Dreams Royal Beach Punta Cana

We went for 2 weeks with BA holidays - they were £100 cheaper than the other operators , but had the Preferred Club upgrade as standard, so check the small print! Flights were on time and the cabin crew were very good. Not the best first impression as we were dropped off at the Preferred Club lobby, which is completely separate from the main hotel. The two sites are separated by a lagoon, which has a really nice walkway straddling it with herons, terrapins, fish and iguanas to look at. There was only one person on the desk, so we sat around for over an hour before we were seen - not what you want after 12hrs travelling. We were given a welcome drink, but nothing more and after the paperwork was completed we joined our bags on a golf buggy and were driven to the main hotel complex (3-4 minutes). The preferred club rooms occupy the end of each block nearest the beach and are fairly nice, with a large TV and mini bar that was restocked daily, A/C was effective. You are assigned a concierge, and can ask them to arrange tours, bookings etc - it is all done via WhatsApp. We were on the ground floor of block 5, which was good in that we had a small patio area, followed a bit of grass which led directly to a lazy river. The issue was that the corridor is the main route to several of the restaurants, so it was really noisy from around 6:30am with staff through to 11:30pm with (drunken) guests. Also it is near the main pool where the activities happen, so it can be loud and busy at times. We spoke to a few Americans and the DR is a popular destination for few days away partying hard - so be warned, things can get very loud and lively during the afternoon... After a few nights of disturbed sleep we asked if we could move and thankfully we were, and given a room upgrade to a swim up room with cabana in block 7 - which is the new part of the hotel separate from the main area. The room was similar, but slightly smaller. Food was average to good for a 5* hotel, comparable to the better 5* hotels in Egypt for example. As usual the restaurant food was better than the buffet. It was nice to see premium drinks included, not just the local stuff as is often the case. Be aware that the hotel hosts a lot of weddings, so during our stay a few of the restaurants were closed on different nights to accommodate this. The concierge messaged us each day to advise of any closures and I believe they are also posted on the events notice board. Room service is also included, but we didn't use this. The restaurants have pagers that are given to guests so if there's a queue, you can wander off to a nearby bar and have a drink while waiting. The beach was nice with plenty of sunbeds, and had a separate Preferred club area. Waiting staff did the rounds every 20-30 minutes taking drink orders. The well documented seaweed was evident, it left slightly unpleasant smell and some days there were piles of it, other days virtually nothing. A tractor towed beach cleaner regul

Overall enjoyed the stay. Few small issues but comfortable hotel good food. The weather was glorious every day. We took 2 excursions whilst staying in Punta Cana. Soana island & Dolphin explorer both very enjoyable would highly recommend. The food was very good Oceana being our favourite. Staff & food were excellente. Some of the staff @ Dreams could be friendlier. They let down the staff who are giving excellent service & customer care. Only complaint really. Overall would recommend Dreams as a good hotel & experience. Great cocktails. The frozen mango mojitos are amazing 🍹