The good, the bad and the ugly

We stayed at Dreams Tulum from June 3–10, 2026 while attending a destination wedding. Overall, we still managed to enjoy parts of our vacation, but a series of significant issues affected our stay and prevented it from meeting the standard we expected. I want to start with the positives. The grounds are beautiful, the food was generally excellent, and the staff were consistently friendly, professional, and genuinely helpful. The shows were entertaining, and staff throughout the property, from [... read more] the servers and bartenders to guest services, did their best to help whenever problems arose. I would especially like to recognize Alejandra, the Privilege Club Manager. Throughout our stay, she was exceptional. She consistently treated us with professionalism, empathy, and genuine care, and she went above and beyond in her efforts to address the many issues we encountered. While many of the problems were beyond her control, she worked tirelessly to find solutions, communicate updates, and make our stay as enjoyable as possible. She was one of the highlights of our experience and deserves recognition. Unfortunately, our stay was affected by a number of significant issues. Upon arrival, we experienced a lengthy delay receiving our room. Others in our travel group received their rooms before us, and even some guests who arrived on later flights appeared to be checked in before we were. Once we got into our room, we were pleased with it. It was spacious, clean, comfortable, and well located. However, several days into our stay, renovation work began a few rooms away. The smell from paint, solvents, or cleaning products was overwhelming and caused headaches and migraines, particularly at night. After enduring it for several days, we requested a room change. The resort agreed to move us and even upgraded our room, which we appreciated. Unfortunately, the move itself became another source of frustration. We were attending a wedding and needed a place to get ready for the rehearsal dinner. We were told we could move our belongings into the new room, but that the room would not be ready for use until later. Hours passed, yet when we returned there appeared to have been little progress. When we finally gained access to the new room, we discovered that the air conditioning was not functioning properly. While air was blowing, the room remained humid and stayed around 23–24°C. Staff worked hard to find us another room for the night, and we ended up moving again late in the evening. Unfortunately, the replacement room had the same issue. By that point, we were exhausted and simply tried to sleep through it. The next morning, we returned to our assigned room and found the ceiling in the entry area completely removed while maintenance staff worked on the air-conditioning system. There was water throughout the area, a drainage tube hanging into the toilet, and moisture on many of our belongings stored nearby. Nothing was permanently damaged, but it was uncomfortable finding our clothing and personal items damp and not knowing exactly where the water had come from. This all occurred on the day of the wedding. We were assured the room would be cleaned before we returned to get ready. However, when we came back later, the work area was still dirty and unfinished. While preparing for the wedding, housekeeping arrived and had to clean around us. It was not an ideal situation when trying to get ready for an important event. Another frustration involved the charitable room-access bracelets we had purchased. Following the room changes, the bracelets no longer worked properly in the new room. When we asked for the money to be returned, the request was refused. Given that the bracelets no longer worked because we were moved due to issues with the room, this felt unreasonable. The ongoing renovations throughout the resort were also far more disruptive than we had been led to believe. Prior to our trip, we were contacted by TripCentral and advised that renovations would be taking place during our stay. We specifically inquired about the expected impact and were told it would be minimal and that we would only be affected by the first phase of the project. Unfortunately, that was not our experience. Large portions of the resort were unavailable during our stay. Roughly half of the restaurants were closed, several cafés and food venues were closed, and many amenities were either unavailable or operating on reduced schedules. The online schedules and resort information showing which restaurants and amenities were open were frequently inaccurate, making it difficult to plan meals and activities. We often found ourselves calling guest services daily to confirm what was actually operating. The construction noise and disruption were impossible to ignore. Directly behind our room, workers spent days using jackhammers, and throughout the property there were ongoing sounds associated with the renovation work. The resort attempted to mask some of the noise with amplified music, but this often resulted in competing sounds rather than a quieter environment. In addition to the noise, there were persistent construction-related