This is my review for our destination wedding at Dreams Tulum in Mexico. We arrived Sunday the 5^th and our wedding was held the following Saturday. All in all everything went pretty well, there were a few bumps along the way that I decided to live with. Our wedding was beautiful, but all in all I’m not sure I would have my wedding here again if I knew then what I know now. If you’re having your wedding here, don’t stress, the staff is very nice and everything will be gorgeous!

Customs: I was really worried about customs in Mexico and stressed a lot about having receipts for all of my items. I had two huge bags of welcome bag stuff and decor. Everything went totally smooth; we got green lights and didn’t have our luggage checked.

Check in Sunday: A

We were of course greeted with warm scented towels and champagne upon arrival. Check in went well overall. We had requested early check in long before, and still had to wait two hours for our room, but it was ok with us. I also requested a crib in our room for our two year old, that wasn't fulfilled either. I requested a room upgrade but they had none available. I was willing to pay for an upgrade but none would be available until Friday. The staff was very nice, I checked in at the concierge and Greceilia was super nice to my son, and gave him a balloon.

Room: junior suite garden view -B-

We had a junior suite garden view. It is a nice room with a large shower and tub, and very close to the main pool, however, I wish I had splurged on an upgrade when first booking. The room was rather small, there was no closet light, and the light in the room was dim overall which was a pain. There are marble floors throughout, and also a small set of stairs which made me feel uncomfortable when my son was running around wet and sandy. Something to keep in mind for the little ones. Overall everyone said check in went well for them, with the exception of my mom, who had to wait until 6 pm for their room to be ready. The rooms overall were very different, my friend had a deluxe garden view and their room was huge and gorgeous compared to ours. Many people also had iPod players in their room, whereas we did not. In addition, our safe messed up 5 or six times, which is a pain when you have to wait for security to come.

Room: honeymoon ocean front suite- A+

On Saturday we were given a honeymoon suite ocean front for free. My wedding was Saturday at 5, and was told the room wouldn't be ready until 3. I asked Landy to try to get it earlier for me, and she came through. I explained it might be difficult to change rooms right before the wedding and she pulled some strings. It was an amazing room. Two balconies, large living room, walk in closet and huge Jacuzzi tub with double sinks. I wish I would have purchased the room for the whole trip because it was gorgeous. You may bring some DVDs with you because a good majority of the channels are in Spanish.

Housekeeping: C

Our rooms were cleaned daily, and everything was always spic and span. I will say that you should always use your safe. I always use our as well, but I left $20 in a beach bad on the vanity and didn't think anything of it until it went missing, no biggie, but it obviously was NOT a tip and was basically stolen. In addition, I had my veil go missing. I had a wedge style birdcage veil with Swarovski crystals throughout; it had gotten smashed in my luggage so I left it sitting behind the TV to regain shape. It went missing on Tuesday before my wedding. I was heartbroken but I have a feeling the maid maybe thought it was trash and tossed it. Keep my story in mind when unpacking. I was easy going about it because there was nothing I could do, but it def sucked not having a veil for my wedding day.

Staff: A+

Can't say enough about the staff. They were awesome. I was always greeted with a smile wherever I went, and they all seemed genuinely happy all of the time. We had a babysitter several times during our stay; they were sweet certified sitters and were always great with my son.

Food: B-

If you're picky about food, or your guests are food snobs, this may not be the place for you. I was satisfied because I'm easy going, but some of the food is icky, and just prepared differently than were used to in the states. The barefoot grill had pizzas burgers, nachos, and hot dogs right by the pool. I enjoyed all of the food from here. There is a short wait which was at times long, but it was nice to take food to the beach with you and not have to go to a restaurant. Seaside grill was decent, Steaks were pretty good and we had rib eye tacos for lunch which were excellent. Calamari was like a rubber band though ha-ha... I couldn't bring myself to eat it. Never ate French or Italian, mainly stuck with room service and the buffet. Room service was pretty good, I enjoyed the chicken tenders and fish, but everything was yummy. Buffet has a decent selection and a little something for everyone.

Hitmitsu was delicious, and the sushi as well.

