Adrian If you’re looking for a comprehensive overview of the Dreams Playa Mujeres resort you’ve come to the right place.
4.1 out of 5 Stars
Overview
The Dreams Playa Mujeres is a 5-star all-inclusive family resort that is one of the better family offerings in the Cancun region. The resort has only opened a couple of years, it has a lovely aesthetic to it and the resort is very well designed.
With 503 rooms, 10 restaurants, and 13 bars this resort is massive. We did have worries going into this resort was that the sheer size of the resort would be a little overwhelming and the quality of the experience would be inconsistent. We were pleasantly surprised with the quality of the experience and we will delve into our experiences now.
Location
Located in the Playa Mujeres area it’s just a 15-minute drive north of the main area of Cancun and a 40-minute drive from Cancun International airport. There are loads of all-inclusive resorts in this area as the Playa Mujeres beach is a great spot. There is not a huge amount to do and see within walking distance of the resort, but with Cancun just a short Taxi drive away it’s a very convenient location. It’s kind of the perfect location if you want to be away from the main hotel zone and have a more chilled-back vacation but have the option to go into the main area if you want.
Top Tips
- At Dreams resorts, you can make use of the amenities of the sister resorts close by. The Secrets resort is right next door to the Dreams. You have to be 18 plus to make use of their amenities as it’s an adults-only resort. It’s the perfect spot to go to if you have dropped the kids at the kids club and want a few hours of a child-free environment
- There are tablets in all of the rooms, which can be used to see the entertainment schedule for the next day. View the menus in the restaurants and make reservations at the spa too.
- The Hibachi experience is one of the few places where you need to make a reservation. To get a spot at this experience you need to be at the front desk of the Fusion restaurant at 1 pm. We advise going about 10 minutes before that time to make sure that you get a spot at the table. As there are only a limited number of seats. The hibachi experience is very nice overall and well worth a visit
- Located within the resort on the beach is the Delphinus World dolphin experience. Here you can swim with dolphins. It’s actually pretty reasonably priced for what you get
- One of the things we really liked was that the resort was really well spaced out. Sometimes with resorts they can be packed in too tightly. This is not an issue with the Dreams Playa Mujeres
- Throughout the week we visited a lot of the restaurants that were closed each day. There were only a handful of options that were available. This may have been because the resort was nowhere near full capacity when we visited, but it definitely did limit your choices. We ended up missing out on a few spots due to them being closed during the latter half of our stay
- There are no reservations at the restaurants at the Dreams. Although this sounds handy, in reality, this was quite annoying. As there were only a few restaurants open each day. There would inevitably be queues outside the more popular spots. If you are a preferred club guest, try and leverage your personal concierge for restaurant bookings. Ours did sort us out a few of the days, which was very convenient
Check-In
This process was relatively smooth, but it took a little longer than we would have wanted it to. When we arrived we were greeted by a bellhop who took our bags. There was no check-in desk available, so we had to wait a couple of minutes for one to open up. We were given a glass of champagne and a cold towel.
Once we got to the check-in desk the member of staff was very detailed in their explanation of the resort layout and amenities. As we were staying in a Preferred club room, the member of staff went through these added benefits too, which was great.
The one thing at the end of the process that we didn’t really like was that at end of the process they snuck in an upsell about the timeshare opportunities. Although it was only a few sentences, it took away from the luxury vibe.
Is the Dreams Playa Mujeres a child-friendly resort?
Yes, this is a family-friendly resort. The Dreams brand is part of the AMR collection of resorts. Where there’s a Dreams resort there is always a Secrets resort right next door. The Secrets resorts are the adults-only offering.
There are a number of features and elements the Dreams have to make your family’s stay that bit better. One of their strongest offerings is their kid’s club. Although we didn’t travel with kids, we did hear only positive feedback from other guests about the kids club. The resounding feedback that we heard was that the kids club was extremely flexible. You could effectively drop off your kids at any time without an appointment, which is rare for kids clubs at an all-inclusive.
There are two types of kids clubs at this resort. The explorers club and the core zone. The explorers club is for kids aged 3 – 12 years old and the teens club is for teens aged 13 -17 years old. Both of the clubs are open between 10 am and 6 pm.
