JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Amazing Family Trip

We had a great time at the Dreams Las Mareas with our 4 kids ranging age 9 to 15. Food was exceptional, rooms were comfortable and the grounds were well maintained. We booked a trip to Costa Rica for the excursions, and although they were a bit of a drive away from the resort they were well worth it. We plan to return in the future and would highly recommend this resor.t

Dreams Playa Mujeres Golf and Spa: looks great and promising, but they transferred us (voluntarily) to Dreams Tulum

Dreams Playa Mujeres looks great, but we didn't get to stay there, we were voluntarily transferred to Dreams Tulum, which we enjoyed, the icing on the cake was their offer of a free 7-day stay for going to Tulum

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Dreams @ Christmas

My husband and I are well traveled and have been to a lot of all inclusive resorts in Jamaica, D.R, Mexico and Costa Rica. This was our first family vacation outside North America with our 2 sons who are 5 & 6. I hope others can find this review helpful as we spent a lot of time researching and reading reviews as to where we should take out first trip. Overall we are happy with our choice to go to the Dreams Las Mareas in Costa Rica. It was our second vacation to C.R. Here are so pros a [... read more]nd cons about our trip. Bus Ride - 1.5 hrs sucks to be on the bus in the heat. The guides are nice though. The roads are bumpy and narrow. Like others posted the gravel part is extremely hard on the stomach and those prone to motion sickness should take some ginger. Grounds - Beautiful, Lush, Green, and well maintained. It was the start of the dry season so everything was colorful and beautiful. Costa Rica is a beautiful country. Pools - More than you can swim in. The resort was rather busy because we visited during the break but there was always a chair and room to play. The water was clean but always had fallen leaves and debris. Unfortunately for the grounds keepers its a constant battle because of all the surrounding trees. Cannot fault them on this. They make a good effort to keep it clean. Wildlife - We saw monkeys, iguanas (big one named coco), lots of colorful birds, and raccoons (who dump garbage cans over and eat room service plates). We went kayaking and saw 1000 puffer fish in the bay. It was crazy how many there were. We also saw baby stingrays about 15 feet from the shore at the beach. The kids found the hermit crabs to be interesting at both far ends of the beach. Rooms - Always clean and well kept. Refrigerator was always stocked. Like other people said it is a little weird that the bathroom has a class door only. The room is just one big suite. Not too much privacy except for a curtain you can pull. Another family thought it was awkward with boys who were 10 and 12 sharing a room with their mom and dad. But the beds were comfortable and linens were clean. The balconies are nice to sit out on in the morning with a cup of coffee. The tub is nice to relax in as well outside. Beach - A perfect size. Its a private beach so you don't have hundreds of people walking past you everyday. There are a handful of vendors that are nice. They don't seem to have too much competition so they are not pushy. There are nice trees to sit under for shade when the sun gets really hot in the afternoon. We always had a chair. There is also someone who takes drink orders which is a lovely touch. Kids Club - The women who worked at the Explorers Club were amazing with our kids. Probably the employees that stood out the most for me. They were friendly, active, engaging, playful, genuine, and actually played with the kids. They were wonderful. I felt very secure leaving the kids in their hands. They have a locked gate that parents can drop off and retrieve their kids. Our kids went for 2 hrs almost everyday. They handed us a buzzer (like you would get at a restaurant when you wait for a table) and the kids buzzed us when they were ready to go. Beautiful. TIP - on the resort event schedule they had a part for the kids club. It has what the kids were doing every hour. So we picked what time the boys would go and they were happy to engage in the activity. Things like zumba, sandcastle building, water balloon fights, beach time, crafts, games on the wii... etc Restaurants/Food - We found the food to be average. I wish they would have had more authentic costa rican food. Breakfast buffet was always the same. So it got a little boring. The best things was the homemade crepes and waffles. And the evening buffet only opens at 6:30 in the evenings. Way to late for kids that need to be settled and in bed by 8. The restaurants opened at 6 or 6:30 but with a la carte dinning they took even longer. There were times when food would fly out of the kitchen and times we waited 45 min for a salad. It was really hit or miss. Sometimes we couldn't get a cup of coffee or water at breakfast. Other times the cups were never empty. The ordered room service 4 times and tried different things. It was always quick (20 or 30 min) but there were not too many options. A bonus was the coco cafe was always open. So you could always grab a quick snack from there and a coffee, juice, pop etc. Overall it was a wonderful first family trip. I would recommend others to visit here. I will say if it was just my husband and I traveling we would not go to Dreams Las Mareas as a couple. The resort definitely caters to families with children. There are a lot of kids here and a lot of noise that goes along with it. We would definitely choose an adults only. I hope these tips are helpful to those planning their vacations : )

