holiday. Sophia, Nar, Tony and Louis completely changed my opinion of resort entertainment because they made it so much fun. Santiago made breakfast something to look forward to every morning. Martin/Marvin looked after us brilliantly in the evening, and the World Café and coffee shop teams consistently delivered excellent service. We arrived expecting a good holiday, but the team turned it into one we will genuinely remember. We are already planning our next visit, which probably says more than anything else I could write. Thank you to everyone at Dreams Sapphire Resort & Spa for an amazing stay. We cannot wait to come back.

Had a great time dancing with Eduardo, Armando and Cristian at the DJ dance party!! So much fun, taught us all the steps.

We recently stayed at Dreams Sapphire Resort & Spa as a family of five in a Club Two-Story Villa. As a travel advisor who regularly recommends all-inclusive resorts to families, I was excited to experience this property firsthand. There were definitely some things we loved! The Club Two-Story Villa was such a unique setup for a family. We had plenty of room to spread out, three bathrooms, and our own private pool. The main pool is also HUGE. There is music and the “Crazy Game” happening in the more active area, but the pool is large enough that you can move farther down and have a much quieter experience, which we really appreciated. The staff was easily one of the best parts of the resort. Our butlers, Adrian and Valeria, were wonderful. Edgar, Christian, and Carlos at the pool were fantastic, and Natividad took such great care of us with poolside service. Ricardo and Ismael at the hibachi made our dinner at Himitsu one of the highlights of the entire trip. Barefoot Grill by the pool also ended up being our favorite place to grab food! There were, however, a few areas that fell short of our expectations for a Dreams property. Food overall was inconsistent. The buffet was mediocre, some of the meat we had at other meals was tough, and dining options felt limited during our stay because several restaurants were closed on different nights. We traveled during a lower-occupancy time of year, so that may have contributed, but I still expected a little more variety. I also expected more daytime activities for families and kids outside of the kids club. The resort was very quiet while we were there, which could certainly be a positive for families looking to relax, but families wanting lots of activities and entertainment may find it lacking. While we loved the space of our villa, I was disappointed by the amount of garbage/debris we noticed around our private pool area. That was something I would have expected to be maintained more carefully, particularly with this room category. The beach is another consideration. During our stay there was significant sargassum, so I would not personally choose this resort specifically for the beach. On the other hand, the main pool is fantastic and was where we spent most of our time. And one unexpected part of the experience—the wildlife! We saw coatis, lizards, cats and even had several raccoons visit our patio one evening. 😂 Our kids thought seeing all of the animals around the property was pretty entertaining! Overall, Dreams Sapphire has some great qualities, particularly the wonderful staff, huge pool and spacious accommodations for families. I wouldn't say it is the right resort for every traveler, but for a family who values space, a great pool, friendly service and a more relaxed atmosphere over an amazing beach or extensive dining and activities, it could be a good fit.