Dreams Sapphire Resort & Spa reviews
14076 TripAdvisor reviews
Almost there
SluggishBear (New Jersey) on Oct 26, 2024
Dreams Sapphire turned out to be a great choice for my family of 4 vacation. I arrived on a Sunday with my 2 kids and my fiance. I'll make this review as short and informative as possible. THE GOOD: The rooms were spacious enough to be comfortable. The 4 of us shared a double bed room. I kinda wished I would have splurged a bit on a second room so that I could have had a king size, but that's my own fault for being cheap. The decor is modern enough to feel like it's not an old room. The shower door needed adjustment, so the water kept getting on the floor outside of the stall. Not a big deal. Natural stone style floors, comfy beds, nice balcony, and great air conditioning. The tv had enough channels for when we were lounging. All good in the room. The activities were enough to keep us entertained. The staff was super pleasant and always available to help. I asked for special requests here and there and they did all they could to make it happen. The resort is beach side, so it was easy to get to and super clean. Cleanliness wasn't an issue at all on the resort. Though there were a lot of people, they did a good job of keeping it maintained. The upsell attempts were there but not forced or pushy. I got pitched for an upsell of some sort 3 times. All were very light pushes and informative. As a career sales guy myself, I appreciated the attempts. I have to say, this place would be a 5 star must return trip for me if it wasn't for "the bad." THE BAD: Man o man ... I kept wanting to be satisfied, but the food is just not good. I mean, don't get me wrong, it's edible, and OK by some standards, but I'm a foody. I like to eat good, delicious food. Plate after underwhelming plate. At one point, I felt I had to say something and I got heard, yes'd, and they move on. Undercooked fish, overcooked steak, undercooked hard rice in the paella, a Mexican chorizo that was white washed (my 13 yr old daughter gave me that description) to the point it had no spice and little to no flavor, chicken masala that again, was bland and didn't have any type of spice. Not sure if there's little talent in the kitchen, or if they just keep it unseasoned to cater to the abundance of white folks that travel there. I know this sounds bad, but other folks I talked to would laugh, but agree. I don't know. The drinks were pretty generic as well. Not much excitement going there. I stuck to tequila shots and beer. My son loved the cancun blue. Pina coladas are pretty standard. There was no mixology going on. Conclusion ... I really liked the resort. Food and drinks need help to really call themselves a luxury resort.
Best Time Ever !!!
WISDOM M on Oct 24, 2024
I had an absolutely amazing time ! The activities instructors Regina and Julio were amazing, and so much fun ?? My family and I were well entertained by all the shows and games and we even got in a workout !! And the food top notch! Can’t wait to return!!
Amazing family holiday, more of a 4.5* but very accessible and disabled friendly!
Megan T on Oct 24, 2024
We’ve just arrived home from an incredible 11 days at the Dreams Sapphire. We travelled as a family (two adults and two young children ages 4 & 2). This is fairly long review as I’m a travel agent of nearly 10 years and I think some of the recent reviews are unfair and don’t do the hotel justice. I think it’s bordering on 5* but currently I’d comfortably rate it about 4.5* with only some marginal areas for improvement. Firstly, the staff are amazing and cannot do enough to help you. Everyone is so friendly and you’re always greeted with a smile followed by “hola family!” “Buenos días” etc but my personal favourite was when we arrived, we were greeted with “welcome home” and after a long day of travelling with young children it just instantly put me at ease. We always stay at Dreams/AMresorts (this is our first time since they’ve merged with Hyatt) and the only area for improvement here would be welcome drinks/ towels to freshen up on arrival. Every dreams/secrets we’ve stayed at has done this and it’s just something that gives the 5* touch. The rooms are really spacious although they are a little dated and do need some renovation. The first room we were in was a ground floor room in block 10, there was a leak for the first 2/3 days and we kept ringing reception to tell them it wasn’t safe for the children and it wasn’t fixed because the water kept reappearing so it couldn’t be the air con/toilet. To their credit, they were always very quick to send maintenance/housekeeping over to clean up/fix the issue but it wasn’t until my 2 year old slipped on the water from the leak and banged his head on the floor that they truly realised the danger it posed. They moved us to a new room in block 14 straight away and from there on we cannot fault the hotel. The rooms are cleaned to a really high standard, and the only ways to improve in terms of the accommodations would be little touches like robes and slippers already being in your room (this is normally a standard with dreams hotels and is the first time we’ve had to request them - not an issue just not quite 5*). The rooms could do with some renovating but housekeeping do such a good job of cleaning that you wouldn’t really notice unless you scrutinise everything. The food is amazing and absolutely loads to choose from. My kids loved the hotdogs/burgers from barefoot grill. There’s lots of restaurants and they’re all worth trying, the Japanese was incredible, we went around 3 times. Bluewater grill is amazing for both lunch and dinner and I just want to say the staff here are a credit to the hotel. Paola the hostess who greeted everyone (I think that was her name, apologies if I’m wrong!) is the loveliest person, my children always got so happy to see her. My son has allergies to milk and eggs and the staff at every restaurant were always so accommodating it was never an issue, but blue water grill went above and beyond. Archie brought my son’s food over separately and told us he had the chef prepare it especially and it was just so reassuring. David and Hector on the pool bar deserve a special shoutout. Those boys work so hard all day every day and they always serve with a smile and have a laugh with you. David makes the best strawberry daiquiris and he made plenty of alcohol free ones for my daughter who loved them. David really made us laugh too, we ordered an apple juice for my son which will now always be called a “baby whiskey” in our house thanks to him. No one at this hotel works harder than David and Hector, and they do remember your preferred drinks after a few days which is incredible. The entertainment is great and plenty of options going on all day and through to the night. The entertainment team are fantastic and are so good at getting everyone involved. I wish I could be back in that main pool at 3pm to play the