Dreams Playa Bonita Panama: Great Resort BUT

Grounds: The grounds are amazing! Pools: The infinite pool is beautiful and the adult pool is very relaxing. The floats are a great perk! Food: The a la cartes restaurant are very good with the exception of the Italian restaurant. Bordeaux restaurant was our favourite. The room service didn't work very well at first as they never answered the phone. It worked very well once we called the front desk and they provided us with an extension number to call for room servic [... read more]e. Room Service staff are very nice and they try real hard to make you happy. The fridge was always replenished and there was no issue in obtaining bottles of water. The coffee cafe was really nice. Good capuchinos and lattes! Rooms: Rooms are very nice and the beds were very comfortable. We had problems getting towels on the 1st and last day of our holiday. Service: The staff go out of their way. The bartender is amazing! He is very attentive and brings you drinks constantly. I have never received such great service! The service at a la carte restaurants is also very good! Beach: Beach is very nice for walks but since it's on the pacific side, it can't compare to the beaches in Jamaica, Mexico and Cuba. Entertainment: If you are looking for night life, this resort is not for you. There was a karaoke night which was fun and entertainment during the evening but for a short period. The jungle walk that the resort offers is nice and worth doing. Now for the bad. We were eaten alive by sand flies. It was awful. We all swelled up with sores. We've have been back for two days now and we are still itchy. We met amazing people which made our vacation very enjoyable. I would not recommend this resort because of the bug bites. Our bodies are covered from head to toe. Staff were very nice and offered us extra repellent wipes but nothing seemed to help. We met a couple who vacationed at this resort in April and said that there were no bugs back in April ]. They were quite surprised to see the bites on everyone. I would have rated this resort a 4 star if it wasn't for the bug bites.

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Overall - ok

Overall we were a bit disappointed by the resort on this trip. It really all came down to the level of service. We went just before Christmas this year and there was literally no staff. The bars had 1 person making drinks - getting a morning coffee was super painful and getting your own was really not an option. The room fridge was rarely stocked and this resort claims great room service options...not the case at all. There were some positives - the pools were very nice and the grounds were b [... read more]eautiful. The food in the restaurants was really top notch as far as resorts go. The buffet however was a huge disappointment for breakfast and lunch. Our room was very nice and bed was fairly comfortable. The pool walk-out was also a nice feature. Overall - my family was MUCH happier at the RIU Palace in Costa Rica last year even though it was not as highly rated.

Dreams Dominicus La Romana: dreams dominicus resort and spa

It,s difficult to write about this hotel because it's not finished The personnal is very gentle. but we waited a long time to have our room the pool are large and the spa also It,s very clean 9( the room and the place)

Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana: Perfection

Hands down this resort is at the top of our list of favourites. The report is beautiful and we love the pool and swim up rooms. There was never a problem finding a lounge chair in the sun or shade, poolside or at the beach. The wait staff is a big reason why we would go back again, they were all very attentive and sociable. Thank you to Fransico (Benjamin Franklin) and Simon (Happy) you made our week. We especially enjoyed the fact that you didn't have to book reservation for dinner, you could [... read more] go every night when it was convenient for your schedule. Thank you to Larisa for arranging seating at the Japanese grill, that was a real treat. Larisa made sure that everything was perfect There were always pool and beach activities for all ages and the energetic staff were fantastic and entertaining The rooms could have update and maybe a dresser of luggage stand, but really we didn't spend much time there. Thank you Dreams for a wonderful vacation.

Dreams Playa Bonita Panama: Amazing resort

The grounds were beautiful. Excellent oceanfront views. Super clean pools. Food very good staff excellent. Top notch drinks. Excellent filet mignon. Great value. Would definitely stay here again. Close to canal. Lovely additions in rooms. Champagne on arrival. Lovely bathroom products and robes

Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana: Great Week

The grounds were amazing. From lush greenery, orchids, flamingos and peacocks walking throughout the resort as well as lots of palm trees and umbrellas of you wanted shade. Beach was very clean, although lots of wind that week so couldn't swim away far from shore. Meals were good with unlimited alacarte and no reservations required. Staff were very accommodating and service excellent. Rooms were a bit dated but basically only slept in the rooms so not a concern for us. Rate dit a 5 star and w [... read more]ould go back again.

Fiesta Americana Riviera Nayarit: I've had better Dreams......

