We just returned from our wedding at Dreams PV. All in all it was beautiful; however, the wedding coordinator Louise did make some inexcusable mistakes. This is a long review, but worth the read! Also, check out some of the other negative reviews for similar complaints on rooms, service, etc. on the TripAdvisor website.

 

We provided the Wedding Coordinator (WC) with all the details on how the day should go in great detail and she even commented when meeting with her upon arrival on how organized we were and how easy our wedding would be, but then she still screwed some things up that were clearly laid out for her. We actually demanded a discount the next day and received a reasonable one. There was another wedding after ours the same day and they said she made some screw ups on theirs as well (and their wedding was fairly simple without a reception).

 

The resort itself also made a bunch of room mistakes upon arrival, which was ridiculous since we booked in June 2010, and we found that the service was not nearly as good as anywhere else we have stayed in Mexico (in the past 7 years we've traveled to Mexico 8 times and have never had any complaints... most of our travels have been to PV as well). This is the first 5 star resort we've stayed at, mostly we've stayed at 4 - 4.5 star places and one 3.5 star and they have all provided much better service and friendlier staff.

 

The only thing we found better about this resort over any of the others was that the food, drinks, and desserts were consistently great (however the food, etc at other places has been descent), but the standard rooms and resort grounds are not the nicest we've seen and the resort is situated so close to a busy road that rooms in the old tower that are closer to the middle of the resort are super noisy.

 

We stayed our first night in a balcony room at the corner of the old tower and then upgraded to the new tower (the bathrooms in the old tower also need serious attention...ours the 1st night was not 5* quality that's for sure... the 3.5 * place we stayed had better ones) and the older rooms were mediocre for what you pay. Also, the patchwork on the ceilings and walls in the older rooms are super shotty. Getting a reasonable upgrade took a while as we were quoted $100 for non Jacuzzi rooms and $200 for Jacuzzi rooms at first, then the next day told $190 / night for a Jacuzzi room and that there were no non Jacuzzi rooms left, then literally minutes later we spoke to another person at the front desk who gave us a non Jacuzzi room for $70 / night (when there apparently were none left....). The new tower rooms are nice (however the standard rooms at the last resort we stayed, which was a 4.5 star, were just as nice with no upgrade required). The beds and pillows are very comfortable and the view from the new tower is amazing (and the bathrooms were much better).

 

Another bizarre thing at this resort is that in the spa messages were given by the opposite sex (no option given) and if you want a real couples message make sure you request outside (we just assumed it was all outside since we're in the tropics)... there are many message beds outside, but we weren't given an option then when we went to our couples message it was inside and consisted of me in one room, my husband in another and just a man door at our feet open between us. My husband's sister also went for a message and got felt up by the man messaging her.  Another couple we were with went for a couple’s message and when she was getting out of the shower in the spa one of the male masseuses walked by as the male masseuses walk around the woman's area where they are showering, changing, etc. On the man's side the women masseuses walk around as well. When my husband was drying off after a shower, a female masseuse walked in with more towels... very, very unprofessional!

 

Also, staff seem to come nightly to prepare your room romantically (I guess... we had this service as did another couple we were with, but not sure about everyone else). Nothing special, they just turn on the TV and pull the sheets back on your bed for the most part (kinda creepy unless you know they are coming). One night, the other couple we know were given this service were walked in on when they were in the middle of an "intimate event". They complained to the general manager at the resort (about a few things) who basically just brushed them off. The man in this couple spends a lot of time in Mexico as he owns a place in Mazatlan and family has a place just north of PV and we was baffled at the service, etc. They also just finished coming from a 3.5 star place in PV that they were at before attending our wedding and said the service they had their was fantastic (especially compared to this place).

 

We will not go back to the Dreams Puerto Vallarta as we felt there was just too many mess ups during our stay all around and that the service was not up to par compared to other places we've stayed (some people were downright unfriendly... service in the buffet is particularly terrible). We normally spend a ton on tipping during our stays, but this time actually saved as we didn't feel it was warranted (the service in the al-a-carts was fairly consistently good however and the servers at our wedding reception and beach bonfire were good as well... but that was the major highlights as far as service is concerned).