Entertainment: A

The entertainment was good, we didn't spend a lot of time there, and we did watch a few of the shows which were enjoyable. They had live salsa dancing and lessons I believe every evening, which was a ton of fun for even I who does not dance. Then the clear out of Himitsu waiting area and it becomes a dance club, which works great and was fun for us. All of the entertainment staff is fun and energetic.

Taxi service through hotel: B+

The men at the front will set you up with a taxi. You'll always feel very safe because the driver will not leave you, they will wait for you to finish your excursion and then bring you back. The fees were pretty steep though, I was surprised at how high. For a 30 min ride to the hospital in playa, it was $50 each way. 1-4 ppl is a flat rate; 5-8 is another flat rate, so if you can ride with a couple people you'll all save money.

Doctor:A

Tuesday my son fell extremely sick and the resort doctor was called. She examined him quickly, took his temp, and did everything she could for him. She was very nice and professional. She told me that my children's Tylenol I brought from home was safer than the Medication she was offering for him. He had to be brought to the hospital in Playa del Carmen because his fever was so high, and she called a car to quickly take us there. I will say I was pretty freaked out taking my 20 month old to a hospital in the area, but the hospital in Playa was clean and professional, and the docs there were AMAZING. Unfortunately my son was sick the remainder if the trip, but we all had a great time anyway.

Spa: B

I used the spa several times during my stay, and was overall pretty happy but it isn't the best services that you will receive for the price. I'll break down my services:

Spa Manicure:

The manicure was ok; I will say I've had better ones here in the states at Podunk places. The tools they use are bottom of the line, and I noticed they did things for me that they did not do for my MOH right next to me: i.e.: buffing, base coats, and topcoats. Their colors are kind of limited; I would recommend bringing your own if you plan on having a certain nail color. I also got the polish changes on my toes, opted for a French tip. It was $19for just a polish change and the French tip was frankly, ugly. There were uneven lines and just not as clean cut as I was looking forward to. But the ladies who did them were very very sweet and although didn’t speak much English, they communicated well.

Hair and Makeup:

The same woman who did my mani did my hair the following day. Her English was limited but she looked at the pictures I provided and did an amazing job. I loved my hair. I wanted a small bump and my hair sleek in the front, and she kept double checking to be sure I loved it. They have a ton of pics available for viewing but I would recommend finding at. Least 2-3 of exactly what you want to bring with you. I will say that while curling my hair, I was electrocuted but the curling iron. There was a cut in the cord and the wires were exposed. The shock was heard across the room! I was easy going about it, but I did find it less than professional that the damage to the iron wasn't realized before I was shocked. My makeup came out great; again bring pics, and possibly your own eye shadow as I would have liked the colors a bit different. She did a great job though and I looked fabulous I think! :) My hair and makeup did take 2 hours, so keep this length of time in mind while planning your day out.

Couples Swedish:

The spa restroom and showers were lovely, the showers had shower heads on the Side of the stall and everything was very aesthetically pleasing. We had the massage included in the ultimate package. When making our appointments we were told we could upgrade to an 80 min massage for $20 each. We did so and it was worth it. I loved my massage, but I almost wish I told the woman she could have gone harder or rougher, I was very tight after all the wedding stress and left the massage feeling like it was a tease. My husband enjoyed his though and said the woman massaging him did a great job working his knots out. In the future I might opt for a deep tissue or other type of massage.

Beach: A

As others have noted, the beach is very rocky in certain spots. Just bring water shoes if you can. There are spots where you can go in the water and it isn't rocky, it’s just about finding a sweet spot. I didn't care about rocks; the beach was gorgeous and very well kept. There isn’t much the resort can do about the rocks in the water because I believe that is considered federal property. There is a trampoline and a climbing inflatable on the water as well which is fun to swim out too. We saw many fish and also a baby barracuda. We took out a kayak one day but the water was very rough and it was difficult to maneuver. Also FYI, the kayaks are only free for the first 30 mins, after that they are very expensive so pay attention to how long you are out on the water!