I stayed at Dreams Villamagna Dec 15-22 with my husband and our 5 year old son. This is our 7th visit to a Dreams/Now property since our son was born. We are drawn to the family friendly nature the chain provides, and initially, that they are gated properties. Needless to say we are big fans thus repeat clients. However, we were disappointed with this stay. Property and Pools - Dreams has made us become accustomed to a grand lobby entrance. This was missing so the first impression was u [... read more]nderwhelming. Not a big deal but it got worse. The land is narrow and deep and the property itself is made up of 3 large buildings, 8 or 9 stories each. The building closest to the beach is a condo building of individually owned condo units. This building is perpendicular to the ocean, with a slight curvature to maximize the view. Running it's entire perpendicular length is 2 ajoining pools. The one fronting the ocean was not heated (my son coined in "the Canadian pool") thus very quiet. Huge disappointment. The attached or middle pool was warmer thus busier and kid friendly. The main pool was heated and the busiest. The activities led by the entertainment team occurred in this pool. The enteraiment team did a great job. Despite being called the "adult pool" it was filled with children. My son, learning to swim, could not touch the bottom in some areas but enjoyed the ledge than ran the length of the pool. We brought our own boogie boards though they are available from the activity/towel bar. This main pool was set farthest away from the beach and directly in front of the main 'ocean facing' hotel building. We stayed in this building and did have an ocean view but being set so far back on the property from the beach we could not hear the waves and while we could see the ocean, a pair of binoculars would have helped. We also could not hear the ocean. A big disappointment and unlike the other properties we have stayed at. The third building was behind ours and I believe only had views of the community. The Explorers Kids Club - despite its raving TripAdvisor reviews was not like the other Dreams/Now properties we have been to. It too was disappointing. The kids club was well secured and the caretakers seemed friendly. Our son only attended one day for just a few hours. He was content to play in the pool or on the beach for the majority of our stay. It is centrally located on the ground level corner unit of the condo building. Other properties had an expansive outdoor play area with play structure and sportcourt. Despite lacking those, the menu of activities was engaging. The Food - hmmm. Apart from the omelet station at breakfast, the buffet (World Cafe) was almost inedible. I am by no means a picky eater, in fact, I'll eat anything. I've been to over 30 countries and some of my favorite food is Asian street food so by no means do I have a trained, delicate palette. I expected far, far more/better. This was not a representation of the Dreams I know. The a la carte restaurants were very good. We did El Patio (Mexican) twice, Oceanu for lunch was nice. The attraction of the Barefoot Grill was in fact bare feet, and a wet bikini. It is attached to Oceanu and share the same kitchen. If you run into a nice server they will allow you to order off the Oceanu menu while sitting at the Barefoot Grill. This was a win. The rooftop lounge also serves sushi. Not so much a meal but a good appetizer. Sushi is definitely my thing (my son's too) and it's by far the best sushi we've had in Mexico. Mexican style containing cream cheese yet still good. We did not try the adult only Portofino. We also found the room service very good, and hot. The Coco Cafe was estetically unappealing in comparison to ones at other properties but served the same decent latte. The lime tarts are a must try. The Gym - next to Coco Cafe. Tiny for sure but had all the necessary barbells for girls who lift. There were some cardio machines too; all the usual I believe but not positive as I don't use them. The Towel Game - beach chairs on the beach need to be secured early. The chairs around the pool decks did not. This was a huge plus for this resort. It was never too busy that you couldn't find a good spot. The Beach - excellent, expansive. My son played for hours. A long walk on both directions is must. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed our time away from the minus 20 degree weather we left behind in Calgary. You really can’t go wrong with a week of fun in the sun. But if there are certain expectations you are hoping to have fulfilled that were present at other Dreams resorts, I'm afraid you will be disappointed. We will not be returning to Dreams Villamagna but will continue to book other properties in the chain as perhaps this was a one-off.

Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana: Fantastic

We have traveled to over 15 different all inclusive resorts and Dreams is the best! The food was outstanding the beds were comfortable and the grounds and pool immaculate. I would highly recommend Dreams Punta Cana.

Dreams Huatulco: Huatulco's beautiful and environmentally friendly resort

This trip was by far my best experience to date. The hotel is meticulously maintained and the staff are continuously cleaning or the gardeners and beach staff making sure everything is up to the highest of standards. I am very impressed this resort is very involved in ensuring they are doing their part for the environment, recycling plastics, their food waste along with preserving their wildlife with having natural landscapes left for them. There are 5 beautiful pools to choose from. If you are  [... read more]with little ones, there is a segregated area for families and if you prefer quiet, there is another pool for adults only. The beach and ocean front are simply beautiful and you can not go wrong with the weather being guaranteed to be super warm for 351 days out of the year apparently. The food selection is really good and you do not have to reserve a la carte restaurants and can go as often as you like. One note, the Oceania seafood restaurant is sub-par and truly isn't a seafood place as they even have steak on their menu. General buffet restaurant, Italian and Japanese are really good. If you get a chance to enjoy a Spanish coffee, it will be the best you have ever had. They also have a dedicated little coffee shop called Café Coco which has treats and basically a Williams or Starbucks making fresh drinks for you to your liking. The rooms are quite modern and tidy, even the beds were comfortable. The service at this resort is incredible and they will go out of their way to make sure you are taken care of. The nightlife in the Rendezvous bar area has entertainment every evening however; they should consider making more seating in a quieter area if people simply want to chat or play cards because the music did over power the entire area. The theatre also had nightly entertainment but was small and their volume for showcasing dancers could be turned down a notch. The one downfall of this place, is that you do have quite a few vendors approach you while on the beach trying to sell you anything from jewellery to blankets or hand-made crafts. It would be nice to have this policed more but if you tell them nicely "no gracious", they are not pushy. If you want to buy things I would recommend getting things from them and bring things like candies, t-shirts, flip-flops, hats to barter with and you will score a super deal! Overall, very friendly people, and the hotel establishment was very safe and enjoyable.