There is a childminding service available in the evening time. Sometimes resorts will offer this free, but at the Dreams, there is an additional cost for babysitting. For 1 child it will set you back $20 USD/hour. For two children it’s $30 USD/hour.
Core Zone
The core zone is actually a really cool arcade-style area that is the perfect spot that teens can go to for the day. With Xbox consoles, arcade games, pool tables, air hockey, and a climbing wall. It has all of the amenities to keep the teens entertained.
The Explorer Kids Club
This is a fully supervised kids club and there is a huge slate of activities to keep the kids entertained. The facilities for kids at the Dreams are really impressive. The water park is great, the playground, interactive park, and games room are top quality.
How many pools does the Dreams Playa Mujeres have?
The pool facilities here are really good with 65,000 sq. f of pools. There are three main pool areas here and some of them are interconnected. With the sheer size of these pools, you will never find it difficult to find a secluded spot by the pool at this resort.
There is also a mini water park with two biggish slides. There is a kids section to this water park too which is a great spot to bring the kids. This area is cordoned off, so the kids can play safely. The important thing to note is that the kids’ pool is not heated, not that they will probably know.
Are the pools at the Dreams Playa Mujeres heated?
Some of the pools at the Dreams were heated, but not all of them. Before we traveled we saw on the Dreams site that all of the pools were heated and were not sure if they just didn’t have them on when we visited, but only two of the pools were heated when we visited. As we visited in October and the weather was on the colder side, it did limit the pools we could visit.
Golf
There is a golf course that is located within the complex of resorts in Playa Mujeres. This Greg Norman Designed course is one of the better options in the Cancun area and suits golfers that are a little more seasoned as it’s a relatively challenging course.
At the Dreams resort, it’s listed that golf is included in your package, that the “green fees” are free, but the reality is there is a charge to play at the course. There are mandatory carts fees that range from $89 USD in the low season to $103 USD in the high season.
There is an unlimited golf option that gives you complete access to the course for a week. That costs $511 USD for the low season and the high season price isn’t listed. The resort does provide free transportation to the course.
Things to do during the day
There are a number of classes and events that are put on throughout the day. A host of fitness classes are available like Yoga, fitness boot camps, and pilates. There are also a number of cooking and tasting classes like sushi making, wine, and tequila tasting classes, which are a lot of fun.
If you’re into watersports there are a number of options that come with the all-inclusive packages. All of the following activities are included.
• Kayaks
• Catamarans
• Water polo
• Water aerobics
• Snorkeling
Things to do during the night
The Dreams resort puts on a full slate of entertainment in the evenings. From themed, musical shows and beach parties the staff make a great effort at keeping everyone entertained. Typically this type of entertainment is our vibe, but we actually really enjoyed the local music that was put on. The Mexican fiesta night was also good fun. The tacos and burritos here were great.
Beach
The beach at Playa Mujeres is one of the best in this area of Cancun. It’s nothing like the beaches of Turks and Caicos and Aruba, but it’s a spacious, swimmable beach that is the perfect place to grab a sun lounger and relax for the day. The Dreams has a really large chunk of the beach, so it feels like a private beach. We also never had any issues getting a sun lounger at the beach. There seemed to be more than enough for a resort of this size.
Unlike the beaches in the main hotel zone of Cancun, this beach is actually quite swimmable. The beach is protected by a peninsula, so the waters are relatively calm. This beach does suffer from seaweed washing on the shoreline. The staff does work tirelessly to clear the seaweed, so it wasn’t an issue when we stayed. The sand and the water were beautiful.
There was a consistent drinks service that was available at the beach, which brought our levels of relaxation to another level. It did start a little later than we would have liked at 10.30 though.
Spa
There is a full spa menu on offer at the Dreams Spa by Pevonia®. The facilities here are actually pretty nice. There is a full hydrotherapy run, an indoor and outdoor pool and it’s a lovely place to relax after your treatment.
If you are a preferred guest you can access the facilities at the spa as part of your package. If you’re not a preferred guest you can get a day pass to the facilities at an extra cost. Of course, if you go for a treatment you can access the facilities regardless of your room level.
The cost of treatments is definitely on the premium side with a 50-minute full-body massage costing $155 USD.
The Service
The service overall was very good. From the moment we arrived the staff was great at explaining the resort. Throughout our stay, the staff was always asking how our staying was going and if we needed anything else, which was nice.
