Dreams Royal Beach Punta Cana

Unimpressed with this resort. Most hotel staff were unfriendly, the food was bland, the evening entertainment was lame with horrible karaoke experiences. A positive was the experience with the wedding coordinator.

We recently stayed at Dreams Royal Beach Punta Cana and paid extra for the Preferred Club experience, expecting elevated service, exclusive amenities, and a more relaxing vacation—especially traveling with small children. Unfortunately, our experience was very disappointing and did not match what was advertised. Customer Service: This was one of the biggest letdowns. While a few staff members were kind, most seemed uninterested or unhappy to help. One example: my baby and 5-year-old were wet and cold at the kids’ pool area, and there were no towels available. When I asked staff, I was vaguely pointed “over there,” but there were no towels. After asking another employee, I was told someone would bring them. After waiting about 10 minutes—while my child started crying from the cold—I had to walk all the way to the lobby myself to finally get towels. This level of service is unacceptable, especially at a resort of this level. Restaurants (Preferred Club): Yes, there are a couple of additional restaurants and a coffee shop, but the “exclusive” experience didn’t feel exclusive at all. Wait times were extremely long—we waited about an hour just to be seated the first night, and another hour for food. Service was inconsistent and often inattentive. If we didn’t specifically ask for dessert, no one came back to check on us. At the hibachi restaurant, we felt rushed. Our reservation was at 5:30 PM, food was served by 6:00 PM, and by 6:15 PM staff were already cleaning and pushing us out. With small children, this rushed experience was very frustrating. The food itself was average—not bad, but nothing memorable. Beach Experience: The beach is beautiful, but again, the service did not match expectations. No one came around offering drinks—you had to go back and forth yourself. I specifically upgraded expecting better service, especially with kids, but that was not the case. At one point, I asked for water at the beach bar and they were out. The server said he would bring some but never returned. Also, despite what is advertised, there is no real exclusive beach area for Preferred Club guests. The only clearly reserved areas are for adults-only guests (Secrets) or paid day beds (~$275 USD). This felt misleading. Entertainment: Very limited and not kid-friendly. Most entertainment starts around 9 PM, which is too late for families with young children. Other resorts typically offer shows around 7–8 PM. The one show we attended felt low quality and not enjoyable. Room Cleanliness & Housekeeping: The room was not cleaned to a high standard—especially the shower. Getting daily housekeeping was stressful, requiring multiple calls and follow-ups. Maintenance Issues: We had an outdoor bathtub we were excited to use once the kids were asleep, but it never worked. We requested maintenance multiple times and even involved our concierge, but it was never fixed during our stay. Overall: The only truly positive part of this trip was the time spent with my family. The resort itself left me frustrated and disappointed, especially considering how much we paid and the expectation of a premium experience. Constant tipping for even basic service, combined with poor responsiveness, made it feel far from relaxing. I would not recommend upgrading to the Preferred Club here, as the benefits were unclear, inconsistent, or simply not delivered.

The Good: The resort itself is beautiful and very well maintained. The pools and water park were a highlight, especially for families, and the beach was clean and enjoyable. Housekeeping and overall cleanliness across the property were excellent. The Average: Customer service was inconsistent—some staff members were friendly and helpful, while others seemed disengaged. The rooms were decent but nothing special, and the daily activities felt fairly standard and not particularly memorable. Preferred Club (Not Worth It): We upgraded to the Preferred Club and honestly, it was not worth the extra cost. The benefits felt minimal and did not meaningfully improve the experience. Between limited perks and no real difference in service or access, it felt like a waste of money. The Not-So-Great: The biggest disappointment was the food. Specialty restaurants consistently had wait times of an hour or more, which made dining inconvenient. The buffet was surprisingly small compared to other resorts we’ve visited, and the food often looked like it had been sitting out for a while. The hibachi experience, which we were looking forward to, was underwhelming and not entertaining. Overall: While the resort has strong points in terms of facilities and upkeep, the dining experience, lack of value from the Preferred Club, and inconsistent service brought it down significantly. Unfortunately, it did not meet expectations, and we would not choose to return.

First bad review of my life. The best way I can describe this place is a hotel resulting from a collaboration of Carnival Cruise Lines and Temu.

We really wanted to like this resort. Having been to many AIs in Mexico, we had many expectations that would have been easily met at most resorts of this caliber in Mexico. Unfortunately, the experience at this resort in the DR was very different. The hotel grounds are nice. The Preferred Club Suite King was a very nice suite although some preferred buildings are in a separate part of the resot that are not close to the main lobby area or the beach (reachable by foot over a bridge or using the resort golf cart). The biggest problem for us was the food quality. Breakfast was definitely not a highlight. While there was a lot of variety, the quality was just not the greatest. We had lunch once in the main buffet but chose not to return our entire stay just because it felt overwhelming and chaotic. We had most of our meals at the Preferred Restaurant where they had buffet for breakfast, a la carte menu for lunch (portofino) and nice dinner buffet spread (and a la carte) in the evenings. You never felt anyone was in charge. Waiters seldom came to your table to check on how things were going. Coffee at breakfast was filled once and the coffee cart never returned a single time every single time. Biggest surprise was lack of towel service on the beach or at the pool. In fact, most of the time during the day, there were no towels to be found.