Dreams Huatulco: Nice place

Generally hotel was good clean and staff are excelent. Generally no waiting for drinks etc Only issue was quality of food, not very good! Overall weather is great, the people are very friendly. Flight with air canada nothing to talk about at least they didnt lose our luggaga

Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana: Good Resort

We liked the resort it was overall good...beach, room, food and day entertainment were great. Our family enjoyed staying at this hotel. However the night entertainment was poor and it needs to improve to attract more families.

Dreams Huatulco: Fantastic Resort

This was our second time staying at the Dreams Huatulco. Love everything about this resort. The weather is a guarantee. It was 30-35 everyday that we were there. We were treated very well by the Dreams staff. The room was spotless and cleaned up for us in the morning. Always had a new shampoo and shower gel, as well as a sunscreen. Never had to call down to get towels or refill the bar fridge. Also, no towel cards and no need to make reservations at the a la carte restaurants. Beach was be [... read more]autiful and the pools were fantastic. love this place. will be checking out the Secrets Huatulco as well.

JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort and Spa: Honeymoon dream come true!

Dreams la Mareas resort had everything to offer from AMAZING food to the biggest selection of pools ive ever seen. There was adult pools if you just wanted to relax in quiet or all ages pools where they offered a vast amount of activities. Every night, the resort offored live entertainment which was exceptional. I would definitly recommend this resort to couples and/or families. Theres something for everyone!

Dreams Dominicus La Romana: Dreams Dominicus, La Romana is the perfect sized resort !

This brand new resort is beautiful.... or should I say will be. Give them some more time and the resort will be done. Amazingly calm turquoise blue water & a bay you can walk for miles. The Dreams chain of resorts exceeds all expectations with their personalized friendly & helpful service. This was my fifth time to a Dreams Resort and the food is always great. With construction still underway with some rooms we were not given our Preferred Ocean view room. Instead we were given a swim up  [... read more]room which suited us just fine. [Nov 25 - Dec 2 2016 ~ theater & disco not open] All in all we will be back to this resort ~ but maybe in a couple of years when everything is completed and all the hiccups are ironed out.

Dreams Huatulco: Beautiful place, excellent hotel

Just came from Dreams Huatulco 2 days ago and already want to go back. The service was amazing, rooms very clean (maid service twice a day) and comfortable, the staff and local people are very friendly and welcoming. All in all, it was a problem-free vacation from start to finish. We had a very relaxing trip.

Dreams La Romana: Great time at Dreams La Romana

We had been to the Dreams La Romana in Nov 2015 also, so we knew what to expect. The resort is the perfect size for us. The service from all staff was terrific. We stayed 14 nights. Those staff with whom we dealt most learned our preferences and anticipated them. We stayed with the preferred club this time (as opposed to 2015) and in our minds, it was worth the upgrade. Food choices were good...we always found something. The Oceana made great tenderloin steak...perfect medium rare. We we [... read more]nt for couples massage, and it was very professional. The resort itself was clean. The washrooms everywhere were clean. Staff are always doing something...there is no idle time. The beach was private so there was no hard selling by people. Water was clear. The water was calm. The staff are what really sets this place apart. I would definitely return for a third time.

Wyndham Alltra Punta Cana: Dreams certainly lived up to their reputation!!

Beautiful and excellent resort with the best staff around --- typical of the Dreams resorts we have experienced so far. The one sprawling pool is really neat but could be a little of a downside if you are looking for a pool that is deeper than 3 feet. Definitely lots of quiet areas around the long, winding pool, however the activity area can get somewhat crowded and congested if that is where you choose to be. Food is fabulous at Dreams and Dreams Punta Cana certainly lived up to this rep [... read more]utation. And the staff ALL go above and beyond to engage guests and make them truly have a great time and be happy. It's a delight to go somewhere where there are actually too many staff to make shout-outs for!! :) We will definitely continue to have Dreams as our preferred chain to stay at when travelling to the Caribbean. A+ all the way!!!