Excursions:

Aktun Chen: zip lining and cenote swimming

Aktune Chen is pretty close to the resort, like 15 mins or so. The cab fee was 30$ each way so if you can go with a couple others the price isn't bad. It was 30$ for the cenote with guide and 40$ for the zip line. They also had cave exploring that we did not do. Included in the cave exploring is a monkey exhibit, the monkeys come right up to you which I heard was awesome, but we didn't do it. There is one monkey that you’re allowed to visit with. I really liked that. It will climb all over you and makes for a cute picture! There are lockers where you can put your stuff up, def bring a towel with you if you'd like to be dry after swimming.

ZIPLINE: I had never been ziplining, I had a good time, but I thought it was a bit lame because it wasn't very high up. (20 feet). If this is one of the big things you want to do, I would recommend choosing a different zip line at another location. FYI you can only bring a camera if it straps to you. We have a gopro but weren't allowed to bring it on the zip line because we didn't have a chest strap.

CENOTE: we really enjoyed this! The water is a bit chilly but you get used to it. We were allowed to bring our go pro camera. Our guide was awesome and even took a ton of pics for us! It was really beautiful and we could have stayed all day. Not all that many fish, we just saw a school of catfish toward the end.

Tulum Ruins: We had been here before and enjoyed ourselves. They open at 8am so if you want to avoid the crowds/buses, def get there around then. It felt like we had the place to ourselves. We brought a stroller for our lil man which I wish we hadn’t lots of stairs and it was REALLY hot even that early. If you have a child bring a backpack carrier. The beach there is nice as well, but there isn't anywhere to change so wear it under your clothing. The entrance fee was 5.70$.

Coba Ruins: the cab here from dreams Tulum was 120$(round trip). The entrance fee was 6$ American, but they only take pesos. This place was really cool, but it’s pretty large compared to Tulum. They have bikes you can rent to get around. I would recommend you plan on renting the bike. The walk to all of the ruins was very far apart and it was hot out. Just plan on spending the extra money on the bike. In addition, we didn't get the tour guide, we just aren't tour guide people, but I kind of wish we did because there weren't many signs around telling you what you were looking at. I think I would have enjoyed hearing more information.

Tulum Shopping: we've been shopping in this area before; it’s pretty laid back and chill, lots of little shops where you can barter for items. Definitely talk the sales people down because you can often get the item for half the price they originally throw out. There are also lots of taco stands that are delicious if you're looking for authentic Mexican. I would have liked to go back to Playa del Carmen for shopping because we really enjoyed it there on our last trip, we just didn't make it over that way. If you're looking for a quiet day walking in town, you'll likely enjoy it here.

WEDDING on Saturday: A-

My wedding gets an A- because of a few key things I was unhappy with. My menus did not get used, my flowers were not moved as promised, and my veil went missing earlier in the week which did effect my wedding day.

Wedding Coordinator:Landy A+

Landy is amazing. I sincerely hope if you have your wedding here, you get Landy. We met with her on Monday and went over all details. She didn't charge for my decor set up which was awesome, I had a lot of stuff. My centerpiece bowls had broken on the way down, but she had some we used. FYI they were TINY. Like maybe 4x4 inches, and 15$ each to use. I would recommend bringing your own if this is important to you and packing carefully.She paid attention to all my random details and made me feel great about all requests. We couldn't have asked for more from her! As soon as I met with her, all of my worries went away and I was ready for vacay!

Photographer: Simone: A+

Our resort photog was Simone, he was so nice! We met with him on Tuesday and told him we just wanted is services for the cocktail hour. (We brought our own photog) he took some great pictures but it is true that the quality will not be as great as a more experienced photographer. The videographer was great too. The video is really great to have, is edited, and has music that they edit in. With the sound system, we were able to hear our vows/ reading throughout the ceremony which was really cool.

Youa Vang, Destination Wedding Photographer:A+

 If you’re thinking of bringing your own photographer, consider Youa Vang. She is amazing. She came down for a five day trip and she is sooo much fun. She did multiple photo shoots for me, and her rates are very reasonable. She was the best decision we made. Not only was she present for all of my important moments, she was fun to have around in our group! I haven’t gotten all of my pictures back yet, but I know she is working hard to get them to me. I miss her already!

