Dreams Royal Beach Punta Cana

Loudest hotel I have ever stayed in. We have been going to AIs for 15 years and this has the loudest hallways and thinnest walls we’ve ever experienced. Don’t come here if you want to sleep during any hours other than 2am to 6am. I’m not against people having a good time on vacation but, man, we got zero sleep here. In addition to the constant noise from carts up and down hallways, truck reverse beeps, loud talkers/drunk people walking by every 5 mins until 2am, the hotel is pretty run down. Room is dirty, furniture old, etc. Main pool area is tiny and crowded. One pro: food was decent. We will not be coming back! Been to five Dreams properties in DR and this was by far the worst experience.

I hardly drafted reviews, but, as someone who has enjoyed several all inclusive vacations, this was the worst experience. from the lack of helpful staff (why does it take over 5 hours to get a crib in my bed, when I requested it during booking????) to the poor food (crusty plates at the buffet, undercooked pork and chicken, and either lacking or overly seasoned food), the only enjoyable elements of our stay was that 1) there was an abundance of booze (but you better enjoy waiting for your beverages) and 2) the acceptable bare minimum pool will satisfy my 2 year old.

Beautiful resort. Our room was in the new preferred club section. Was a little leary about the PC not being attached to main resort, but the walk across the mangroves via the bridge was nice and neat to see the animals. The preferred club section was great, only complaint would be the pool water was very very cold. The beach was beautiful. The resort had alot of different pools. The Waterpark was alot of fun. Would go back again.

