Dreams Playa Mujeres Review: A Complete Recap Of Our Stay

In this article, we’ll share our tell-all Dreams Playa Mujeres review!

Dreams Playa Mujeres Golf and Spa Resort is a popular all-inclusive resort in Playa Mujeres, Mexico. We spent 7 nights there in February 2019.

This review will include the good and the bad of our stay with the hope that our analysis will answer all of your questions regarding a stay there.

As you know, tropical vacations are a big investment in money and time. For this reason, it is well worth reading the reviews of others who have previously visited a property that you’re interested in.

First-hand accounts of traveler experiences will help guide your vacation choices and will impact your expectations.

Look no further for an honest Dreams Playa Mujeres review and the best tips for your visit!

*All of the opinions expressed in this review are my own. This is not a paid post nor was our stay hosted, endorsed, or sponsored by the resort brand.

Dreams Playa Mujeres Review: Our Travel Party

Our Dreams Playa Mujeres Review comes from the perspective of our multi-generational travel party.

Our group consisted of 8 adults and 8 children, one of whom has gluten-free dietary needs.

In other words, we had a wide range of interests and ages to appease in order to make this vacation a success.

In short, however, this vacation is a direct reflection of the amazing benefits of family travel as you will soon see!

Dreams Playa Mujeres Review: What Matters To Us In A Resort

Because we all have different priorities when we imagine the perfect family vacation, I’ll disclose what is important to us.

The traits that we look for in a tropical vacation destination are warm temperatures, a nice beach, and plenty of kids’ activities. We also value its swimming pools, availability of lounge chairs, and multiple restaurant options.

The things of lesser importance to us are exquisite cuisine, high adrenaline shore excursions, and over-the-top room amenities.

Dreams Playa Mujeres all-inclusive isn’t the first kid-friendly all-inclusive resort that we’ve visited as a family. In fact, it is our sixth all-inclusive that we’ve visited overall.

For this reason, I feel confident in sharing this review as we do have experiences off of which to compare our stay.

Related post: Ocean Riviera Paradise Resort Review

We picked Dreams Playa Mujeres for its assortment of all-inclusive and multi-generational activities and amenities.

Our primary goal was to get a chance to relax together as a family in an atmosphere that was comfortable and fun for all 16 of us.

Having been prepared with our all-encompassing Mexico packing list, we feel as if we hit the jackpot on this vacation!

Dreams offered a high level of luxury while remaining incredibly family-friendly.

Location of Dreams Playa Mujeres

The closest major airport to fly into for your visit to Dreams Playa Mujeres is in Cancun, Mexico. There are direct flights to Cancun requiring international travel with kids from Minneapolis, Atlanta, Boston, Phoenix, New York, and most other major cities.

From there, the city of Playa Mujeres, Mexico, is a 35-minute drive via shuttle from the Cancun International Airport. Likewise, it is only a 10- minute drive from Cancun’s city center and the amazing activities in Cancun, to the resort itself.

Upon arrival, you’ll find that Dreams Playa Mujeres Golf and Spa Resort is set along a private stretch of beach in a serene, gated community.

Because of this exclusivity, my family and I always felt safe at this resort. Although, I do suggest that you still consult these Mexico travel tips sometime before your trip.

There were no beach peddlers, and no public traffic let through to the grounds. It was just us, the other guests, and the amazingly attentive Dreams staff.

Rooms at Dreams

The resort is laid out in a horseshoe shape that meets up directly with the Caribbean Sea. There are 8 different guest buildings containing a total of 502 suites.

Each suite has either a pool, garden, or ocean view. Some guest suites have access to a private terrace and whirlpool or pool.

Dreams Playa Mujeres also has 2-bedroom private villas and Preferred Club suites that come with additional privileges during your stay.

We stayed in a Preferred Club Oceanview Suite that had 2 queen beds and a pull-out sofa. It comfortably slept our family of 5.

