Dreams Royal Beach Punta Cana

After a great vacation last year at this resort on a couples trip, we brought our families back this year to enjoy another excellent vacation experience. It has something for everyone from couples to families, there is something for everyone to do. This year we stayed in building 5 with a garden view. The rooms were very clean; air conditioning was working fantastic and the fridge was always stocked. The beach was nice and the seaweed was kept maintained daily with a tractor picking it up. They also have a floating buoy system wall out from the shoreline to help keep it under the control as well. The water was nice and warm, fairly calm. There were always shaded loungers available throughout the day with serving staff regularly checking in to see if you need a beverage while taking in the beach. There are beach vendors that walk around trying to sell souvenirs, some will just walk by, others will try to start a conversation but if you say no, they will move on without hassle. The preferred members have a pool near the Italian restaurant which we checked out for a few hours one day, it had lots of loungers but a quieter atmosphere. It was not the atmosphere for us but if you're looking for a quiet place to enjoy poolside, this would be the place for you. We spent most of our time in the main pool by the beach which has a livelier atmosphere, and we also spent quite a bit of time at the lazy river with the kids. The lazy river has sections of shallow platforms that my son enjoyed a lot to play on. We also spent time at the water slides; all adult fun slides and the kids splash pad behind the water slides. The splash pad has a shallow ramp then the rest if approximately 12" deep with a play park. There is an inifinity pool behind the theatre that is a cool atmosphere within the palm trees which provides some shade within the pool. The food overall was good; there were lots of options to choose from and never left hungry. We ate at the Steakhouse, Italian a la cartes and we all agreed that the Steakhouse was our favorite a la carte followed closely by the Italian. We went to the Steakhouse twice, 1st time the overall experience was great but the 2nd time the service wasn't the same, but the food was still very good. There is also a Mexican, Japanese, and French restaurant which we did not go to due to children appetite and attention spans. We also ate at the buffets which always had a large selection of food to eat. The overall staff and welcoming atmosphere at this resort was fantastic, which for us, is what makes the trip all that more enjoyable. The food service staff were great, the entertainment staff were engaging and brought energy to all the activities, the pool boys/grounds crew kept the property well maintained and clean throughout our stay, the beach service staff were great at maintaining the beach but also checking in on the beach loungers for any beverage needs. The pool staff were awesome at all the pool areas with routinely checking how we were doing with our beverages. As per last year's review, I have to provide a shout out to Wilkin from the Grotto Bar. He serves the pool side loungers at the resorts main pool and has not changed since last year. His positive and fun energy brings a smile to a lot of people. He is always smiling, engaging with people, singing, and he sprints all day long collecting cups, taking orders, and delivering drinks. He engaged with our children asking their names and just being friendly and fun with them as they ordered their mocktails during our stay. The nightly entertainment was good, and they have a kid's events/disco at 8pm on most nights at the theatre which is fun for them. We spent some time in the sports bar, and it has 2 pool tables, dart board, fooseball, arcade games, and a number of TVs to watch big games on. We didn't venture to the casino or disco this time around. The only negative I have to say for the resort, the main pool has very minimal loungers which means if you don't have one 'reserved' by 8am, you won't have a lounger by the main pool. We managed to get loungers almost every day but if you go to the pool after 9am, likely there would not be any loungers available. We were looking at the options this year for a vacation and came back to this resort from the great experience we had last year. It is a resort that has something for everyone, and it is definitely high on the list as a potential destination on our next vacation.