odours throughout parts of the property. Combined with the room issues we experienced, it became difficult to find a place on the resort that felt quiet, comfortable, and unaffected by the ongoing work. Had the extent of the disruption been communicated accurately before our trip, we would have adjusted our expectations or reconsidered our travel plans. The heavy sargassum situation also affected the vacation. We understand this is not the resort’s fault, but it made the beach largely unusable during our stay. The smell was awful and noticeable throughout much of the property. We tried to swim through an area that appeared to have been cleared, but the lifeguard stopped us, so ocean swimming was effectively not an option. As a result, we were largely limited to the pools. Unfortunately, the pool water was quite warm and there was very little shade available around the pool areas. Combined with the inability to use the beach, it often felt like there was nowhere to comfortably escape the heat during the hottest parts of the day. We ultimately found ourselves leaving the resort to visit cenotes and other off-site attractions in order to cool off and enjoy the water. Another concerning issue happened at the buffet. One evening, there was a station presented as al pastor, complete with a vertical spit and a small charcoal setup intended to create the appearance and aroma of traditional preparation. However, the rotisserie itself was never operating. Instead, raw pork was being sliced directly from the spit and cooked on a flat-top grill. While waiting in line, I observed the same utensil being used to handle raw pork and then being placed back in contact with the cooked meat. When I raised the concern with the staff, I was told it was not a problem and that this was how it was done. Regardless of the explanation, it was concerning from a food-safety perspective and made me uncomfortable eating from that station. Given that a significant number of guests in our wedding group later experienced gastrointestinal illness, this interaction stood out in my mind. While I cannot say whether the two were related, it did raise concerns about food-handling practices at the resort. Finally, many members of our wedding group became ill during the trip. Approximately 50 guests attended the wedding, and a significant number experienced gastrointestinal illness, including several members of our family. While I personally did not become sick, the number of people affected was concerning. Another disappointment was the upgraded package we originally purchased. We specifically paid extra for the upgraded experience and amenities. In practice, however, we found very little value in the upgrade. The private beach area was largely unusable due to the sargassum conditions, and the private breakfast area did not offer enough of a difference to justify the additional cost. Compounding this issue, many guests appeared to receive complimentary upgrades as a result of the construction and room disruptions occurring throughout the resort. As a result, what we had paid extra for no longer felt exclusive or meaningfully different from the experience many other guests were receiving. Given the circumstances, the upgraded package provided little to no added value during our stay. One final example that reflected our overall experience occurred on the day of our departure. The day before we left, we received two separate calls from the resort checking in on our stay and asking whether we would like assistance with our luggage for our early morning departure. On both occasions, we accepted and confirmed that a bellhop would come to our room at 5:15 a.m. to assist with our bags. We had no issue handling our own luggage if necessary, but after confirming the arrangement twice, we expected the service to be provided. We waited at the scheduled time, but no one arrived. Ultimately, we carried our own luggage to the front lobby. The staff at the front desk apologized, which we appreciated, but it was another example of a commitment being made and not followed through on. Despite these issues, we still managed to enjoy parts of our vacation because of the excellent staff, beautiful grounds, good food overall, and the opportunity to celebrate with family and friends. However, the repeated room problems, construction impacts, air-conditioning failures, closed restaurants and cafés, beach conditions, food-safety concerns, reduced value of the upgraded package, and disruptions surrounding important wedding events fell well below the standard we expected. Dreams Tulum has the potential to be an excellent resort, and I suspect it will be much better once the renovations are complete. However, based on our experience during this stay, the resort was not operating at the level guests were paying for. We paid for a full resort experience but stayed at a property that was partially under construction, partially closed, and repeatedly unable to deliver on basic expectations. While we appreciate the efforts made by the staff, especially Alejandra, we do feel that additional compensation would be appropriate given the extent of the disruptions we experienced.

