Dreams Punta Cana, Dreams Palm Beach or Dreams La Romana

We are planning our wedding for November of 2014, and I am starting to pick resorts. I love all 3 of the Dreams resorts in the Dominican but cannot decide which of the 3 is the best, I have read numerous reviews and forum threads but still cannot pick one over the others! Of the people who have travelled there or have decided against them, which do you prefer and why? Please help

it depends on what you want.

i am having the same dilemma.

for us it is important to have a really top notch beach, so automatically i took off the option of dreams Punta Cana, i read review that the beach was not so nice. La Romana has a decent beach and Palm beach has an amazing beach.

also, depends what you want for the reception and ceremony. i think all 3 resorts have great options but depends on your taste.

i think the service and quality are great at all dreams resorts, no bad reviews in those areas so your guests will be happy with any of these choices.

What a great question! I haven't been to the La Romana Dreams, but have lots to say about Dreams Palm Beach & Dreams Punta Cana - our  own wedding was at PB and we've since photographed many weddings at both. Here I go! 

BEACH: 

PB: white sand beach lined with palm trees. beautiful! downside - sometimes there's a lot of seaweed. due to the slight current, there can be more seaweed than at other beaches in punta cana. also, i wouldn't recommend having your reception on the beach because it gets really windy! 

dreams palm beach, afternoon...

dreams palm beach, sunset...

dreams palm beach, sunrise...

dreams palm beach ceremony...

PC: golden sand beach. although it's not pure white, it's still absolutely stunning and no less impressive. it feels less busy and more expansive. personally, i really love it! the sunsets there are absolutely incredible.

FOOD & SERVICE:

PB: the food here is a bit better than at PC. Rob & I had our wedding week here last year and everything was amazing. The a la carte restaurants are great and you don't to make reservations, first come first serve. the french & italian restaurants are our fave!

PC: great food, but slightly less options. the buffet is a bit weaker than PB, but still great! 

* wedding food at both resorts is satisfactory. if you've followed our blog, you know we're big fans of Jellyfish... so if I were to compare, I'd say the food is very average. it's usually a regular buffet and especially if the wedding is outdoors, you can tell it was prepared hours ago. Stick with simple dishes and don't expect anything extraordinary so that you won't be disappointed! 

* the service is fantastic at both resorts, above average compared to most other resorts in Punta Cana! 

PREFERRED CLUB:

* as bride & groom, you will likely be upgraded automatically at no charge. free internet in your room + a la carte lunch are most definitely worth it! each resort has a lunch restaurant by the beach where the food is much better than the buffet. with your room number, you'll be able to invite a few friends at a time to eat with you. you'll have a separate check-in and slightly better treatment  

ROOMS:

PB: fabulous rooms. all of them. i'm especially in love with a channel on tv that plays the 'Ashes & Snow' exhibition on repeat. it's so beautiful! if there's availability, you might get upgraded to a one-bedroom suite. it's always great to ask! 

PC: I like the rooms here even better. so much light, fun colours, and many more suites have jacuzzis on the balconies. you can't go wrong! 

GAZEBOS:

PB: it's nice (again, I'm biting my tongue because of Jellyfish). what bugs me most are the chairs they use. I know these are standard wedding chairs, but they are just so tacky in my opinion... also, it gets incredibly hot. there's no breeze like there is on the beach - just something to consider!

Oh! And Dreams Palm Beach has what we call a 'secret gazebo'... It's on the other side of the World Buffet building and is our favourite place to do the First Look. 

PC: I personally like this gazebo much more than the one at PB. It's big enough that the bride & groom can stand inside; nicer for pictures as well as shade. The garden setting is stunning. You be the judge! Both are really lovely. 

RECEPTION OPTIONS:

PB: if you have your reception dinner early enough in the night, it's nice to have it on the beach. remember that the sun sets earlier than in Canada / US. once the sun is down, it can get unpleasant on the beach... chilly and windy. A poolside reception is nice, that's what we've photographed most - but it's really not as private as I would've liked. Still, it's absolutely beautiful and more shielded from wind. 