Overall Rating: Good vacation with great potential, but inconsistent execution. Grounds, Pools & Beach The resort grounds exceeded our expectations—lush, beautifully landscaped, and filled with vegetation. As beach lovers, we spent most of our time by the ocean, but the pool systems are incredibly unique. The infinity pool was our favorite, thanks to its vibrant surroundings and great swim-up bar. The beach itself is lovely, though heavily populated by vendors. Food & Dining The dining experience was hit-or-miss. Unfortunately, multiple dishes tasted pre-cooked rather than freshly prepared (for example, the Chicken Milanese at Portofino). Across the resort, shrimp were consistently served without being deveined (and yes, we did eat some before we noticed). However, the French-style Mercure restaurant was an outstanding exception. The food quality there was vastly superior, and both the chef and service staff were incredibly nice and attentive. Staff & Service Highlights Yaca (Concierge): Truly exceptional. She genuinely cared about our experience, proactively finding us daily to check in and assist with dining. Whenever we faced an issue, she did her absolute best to rectify it or relay feedback. We were only sorry we couldn't say goodbye on our last day due to her training schedule. Emmanuel (Beach Team): Outstanding dedication. He was the only consistent presence keeping the beach clean and politely enforcing rules regarding chairs. He operates at the level of a true "Beach Concierge" and deserves recognition. Areas for Immediate Management Attention Unauthorized Chair Reservations: We witnessed a staff member named Stevens (referred to as "Baby Face") accepting private payments to reserve front-row chairs in the preferred beach area. The towels and water bottles used to hold them still had heavy condensation on them. This happened at the main pool as well. It is incredibly frustrating for guests who follow the rules and wake up early to secure spots. This violation of hotel policy needs to be addressed immediately. Post-Event Housekeeping: Following two beach weddings, the shore was left covered in garbage and debris. Despite being assured it would be cleaned the next morning, it was left untouched both times. We actually had to avoid stepping on a discarded metal fork twice. Vendor Harassment: While registered vendors are manageable, the independent vendors in white shirts were highly aggressive and repeatedly harassed guests to buy excursions. Turn-Down Service & Noise: We only received turn-down service on 2 out of our 10 nights. Additionally, the nighttime beach parties are excessively loud if you prefer a quieter evening. Conclusion We had a good stay, but having previously visited Secrets and Dreams properties in Mexico, this location has some growing up to do. There is a lack of professionalism and urgency among some staff members. Dreams Royal Beach has immense potential, but management needs to instill a more disciplined, high-standard hospitality mindset.

We booked this hotel/holiday over a year ago…it was my first trip to the Caribbean and i was so excited. We arrived at the hotel and at first was blown away! Our room looked amazing on first sight, until our second week in i noticed mould underneath the shelf in the bathroom (only because i dropped something) the tiles around the sinks were dirty and then i looked closer at the peeling wallpaper in the bathroom to notice the pattern wasnt all pattern it was spots of mould too! The cleaner only showed up 9 days out of 14! Thats annoying or she would turn up at 6 oclock! The patio furniture was supposedly rattan that was all peeling away and broken! The food was ok! Breakfast by far the best meal ! Cocos little bar and the ice cream bar maybe need to put their staff on a customer service course! Rude as hell ! A few of the catering team were rude but just a few! We used to queue for the restaurants only to notice other ppl would just turn up or walk through past us and grab a table! I did complain to reception and they said it would get sorted! It didnt !!! We ate in the mexican restaurant to see the chef tasting sauces and food to then lick hes palms and fingers! A member of staff noticed that WE see this but just looked away and avoided eye contact! I didnt eat my food! We paid around £5 thousand pounds for our all inclusive holiday, but when we arrived we noticed other guests tipping everyone and everything! Even down to waving it about at the pool bar to get served quicker! Im not adverse to tipping, like bell boys, cleaners ( not in this case) restaurant staff but not to get served quicker and to be more “ liked “ and favoured as a guest !! The scenery tbh blew me away ! The beach and the ocean was amazing! It made my holiday tbf! The hotel grounds were beautiful! No complaints here!! Sadly the rest of the resort is looking tired! Ive stayed in better 5* accommodation! This hotel for me is more a 4 with needing improvements!

Overall scenery is beautiful! Resort isn’t 5*, it’s maybe a 4* at best. Rooms are not very clean and very worn, was dusty and dirty and bathroom had a damp issue. Outside bath wasn’t clean at all, had to clean myself before use. SELECT staff are so friendly and can’t do enough for you, however others are rude, don’t seem like they want to be here (hardly smile) and seem as they tolerate you. Although it’s all inclusive you feel like you must tip every drink, meal and service you get. Food is okay. Good selection for breakfast, however found lunch and dinner hard to find something to eat, although am a fussy eater. Only fruit really available is melon or pineapple, other variety would have been good. Other guests in the hotel are not considerate, all you hear is chairs being scrapped along the floor at all hours of the day and night, along with so much shouting aside of rooms through the night. Location is great though, near to the airport and right on the ocean front which is stunning. Hotel shop is very expensive, I would bring lots of money is staying for a two week trip. Icecream shop is lovely on site, staff are not friendly who work in there though. Paid a lot of money for the holiday and to be honest it’s not worth it, other Caribbean islands are much better, friendlier and worth the money.

Excellent holiday & beyond our expectations. Will definitely return. Staff couldnt do enough for us & make our stay a brilliant one.