We just returned from our wedding and honeymoon. We stayed at Dreams April 5-11 and had 40 guests stay there as well. We had our wedding at Le Kliff.  Overall, we were very happy with Dreams as a resort. We would return and recommend it to anyone. We would not, however, recommend Dreams for anyone planning a wedding.  This will be a fairly long review, but hopefully it will be helpful.

Arrival and check-in

            Our arrival started a bit rocky when my husband discovered he left his suit in the cab! Luckily, the concierge at Dreams was very helpful and called the cab company right away and the suit was returned very quickly.

            We checked in at the preferred club tower. We were assigned a room on the 2^nd floor.  We were a bit disappointed, only because the balcony did not offer any privacy – we were right above the preferred pool and in clear view of anyone.  We were thrilled with the room, however! The bathroom was huge with a Jacuzzi, separate toilet and shower, and double sinks vanity.  The bed was the most comfortable we have ever slept in.  The waves were very loud, which we loved! There was tons of storage, between the shelves in the bathroom and the large armoire.  Also, the AC was very strong and worked well.

Wedding Issues

            We started our wedding process in June of 2010. We began the process with Rebecca.  We paid our deposit of $500 in July 2010.  Throughout the planning process, we went through 3 wedding coordinators, which we found very stressful.  Mostly, however, it was a smooth process.  Near the end of planning, in I think Feb 2011, problems began.  At this time, we decided to hire an outside WC, Mar Weddings, to assist with the day of only. We did not feel that Dreams would pull it all off smoothly.  Louise was not honoring prices we were given at the time of deposit.  The increases were up to 50% on some items! We were very unhappy. We also started hearing bad reviews from other brides. So, with about 1.5 months to go, we changed our venue to Le Kliff! We were assured by Louise and Esman that our deposit would be credited to the room on arrival and could be used towards anything we charged.

            After hearing that 2 of our guests arrived 2 hrs after us and received a room 2 floors above us (same category), we decided to speak to reception about moving to a higher floor. The room we had, which did not have a Jacuzzi on the balcony, was located floors 1-5.  We were told we could upgrade to a higher floor, which had a Jacuzzi on the balcony. We decided we would use some of our deposit to upgrade. Well, this was the big issue. They had NO RECORD of any deposit. The receptionist called Esman, who I spoke with, and he stated he had no record of any deposit. I luckily printed emails regarding the deposit – this was not good enough. So we then began 3 hrs of trying to get a bank statement to PROVE we payed 8 months prior! We eventually had to call our bank who was very helpful. By the time we got confirmation from our bank, we were told the manager who could authorize this was not at work anymore. So after over 3 hrs of stress, we could not do anything anyways. I was in tears at this point. Not a great start to our trip.

            The next morning, we met again with reception and with Esman. We showed them both the statements from the bank. After calling a manager, we finally were credited with the $500. Esman told us that Louise had misplaced all of our files and it was not his fault; I told him that was not our problem and we did not appreciate being treated in this manner when we brought 40 people to Dreams. I also let him know that this was exactly why we canceled our wedding and I had never been so glad we did. Since an apology was never offered, I asked for one, which finally, we received. We also basically demanded an upgrade and we got one on the 8^th floor. This may not sound as stressful as it was, but it truly ruined our first day.

            Apparently, Esman was left with quite a mess when Louise left. We found this out later from speaking to other staff members.  Esman did try to help, but he can only do so much.  I think that Dreams is trying to be a premiere wedding destination, but it does not offer enough staff to handle the demands. We felt like just another number.

Dreams Tower

            This is the “old tower” where all of our guests stayed. Everyone was very happy with the rooms. They were very clean and breezy. Every room has an ocean view. The rooms with no balcony were lovely and no one missed having one. One thing that was strange was the randomness that rooms seemed to be assigned. It appeared that the earlier a guest arrived, the lower the floor they received. This did not make sense to us, since most people want a higher floor with a better view. When anyone inquired about moving to a higher floor (same category), they were told none were available, just to have another person from our party arrive shortly after and receive a higher floor. Not a huge deal, but strange.  If anyone is concerned about the old tower, don’t be. We had guests who have traveled all over the world – they had no complaints at all!