Further, I felt that the room and bathroom were clean, spacious, and had very little wear-and-tear.

Prior to our arrival, we had requested that our travel party’s rooms were located in close proximity to one another. Our request was granted and the resort even surprised us in that 3 of our guest rooms had an adjoining terrace between one another.

Talk about accommodating!

Preferred Club

We absolutely loved that our group had upgraded to the Preferred Club and consider this to be a major perk of our stay.

The upgraded mini-bar, bath amenities, pillows, and cocktails were delightful, as was the private check-in and check-out.

Side note: If you stay in the Preferred Club, request to stay in Building #6 as we did. Building #6 is home to the Preferred Club Lounge.

The Preferred Club lounge offers continental breakfast, afternoon hors d’oeuvers, and complimentary computer access. There was also a large TV that was always had a big game on.

Dreams Playa Mujeres Review: The “Good”

Amenities

As I outlined above, there are so many activities and amenities to choose from at Dreams Playa Mujeres.

You can pick and choose what to do on each day, and there is a little something to do for everyone.

Some of our favorite amenities at Dreams Playa Mujeres include:

• All-inclusive food and drinks. No dishing out cash to kids or keeping track of expenses while trying to ‘vacation’.
• Complimentary access to adult-only Secrets Playa Mujeres next-door. Enjoy an adult-only dinner or afternoon by the pool; our guys headed to the sports bar there one night to catch a game
• Complimentary transportation and green fees at the adjoining Playa Mujeres Golf Course. Our guys are all golfers and loved this amenity and its close proximity to Dreams.
• A dolphin habitat on-site is available for Dreams and Secrets guests to visit. Even if you do not want to pay the extra cash for the dolphin experience, they are still fun to watch from the sidelines.
• An ice cream parlor and coffee shop that is open from sun up until sundown. This was a highlight for the kids and adults alike!

Beach

The Dreams Playa Mujeres beach is gorgeous and well-tended to.

Not only is the beach private, but is it wide and the sand is white and powdery soft.

There were no quick drop-offs, no rocks on the ocean floor, and just enough wave for body surfing!

Another bonus is that there are plenty of comfortable lounge chairs, some with tables and umbrellas.

You don’t have to worry about getting to the beach at 8 AM to reserve a chair. Instead, use these ultimate beach bag tips and head on down for some fun in the sun at any time!

Beware: To note is that the ocean did have a moderate amount of seaweed floating in it on some days more than others. Once washed ashore, it was quickly cleaned up by resort staff, however.

The shore was equipped with volleyball and soccer nets, as well as two beach bars where you can pick up drinks and towels.

Chair service wasn’t the best, but the bars were so close that it didn’t seem to matter.

Additional planning tip: Don’t forget to bring along these awesome beach cup holders to keep next to your beach chair!

Use them to keep the outside of your ice-cold beverage free of sand, or to place your cell phone or loose snacks into!

Having traveled in a group, we used the different colors to help keep track of who’s cup was who’s. They are super handy!

Pools and Waterpark

There are 3 levels of swimming pools, including 2 infinity pools with views of the ocean. Each pool has its own swim-up bar.

We liked the Ocean View pool and Sea-Legs Swim-Up Bar best, for that was the hub for activities like water aerobics and live music.

If you are trying to escape for awhile, the Upper-Level pool near the Mermaid Swim-Up Bar was a more quiet and relaxing place to go.

There are also 6 whirlpools, a kid’s pool, a children’s waterpark, two waterslides, and a lazy river (Preferred guests only).

The waterpark is conveniently located close to restrooms and has plenty of chairs for families and large groups.

Guests get up as early as 7 AM to start saving chairs by the pool. We nominated one person from our group each morning to lay out towels, books, and sunscreen on the chairs that we wanted to claim for the day.

Additional planning tip: Pool rafts are welcome in the pools and can be brought from home or purchased in the gift shop.

