Adrian Grade 4.1 out of 5 Stars
Overview
The Dreams Jade resort is located just outside Cancun minutes away from the fishing town of Puerto Morelos. It is a 4-star all-inclusive family resort that offers a premium vacation option for all of the family. With 6 restaurants throughout a number of bars and a host of entertainment and activities, it’s a strong all-inclusive option a little bit away from the main area of Cancun.
The Dreams Jade was recently rebranded from the “Now Jade resort” in the Summer of 2021. It is effectively the same resort with renovations being completed in the restaurant’s areas to align it to the Dreams branding. With 550 rooms, this resort is definitely on the bigger side and the overall aesthetic of the resort is a touch on the older side, but it is one of the Dreams resorts’ more competitively priced options.
We visited the Dreams Jade resort in the Summer of 2021 just after it had gone through the rebrand and our review is based on our experiences of the resort.
Location
Located around 30km south of Cancun airport, it’s a pretty decent location in regards to traveling to and from the airport. This area is a bit more chilled out than being on the main hotel strip and it’s a little too far away to be going into Cancun for a night out. The nearest town to the resort in Puerto Morelos. It’s a small fishing village that is a lovely spot to grab a bite to eat and a cold Cerveza.
Top Tips
- The resort has a large footprint, so being in a building that is close to the amenities is very handy. The best buildings to be in are either building 1 or 7, so before you travel definitely ask if you can get a room in one of these buildings
- There are no reservations needed at the restaurants at the Dreams Jade resort. The only exception to this is the teppanyaki experience at the Spice restaurant. We didn’t have any issues with the resort not having reservations as the resort was not at full capacity when we visited. When the resort is at full capacity we have heard that getting into some of the restaurants means that you have to queue in the evenings, but it will be dependent on what capacity the resort is at
- Be sure to download the AMResorts app. This is a handy thing to keep on top of what is happening the next day with activities and events. If there are restaurants closed, the app will have all of that information. You can also book the teppanyaki restaurant from it, as well as an appointment at the spa
- Puerto Morales is the closest town and is just a 10 minute drive from the resort. This small fishing village is a great place to visit to take in some of the local culture as well as to appreciate some of the natural beauty the area has to offer
- One of the features we really liked about the Jade resort was the restaurant row area. Basically it’s kind of like a meeting point in the resort. Most of the restaurants are located along this row and the area is outside, but partly covered. There is a really massive TV screen in this area and it’s a great place to watch sporting events in a nice atmosphere. They also show movies throughout the week too
- As with all Dreams resorts you can make the most of their Sip, Savour and See benefit. This allows you to dine and experience any other resorts in the AM Resorts collections of brands. There are a number of resorts quite nearby like the Dreams Riviera and Sapphire Cancun as well as the Zoetry Paraiso. These are all located within a 20 minute drive of the Dreams Jade. To experience and dine at the other resorts be sure to call the concierge to organize your entrance to the other resorts
Check-In
We were a little disappointed with the check-in process. Once we arrived at the resort we were greeted with a glass of bubbly and brought to the preferred check-in area. We seemed to arrive at a busy time and there was no check-in desk available, so we did have to wait sometime to get checked in.
They do have a preferred club check-in area, but there was still a queue. Once we did get to a desk, everything seemed a little rushed. The member of staff we were dealing with didn’t really explain the layout of the resort as well as the amenities on offer. We did walk through the reception area a number of times where the main check-in area is and there were rarely queues, so I think we just arrived at a bad time.
Is the Dreams Jade a child friendly resort?
Yes, the Dream Jade is a family-friendly resort. There are a huge range of activities, child minding services, and facilities to make your family’s stay run as smoothly as possible. You can see that whoever designed the resort and amenities really thought about everything that could make both the kids’ and parents’ vacation as enjoyable and relaxing as possible.
All of the restaurants also have kids’ menus available, which is very convenient. There are also two grades of kids club so kids aged from 3 all the way up to 17 can make the most of these clubs.
Explorers Club
Available for kids aged between 3- 12 years old the club runs between the hours of 9 am – 10 pm Each day there is a range of different activities put on by the staff. The schedule is always varied and it’s sure to keep the kids entertained. From tennis classes, video games, treasure hunts, trivia games, and discos there is a huge range of activities.
Core Zone
Available for teenagers aged between 13 – 17 years old. The facilities here are really good. It’s kind of like an arcade-style room with gaming pods, a guitar hero game, a dartboard, and a foosball table to name a few of the activities.
Amenities
There are two pools at this resort. The main pool and the preferred guest’s pool, so in reality, if you are staying in a standard room you really only have the choice of one pool. Given the size of the resort, this isn’t great, but the pool is quite large and is heated. There is a small kid wading pool as well which is just off the main pool.