DJ: we hired DJ doremixx for our reception. Best choice ever! I was worried for a group as small as 20 ppl the 850$ price tag wouldn't be worth it but it was. He played all of our music on point, and everyone danced and had a great time. I will say that their communication isn't great at all. After I sent my deposit I couldn't get their company to respond to my emails for like a week and I was extremely aggravated. But all in all they came through and played amazing music. We danced in the sand since the dance floor was nearly 800$, and this was awesome! It really added to the feel of our beach wedding and was amazing.

Cake: the cake was delicious and adorable, a bit smaller than the online pics show, but the flowers were the color I requested and looked really pretty.

Bouquet/flowers: the bouquet and boutonnieres/corsages were pretty. They were kind of falling apart but Landy fixed mine for me. My bouquet wasn't made 100 percent to the things I asked for, but I didn't make a fuss because I was just trying to be a carefree bride and not be whiney. If at all possible, I would recommend finding the particular flower you want to be used because my lilies were falling apart a bit. My centerpiece for the wedding dinner was really pretty though, it looked nothing like the picture but was really nice anyway. Another type of bride might find this detail aggravating though.

Ceremony: Ceremony was great. We had fans for the chairs but honestly they weren't necessary it was so windy. Landy put everything out and everything looked gorgeous. She had told me the flowers we got for the altar would be used in the reception, but they were not. I was upset but didn't make a fuss of it. The music timing I requested was perfect, the ceremony was extremely short, and everything went really well. We requested a non religious ceremony and were given just that. If you get the beach ceremony note it took me about 42 seconds to comfortably walk down the aisle at a good speed. You can time it yourself during your rehearsal if you're picky about your music timing as I was.

Cocktail Hour: cocktail hour was cool. We had the mariachi band and they were soooo nice and played great music. Everyone had a good time. The food was Eh so so. The trays were just sitting our when I arrived but I was told that the waiters had walked around with the food so I was happy. The cream cheese duo was the best, the other apps neither I nor my husband enjoyed.

Reception: The reception went just as planned. I did notice the Landy did not put my menus out that I had made! I was rather upset being that I had worked so hard on them, but I didn't make a fuss about it. I figured she had done so because it was so windy, but she could have put them under the napkin and napkin rings I had provided. I was happy just to be there but I was irritated because I had worked so hard to make them. Again my flowers did not get used as promised, but I let this go too and just enjoyed the evening. Dinner felt like it took forever. We had the ultimate package so we got the bruschetta which was delicious. The Caribbean salad was rather strange, if you get this ask for extra dressing for the tables because there was barely any on the salad and it was bland. The surf and turf was yummy though, and everyone ate really well. The Dessert was tiramisu. AMAZING. Highly recommended. Afterwards everyone drank and danced and had a good time. We had 2 servers, they were really nice. Cocktail and shot orders moved VERY slow and I found myself under intoxicated by the end of the night(haha) but I could have gotten my own drinks as well.

Extras we purchased in addition to the ultimate package:

Lights under the tables: these were a nice touch, and made the reception look really nice. We just got the white ones and the tables looked really cool illuminated.

Sound system for ceremony: this was worth the extra money. It was nice to have music for our ceremony, and also in the video provided by the resort, you're able to hear our voices over the wind and waves which is really great.

Avante guard chairs: pricey but totally worth it in my opinion. The regular chairs aren't very beachy looking. When my wedding got closer Nayeli said that they had a promo going on for the chairs, we could get a discount if we used them for both the ceremony and reception (which I wanted anyway), so I splurged on them.

Welcome bag delivery: we paid to have our welcome bags delivered to the rooms. The service was worth the 3-4$ we paid; all my guests loved the bags and thanked me for them.

All in all I'm happy with how my day went, but I will say if a few of the things I mentioned would annoy you, like my veil going missing(been home for a week and it still hasn't been found), I would recommend not having your wedding here.

I liked the resort over all, but the food wasn't that good and that's a big factor for a lot of people.