Explorer’s Club and Core Zone

Drop off children ages 3-12 at Explorer’s Club where they will be professionally supervised. While there, they can enjoy interactive adventures and activities while you enjoy some kid-free downtime.

Teenagers ages 13-17 can come and go as they please to the Core Zone Teen’s Club. The Core Zone includes ping pong, air hockey, an X-box lounge, basketball court, climbing wall, and nightly activities.

Additional planning tip: The Core Zone is open daily from 10 AM-12 PM for children of all ages who are accompanied by an adult.

Our kids loved going here each morning of our stay as they were not old enough to visit it otherwise.

Gluten-Free Options at Dreams

We had let the resort know ahead of time that one of the members of our travel party needed a completely gluten-free menu.

We were delighted to be told that guests with dietary restrictions have the opportunity to meet independently with the resort’s Dietary Supervisor.

The Dietary Supervisor went over the basic offerings at the resort that are naturally gluten-free, i.e. the tortilla chips. She also gave us the instructions that upon arrival to any restaurant, including the buffet, the gluten-free guest was to meet with the kitchen manager.

Gluten-free offerings are made and prepared separately, and are never put out in the general buffet area to risk cross-contamination.

Likewise, all questions regarding ingredients go right to the kitchen manager, and never to the general waitstaff.

According to my 10-year-old niece, the gluten-free food at Dreams was “Great! I especially loved the waffles!”. She was very pleased with her always-fresh and independently made options (and never once got a tummy ache!)

Buildings

Another thing that I really liked about Dreams Playa Mujeres is that there are no high-rise buildings. Avoiding high towers given the resort a much more laid back and relaxing feel.

Though the resort is somewhat spread out, things are actually closer than they seem.

The time spent walking from building to building was minimal yet the close proximity of things never left the resort feeling crowded.

*Be ultra prepared for your Mexico getaway! Click the following image to get your FREE family vacation packing list that is both customizable and printable!

Vibe

I absolutely loved the overall atmosphere at Dreams Playa Mujeres!

All of the guests appeared to be having a genuinely good time, and therefore, were happy, laid back, and friendly.

Though it is all-inclusive and alcoholic drinks are included, I did not get the sense that people were there to get overly intoxicated. Not once did I see a stumbling drunk or hear inappropriate language…it was very family-friendly in that way.

Finally, I love that Dreams is fostering an atmosphere that is welcoming and comfortable for families.

This is the main reason that we would return to Dreams Playa Mujeres as it truly felt like an extension of ‘home’!

Proximity to Isla Mujeres

It is very popular for guests staying in Playa Mujeres or anywhere in the Cancun area to take a day trip via ferry to the adjacent island of Isla Mujeres.

This gorgeous Mexican island is known for its white coral beaches, scuba diving, and sea turtle sanctuary. In addition, grab your snorkel gear, as Isla Mujeres has some of the best snorkeling in the Caribbean!

Read all about a day of exciting family fun on Isla Mujeres and you most likely be convinced that this is a place you won’t want to miss!

Additional planning tip: Check out Mia Reef if you are looking for a more remote and private accommodation to experience the island of Isla Mujeres.

Dreams Playa Mujeres Review: The ‘Not-So-Good’

Food

Let me preface by saying that although the food at Dreams Playa Mujeres wasn’t categorically bad, it also wasn’t categorically excellent.

There are ten dining experiences available, all with a different ambiance, dress code, and cuisine.

Dreams feature six à la carte restaurants, a buffet, a grill, a fast-casual eatery and a café with an ice cream parlor.

Our favorite restaurant was Maris, the fresh seafood restaurant, and Fusion, the Japanese hibachi. Our least favorite restaurant was Gaucho Grill. We found the Brazillian style served meats to be too undercooked for our liking.

There was not one lunch or dinner menu that included a simple piece of pizza. The wood-fired pizza parlor was one of our favorite things about our stay at Ocean Riviera Paradise and we definitely missed this dining option at Dreams.