There is a huge range of things to do at this resort with tennis courts, batting cages, mini-golf, and nonmotorized water sports.
Although there is no golf course that is directly connected to the resort there are two courses nearby where you can get preferential rates. These are the Gran Coyote course and El Mayakoba course. If you’re looking for a resort that has a course directly connected to it and offers golf packages then we suggest checking out the Dreams Vista resort or any of the resorts in the Playa Mujeres area.
Things to do during the day
Throughout the day the entertainment team puts on a host of classes and activities to keep the guests entertained. Some of our favorites were the bike tour, the tequila tasting, and the yoga classes.
The schedule for the daily activities as well as the restaurants that are open is posted in a few places throughout the resort, like outside the carnival restaurant. All of this information can also be viewed on the AMresorts app too.
There are also a number of premium experiences that are available at an additional cost. We did the premium tequila tasting experience and it was definitely worth it. Cost and additional $25 a head to sample some top-notch tequilas.
Things to do during the night
There is a range of musical events and entertainment shows on offer each night. These range from local Mexican music, DJs, a Circus, and fire shows. We didn’t really take these in as we enjoyed the vibe in the main bar most of the nights, but we heard from other guests that the shows were good.
Gym
Given the size of the resort, the Gym is definitely on the smaller side. We did go a few of the mornings and had to wait for certain equipment. There just seems to be a lack of cardio equipment. There are only 3 treadmills and one stationary bike, so you may have to wait for one at peak times.
They did have a pretty decent range of machines and free weights though. So, if weight lifting is your workout of choice you will be happy here. All of the equipment was new and in good nick and overall the gym had a nice vibe to it.
Beach
The beach at the Dreams Jade was disappointing and unfortunately, there’s nothing the resort can really do to improve the situation. The beach is ravaged by seaweed. Hats off to the staff that was doing their utmost to remove the seaweed from the beach, but they were fighting a losing battle.
It could have just been the time of year that we visited, but there was a lot of seaweed. Apart from that, the beach experience is very nice.
Spa
Although we didn’t sample any spa treatments when we visited we did use the hydrotherapy run and took a walk through the facilities. You can use the AM Resorts app to book treatments at the spa, which is very convenient.
The prices here are quite expensive. You’re looking at $145 for a 50-minute massage. You can add an extra 30 minutes for only $10 dollars, so this is definitely worth it. There are specials that can be seen on the app and there are also daily offers that are available to see at the spa, so make sure to check those out.
The Service
Throughout our stay the service was top-notch. We really can’t fault anything here. We really enjoyed the pool and beachside service. We sat in the same two spots mostly throughout our stay and even though our spot was a little bit out of the way. The staff was always there once our drinks hit the bottom.
The only call out we can think of is the check-in experience and the lack of information about the facilities, but other than that it was all A1.
Cleanliness
We visited during Covid and the level of cleanliness was really impressive. There were sanitizers around every corner. There was always staff wiping down surfaces and making the place look nice and presentable.
Booking during Covid
The Dreams resort is part of the AMR chain of resorts that owns a number of brands in the all-inclusive space, so they are well versed in providing guests a safe and premium experience. The Covid protocols at the Dreams are very robust and it has everything you would need to make the most of your vacation.
- Free Onsite Testing
Before you depart your vacation if you need to get an antigen for your arrival back into your country. You can avail of a free antigen test before you depart.
- Quarantine Reassurance
If for any reason you contract COVID-19 and need to quarantine for a time period. You will be able to do so at the resort for no extra cost. This is available for up to 14 days if needed.
- Enhanced Cleaning
At AM Resorts, which the Secret’s chain is a part of. They have the CleanComplete Verification™. This is a fancy way of saying they have increased measures to make sure everything is kept sanitized throughout the resort.
Rooms
With only four-room offerings at the resort, we really liked the parred back choice at the Jade resort. Overall, the rooms were a little bit dated, but they were all very spacious and comfortable. Some of the rooms still have some of the old Now resort branding and the rooms, in general, have an older aesthetic. We were told that all rooms will be updated in the coming few years.
Junior Suite
These are the standard rooms on the resort and from a space standpoint, these rooms are very spacious coming in at a minimum of 700 sq. ft. These are some of the biggest standard rooms we have experienced at an all-inclusive.
The suite has a large seating area and a nice furnished balcony in all of these rooms. You can pretty comfortably get two adults and two kids in this room as the couch is a pull-out bed.
Family Suite
Coming in at 1400 sq. ft these rooms are huge. There is a max occupancy of 4 adults and 2 children in a suite, but if you have 3 or 4 kids this is the perfect option for you as the living area is super spacious. This room comes with two bedrooms, a living room, and a spacious balcony. This is the perfect option for a family.
Preferred Club Suite
These suites come with preferred status and are a little bit bigger than the Junior suite at 771 sq. ft. You have the option of having an ocean view of an ocean-front suite. The ocean-front ones are definitely nicer. You can also have the option of two double beds or one king-sized option. This suite can accommodate a max of 4 guests with the max number of adults being 3.
Governor’s Suite
Funnily enough, these aren’t the biggest suites on the resort. That title goes to the family suite. The governor suite is more than big enough though as this suite is meant for 2 people only, so there is a lot more entertainment and relaxing space.
Price Range + Packages
The Dreams Jade resort is a pretty competitively priced resort for its rating and area and there is a lot to like about this resort. On average for 7 days in May, it costs on average $1900 USD per person.
What’s included in the all-inclusive package
The package at all-inclusives can be different depending on the resort. Typically the offering across the AM Resorts chain is fairly standard, so if you have visited any of their sister resorts (Secrets, Breathless) or of course a Dreams resort you will be pretty familiar.
Packages at the Dreams resorts are known as “Unlimited-Luxury” and include all food and drinks (this includes room service and a restocked mini-bar), activities throughout the day.
Food + Restaurant Options
With 9 restaurants to choose from and an extensive room service menu, you won’t be short of choice at the Jade resort. Given that this is one of the bigger resorts we have visited we felt that the capacity warranted the number of restaurants on offer. Our biggest concern before visiting this resort was the quality of the food given the size of the resort, but we were pleasantly surprised with the quality throughout.
Ranking the Restaurants
- Spice
Serving up a mix of Asian cuisine with the obligatory teppanyaki experience at Spice. There is also a sushi bar here where you can order from the main restaurant menu too.
The food here was good, offering Japanese, Indian, Korean and Chinese dishes. We ate here on two of the evenings and our standout dishes were the Yaki Udon and the Spicy tuna rolls from the sushi bar.
There are 3 teppanyaki tables and a sushi bar on offer. Like most resorts offering a teppanyaki experience, you will need a booking for this. To book you will need to go to the front of the restaurant during the day to secure a table. Be sure to go early though as there are only 3 tables and they book up fast.
- Mercure
This was one of my favorite spots on the resort. A French restaurant that serves up some serious eats. There is a dress code in place at this spot with a Formal dress code in place and that basically means that men need to wear long pants to eat inside. The food here was really nice with the caramelized onion tart being the standout option.
- Capers
One of our favorites at Dreams resorts, the Jade resort edition didn’t disappoint. Serving up Italian food, this spot was quite good. It is open for breakfast too, but this is only available to preferred club guests. There is a wood fire pizza oven in this spot and the pizzas were quite good.
- Tamarindo
The Mexican restaurant on the resort, we really enjoyed our meal here and it was quite authentically Mexican. We really enjoyed the Tortilla soup and the stuffed pepper.
- Carnival International Buffet
The main buffet of the resort it’s actually a pretty decent offering. Open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner this was one of the better buffets we have been at an all-inclusive resort. In the mornings they have the standard omelet station and a range of breakfast treats. They even have a crepe station that we sampled a few too many times. We never really ate here for lunch but did have dinner here one of the nights.
- Barefoot Grill
This is a typical poolside grill that serves up burgers, salads, nachos, etc. The food here was pretty tasty and consistent. The menu was quite small, but we did end up eating here for some of our lunches due to its proximity to the main pool. There were queues here most days and the areas where you queue here aren’t covered, so make sure to bring sunscreen if you plan on waiting in line.
- Cin Cin
The perfect place for a romantic dinner, this specialty restaurant serves up Mediterranean food. This is one of the restaurants on the resort that is an adults-only offering. The food here was just ok, we only ate there one of the nights and the service was slow and the food came out lukewarm.
Castaways
We didn’t get to sample the food at Castaways as it was closed for refurbishment. Prior to traveling, we saw that it has been closed for a number of months due to remodeling. We did ask the staff when it is meant to be reopening and they didn’t have an exact date.
The food served at castaways is your typical poolside grill with pizzas, burgers, and sandwiches. With Castaways closed when we visited, the lunchtime options were limited.
Coco Cafe
Although this isn’t really a food spot they do serve up some sweet treats, snacks, coffees and smoothies, and ice creams. This place is hopping in the mornings. The coffee here was actually quite nice and it was a go-to morning spot after one too many drinks the night before. It’s open 24/7 so if you’re an early riser or need a nighttime pick me up, be sure to head here.
Room Service
We ordered room service for a few days for breakfast and dinner. All of the times the food came relatively promptly. It arrived warm and was pretty tasty. The room service menu is a decent size, so there should be something for everyone’s tastes.
Another thing to note about the room service is that you can’t order alcoholic drinks in the rooms. We found that if you ring the concierge service they will usually get them delivered though.
Bars and Drinks Offering
In total there are 7 bar options throughout the resort. Two of these bars are reserved for preferred guests only. These are the Preferred lounge and the swim-up bar in the preferred pool. The drinks offering is a bit limited at the Dreams resorts. They do have brand named offerings, but it’s not as expansive as other all-inclusive resorts that we have visited.
In the mini-bar, there are beers (Modelo) and soft drinks. There are no bottles of alcohol in the rooms here like you get at a lot of other resorts.
Is the Reserve Status Worth it?
Premium club status isn’t necessary at all resorts. Sometimes the additional benefits that you can access from being part of a premium club don’t add enough value to warrant the cost. At the Dreams Jade resort, there were a few features that we felt added good value, but overall we felt they did not warrant the premium cost.
Private Areas throughout the resort
Preferred Club guests have access to exclusive areas throughout the resort. This includes areas at the beach, a separate pool area, and a private bar. The preferred club rooms and pool area are located in a more secluded part of the resort. Buildings 6 – 9 all surround the preferred pool and the buildings are quite spaced out and away from the main area of the resort.
Premium Drinks offering
Although throughout the resort there is a really decent choice of alcohol if you are in all of the bars. If you are a preferred club guest you will have access to an even more elevated choice of alcohol options. The top shelf options aren’t as premium as some other resort chains, but you will still have the likes of Don Julio, Johnny Walker black to name a few.
Is there a Dress Code in place?
Yes, for some of the restaurants there is a dress code in place. We wouldn’t say that the staff was very strict on it, but it’s better to be safe than sorry and to align to it. We did also notice that for the formal restaurants that if the men were not wearing pants that the staff would seat you on the patio, so if you forget to pack the slacks you will be eating al fresco more often. They have three types of dress codes in place.
Casual
This is pretty much that you can wear anything except tank tops for the guys and the women must wear a bathing suit wrap or cover-up. Most of the lunch places and the buffet had a casual dress code and we found that this wasn’t really being enforced, so for restaurants that are labeled casual, you can pretty much wear what you want.
Casual Elegance
The difference here for the men is that long pants are required. You can wear t-shirts or shirts, but again no tank tops. For the women mostly anything goes.
Formal
This was fairly straightforward in their definition of formal. For the menu, it was long pants, collared shirts. They said dress shoes in their descriptions, but I wore sneakers every time and had no issues. For the women, it’s recommended that you wear either blouses, skirts, slacks or dresses, but again it’s pretty flexible.
Tipping
You should consider tipping to be mandatory at an all-inclusive resort. Literally, every resort we have visited has had decent service and we have visited a lot. Although resorts do call out that gratuities are included in the cost of the overall package it’s still important to tip.
The service we got throughout our stay at the Dreams Jade resort was top quality and the staff worked really hard for their tips. We always plan out the amount that we will tip over our stay and normally align to the following plan. For each drink that we order, we tip $1. If we order a few drinks in a found we tip $1 Per drink. Sometimes at the start of the day if we are ordering drinks by the pool we will tip $5 to make sure that we get the best poolside service throughout the day.
For food, we typically tip between $5-$10 per meal. The amount will really depend on the quality of the service and the mealtime. For lunch and breakfast, it’s typically $5 and for dinners, it’s normally $10.
Conclusion
The Dreams Jade resort is close to being a really strong offering, but the one letdown is that parts of the resort are a little dated. The staff, food, and beach are all very nice and once the rest of the rooms and parts of the resort are updated we are sure that this will be a serious contender for one of the better value properties in the area that deliver on a luxury experience.
FAQ’s
Q. Does the Dreams Jade offer a shuttle service from the Airport
A. There is a shuttle bus available to and from the resort. It does come at an additional cost. On occasion if you book through the Dreams website they will include transfers as a special add-on, so be sure to look out for that.
Q. Is parking available at the resort
A. Yes, parking is available for guests and it is complimentary
Q. Is Wi-Fi included
A. Yes, Wi-Fi is available to you in your suite as well as throughout the resort. The signal throughout the resort and even on the beach was quite good. The rooms had particularly good connections and could easily stream content or make video calls.
Q. What local attractions are there?
A. Yes, there’s a huge amount to do in the local area. You can obviously make the most of all of the things to do in the main area of Cancun, but there are loads of things outside of the main tourist zone. Our top recommendations are a visit to the Akumal town, which is a lovely seaside village that has some great snorkeling and nature opportunities. Finally, the Mayan ruins in Tulum are only a short drive away and are a great way of seeing firsthand how the ancient Mayan culture lived.
Q. Is the Dreams Jade resort dog friendly?
A. Yes, at the Dreams jade resort you can bring your dog with you provided it is a small dog under 22lbs. There is an additional charge of $65 to bring your feline friend and be sure to call ahead of your visit to book your pup in.
