The Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa in Tulum, Mexico, is an all-inclusive resort located on the eastern coast of Mexico. Situated along the Riviera Maya, the resort offers guests an all-inclusive experience with all your meals, drinks and activities included in the price of your hotel accommodations. The resort is located about 90 minutes south of Cancun and the only way to get there is by car. The drive from the airport to Tulum is pretty simple with flat roads and easy to read signs but I don’t recommend driving unless you speak Spanish and have a good understanding of Mexican law. Booking a pre-arranged shuttle is the most convenient option and I would recommend this over self-driving.
The Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa isn’t very large but there is enough to keep you entertained every day and night of your stay. There’s really not much to see or do within walking distance of the resort but the town of Tulum is only 10 minutes away by car. The Mayan ruins, cenotes and other local attractions are also easily accessible by car.
Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa Deluxe Garden View Junior Suite
On this trip, my friends and I visited the Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa to celebrate a friend’s wedding. I booked the cheapest option, a deluxe garden view room, and was upgraded to a deluxe garden view junior suite upon check-in, thanks to my Expedia Rewards VIP Access hotel benefits. These deluxe garden view junior suites are very spacious and come furnished with either one king bed or two double beds. These suites can easily accommodate three adults but keep in mind that adding a third person will increase the price of the room.
The en-suite bathrooms are also very spacious with dual sinks and enough countertop space for two adults to spread out comfortably. Each bathroom has an enclosed toilet stall and an exposed shower and jacuzzi tub. Full-size (4 oz) bottles of Dreams branded bath and body products, sunblock, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shaving kits and other essentials are provided for your use. There’s a window blind for privacy but keep in mind, people can still see into the bathroom as the window blind does not fully cover the window. It’s a really poor design if you ask me.
Our room was located on the ground floor with a small patio. The patios are covered with two small chairs, a table and a view of the hotel grounds. I wasn’t a fan of this design as you don’t have any privacy on your patio and your room is exposed to everyone walking by. However, you can check out these repairing aluminum patio covers here if you need an aluminum awning company to take a look at your awning and appraise any damage to it.
Room amenities include an LCD television with a selection of international channels, DVD player, all-inclusive mini-bar and 24-hour room service, WiFi access, coffee-maker and an in-room safe. Your mini-bar is refreshed daily and everything ordered from room service is included in the price of your stay.
Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa Grounds and Entertainment
On paper, the resort appears to be massive but in reality, it’s very walkable. Most of the stores, restaurants and amenities are located along the main corridor of the resort. The grounds are beautifully maintained with easy access to the various parts of the resort. If you’re traveling with kids, there’s a kids’ club and teen social club for them to be entertained with other kids their age.
There are two pools located on-site with direct access to a private white-sand beach. All-inclusive wait service is provided by all the pools and on the beach. However, water recreational activities, spa services and cabana rentals are provided at an additional cost.
Entertainment and activities, such as salsa dancing and yoga on the beach, are provided free of charge. You can check the entertainment program board or the in-house channel on your TV to see a list of shows and activities for the day.
Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa Restaurants
The resort features 15 restaurants and bars. The restaurants and bars are all included in the price of your accommodations but some restaurants do require advanced reservations. There are additional dining options which are not included. All house drinks including top shelf beers and spirits are included but specialty bottles of wine are not.
On this trip, we had the opportunity to try out several restaurants but none of them stood out as anything special. They were all mediocre at best and the service was lacking as well. This was my biggest complaint about the resort. The restaurant menus were limited, the food was uninspiring and the quality was subpar. We were really disappointed by this and ended up wandering into town several times just to get a decent meal.
Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa Bottom Line
Overall, I found the Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa to be average at best. It wasn’t terrible by any means but it wasn’t spectacular either. The rooms were spacious but the decor felt old and dated. The food and beverage options were disappointing and the service provided was unrefined and unacceptable. The entertainment and amenities provided were decent but there were too many disappointments that stood out. For example, wait staff members at the restaurants were very forgetful. We asked for and ordered things several times and they never came out or came out late. The yoga on the beach girl forgot to show up one day. The bars were understaffed and drinks orders took forever. These things by themselves are not deal breakers but when combined, lead to a very unremarkable resort experience.
Have you guys stayed at the Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa? If so, please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Thanks for reading!
The other trip reports in this series include:
- Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, LAX
- Aeromexico Economy Class, Los Angeles to Cancun
- Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa
