Dreams Aventuras Riviera Maya Review
I’ll start by saying this resort definitely has pros and cons depending on what you’re looking for in a vacation. I’ve traveled to many all-inclusive resorts over the last 20 years, and honestly, I wouldn’t put this one anywhere near my top 3 or even top 5.
For a resort advertised as a “5-star,” I personally think it’s closer to a 3-star experience, maybe 4 if I’m being generous.
Pros:
The staff were very friendly and welcoming. Most of them genuinely try their best and are pleasant to deal with. Service can be helpful at times, and the resort itself is decent enough for families if your expectations aren’t too high.
The best food we had during our stay was definitely at the sushi restaurant and the Italian restaurant. Those were the two standout places for us and noticeably better than the buffet options.
That said, when you spend good money on what’s marketed as a luxury all-inclusive experience, you expect a certain level of quality and consistency, and this place just didn’t hit that mark for us.
To put it into perspective, I’ve stayed at resorts in Jamaica, Cozumel, and the Dominican Republic over the years. Even the Melia in Cozumel, which was rated lower, felt like a better overall experience than this resort. Dreams/Secrets in the Dominican for a wedding and honeymoon was top-notch compared to here.
Cons:
The beach was honestly disappointing. Tons of seaweed and murky water during our stay. To be fair, seaweed itself isn’t the resort’s fault — it’s nature and affects many places in Mexico. But if you’re expecting next-to-no seaweed because of the resort’s advertised “cove-like” beach setup, think again. The online videos and promotional photos definitely make it look much nicer than what we experienced in person.
The food overall was okay, but very average for an all-inclusive. Nothing terrible, but nothing memorable either. Pretty generic buffet food most days. Small things stood out too — for example, one morning they had sausage for breakfast but no bacon at all. Maybe that’s normal here, fair enough, but overall the food selection just felt lacking compared to other resorts we’ve stayed at.
One of the biggest frustrations happened on my birthday morning. We ordered room service breakfast for the family and were told it would take around 35 minutes. After waiting 1 hour and 15 minutes with two very hungry kids (8 and 10), I finally called back only to find out they had completely lost our order and had no record of it at all — even though my wife was beside me when I placed it. At that point we were frustrated, the kids were hungry, and we just ended up going to the World Café for breakfast… same thing, different day.
When I went to complain about the missing room service order, the response was basically “oh no, sorry” and that was it. No attempt to make it right, no follow-up, nothing. For a resort advertising itself as 5-star service, that response felt pretty dismissive.
Another thing that became frustrating was the total inconsistency with the room amenities. One day we’d get 4 sodas and 4 beers in the mini fridge, another day maybe 6 sodas and 2 beers. Some days they’d leave snacks like M&M’s and a small can of Pringles, other days nothing at all. It just felt random.
Even the room phone setup made no sense. There were no service numbers listed to contact the front desk or room service directly. Instead, you had to use the resort app to find the numbers and then manually dial them into the room phone. Don’t ask… honestly if everything depends on the app anyway, why not just fully integrate it there instead of making guests jump through hoops?
Overall:
This resort isn’t terrible, but it definitely did not live up to the “5-star” reputation in my opinion. If you’re looking for a basic family vacation and can get it at a really good price, maybe it works for you. But if you’re expecting high-end food, amazing beach conditions, and premium service, you may want to look elsewhere.
Honestly, if you can afford spending a bit extra, I’d personally recommend Sandals for adults-only travel or Beaches Resorts if you’re traveling with kids. In my experience, the overall quality, food, service, and beach experience are on another level compared to this resort.