The housekeeping staff was very consistent. Although they did not come at the exact same time every day, they always came before lunchtime which was good.
One of the areas of the service that we were a little disappointed in was the service by the pool. Now because there is so much pool at the Dreams, the staff are definitely on the back foot. At times throughout our stay, we didn’t see members of the bar staff come around for drinks orders for a few hours. We happily went up to the bar to order as it was only a short walk away, but it did take away from the luxury feeling of the resort.
Cleanliness
Throughout the resort, it was very clean when we visited. Although we didn’t stay during the Covid we can only imagine the precautions they have in place from a cleaning standpoint to make sure your experience is safe and enjoyable.
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
The design and size of all of the rooms at the Dreams are really good. The quality of the mattresses is really high, so we had some great nights of sleep when we visited. The multiple drinks each evening could have been a factor too.
All rooms come with a stocked mini-bar that is meant to be replenished daily. We did find that one a few days our mini-bar wasn’t replenished. It wasn’t a major deal. The mini-bar contains water, soft drinks, beers
Junior Suite
We stayed in a preferred Junior suite and really liked our room. Coming in at 56 m2 these suites are actually a really good size. The max occupancy of these suites is 4 guests of which only 3 of those guests can be adults, but if you are a family of 4 these rooms are a great option.
The room has a really nice flow to them. The bathroom is separated from the main area by shutters and between the living area and the bedroom area, there is a nice netted curtain that gives the feeling of separation without separating the room.
Family Junior Suite
The family suite is double the size of the Junior suite and can have up to 8 people in it . Of those 8 people there can only be 5 adults staying in this room.
Master Suite
This is definitely one of the nicest options for couples. These suites are super spacious and have a lovely finish to them. You really feel like you are staying in a luxury 5-star resort when you’re in these suites. They also come with preferred status, so you can take in the additional benefits that come with it.
Two-Bedroom Villa
Before we delve into the accommodation. Let’s first talk through the location of These villas. They are situated near the front of the resort. It is close to the main reception area, but one of the negatives of these villas is that they are the furthest accommodations from the beach. These villas are situated around the lazy river, which also means that you have to walk a bit to get to your nearest pool.
These villas are massive, coming in at 147 m2. It is effectively the size of three junior suites and has occupancy for 8 people with 5 of those being able to be adults. This is perfect for large families or for a group of friends vacationing together.
Club Paramount Suite
Coming in at 460 sq. meters this is the second-largest suite on the resort. It comes with two large bedrooms, a dining room, and a living room. This suite comes with preferred club access as well.
Presidential Suite
This suite is actually massive coming in at 825 sq. meters this suite is effectively like a large house. Obviously, this suite also comes with a preferred status, considering it’s the most expensive suite in the resort. These suites are very fancy and perfect if you really want to treat yourself and have a hefty budget.
Price Range + Packages
For 7 nights in the month of September, we paid $2100 USD per person for our all-inclusive package. We did book through a travel agent in Canada and had transfers and flights included in the package. This is definitely more than we have paid in the past when we stayed in resorts like the Finest Playa Mujeres. This trip was a few years before and was at a similar time of the year. So, it isn’t a like-for-like comparison.
Top Tip
The cheapest time of year to visit Cancun is definitely September and October. You will get the cheapest packages then. This time period actually has pretty decent weather. The only downside of this time of year is that this is typically the time of year that the area experiences hurricanes. We have visited a few resorts in Cancun in the September/October timeframe and have never had any issues with the weather, but if you’re willing to take the risk you’ll bag yourself a bargain.
What’s included in the all-inclusive package?
At AMR collection resorts, the elements that are included in their packages are pretty good. All food, drinks, room service, use of amenities, entertainment, taxes, and gratuities are included in the cost of their packages.
Once you are at the resort if you get the standard package there will be a few elements that you won’t have access to. Things like the lazy river, the preferred club lounge, and the Bali beds are reserved for preferred guests only, but unlike other resorts, there aren’t any preferred guests-only restaurants.
For a one-week stay in September of 2021 in a preferred junior suite, we paid around $1,700 USD per person. This included the cost of flights and transfers too. If you are booking through their website a preferred club junior suite will cost you $3,000 for a room in May. The prices definitely do fluctuate, so be sure to check for special offers and book ahead of time.