 

We see that this resort gets rave reviews, but not sure why. Maybe it's that lots of other people don't travel as often as we do (we have traveled elsewhere then Mexico as well the past 7 years we've been together) or that people aren't leaving reviews when they are negative or maybe it was just the luck of the draw, but everyone in our group said they would not visit Dreams PV again. This place was so disorganized and backwards and honestly not the nicest grounds either (the beach was fairly descent for weddings, but other places we've stayed have had much nicer grounds, pools, and locations...not right off a busy road... and likely have nice spots to get married as well). We'd maybe stay at another Dreams resort (mostly for the food...I love my food), but if we do and they run in the same disorganized fashion with more bad service then good we won't stay at any others again period. Maybe the resort is getting numb to the needs of couples getting married since they hold SO many a year, along with the service staff to guests period....?

 

A few of us also had issues with our safes and patio doors locking. We were locked out of our safe a couple times and had to wait for security to come open and others didn’t have access to a safe all week. We didn't even see a lock on our patio in the new tower and some in the old had flimsy locks that didn’t work... even if you're off the ground it still makes you feel safer to have your doors lock!

 

Our tip for those getting married...If there are things that don't go as planned, and there is usually something but in our case there were many that like I said were inexcusable on WC's part, just try to stay calm, have someone in your wedding party or another person deal with it, and then discuss the issues with the WC (and her boss) the next day and if there are major screw-ups don't be afraid to ask for a refund! The resort needs to know if their WC isn't doing her job properly and they should take it seriously since they held 250 weddings in 2010 and are aiming for 300 in 2011....big business for them that they don't want to lose.

 

All in all it was a beautiful and fun wedding… it was what we and those that were with us made of it. The photographer included in our wedding package from Adventure Photos took great photos (ours was Chris) and was a pleasure to work with. Everyone had a great time and said it was the best wedding they've been to (the mistakes weren't noticeable to the guests, just those of us that knew how things should have been). The discount we received definitely made it sit better with us as we would still be upset if the resort had not tried to compensate. Please don't be afraid to discuss any issues with the resort.

 

We are not fussy people and this is the first negative review we've left on a resort!

 

 

Here is a detailed list of issues (added after initial review above so apologize for redundancies that may exist).

 

No one thing is detrimental, but it's the fact that there were so many little things that they added up... I'll start at the beginning.

Since the new WC started I corresponded with her on many occasions on how we'd like the day to go and she confirmed that there was no issues with our schedule. I sent her sample images of how we would like the cake to be decorated (very simple) and the type of flowers we'd like. Everything from the program, to seating arrangement, meal plan, location, flowers, cake, etc, etc where laid out in great detail and given to her a few times via email AND a couple days before the wedding when we met with her in person. We also gave her a list of each decoration we had brought from home and where they were suppose to be place. She even commended us on how organized we were and that our wedding would be a breeze. Then...
 

• we had brought a beautiful guest book and pen with us and asked (in writing) for the pen to be at the table where we would have to sign the marriage documentation then later moved to the location of the guest book. When at the alter the pen was nowhere to be found and instead we are signing with a cheap Bic pen in our photos (wasn't too upset about this at the time until the other issues piled up)
   
• then once we walked back down the isle we were to have a champagne toast at that sight right after, well the champagne was no where to be found and we all hung around for about 15 minutes waiting. Our guests then went over to where the cocktail hour was to occur while we at least waited for the photographer who was suppose to be there after the toast at the same sight to take our photos.
   
• We hung around for about 20 minutes for the photographer who had disappeared when the very nice young lady who did the ceremony translation went off to find her. As it turns out the champagne was being served (without us) at the gazebo where the cocktail hour was to be an hour after the ceremony and the photographer had gone there as well (this however was not the photographer's fault as the WC had not relayed the details to her)
   
• The photographer finally came back and took our photos, then we went to the gazebo (a half hour later then we were suppose to arrive) for the champagne that was long being served.
   
• Just before heading to the gazebo we saw that the adult pool was being drained (I guess they drain some of the water periodically) right through the middle of our reception area that was already set up. There was literally a pool under where my husband and I were to be sitting and this then went under the cake table and to the dance floor. This was apparently a mistake on the maintenance person's part, but the next day I saw them draining it again and so I ask why then are receptions set up at the Seaside beach right in front of the adult pool where this occurs daily from the looks of it. They had to rush to lift the tables etc up then fill it with more sand and smooth it all out. In the end it was cleaned up, but still a stress on our part and completely ridiculous place to put a reception to begin with.
   