Lovely Resort

The hotel was very clean, staff were extremely friendly, restaurants when open were amazing, but being off season and under renovation the choices were limited. Everything is close together, no getting lost on the grounds. The spa was fantastic, as was the preferred breakfast club. Overall, I would rate 9/10 and definitely recommend

A little disappointing!

Regarding the Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa, there were good features and some not so good features. This resort is older and unfortunately it needs quite a bit of maintenance to upgrade it. Tiles are broken throughout the resort. Pools are stained yellow. Rooms are old designs. Water pressure in bathrooms very low. The good points are the restaurants. Buffet was good although not large enough to accommodate everyone for lunch when it rains. Choice of food was great! Only went to one of t [... read more]he à la carte restaurants which was very good. And I heard very good comments from other guests regarding some of the others. Staff mostly were great! Drinks very good depending on the bar. Pools were cold due to weather being on the colder side this year. My husband and I chose to upgrade our room due to the lack of niceness or newness to our room which was very pricey! Because of upgrade, we were Preferred guests which really didn’t give much. We were able to use a preferred beach section which didn’t even have a nice section of beach. Beach was very rocky! Also we were able to go to one of the à la carte restaurants for a catered breakfast. All in all, this resort was not 4 star or higher and pricey.

Absolutely Amazing

Loved everything about this resort. Clean,clean,clean Amazing food ,drinks and people! Will definitely return!! Love Tulum Love Mexico the weather was amazing Very nice Clean resort!!!! Rented scooters from Hecor Tulum tours!

First time in Mexico

What a great resort. The staff were extra friendly and entertainment was great. Food was amazing. Very clean and manicured property. Beds were extra comfy…..definitely a thumbs up for the bed confines! Definitely recommend this resort!

Clean, quiet and great service.

The rooms were clean and our concierge (Laura) was amazing. The restaurants were good and the preferred beach staff were excellent!! The preferred lounge staff were friendly and always catered to the guests.

Jim Oneill-Wonderful person and agent who saved our bachelor party

Jim Oneill from TripCentral was amazing and deserves recognition for his great work. He helped me save a 7-person bachelor party trip that was jeopardized after a bad interaction with another travel agency. I contacted him with our goals for the trip and he immediately helped us and provided a trip package within the same day (on a Sunday!). Since it was the weekend, we had everything booked by the following day and everything went smoothly from there. Jim checked on us and provided all the  [... read more]info we requested on short notice. His rate was the best rate I found across numerous agencies. Thank you Jim!