PC: the wedding reception options here are, in my opinion, better than at PB. the venues are private and gorgeous. the only problem - in case of rain, you're moved to a conference room... 

And later at night... 

Restaurant Terrace... So classy, private, shielded from the wind - perfect! 

LOCATION:

Dreams Palm Beach is in an area called Cabeza de Toro, about 20 minutes from the airport and about 20 minutes from Jellyfish Restaurant, for those of you who are considering having your actual wedding there. Dreams Punta Cana is about an hour away from the airport and about 45 minutes from Jellyfish, in an area called Uvero Alto. Make sure your guests know there difference so that they don't book the wrong one! The two resorts are about 45 minutes apart

LAYOUT:

Both resorts are laid out extremely well and feel both spacious and intimate at the same time. You can walk anywhere within 10 minutes or so. Dreams Punta Cana has one long uniquely shaped pool separating the two sides of the resort with wooden bridges in between. Dreams Palm Beach has main pools and a preferred club pool. 

PC: This resort has peacocks and flamingoes walking around freely and PB doesn't. The lobby at PC is so visually stunning, especially towards midday. 

dreams punta cana peacocks... 

dreams punta cana lobby... 

Dreams change their 'outside vendor' policy all the time At the moment, I believe it's $150 per vendor (which is very reasonable!!) Sometimes our couples simply book us a room instead (which is sometimes a little cheaper), which is easier especially if you want one of our famous Sunrise Rock the Dress sessions the next day! 

Let's see, a couple more things worth mentioning about the resort... 

- you don't need bracelets, which is awesome! 

- you don't need to make reservations for a la carte restaurants 

- $25 room service per bottle of champagne (we had a really big bill for this, hehe) but all other room service is free

- you don't need towel cards, also great... 

PHEW!! Gosh, this post is taking me way longer to put together, but I really hope it will be useful to you ladies!! If you have any questions, I'm here for you!! 

THIS is a link to the confessions from our own Dreams Palm Beach / Jellyfish wedding, hope you enjoy it! Feel free to share this info and the link in other places on the forum!! I'm here for you )) 

Hugs from sunny Punta Cana, 
Katya. 

P.S. All the photos above came from many different weddings which you can find by browsing our blog here: katyanovablog.com

 @AlionaB2 thanks for your opinion, we are going for simplicity. I also agree the beach is important as we are planning for a beach wedding! Im sure all the resorts are great, just hard picking only one!!

@KatyaNova Thanks soo much for the detailed comparison and photos! it helps.. and also makes it hard as they both look so beautiful! Would you pick one over the other when travelling with children? We will have at least 5 children under the age of 6 (3 of which will be under 2)! On the website, some restaurants restrict kids at PC but not the same ones at PB! Also, would a poolside reception be possible at PB with so many little children? That's where I'd like it if I went there! So many decisions... 

Thanks again though, big help

Jackie

Originally Posted by jacks32 

 

 @AlionaB2 thanks for your opinion, we are going for simplicity. I also agree the beach is important as we are planning for a beach wedding! Im sure all the resorts are great, just hard picking only one!!

 

@KatyaNova Thanks soo much for the detailed comparison and photos! it helps.. and also makes it hard as they both look so beautiful! Would you pick one over the other when travelling with children? We will have at least 5 children under the age of 6 (3 of which will be under 2)! On the website, some restaurants restrict kids at PC but not the same ones at PB! Also, would a poolside reception be possible at PB with so many little children? That's where I'd like it if I went there! So many decisions... 

 

Thanks again though, big help

 

Jackie

So happy to help, Jackie! 

Both resorts are absolutely child-friendly Your reception venue choices shouldn't be affected by the fact that there are kids... since obviously adults are going to be expected to take care of them. Whatever you choose, you'll have a whole area designated for your wedding, so it won't affect other dining guests. I remember seeing kids everywhere at both resorts - you'll have lots of dining options to accommodate everyone! 

Dreams Punta Cana looks gorgeous!

Awesome post thank you!!!!!

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