• Then we had our wedding party photos taken as planned after cocktail hour (earlier photo session was just bride & groom), but after about 15 min the WC interrupted to say that dinner was going to be served. Not only with the other delays were we behind (judge had also shown up 30 min late, but this wasn't the WC's fault... oh and the officiate for the ceremony showed up in a plaid shirt and jeans.....), but dinner was ready EARLY... again dinner service was clearly laid out as to when it was to occur (don't care so much if late, but shouldn't be early when other things are planned).
   
• We continued with photos as they are more important then the food, but then when we were all going to sit down for the reception the MC's mic was not operational so we (husband & I) had to stand around before being announced at dinner.
   
• Also upon arrival at the dinner there was one place setting and chair missing for a guest, which again was all very clearly laid out in a detailed diagram of the seating plan, and also delayed us entering the reception area as the MC didn't want to announce us while a guest were still standing around waiting for a place setting.
   
• The first course was served right away, however, was now cold since it was ready ahead of schedule, then there was a LONG delay before the subsequent courses were served (at least they were hot however)... the MC had to continue with the events while we were still eating to fit everything in so he didn't get to have his dessert, etc since the receptions have to be done by 10:30...ours however was extended 15 min to make up for a small portion of time missed above...we were initially told we could stay till 11pm, but then the music was shut down at 10:45 so didn't want to just stand around.
   
• When it came to the desserts, there was only suppose to be 4 mousse and the rest crepes, but we were served mostly all mousse and just a few crepes (which I wasn't upset about as I know kitchens can make mistakes so this was the least of our worries, but just another thing....)
   
• The cake arrived and although lovely, was not at all like we had asked, but we didn't bother saying anything then since it was already complete and we were running behind time wise. At least they managed to put the cake topper on the top of the cake
   
• To top it off, shortly after the ceremony while taking photos my bouquet started falling apart. Every time I moved my hand a little too fast or slanted the bouquet downwards a bunch of flowers would fall out...the photographer was even getting annoyed as she kept stopping to help us put it back together... and this went on all day.

 

There may have been one or two other things, but this is the bulk of it. During the wedding our groomsmen dealt with the WC on the issues so as to not stress us out, but we told the WC we'd be seeing her the next day to discuss.

So... the next day we went to see the WC to express our concerns. There were a couple things above that where not her fault (bouquet, pool draining, dessert mix up), but we felt that many of the rest were.
 

• Pen:  She looked at my list and admitted she missed the pen
   
• Champagne toast:  WC proceeded to tell us the day after the wedding that they typically serve the champagne during cocktail hour...we were really annoyed by this as if for some reason we couldn't have it at the ceremony sight before cocktail hour, why on earth did she say it was fine to begin with and never said anything the multiple times we gave her a program that clearly stated when and where we wanted the champagne toast.....?????
   
• Pool draining:  Blamed on maintenance....but we asked why they put receptions where the pool is drained regardless (when it could go elsewhere) and never got a real answer. She said it got cleaned up before the reception and didn't seem to care about the fact that it put stress and worry on us.
   
• Dinner ready early:  Asked why ready early when we gave her clear times for dinner to start (again multiple times) and never had an answer, basically just a shrug of the shoulders  (she probably didn't relay clearly to the kichen, like the cake mentioned below)
   
• Mic & sound-system not ready:  Said that water from pool shorted something out. They did however have time to sort out, but left it till the dinner was to start...
   
• Place setting missing:  Had no answer
   
• Delay between courses:  Again had no answer or blamed kitchen...can't recall now
   
• Telling us we could extend till 11pm, but cut off at 10:45:  Admitted she wasn't clear that the music had to be done by 10:45, but we could hang around till 11pm
   
• Desserts:  Blamed on kitchen
   
• Cake:  I asked if she gave the photos we provided her on multiple occasions to the chef and she said she had not, but said she explained to the chef how we wanted it decorated. I then proceeded to ask her if she was aware of something called a language barrier...we are in a country who's first language is Spanish and in the kitchens English isn't a high priority. She is not from Mexico and doesn't speak much Spanish at all, but we figured she would be great at there wouldn't be language barrier between her and us at least since her first language is English (however I can speak some Spanish so really didn't worry about that too much). I couldn't believe she didn't just provide the chef with the photo to make sure all was correct. How hard would that have been?
   
• Bouquet: No answer
   

To start Louise (the WC) said they would only compensate us for the dessert screw up ($150) and gave us a little extra time on the reception and bonfire we were hosting the next night. We were not satisfied with that and after meeting with the WC's manager and providing the manager with all the details we provided the WC before the wedding we were give a discount of about 35% off our entire wedding bill, which we were satisfied with and made up for some of the mistakes. If they hadn't done this we would still be choked. When I brought the manager the bouquet (and flowers that had fallen out between the time I went back to the room to bring down for her and handing over) I tipped it over on her desk to prove how the flowers kept falling out and sure enough half the bouquet fell apart right in front of the manager, WC, and WC's assistant.