Food and Drinks

            I myself have been to over 12 all inclusive resorts; the food at Dreams was the best, hands down! I was so impressed with everything I ate! Oceana was my favorite.  The lunch buffet was awesome too! Fresh cooked tortillas, sushi, pasta to order, fresh fish, fruit, and much more! I enjoyed seaside grille as well. We did not make it to Portofino.

            We did have to wait a few times. Once, 50 minutes, which was ok since there is always a bar close by; you also are given a pager when you wait.

            Room service was sooo good! We ordered tons of food and it was always fast and hot. I swear, the burger was one of the best I have ever had!

            Drinks were good. They had higher shelf brands, like Jack Daniels and Absolute. No, absolute is not very high end, but for AI, it worked. They also had flavored vodka which I appreciated.  The martinis at the lobby bar were way to strong – we could not even drink them.

Pool and Beach

            There are three pools, but we only hung out at the main pool. I was concerned about getting loungers together, but we never had a problem. I did not notice any chair holding either. We would not get to the pool until 9 most days and we never had issues. The pool waiters were great! We made sure to make friends with one the first day and he came around often every day after. We did tip, but we felt they all deserved it.

            The only issue at the main pool was that that area is used for the nightly entertainment. So, ever day around 3 pm, employees would start clearing the area and we would be forced from the pool loungers.  I understand why they have to do it, but it really did ruin our fun on a few days. We did complain to management; apparently many other people did too. The last 3 days, they held the entertainment on the beach, so it was not a big problem.

            The beach was wonderful! Private, clean, and breezy. We did hang out there most afternoons. There was waiter service until about 5pm. Very few vendors and the ones that were on the beach were friendly and unobtrusive.

Bonfire

            We held a bonfire on Friday night after the Mexican Fiesta. Esman did set up four tables at the fiesta for us all to sit together. The Fiesta had great food. The bonfire was wonderful! We had smores and chocolate and cookies. We had one waiter and he was great. The only issue we had was keeping it private. Quite a few people wandered over and started taking smores and sitting in the chairs set up.  We felt bad, but we did ask them to leave since it was a private event. One couple told us that they had asked at the bar near the bonfire if they could come to it and were told “yes.” We spoke with the bartender at this point, but it did not stop. We did allow any kids to come and get a smore (I mean we are not totally heartless!) but were a bit annoyed that there was not a better system set up to keep it more private.

Spa

            All of my bridesmaids and myself, plus the two moms, got their hair and makeup done. We all loved it! They do fake eyelashes now, so you do not have to bring your own. It is included in the price of makeup.  Speaking of price, bring any emails you have proving the price you were quoted. They first tried to charge us prices quite a bit higher than we were quoted. Luckily, I had the email, so it was fixed.

Service

            After the snafu with the deposit, we were just thrilled with the resort overall. Everyone was friendly and bent over backwards to make your stay wonderful! We did not experience any rudeness anywhere.  All of our guests told us it was the best vacation they had ever had. For many, it was their first experience to Mexico, and I really think they will be spoiled from now on! A few people in our group have traveled all over the world, staying in very high-end properties. We were more worried about their experience, since they had something to compare to. We did not need to worry! They all said this was their favorite all inclusive and they would come back again.

Summary

            Overall, I would tell anyone that they should visit Dreams for a vacation. I cannot, however, recommend it for weddings. We did meet quite a few other couples who said they had many problems with Esman. Again, I do not think it is Esman’s fault. I think he really tries. I know they do about 250 weddings a year, so the WC is very busy. But when it my wedding, I want to feel special and not just another number. If you are getting married here, bring documentation of EVERYTHING! I brought a lot of emails, but not the actual bank statement confirming that our deposit was payed. I don’t think you could ever bring enough.