My fiancé and I stayed at the Dreams Resort during the last week in September 2008 and had an amazing time. The resort is nestled between the mountains and has a beautiful view and private beach. The resort has a quiet, relaxing atmosphere, and I would highly recommend it to couples and families. I would not recommend it for the Spring Break crowd.

The customer service at the resort is outstanding. The entire staff is very polite and friendly. Service was always prompt. It is not necessary to tip the servers but is very much appreciated and well deserved.

The food was good overall. Each restaurant offers a variety of choices for every taste. The portion sizes tend to be small compared to American portions, especially on the room service menu, but we never felt hungry. Drinks were easy to order by the pool. Try the Mango Tango and Dirty Monkey. Also, make sure you specify the type of liquor you want.

Yes, the rooms could use some updating. Construction was actually underway during our trip, but it went unnoticed. The room was fine for our purposes; we only retreated there to change clothes and sleep. Make sure to pack a travel alarm clock/watch.

The resort makes an effort to have different activities planned throughout the day at no extra charge. Activities include yoga, kayak tours, rock climbing, jungle trek, beach volleyball, tequila tastings, etc. You are under no pressure to participate. If you have the opportunity, make sure to participate in the baby turtle release program. This is an amazing experience! There are also several other activities available to you for additional fees.

There is not much of a nightlife at the resort, but the staff arrange for different clubs/bars for guests to visit if they wish.

TIPS:

Dress Codes
Note that the various restaurants have dress codes. To be seated at some of the more elegant restaurants for dinner, men must wear pants and a collared shirt and women must wear pants or a dress/skirt.

Jungle Trek
We really enjoyed participating in the Jungle Trek activity offered by the resort. Participants hike up the river that runs through the resort grounds to view beautiful terrain and waterfalls. Only healthy adults should plan to participate in this activity. The river is very rocky and a few places are difficult to manage. Wear a swimsuit and water shoes. Note: You have to sign a waiver prior to participating.

We just got back on 9/15 - Lots to say! Puerto Vallarta Airport is crazy on the inbound - walk past the first 2 sets of glass doors - the vendors pretend to be with your hotel but they are selling tours - a waste of time! Wait until you see your tour rep (outside) before stopping - trust me! The hotel was great! The food was very high quality, but I had stomach issues the last night there, so be careful of the water and perhaps the fresh veggies. The restaurants were very nice - even the buffet was good (as buffets go). I drink wine, and sometimes the wine (chardonney) had turned to vinegar, but the staff gave me a new glass from a new bottle and it was ok. The grounds are pretty and well kept. The linens are not the highest quality, but they were suitable. I wished the towels were more plentiful (we had 3 women in our room, so we needed more that the average guest room). The place was more than half empty - the second tower was closed for rennovation. We tipped a little at every meal, and more at dinner in the finer restaurants, but it did not seem to affect our service going forward. I thought we would at least be remembered for tipping - most people did not tip, but that was not the case - just an observation. All in all, I would recommend for a short trip (4 day), but not sure I would want to stay longer.

My wife and I decided to look at the west coast of Mexico for our honeymoon in October 2007 (to avoid any late Caribbean hurricanes) and after much back and forth with our travel agent decided on Dreams in Puerto Vallarta. Let me tell you, we werent' dissapointed.

First off, we were greated by a glass of champagne and a nice cool towel to put on our neck. We stayed in the "old tower", which frankly hasn't recieved the best reviews, but we really enjoyed it. The view was wonderful, the service we received as honeymooners (fruit, champagne, etc) was great, and the room was clean and mold free. The only complaint was that on the muggier nights the a/c had a hard time keeping up and while the room got cold, it still had that muggy air in it.

Secondly, all of the wait staff were wonderful. They kept the drinks flowing and really seemed like they enjoyed their jobs; singing, dancing, telling jokes, etc. The spa treatment my wife and I received was extremely relaxing and the girls were well trained.

Third, the food was absolutly spectacular. We went to all of the dining choices and enjoyed them all. While the buffet was an alright choice for lunch, I would probably avoid it for dinner and make reservations at a restaurant...the food was just much more delicious. Also, you can find little hot dog/hamburger/pizza spots randomly around the hotel for that quick snack. Plus, the room service was great for the late night munchies...pizza was great!

Finally, the beach is probably one of the nicest I've seen on the west side of Mexico. The sand was clean, the little "cove" that the beach is in is beautiful, and the water, while not the clearest blue, was sufficient enough for my wife who is a snob for the crystal waters of the Caribbean.

In conclusion, this hotel gives you everything you are looking for in a Mexican vacation and more. My wife and I are already looking at our schedules for the next time we can visit Dreams.

We went to Puerto Vallarta Dreams from September 3 through September 9, 2008. This was our first time to PV during the rainy season.

Arrival from the airport went very smooth. As suggested on Puerto Vallarta trip advisor forum, we used a porter from the baggage claim. He got us through the timeshare sharks with no hazel and took us straight to our car which we book in advance with Aeromovil transportation. We had a new large car and great AC.
I recommend using both the porter and the Aeromovil Transportation. It was the smoothest exit from the PV airport we have ever had.

