They go out of their way to make you feel taken care of. All employees are friendly and are always saying hi. Most speak english well enough. The grounds are immaculate. They groom the sand every morning. Excellent restaurants on property. Very nice pools. Nightly entertainment that was very good. Very nice not to have to tip at all since included - although we did tip a few people like houskeeping, bellhop, room service. Poolside waiters that are frequently asking if they can get you another drink. We probably did not get our moneys worth as we don't drink alcohol, but still had plenty of "virgen drinks" that were delicious. Even with all you can drink, we only saw one person that had "too much". Since not actually in Cancun, it was more of a couples and more mature adults. Few families with kids but great kid activity center that had different activities daily if you have kids. Definitely not the "spring break scene" which we were happy to avoid. If you want that, stay up in Cancun itself.

Beware of the resort cash they offer when you book. We didn't end up even using it as you could only use a certain percentage of it at once, and they only allow you to use it at a few areas like the spa - which was a bit deceiving and the only negative of the trip for us. Also, they will try to seduce you with$125 "cash" to listen to a 90 minute presentation on their hotel vacation deal. They wanted 27k for joining but we said no and got up to leave and then they offered a better deal last second for $8200 that included 14 nights "free" for 2 (which nearly pays for itself anyway) in addition to a bunch of other hotel discounts that actually sounded good, so for the first time ever in my life, we bought it. We shall see if I live to regret that decision or not.

Since we bought into the dreams/secrets hotel club, we will try Jamaica and the Dominican the next few times. But would not hesitate to return to Dreams Riviera.

A beautiful hotel, meticulously maintained and cleaned. Staff is friendly, helpful, always available and very hardworking. Yes, there are children everywhere, but if you do the tiniest bit of research, you will find that this is a family-oriented resort. If you don't like children, please stay somewhere else. If you do, this is the resort for you. Although there were many, many children, I rarely, if ever, saw bad behavior. I saw happy families with well-behaved children all enjoying themselves. We met some couples without children also having a good time...they probably did their research, so were not surprised by the many families and not bothered by children. A previous reviewer stated that children are not supposed to be allowed in the infinity pool, but this is not true. The swim-up bar even caters to them, mixing fun, non-alcoholic drinks for them all day. The only places in the resort I found that children were not allowed was in the two public hot tubs and in the French restaurant, and as far as I could tell, these rules are respected. My daughter has a tree nut allergy and we were taken care of from the moment we arrived, when the head chef was called to the preferred lounge to talk to us. He assured us that all food, even pastries, are made on-site and that nothing in any restaurant contained the nuts she is allergic to. My child was thrilled to be able to eat anything she wanted without fear. The head chef was also always around, in and out of all of the restaurants, visible daily, and always available for questions. I couldn't be happier. The food itself is probably what you would expect at an all-inclusive, although many reviews tout it as better than others. This was my first experience at an all-inclusive. I was always able to find something I wanted...choices are many and food is plentiful. Portions are small, but you wouldn't want them any larger, considering the sheer amount of food always available. I had some entrees that left a little to be desired, but was mostly very pleased. Children can eat off the regular menu, or will be offered traditional "kid" selections like pizza or chicken tenders. My children always ate off the regular menu and were very happy. My only, trivial, complaint is that the rooms are rather dim...there are plenty of lights, but none of them seem to cast light in exactly the right places, especially for applying makeup at night. (and even during the day...I always had to carry the makeup mirror to the balcony to be sure I didn't look like a clown!) We were on the fifth floor, in the building furthest from the spa. Although the hallways are echo-y and loud, as other reviewers have noted, we were never disturbed. Perhaps it was our location..I don't know...but we heard very few people in the hallways. As so many people are in and out all day, wet from the pool, and sandy from the beach, they could not possibly carpet the hallways, nor would you want them to. The hard floors allow them to keep the hallways clean all day. I am sure there are areas of the hotel that could be louder. If you are unhappy with your room, ask for another. Our first room had no WiFi signal and the jacuzzis didn't work correctly. When we called to ask if we could move, we were immediately accomodated. We were able to check out the other rooms that were available, then were sent help to move our luggage, no questions asked, service with a smile. As a comparison, if you've been to Disney World, you will find a similar level of friendliness, cleanliness, and attention to detail here. Book now...you will have a wonderful time!

My husband and i visited the resort recently and overall we were very pleased. The restaurant food and alcohol selection is better than many all inclusives however I wouldn't consider absolute vodka 'top shelf'. The beach is very nice (minus the constant seaweed) and carlos works very hard to make sure you are happy. The beach huts fill up very quickly so I suggest you get yours early. There are hotel personnel on the beach all day to make sure you are not bothered by the locals selling their treasures. We had a king room with a plunge pool and was very happy with the layout and decor. The staff is very, very helpful and work hard to make sure you are happy.

The only reason I didn't give this resort five stars was due to:

- the resort allows children. They are all over the place...in every pool, every bar and every restaurant. We would have had a better trip if there wasn't a family next to us with three screaming children at all hours of the day and night. Maybe the resort should designate one building for families and one for those without children.

-some of the nightly entertainment is questionable. We thought the band showcased on Friday evening was a KISS cover band until a fire performer came on stage with a S&M mask on. Not appropriate for a resort of this caliber.

-the dress code for the restaurants seems a little sexist. Women are in the cafe for breakfast with see thru beach cover ups and bathing suits yet a man has to put on a sleeved shirt. A man must put on long pants for dinner yet a woman can walk in with a skin tight, plastic dress with her children in jeans and that's ok. Management should take a look at the dress code and make some alterations to their rule.

We were told by The staff that the resort wasn't filled to capacity while we were there. The restaurantsseemed a little small for the amount of rooms In the resort and while many nights we had to wait for a table, the wait wasn't longer than 30 minutes. I don't think I would go to this resort during high season- a chair at the pool or eating before 10 might pose a problem.

My wife and I just spent a week at this resort, and we both agreed that this was the best all-inclusive resort that we have ever been to. This resort is very well run, organized, and spotless. The food was fantastic with lots of options. The drinks are top shelf. The staff bend over backwards for you and make you feel like royalty. Everyone from the Rene at the front desk, to Ramundo & Barneby at the World Cafe, to chef Havier, to Eric at the bar by the beach, to Manuel with the entertainment team (I could go on and on), all make this resort what it is.
The only complaint is that there were so many young children. Not that I have something against kids, but there were just too many and a bit disruptive at the restaurants and pools. Furthermore, children are not supposed to be allowed into the infinity pool which has a swim up bar, yet it is not enforced at all.