crazy game!! The way they managed to draw in the attention of everyone in/around the pool was brilliant. We particularly loved the fire shows and the saxophonist in the evening. The kids splash park is brilliant although the hours are a little short. The notice board says it’s open from 12-4 but often people would be in there earlier. With young children having a tendency to be up earlier I think it would make sense to have the splash park open earlier at 9am (most families with kids were having breakfast at 7am and in the main pool for 9am so it makes sense for the splash park to open then). We booked the Matises&co day trip through Isabel as there was two days with quite rainy weather and we wanted to get out for a bit and have a change of scenery. It’s definitely worth doing, the handmade jewellery is beautiful, followed by the mariachi dancer at the tequila tasting and then 2.5 hours time to explore playa del carmen. We’ve been to PDC previously when we came to Mexico so it was nice to go back and have another stroll down 5th ave. One thing about this hotel that really stands out to me and puts it above others is how accessible it is and how disabled friendly it is. We travelled with a double buggy and had no issues whatsoever getting around. Our daughter has a disability and staff would always interact with her even if she didn’t interact back. David on the pool bar would remember that we’d order her a strawberry daiquiri and he always double checked it was definitely with no alcohol because he knew it was for her, Paola at blue water would always talk to her and ask if she’s having a good time even though she can’t answer and all staff would always smile at her. I noticed a few other families at the hotel with double buggies too (more than I’ve ever seen at a hotel), and there were other guests too with disabilities and you cannot fault the staff for how much they help accommodate or look after everyone. I was honestly blown away by it. If you’re a beach lover, this probably isn’t the hotel for you. The staff work really hard to keep the beach clear from seaweed but you cannot fight the forces of nature. We had two stormy days and the beach took a hit which took about 2 days to clear. You can still have a swim in the sea but just keep in mind you will have seaweed and bits floating around you. Mosquitoes are rife too, it’s like a beautiful tropical paradise and naturally bugs come along with that. I’d pack plenty of bug spray if you’re prone to being bitten like myself! Overall, this hotel is amazing. It’s just missing a few little things to give it that 5* wow factor. That being said, this is the first hotel we have taken our children to where we have both agreed we would happily come back again, and weren’t quite ready to check out and come home - normally after being away with two kids you’re ready to get back to normal, but we could have happily stayed here for another week or two. It’s a very easy going, relaxing, tropical paradise that is made so much better by the incredible staff. As a travel agent, I would happily recommend this hotel to anyone knowing the level of service that is provided but as a parent (especially of a disabled child) I would recommend it even more because it’s honestly the best family holiday we have had to date (and we’re already considering coming back to have our wedding here!)
Great relaxing resort , excellent service . Ignore bad reviews they're not true . Stayed in preferred club club Ocean view room
mark b (Wallington, United Kingdom) on Oct 24, 2024
Preferred club a must, adult pool and Hose pool waiter superb. All restaurants excellent, rooms a bit dated but kept spotless clean daily All staff work very hard to ensure you have a great holiday. Ignore any bad reviews they are unjust and unfair, probably people who want champagne holiday for Coca cola money. Sergio in the Bluewater grill fantastic sevice, Juan the pool concierge so accommodating and helpful. Overall would recommend this destination.
Amazing 10 days.
Josiepea (Wallingford, United Kingdom) on Oct 23, 2024
We had a very enjoyable stay at Dreams, clean, plenty of variety re drinks and food, different restaurants, and i advise you to try them all, the main buffet service is amazing for breakfast serving all fresh fruit, yoghurts, pastries, cooked breakfast plus much more, same with lunch and evening meal but if you are there for more than 7 days you may find it quite repetitive with regards to variety. Pool side - good service, food served by the pool, hamburgers, chips etc - staff are amazing, supplying you with drinks, banter and a smile - they all all great, my partner had a great relationship with David. top man. place is kept clean, we had 3 days of storm Nadine and one moment the place was flooded next they managed to clear it all and it was back to normality. Not just a few people, all staff took part. what a great team. Rooms clean and made up everyday, take your own tea bags if you like a decent cuppa, the staff in the coffee shop will always give you milk to keep in the fridge, mini bar always topped up with soft drinks and water, clean towels everyday, only issue is the air con not the best but ceiling fans certainly helped. Hair dryers etc in the rooms but the humidity is high so go natural if you can, take decet slip resistant shoes, in some places it can be slippery due to dampness etc, On your first day have a really good walk around, the staff forgot to mention so much at reception on arrival, they said use the app but its not working at present, not really helpful. once in the room, watch the information about the resort or QA code it. Take imodium etc it's very expensive in the shop, 25 dollars is a bit extreme although if you take the free transport to 5th avenue they have many pharmacies that supply every medication you can think of, yo can even by prescription medication over the counter such as amoxicillin. Trips - speak to Paul @ Nexus amazing bloke, lots of info and will give you the best advice, we done 4 trips and all of them were amazing and as he explained. Top bloke and knows his stuff and will accomodate. Little furry friends etc are all very entertaining, Beach could do with being cleaned more often, not that it bothered us but some people like a clean beach. They like tips so have lots of small dollars on you. Plenty of staff to make your time enjoyable. go for early walks to see the sunrise you won't be disappointed. only fault at night the lighting is quite poor but you don't have o walk far, we arrived in the dark so lost our bearings. Lots of activities, zumba, water volleyball, water aerobics, etc, everyone seems to secure their spot by leaving their towels. if you want to be in the shade or sun i would advise, keep your towels or leave a book etc there, there are still places at 10am but the good ones are taken. breakfast at 7am, coffee shop opens at 6am. any questions ask, we liked the place, staff are amazing........