 

If the issues were just a couple of above we wouldn't have complained so much as we really aren't super fussy people normally, but all these things really added up and so many were very avoidable had the WC paid attention to the details she was given in black & white... many times over.

Then there were the others issues with rooms, service, spa, etc. Other people we were with had someone of the opposite sex message them as well (and we went different days) and as I said before one was felt up by the male masseuse.

The biggest things we disliked about the older tower was:
 

• bath tub:  grouting around tub was peeling and some mold was present, bathtub looked stained, and drain plugged (could be fixed obviously, but a huge turn off when the tub seems kinda icky). Now admittedly my husband and I are a bit of clean freaks and mold stuff and grungy washrooms really make us cringe, not everyone will feel the same. We did check out some of our guests rooms and some bathrooms where better than others, but some where just like ours.
   
• ceiling and walls: there was patch work on walls and ceiling that was not done very professionally and was just not what we'd expect in 5 star (especially when having stayed in slightly lower star places that were WAY nicer).
   
• smell: found our room at least to have a musty smell
   
• location: we were given a balcony room that faced towards the inside of the resort (ocean view, but near middle) and all you could hear when opening balcony was road noise since the highway is right there. Guests near the Oceana end of the tower were woken early (around 7-8) by noise from the restaurant or kids club (not sure which)
   
• Safes: a guest or two had safes that did not work and in our room in the new tower we got locked out a couple times and had to wait for security to come fix
   
• Balcony doors: some balcony doors in old tower did not lock (when high up not really a big deal, but still makes you feel safer) and in our room in new tower I didn't even see a lock
   
• The beds and pillows were very comfortable and the sunscreen they leave for you smells really nice. The room service included was nice as well.
  
   

Service:
 

• Service at this resort was definitely under par compared to other places we've stayed in Mexico (have visited Mexico 8 times in last 7 years)
   
• Buffet was particularly bad. One example was a guest of ours at breakfast asked the waiter for orange juice and was told that it was "over there" and refused to bring it over. I have never seen this before, they always want to serve you for the tip and the friend this happened to owns a place in Mexico (Mazatlan) and parents own a place just north of PV so he spends a ton of time there and is very accoustomed to typical Mexican service, which is usually phenominal. At other times they just seemed to ignore us and we had to chase them down for coffee and water. We realize that a buffet is mostly serve yourself, but elsewhere they are always wanting to wait on you hand and foot for tips and we have always tipped generously (except this time after a couple days of crappy service). If they don't want to serve you at all then leave the coffee and water accessible so we can serve ourselves and then just clear and set tables, don't ask if anyone would like anything.
   
• There was the odd friendly person, but I would say good service was hard to come by (and all our guests agreed)
   

I realize this resort gets rave reviews and I'm not sure if it's that lots of other people don't travel as often as we do (we have traveled elsewhere then Mexico as well the past 7 years we've been together) or that people aren't leaving reviews when they are negative or maybe it was just the luck of the draw, but everyone in our group said they would not visit Dreams PV again. This place was so disorganized and backwards and honestly not the nicest grounds either (the beach was fairly descent for weddings, but other places we've stayed have had much nicer grounds, pools, and locations...not right off a busy road). The only thing we felt was the best at this resort over other places we've traveled was the food, drinks, and desserts were consistently great, which is why we'd stay at other Dreams resorts (I love my food), but not this one again (but if we do and they run in the same disorganized fashion with more bad service then good we won't stay at any others again period). Maybe the resort is getting numb to the needs of couples getting married since they hold SO many a year (??), along with the service staff to guests period....?

If you are getting married at Dreams PV we definitely recommend hiring an outside coordinator (if the same WC is there when you are married) as like I said in an earlier post the couple married later the same day as us had issues as well (they didn't have as extensive of day as we did, but still had issues).

The week was still great as we made it that way, issues aside we still had a beautiful fun wedding, and the best part of the wedding was the photographer who took great pics (Chris from Adventure Photos) and we do recommend her.

Resort chains we would recommend are Palladium and Barcelo as we've always enjoyed our stays at these resorts with zero complaints!

Hope this helps future couples and visitors...