Dreams was as wonderful as always . There was no Champaign and cool cloth on our arrival this time, but check in was very smooth and our room was ready. We had room 2006 in the original tower . It was very clean, great bed and wonderful view. We needed more hangers and they were brought within an hour. The down part (no pun intended) was the pillows. I have always brought our own down pillows and never needed them. This time we had older flat pillows and I wished I had brought our own. Our room was always made up before noon. The maid left towel swans and hibiscus on the bed almost everyday. Towels were replaced twice daily. We had our bed turned down everyday but the second one. When the maid realized we went to bed by eight it was always ready when we came back for dinner. The fridge was filled every day with Coronas, soda, and bottled water. The safe worked at all times. It was nice to have fresh coffee while we dressed for breakfast. The room was very clean at all times. They have wonderful large bottles of shampoo, lotion, sunscreen that has the most awesome smell of oranges, shoe cleaner, mending kit, shower cap, and a box with a q-tip and piece of cotton. One bottle of shampoo lasted the entire 7 days. We even had a spare on the bathroom counter. I do recommend you bring hair conditioner as that is one item they don't provide. In fact most hotels I have been to in Mexico don't have hair conditioner. The AC work well. During the more humid part of the day there was condensation on the ceiling underneath the unit. It wasn't bad enough that it drip down on the floor.
They have many activities to do during the day and night. They put a daily activity sheet in your room every evening

We ate breakfast at the World Cafe. They have fresh fruit, cheese trays, cold cuts, fish, yogurts, pancakes, waffles, french toast, eggs of any kind, breakfast meats, cereals hot or cold, bloody Mary's, champaign, sweet roll and breads.
Mexican food. Francisco waited on us almost everyday and was most attentive.

After breakfast we went to the beach and got chairs in front of the Oceana Restaurant. We would walk the beach front for 2 miles and then read. To ocean was very calm the whole time we were there. Last May it was very rough surf and the foam from the red tide was there. Because of the rain the river flows across the beach out to the ocean cut off two sides of the beach from each other You could walk through it to get across except after one very hard rain only the brave of heart ventured across. One morning I watched as they removed turtle eggs from the beach to put in the hatchery.

Lunch we had at the Sea Side Grill or at the World Cafe. There is so much food to choose from. I always gain weight when I come here.

We had massages at the spa almost every afternoon. the best we have ever had anywhere. I spoke with a woman who works at a spa in Las Vegas and she said there is no better masseuses than what Dreams has. She also stated that they really have 5 star chefs in their kitchens.
The spa is very welcoming with lighted luminaries as you come in with great relaxing spa music. They have a sauna, steam room, plunge shower, shower, and everything you could need. shampoo, toothpaste and brush, mouth wash, deodorant. hair dryer,


We had dinner every night at Portofino except the night it was closed. What a wonderful restaurant, the food is out of this world, and the service can't get any better anywhere. Fernando was so wonderful. The entire staff was just out standing.
They made our anniversary dinner so special for us. I highly recommend Dreams romantic couples meal for a special occasion I was told that they are moving Portofino's to where the sports bar was making it a 5 star. They are going to inclose all the restaurants in order to have AC. in them.
The old Portofinos will be a small buffet for dinner.

We did tip and we tipped well. We tipped the equivalent of what we would have tipped in the US for the price of the same meal and drinks in the US. We also tipped in Pesos. I know tips are included in the price but we feel the employees at Dreams work very hard and are one of the most gracious people we have met and have made all of our stays totally enjoyable and wanting to come back. Please note: tipping at Dreams is not required or asked for. You will receive the same great service we did if you don't tip. Just be gracious and polite. I have observed many demanding and rude guest thinking they are really special and should have the employees KTB. This is something I normally would never say but many from my country do this and it should be addressed.

To be honest, I was expecting much worse when is came to the heat and humidity. It wasn't unbearable for me and after a few hours I was use to it.
Mornings were lovely as it was much cooler than the late afternoon.. It would cloud up in the afternoon then light showers around four to six or seven PM. We had two days without any rain.
The day before we left it started around 1PM and rained throughout the evening.

Dreams is not a new mega Resort with all the glitz, chandeliers and marble columns. It does not have hundreds of guests partying at the pools and trying to impress each other. We have been through all that and it is not our style. But what it has is the old elegance of old Puerto Vallarta or Hawaii. It has one the greatest staff and management I have encountered. The service is genuine and always with a smile.
Dreams PV is a place we will continue to return to. Dollar for dollar there is no better value for the money. Do the math.

Our favorite employee is the Chief Concierge Gregorio. He is so helpful and will make your stay most enjoyable and go smoothly.

We were here for our 30th anniversary and Dreams made it very special for us. I can't think of a better place to have been. We will be returning on Dec 2 for 10 days
We feel this is a very well managed resort. It does feel like coming home every time we return. It has an understated elegance to it.