November 10-20, 2025 Dreams Royal Beach, Punta Cana, DR Preferred Club Swim up Double beds – room 4176 which is in the older section a couple of minute walk to the beach. We had a walk out patio to the free form pool (called by some a lazy river but it does not have a current). The room was close to many restaurants including the Seaside (which does Ala Carte at Breakfast and lunch for Preferred) and everyone for dinner, the main Buffet, the Fusion and the Mexican restaurant (also serving the Oceana – seafood menu until the Oceana reopens). There is also Tides - a grill area in front of the buffet with picnic tables with burgers, hot dogs, salads, nachos and fries. The beach area is quite large with many palapas for those like us preferring shade. While there we did not note any issues with chairs being available to anyone seeking them. There was the odd set of towels left set up to reserve spots but not a lot thank goodness. The beach area is long so if you like to get a good walk in it is great. The water is not as clear as some places but a nice temperature and not too rough while we were there. We had very little rain, mostly later at night despite the weather channel showing storms daily. The resort is nicely set up with walkways having beautiful plants and trees around, giving more privacy, different spaces for folks to sit and not feel like you are surrounded by other people. The room (4176) was spacious, beds were very comfortable. There was also a couch, fridge and nice sized closet for storage. The bathroom had a lot of shelving and spaces to put your stuff. I don’t like when it all has to sit out and looks so messy, I would prefer some small drawers in the bathroom but the shelving helped. Air con worked great and no issues with musty smells or bugs in our room. We stayed in that room until the 14th. We found that the pool in front of our room was used by a lot of people, including children and many not from those rooms – the staff were not really checking to ensure anyone was from the preferred club (they did start this we noted just after we left the room) . The other main pool/swim up bar was just 10 feet away and in the afternoons it was very noisy with loud music/activities. The bartenders serve drinks to the people there and a waiter comes to serve to those in the pool in front of the rooms. Also, the way the sun is at that time of the year the sun was always on our porch area so no shade, there were beds on the other side of the free form pool that were sometimes free and you could easily walk around and use them. In addition, there were people smoking from the rooms on either side of us sitting on their patios and around the pool. With us both being non-smokers and preferring quiet we inquired about the newer section. The other noise in the area was because that side was built close to the Secrets building and is a main driveway up and down. The vehicles running up and down are frequent and as they back up they beep, this echos through the buildings. They were also using blowers to clean up after a storm which also echoed through the buildings. We moved to room 7109 in the newer Preferred club section – same set up only a king bed but still with porch area and short walk (2-3 steps) to the free form pool. So much quieter in this area we had no one on either side while there, no loud music in the area and lots of seats all around the pool/bar etc. We also did not see many people smoking though at this point we had confirmed there was smoking allowed at this resort in all public areas with very few limits. Having travelled quite a lot it was very shocking to us to hear this most resorts now have very limited smoking areas. The bed in this room was not as comfy but still good, bathroom was not as nicely set up – shower was smaller and no shelving to put things on so everything was on the counter. The clothing rack is open instead of in a wardrobe like in the older section making the room appear messy. There was less drawers in the room and instead of handles have open holes to put your fingers in to pull them open which seemed a bit odd. Air con here worked well …. Overall the room felt “unfinished” with very white walls, only one picture. If you could move the rooms from the old section to the new that would be the perfect blend. We were a short walk to the Portofino restaurant that doubles as the Market Café buffet at breakfast and the area has lunch with a pizza place/ and On a Roll which is a grill with burgers, chicken, hot dogs etc – around the corner is the Dolce and It’s a Wrap for ice cream/coffees/sandwiches etc…. there is a also a bar in the lobby (preferred section lobby) and at the pool all within a short walk. From this area you have a 15 min walk to the beach or get a cart which takes under 5 minutes. The walk is wonderful as it is through a lagoon area with nice views of turtles, iguanas, herons and many other birds and fish. Some complained about mosquitos but I am a bit of a magnet for them and had no bites when there. When you come out the other end you are at the regular room lobby (being worked on but almost done) and the waterpark where another coffee/treat shop is located. That is also where the main entertainment happens and a few shops if you need to buy something. Then the walk continues down past other rooms and a main pool with another swim up area surrounded by trees and lovely plants. Every day we saw available chairs including shade and sun in all areas. Also, lots of towels on racks which you don’t have to pay for and can change when you want. There are no reservations for meals but if you go out later you will find wait times/line ups. We tend to go earlier just as they are opening 5:30-6 ish and never had to wait. Even the main buffet is open at night so lots of selection and of course room service. Food overall was good – I would not say anything was overly fabulous but always good, lots of selection and kept refreshed in the buffets. A Butler: For us there was no real purpose except the resort is set up so that even for the basic requests such as booking the Tempanyaki for dinner and the paddle boats you have to book through the Butler assigned to you. This despite standing right there and they had space for both things or asking to be put on the list for the next day – you can’t. Seems to overcomplicate things and sets up a layer between you and the hotel which pushes you to tip for something you can so easily do yourself. I can see if you are a larger wedding or family group you may want someone to help coordinate things for you but we did not see the value in it. They communicate through What’s App which our friends were unable to download at the resort – they send daily lists of what is happening at the resort (this is available in the app already) and asking if they can be of any assistance. I must say I was also put off as he was overly insistent that he “needed” to meet with us despite our saying we did not require his services we were there to relax. At other properties in the same chain you can use the hotel app for simple requests, bookings and to see the days events etc. I much preferred that system. In the end our friends did make a request via the same butler and it was not followed through which was a huge disappointment. When we let him know this instead of just apologizing for it not happening started sending messages stating he had set it up as asked, sending copies of the written request etc. It was so odd and a bit creepy as there were comments about him “being there” which he wasn’t and seeing us do certain things which make it sound almost stalkerish as he was describing what we were doing at the time yet clearly, he had not been there so how did he know? We had also complained to him about the smoking at the pool and on the patios of the adjoining rooms and he never said smoking was allowed just that he would tell staff about it. Paddle boats – we loved being out on the water and seeing all the wildlife in that area up close. It wasn’t busy but remember you have to book ahead; also be prepared to use muscles you don’t normally use. No real issue with beach sellers a polite no thanks they moved on. There were a fair amount of them at times but overall not an issue. I was surprised at how far up the preferred club section they came but I guess all the beach is public. We did not think the two story, Bali Bed things were worth it for the 4 of us travelling it was $225 for a couple and then $25 for each individual after. They are set up nicely with a fair bit of space and you get a dedicated waiter for drinks and food. If you are a larger family group this might be of interest. There were other types of Bali beds but we were under the impression they were for Secrets and did not really see anyone in that area. Like in the resort the beach is divided up a bit with trees, plants so it feels less crowded. Really the only issue we had with staff was at the Seaside who were for the most part miserable, especially the older ones. This happened at breakfast and later when we went for dinner. Between the woman who seated us and the main waiter that night, no smiles, no welcome and when we were ordering as you barely finished talking, he was yelling out NEXT. Luckily the evening meal was saved by another waiter and another younger female waiter who were both a lot of fun. The food was good but the service overall left us deciding not to return and with so many other options it wasn’t an issue. I can’t say we had any other service issues during our stay – most were attentive, friendly and helpful. The staff in the Portofino were extra helpful in pulling together, last minute, a mini celebration for our friends birthday. (the one the butler was supposed to do) Overall would recommend this hotel but keeping in mind the smoking policy and no adult only areas (restaurant or pool) as there often is at other Dreams resorts.

Just returned from 10 nights in Dreams Royal Punta Cana spent with family and friends . We had a great time , hotel is lovely , staff were great , really attentive and friendly . Great selection of restaurants , service was sometimes slow in the speciality restaurants . We had booked the preferred club and feel that paying the extra was well worth it especially as we were a party of 11 . Our butler Michael was excellent and sorted our restaurant reservations for us .