Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa

1 reader found this review helpful

Excellent
This was a fantastic end to our holiday - we had 7 days in florida before flying here.
The food was excellent, the staff even better. We had a 2½ year old who was fully catered for- even in the a la carte restaurants where he fell asleep most nights leaning on the table.
We were in one of the older rooms in the hacienda but it was lovely - it is after all mexico!!

Just back from Dreams, Tulum and i can tell you it is a paradise. The food was good, the staff are excellent and overall although it is secluded we found there to be lots to do within the resort and had an excellent holiday. The Entertainment staff were excellent and there was also a very good kids club there. Tulum central is only a $10 ride away where you can find shops etc and there are the usual excursions you can book (at an extra cost, obviously)
Overall 10 out of 10. Fantastic holiday, if you want to relax and be waited on hand and foot.

Not only do the rooms smell, the management is horrible.
Our room had no air conditioning for 3 days. We spoke to the management each day and it wasn't until we called our travel agent that they moved us to another room. The hotel manager would not even come out of his office to speak to us in person. When they did finally agree to move us to another room, they got annoyed at us because we would not move immediately which would have meant missing our excursion.
The room they moved us to ended up being across the hall from the cleaning staff's storage room which was in use by 6AM each day which woke us up each morning. We tried working with the front desk, the concierge and the apple vacations staff on site and none of them helped us. Upon returning from our 10 day trip in June, we wrote a letter to Apple Vacations (the owner of Dreams Tulum) and they just responded this week (November 2007) offering us a 3 day stay in the same resort for our troubles. I would not stay in that resort again if they gave me air, transportation and another 10 day stay for free.
I must say that the staff (waiters, bar tenders, etc) we very nice and mostly attentive. Unfortunately, that does not overcome the other issues. It’s also interesting that all of the entertainment offered is done by the same group of 7 or 8 people. Whether it was the evening shows, the pool games, volleyball, club events, etc. These same people performed them all and it became very boring after the first couple of days.

1 reader found this review helpful

We had a wonderful holiday at this hotel. At 60 we are well travelled and consider this hotel to be excellent value. The staff were most helpful, attentive and pleasant.
We didn't tip until the end of our stay. My husband used the windsurfer and yacht most days. Each morning at 8am he enjoyed a game of tennis with the coach, I enjoyed the daily aqua sessions and salsa session by the pool. We both took our rubber shoes (re rocks) for the beach.
We always found an umbrella on the beach (shade being an essential for us both).We tried all the restaurants, except the Japanese and found the food and service great. We didn't have any tummy upsets. We asked for a quiet room and got one, special touches are the provision of a large umbrella in each room - useful either for the rain or blazing sun.
Popcorn machine at the beach cinema and screen between 2 palm trees. Buffet restaurant having selection of food at a lower level for the children etc. Possibly afternoon tea could be slightly improved but then there were not many other English guests.

2 readers found this review helpful

I read the reviews and I was surprised that people gave such good reviews and made comments like it was better than super 8, hot water is not needed in Mexico, and the sewage smell is not that bad if you have a candle. I guess I expect more from an all inclusive vacation like, hot water, air conditioning, and a room that does not smell like raw sewage. If you have ever been to a nice all inclusive resort before, you will be disappointed in this one. If this is your first all inclusive, then you will probably not realize what you are missing. When I pay for an all inclusive, I expect some level of comfort and service.
We arrived and found that our room was not available but we were being offered a new room and were actually the first guests to stay in that room. We soon discovered that was because the room was still being built. We had to enter our room through the sliding glass patio door and the bell boy dropped our bags and was on his way. On initial inspection we found there were no curtains on the patio so everyone had a clear view of our room, the front door was screwed shut because there was construction on the other side of the door.
There was no safe, radio, or soap, and the toilet was not fastened to the ground so water spewed out from the base when you flushed. We immediately went to the assistant manager since the general manager had already left for the day. She informed us that there were no rooms available and that the hotel was overbooked. We were offered a transfer to Dreams Cancun and a few free nights. That was not acceptable as we were with a 26 member wedding party at the resort. We were offered a bottle of Champaign and told that they would speak with the GM and fix everything in the morning.
The next morning we spoke with the GM and found he was still unaware of our problem. Finally transferred us to a nicer room with an upgrade across from our original room. Still no hot water, lost power several times, and the view was construction all around. During our stay we watched as the hotel checked new guests into our old room, acted totally surprised that the room was unfinished, and transferred them to a new room the next day. They used that unfinished room as a buffer to place new guests while they waited for others to check out.
Service is not good compared to other all inclusives. I have been to Beaches and Sandals resorts which are more expensive but so much better. At Beaches and Sandals tipping is not allowed which is my idea of all inclusive. I don't want to carry cash or a wallet in my swim suit, just a plastic room key. At Dreams tipping is expected and will determine the level of service you receive. I don't think they pay the staff very well because the service was poor in most areas. I was skipped a few times in line at the bar while they serviced someone with cash in hand. Another complaint is that some menu items like lobster, are not included in the all inclusive and you have to pay for those items. I have never heard of an all inclusive charging more for any food item. The dining areas were also some of the hottest areas in the resort. No air, just fans with little circulation.
Of the 26 members in the wedding party, half had to switch rooms due to terrible accommodations (we were not the only one to get an unfinished room), unbearable smell, no air, or lack of power. Everyone I spoke with did not have hot water the entire time we were there. They constantly ran out of towels at the pool and we had to wait for them to wash more. If you got up before 8 a.m. and walked the beach, you would find the bars still covered in dishes from the night before and that general clean up was finished around 9. Most other resorts I have been to were spotless the next morning so you did not have to witness or wait for tables to be bused.
This is the first resort I have been to that closes the pools at night (7:00 PM). The reason we were given is because they dump so many chemicals in there each night that it is not really safe to swim. You always have the beach but if you don’t have some sort of water shoes you won't make it more than a few feet out. I stayed a few miles up the road on another trip (El Dorado) and the beach was perfect for snorkeling or swimming. Here you could not really do either because the water was too rough or the bottom was covered in rocks.
I would not recommend this resort unless you are looking for a discount all inclusive and you have never stayed in a decent place before. El Dorado is just up the road, a little more expensive initially, but after you factor in paying extra for food and tipping, it comes out about the same except you will receive much better service and accommodations.