Food + Restaurant Options
The food options were pretty good and the standard of the food was decent. The one element that we didn’t particularly like was the breakfast options. There are only four options if you’re a preferred guest and two options for standard guests. For standard guests, the buffet and room service were their only options, and preferred guests had access to alacarte breakfasts in the Maris and Oceana restaurants. Given the size of the resort, we felt it could have been done with a few more options.
Another bug bearer for us was the “No reservations needed” policy. In theory, this sounds great that you don’t need to worry about making reservations for the week ahead. The catch is if the resort has medium to high levels of capacity that there are inevitably queues at the most popular restaurants. We heard of some fellow guests queuing for as long as 1 hour and 30 minutes to get a table at Gaucho. So, be prepared to wait for the popular spots.
Restaurant options
Fusion
Serving up Japanese/Asian style dishes with a Peruvian twist this was definitely our favorite spot in the resort. The menu is a mix of Asian cuisines with Sushi, pad thai, curries, and Yaki Udon on offer. The sushi here was actually pretty good. It tasted fresh and there was a wide variety. The fusion rolls here were really good, with a mix of flavors we had never had in Sushi, but they worked.
This is also where the Hibachi experience takes place. Although we didn’t visit it on this visit, we did hear good things. The only thing is that it’s a little difficult to get a booking for this spot. To get a spot at the Hibachi experience you need to be at the front entrance to Fusion at 1 pm to get a table. They take bookings there for the night ahead.
Gaucho Grill
Before traveling we had heard mixed reviews about the food at Gaucho, but we were pleasantly surprised at our experience when we ate there on our first night. Gaucho is a Brazilian steakhouse restaurant that serves up some pretty decent cuts of meat. One of the issues we sometimes run into with steak at all-inclusive resorts is that the quality of the steaks isn’t great, but at Gaucho we found the quality to be quite good.
We really enjoyed the experience here too. The one element we needed to call out was that the menu was pretty limited. There were only a few options for meat and the rest of the menu was very small.
L’Etoile
This French-style restaurant is the closest you will get on the Dreams resort to an adults-only restaurant. It is listed as being available to guests 13 years old and up. If you’re looking for an experience with no kids then check out the restaurants at the sister Secrets resort.
The food here was just ok. The portion sizes here were very small and left us wanting more after the meal. Lucky it’s all-inclusive, so we grabbed a late-night snack at Tides, but we would have preferred the portions at L’Etoile to be bigger.
We got the mussels to start and there were literally 4 mussels on the plate. For mains, we went for the Seafood crepe and the steak which were both tasty. Be aware that this is one of the few restaurants on site that has a casual elegance dress code in place. So for the men, a collar and pants are required and we did see this being enforced.
Maris
A seafood spot, this place is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (The breakfast sitting is reserved for preferred guests only). We only ate here once, but the food and the ambiance were good. Being a seafood restaurant the design of the place is very nautical with lots of blues. We had the seafood risotto and the ceviche, both of which were good. We weren’t blown away by Maris, but it’s a solid offering.
Mezés
This Moroccan-style restaurant has a sprinkle of Mediterranean dishes throughout its menu with some Italian and Turkish dishes available. We really enjoyed the Kofta kebab and the Baklava for dessert.
That’s a Wrap
If you are looking for a light lunch to grab. That’s a Wrap is a perfect place to go. Serving up salads and wraps they are prepared in takeaway boxes. The day we were leaving the resort we actually grabbed some sandwiches and salads for the airport. This spot is located right by the main pool nearer the beach, so it’s very convenient to grab something here if you are camped up by the beach or pool.
Tides
This is the perfect spot for lunch and late-night snacks. Located just off the main pool, tides serve up to your typical beachside treats. With burgers, tacos, and salads on offer. The buffalo wings here were really good and ate here most days for lunch.
Tres Colores
The only Mexican restaurant on the resort. We found the food here to be really good and authentic. The pork shank for two was definitely our favorite dish. We ate here two evenings and reordered our exact meal from the first night. It was so good. The corn bisque was really tasty too.
World Cafe
This is the main buffet at the resort. It serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner and it actually isn’t too bad in regards to the standard of food and the consistency of the service. At times in buffet resorts, the service can be hit and miss due to the hectic nature of these dining halls, but the service here was very good.