Housekeeping

This time that our room was cleaned varied immensely from day to day. Sometimes the room would be cleaned early in the morning. Other times, it would just be getting cleaned as we were returning back to get ready for dinner.

Another thing that was inconsistent was the re-stocking of our room’s mini- fridge. Sometime it would be stocked each day, and sometimes they would forget to re-stock water or some other item that was missing.

It’s safe to say that we never really knew what we were going to come ‘home’ to after spending the day at the beach and pool.

Side note: Once we contacted housekeeping to let them know what we were missing, or what hadn’t been done, it would get taken care of right away.

This was much appreciated, however, it seemed odd that we needed to provide the reminders.

Schedule of Activities

Though there was an in-room I-pad that was supposed to have shown the resort’s daily activity schedule, we found it very hard to navigate.

We frequently found ourselves wondering what was going on each day, and where various activities were being held.

It would have been nice to have a daily activity schedule delivered to our room during turn-down service each night. If we wanted a portable copy of the schedule, we had to walk to the front desk each morning and ask them to print us a copy.

Water sports

Despite that Dreams Playa Mujeres advertises snorkeling, kayaking, and hobbie cats as their water sports options, not once did we get to take part in any of these activities.

Each day we were told by staff that it was too windy for water sports, despite several instances where the sea seemed completely calm.

Evening Entertainment

The theater performances did not begin until 9:00 PM each night despite that this is a resort that caters to families with young children. This got to be very late for our group.

Further, there was little to do in the gap of time between dinner, and waiting for the performance to begin.

Dreams Playa Mujeres Review: Who Is It Good For?

• Multi-generational Families: Lots to do for people of all ages; the resort is small enough for older people to not have to walk a long way.

• Groups: Plenty of lounge chairs for large groups to hang out together; restaurant seating and staff were very accommodating to groups.

• Families with Babies and Young Children: Explorer’s Club for childcare during the day and a great kids pool and water park area.

• Families with Tweens and Teens: Free WiFii with good connection, and an awesome Teen Zone with X-boxes and nightly activities.

Who is it not good for?

• Singles: May feel overwhelmed by all of the families and larger groups.

• Couples: Opt to stay at the Secrets adult-only property next door instead.

• Foodies: Nothing spectacular about the culinary scene at Dreams Playa Mujeres.

• Budget Travelers: Prices are higher than other family all-inclusive resorts, especially during peak travel times.

Tips For Visiting Dreams Playa Mujeres

• Don’t forget to pack using these family packing tips and essential travel products to help make your vacation a breeze!
• Make it a point to get to know the Entertainment Team members. They will remember you and your kids’ names throughout your stay and go out of their way to ensure that you have fun.
• Dreams Playa Mujeres partners with Amstar Transportation.  Though their vehicles are not the cleanliest, it was nice having a representative desk in the resort lobby for booking and verifying rides in person.
• If you want to enjoy the hibachi dining experience start standing in line outside of Fusion at 3 PM on the day that you want to dine.  Reservations are hard to come by and it is first-come, first-serve.
• Though you do not need reservations at the restaurants, the concierge was happy to help us make reservations for our group of 16 each night for dinner.
• You will need a passport to travel to Dreams Playa Mujeres in Mexico. Read these important international travel tips for families.

Dreams Playa Mujeres Review: Conclusion

Dreams Playa Mujeres Golf & Spa Resort is a resort that we would absolutely visit again!

I would recommend that your family considers Dreams as your next family vacation destination just as I would recommend it to my own family and friends.

We loved the cleanliness of the property, the plentiful kid’s activities, gorgeous and spacious beach, and family-friendly atmosphere.

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Does Dreams Playa Mujeres sound like a place that you and your family might like to visit? Let us know by commenting below! -Jen

*Before leaving, be sure to check our Travel Resources Page to find exclusive travel discounts and to book hotels, rental cars, and guided tours.*

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