Best Vacation and Wedding Ever

Fabulous holiday - 10 Days - Wedding group of 30 Family and Friends! The Wedding info and advice at the end! Everyone in our group of Canadians loved this resort! 04/20-30/2024 No complaints! Everyone agreed it was beautiful and so was the beach! The people that work there are so friendly, and at your service! They all seem to love to be there! The food is off and on good. Never had a bad meal, but I do agree they could do better! I certainly did not starve, between room service - Omele [... read more]tte, Club sandwich, Quesadillas, Guacamole and chips, Cheeseburger and Fries, etc. Restaurant - La Patio - Mexican - loved the Bario Tacos, and the Steak fajitas. Restaurant - Teppanyaki - Japanese - People loved the Sweet and Sour dish, I loved the Beef Wok! Restaurant - Portifino - Italian - We thought the Lasagna and NY steak were lovely Restaurant - Bordeaux - our table didn't like anything, even the chicken tasted like fish, but our family at the next table served 1 hour later, and we arrived the same time, they loved their same meals. The Steak and Lobster Tail Romantic beach dinner was lovely and Jose made it very special. It’s $350usd plus $50usd for an extra Lobster tail. 4 lovely courses, champagne etc. We were glad we did it! The Tour that includes 4 tours in one, everyone that went said it was awesome! Including ATVing and see Monkeys, Zip Line, Cenotes - Cave snorkelling, and then 2 hot, but interesting hours, at Tulum! Best advice - pay the extra $25usd for ATV insurance. The best part everyone agreed was the snorkeling in the caves - Cenotes! We did a 6 hour Deep Sea Fishing trip from Cancun, so 90 minute drive there and back! They said $150usd p/person, but then plus taxi, plus local taxes it worked out to @ $300 p/person, but that’s still cheap for the expierience. Take Gravol, as the waves are high, and the Diesel from the boat can be stinky! They catch the bait first, which was just as interesting, and that could have been the trip! We were lucky we caught 2 Trophy size Barracudas, over 50pounds, &56 inches! One person out of six was sick, so really make sure you are seaworthy! The pool games are fun and loud at 12p to about 3p. If your room is the building beside the pool it can be very noisy, but we didn’t mind. At night it can be noisy too, as it’s beside the most popular bar - Sugar Reef Bar. Again, we didn't mind as it always finished right at 11:00pm The Cocoa Cafe is lovely and the Preferred lobby and check-in is there too! PREFERRED, was worth it to us, as we are older and have bad knees, so we could ask for anything and it was done for us. We felt like Rock stars, as my husband says! Everyone is friendly and very accommodating. Jonathan, the Preferred Concierge is Awesome, and so is Angel, the manager of Preferred! Their co-worker Angeles, and bartender Edwin were very friendly and helpful. Light healthy snacks are offered in the Preferred lounge. We will return to Jonathan and Angel - as well as Salvador on the Preferred Beach any day - WE LOVED IT!! If you have trouble getting around, you would want to stay on the Preferred side of the resort, as they can get their golf carts down that side. The Preferred beach is quieter, but the entrance to the ocean and the ocean floor are more difficult with rocks and shells. However, the Cabanas at $80usd per day were very nice, and more a treat for a day, as you get Preferred drinks and food and service. FYI - I was afraid I would be very hot in general in Mexico, and that the humidity would ruin my holiday - I was very apprehensive! But the constant breeze from the ocean made a huge difference! Just stay close to the pools or ocean to stay cooler. We will be back for sure! I was a travel agent for 36 years, and this is, in my opinion, a well maintained, friendly, beautiful, organized, safe place to consider for a holiday! Nothing is perfect, but all the positives here, out weigh any negatives! My understanding is that Hyatt acquired Dreams, and they have a plan to make it, and keep it at a higher standard. I think that’s why there were some negatives reviews, they may have been caught in the changeover! Enjoy! ? WEDDING - we had Victoria as the Planner and she is unbelievably awesome! So organized and it’s like breathing to her. My DIL was very anxious, but Victoria made everything so easy, that my DIL was very calm! The wedding on the beach was gorgeous! I can’t imagine not doing it on the beach, as you are here anyways! The 4pm ceremony was perfect! The reception was on the Sunset Terrace, which was beyond beautiful! Perfection is all I can think of for this Holiday and Wedding at DREAMS TULUM!!!!! ! Best wishes! ??

Amazing resort certainly

For me and Alek it was perfect The service was 100% It’s just that we din’t get the room until 16:30 ich ? And when we arrived they seamed to be all mixt up They where mixing name and bag. After that we got are room it start to be ok ?? And it’s far from the Airport

Stayed at a better resort

It's an older hotel, but it was clean, grounds was well taken care of. Pool was boring with elevator music, until the entertainment had a game going. Then back to boring music. Buffet food was Mediocre. Beach was terrible so many rocks bring water shoes. Entertainment at night was amazing.

Mediocre

Nice hotel, clean but service wasn't great, they were not very accommodating, pool was boring, and buffet food was not great. A couple of the resturants were ok. Overall no bad but not great............

Dreams Tulum

The hotel grounds were beautiful. Buffet 7/10. Entertainment 8/10 great musicians and not your standard cheesy stage performances. Beach a 6/10 seaweed was bad. 9/10 room service. Cleaning lady 9/10. Wouldn’t go back because of the restaurant food.