We also recommend trying out some of the restaurants at the Secrets resort. If you want to have a romantic dinner out in an adults-only spot then it’s worth the trip.
Bars and Drinks Offering
With 13 bars and lounges on the resorts, there is always a spot to grab a drink. There are well dotted throughout the resort, so you are never too far away from one. We really liked Interlude which is the main lobby bar. It has some elegant vibes going on in this spot and it is a great spot to grab a cocktail, take in the impressive view and listen to the piano.
Is the Reserve Status Worth it?
With all premium club offerings, what adds value to these options are the additions of privacy and access to areas that you would typically pay a surcharge for. Overall, we felt like the preferred status was worth it at the Dreams Playa Mujeres for the following benefits.
Access to the Preferred Club Lounge and Exclusive Restaurants
The Preferred Club lounge is actually pretty decent here, but the standout element at the lounge is the top-shelf drinks offering. If you really want to eke out the value. Drink here as they have some great options such as Grey Goose, Monkey Shoulder, and Hendricks Gin. There are also food options available here. Snacks throughout the day and a continental breakfast in the mornings.
Private Pool and Beach Area
As this is a large resort, the pools and common areas can sometimes feel a little busy. So having an area where there is limited capacity is actually really nice. If you are traveling with kids and have taken advantage of the great kids club here. Having access to the Preferred pool and beach area is a great way to get away from kids at the resort and have a more private and relaxing area. As the main pool can be quite loud and busy with kids.
Access to Bail Beds
Located throughout the resort there are really nice Bali beds that are available. These are only available to Preferred guests only. What we really liked about the Bali beds was that they are quite secluded and it really felt like your own private area. It’s the perfect place to set up a fort for the day.
Things to do near Dreams Playa Mujeres
The Dreams resort in Playa Mujeres is close to a lot of areas of cultural significance and natural beauty. As well as being within the main tourist area of Cancun, there is a huge amount to see and do within a short drive.
A must-visit when you are in the Cancun and surrounding areas is a trip to Chichen Itza. This Unesco world heritage site is steeped in history and is an ancient Mayan city that was at once home to 35,000 people at its height. A Lot of the wonderful architecture still stands today and speaks volumes of how advanced their society was as the city dates back 400 AD. There are a number of tour providers that organize tours that make stops off at the resorts. It’s a great way of getting into some Mexican history and understanding the culture of Mexico.
The Yucatan Peninsula where Cancun and Playa Mujeres lyes have a wealth of natural beauty. So taking in some of these places of natural beauty is a must. Of the areas within a short drive of Playa Mujeres we highly recommend the national park of Xel-Ha. There is so much beauty here with great snorkeling, bike trails, and views to take. It’s definitely worth a day out of the resort.
Tipping
We typically budget around $50 a day for tips. Although most packages outline that they include tips in the cost. It’s customary to tip the staff throughout your stay. The staff are really attentive at this resort and work hard for the tips.
We typically tip $1 for every drink that we order and between $5 – $10 per meal depending on the time of day and the meal that you’re having. We always tip in US dollars as it’s just easier from a conversion standpoint, but the staff accepts any form of currency.
Conclusion
Overall, the resort is a solid offering. The feeling you get as you walk throughout the resort is luxury and the food, service, and experience were all very good.
One area in that we feel the resort did falter was personal experience. Due to the sheer size of the resort and how to spread out it is, it sometimes falls victim to feeling a little understaffed. Although we are not sure if that’s due to Covid.
We were impressed with the food offering as we had seen mixed reviews online prior to travel. Getting into some of the restaurants was definitely an issue and a lot of the restaurants seemed to be closed each night, so you only had a few choices each night.
Given that this is in the same price range as a number of other resorts in the Playa Mujeres area. The question should really be is this better than the other resort. From our experience, the Finest chain of resorts offers a better experience in the same region for the price point. Be sure to check out our review on the Finest Playa Mujeres, which is our highest-rated resort in the Playa Mujeres region.
FAQ’s
Q. Does the Dreams offer a shuttle service from the Airport
A. Yes, the Dreams can provide a shuttle or private transfers to and from the airport. This does come at a surcharge though.
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.
Q. What local attractions are there?
A. There are loads of things to do and see in the Cancun region. Although Cancun sometimes gets a bad rep for being very touristy, there is actually a huge amount of local culture and natural beauty in the area.