Great Place to Stay

My wife and I loved this resort. The staff is very friendly. The food was great. The rooms were clean. The remote setting in the jungle near the water is great for those who love nature. The beach is very nice. Not enough palapas however for all the guests, and unless you like to bask directly in the sun, you have to make sure you get up first thing in the morning to reserve a place. I found sometime the social activities were a bit distracting, there should be a dedicated area for those who [... read more] like it quiet. But overall, I would recommend this place as a nice place to stay.

A Wonderful But Rocky Resort,

Everything at this little paradise was excellent. I dont like huge complexes and this was just perfect, updated but still holds the old charm with a hint of luxury. The food, the service, the night show, the animators. The Best! It does get crowded on the beach for finding chairs but the most inconvenience were the rocks in the water. Even with water shoes you have to brace in order not to fall. We saw many who did and also one who got injured. So..perfect if you are a pool swimmer and not a sea [... read more] creature, thus low rating for me. Viva Dreams.

Great resort for those who like nature

We love almost everything about Dreams Tulum: isolated location, long beaches, environment, amenities, facilities and service. Close to Tulum and Sian Kaan nature reservation. Lush jungle around. Entertaiment was not bad too.

Great Resort

We had a beautiful suite with a great view of the garden. Bed was super comfy. The spa and gym were good. The beach was well kept. Staff were very attentive. There was some maintenance that needs to be done but nothing major. Close to a lot of excursions. I would go back

Great Resort

Really well kept grounds and very pretty The room was spacious and clean Pools were good. Beach was quite crowded and not very big Staff was delightful , friendly and very hard working. They probably needed a few extra staff members in all the restaurants considering the number of guests Excursions were surprisingly expensive

Wonderful experience!!

We loved everything about this hotel!! The food was fantastic the staff wonderful everything was " a pleasure". The rooms were clean and well stocked. The grounds were beautiful many trees and flowering plants, and the sounds of the birds , so enjoyable!!!

Very Nice resort

Travelling as a couple, no kids. Well kept very clean resort. Great for families. Excellent service everywhere we went, little to no wait at any of the restaurants we went to. However, a big drawback for us was that the beach was very rocky. Getting in and out of the water was not an easy stroll in and out as there were long stretches of rocks that were a couple of feet drop or step up. Definitely need water shoes! Also for us, the alcohol choices were limited. Most of the mixed drinks all tas [... read more]ted the same with that super sweet sugary taste. But overall, this is a beautiful resort.

Dreams? Ugh! More like nightmare

I was so excited to be going to this resort. It looked spectacular in the pictures and I liked the fact that it was a smaller resort. We flew with Sunwing; That was our first mistake. When we finally arrived at the resort we were hot, tired and hungry. (I travelled with my 5 year old alone) Shocker!!!!! No reservations on file. I showed them all my paperwork, receipts, bookings and they couldn't care less. It was awful. We sat for almost 3 hours waiting for a rep from Sunwing to call and confirm [... read more] the reservation; even though I had the paper proof in my hand!!! The Sunwing rep was awful; she just kept saying 'give them your credit card and pay for it and we will sort it out later....ummmm I already paid nearly $4000 for this trip so NO! I felt bullied as they wouldn't give any other solution other than pay again and pray that it works out. At this point my son and I were both crying so I finally gave in and gave them my credit card. Room was nice but not what I had booked; food was ok; beach was full of seaweed and you couldn't swim there. You couldn't get a lounge chair; it was a free for all! No limit for towels so people were taking huge amounts and getting loungers at the beach and at both sides of the pool. It was ridiculous!!! You could see people running out around 5am grabbing chairs and towels. I sat on the concrete at the pool all week; that was not a 5 star experience. I wouldn't go back to this hotel nor would I recommend it to a friend. And if "Dreams" thinks its ok to treat their guests that way; I will never stay at any of their resorts.