Tropical palm trees, sun, and sand – a warm and sunny beach is our ideal trip for the family. Dreams Playa Mujeres Golf & Spa Resort has all of these things and more! This grand hotel is covered with beautifully crafted gardens, amazing infinity pools, tasteful restaurants, lively entertainment, and top-notch hospitality.
This was our first trip since the pandemic started and we loved getting to stay in one location while enjoying all the amenities, good eats, and dreamy beach and poolside views. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would highly recommend this resort!
With so many resorts available, I do extensive research when choosing the best option for our family. I’ve found that all-inclusive resorts make it so easy and convenient to travel, especially with kids (see my review of our past all-inclusive Mexico family vacation resort stay here).
Dreams Playa Mujeres Golf & Spa Resort is rated 4.5 stars from thousands of reviews on both Trip Advisor and Google. Your stay here also gives you access to their adults-only resort next door, Secrets. The Facebook fan group is a great resource if you have any questions.
Transportation
Cancun Airport (CUN) is the closest airport and is about 45 minutes away from Dreams Playa Mujeres. We were able to get a 4-hour direct flight from Newark and when we arrived, we took a private shuttle to the resort with AMStar that I pre-booked.
Preferred Club
We always upgrade to Preferred Club status when it’s available. It gives you exclusive access to the Preferred Club lounge, designated areas throughout the resort including the Preferred Club beach area, pool cabanas, exclusive restaurants, concierge service, and enhanced room amenities.
Room
Our room was the Preferred Club Master Suite Ocean View located in building 6. This room was very spacious for our party of 5 (3 adults and 2 kids). The location was great too because it’s close to everything.
This suite was a roomy bedroom complete with a king-size bed, separate living area with a sofa bed, dining table, sitting area and flat-screen, walk-in closet, large bathroom, and private furnished terrace with a hot tub overlooking the Caribbean Sea.
Food
There are 10 restaurants and 13 bars located throughout the resort. There’s a wide variety of international cuisines including French, Japanese, Brazilian, Seafood, Mediterranean, and Mexican.
With so many options available we only tried a handful of restaurants, but overall we were very pleased with everything. Although some dishes felt under-seasoned, it was easily fixed with their variety of homemade hot sauces. The habanero sauce was my personal favorite because it had such a nice kick, but the hot chili oil was also impressive and the chimichurri was delicious with everything.
The seafood restaurant, Marisa, is great for dinner and serves as an a la carte breakfast option for Preferred Club members. We often had breakfast here because it was so good and had views to match when you sit outside. I preferred the eggs benedict as well as a simple yogurt and toppings, while the kids gravitated towards the waffles, pancakes, and bacon.
We often dined at the international buffet, World Cafe, for dinner and sometimes lunch because of the convenience and wide range of dishes that satisfied both the adults and kids. The menu changes regularly with a few staple dishes available daily. We got to enjoy some delicious paella and freshly grilled seafood. I personally couldn’t get enough of the ceviches! It was easily the best thing I ate and I still think about it. The kids loved creating their own pasta dishes and picking their desserts.
We visited Dolce every day for their premium coffee and variety of ice cream. I loved heading there in the morning to grab a latte while the kids were still sleeping. Then we visit in the evening and throughout the day for a scoop or two of ice cream and a milkshake.
We spent most of our days at the beach or by the pool, so our lunch consisted of burgers, wings, and hot dogs from Tides, the grilled restaurant. It’s so convenient to be able to order from the concierge and have it delivered to you. One day, they set up a themed lunch by the pool and we had tacos, paella, and ceviche which was a nice change.
Halfway through our trip, the resort held a fun Mexican-themed dinner under the stars. It included a live band and a huge array of food including freshly made tacos, salads, ceviche, grilled meats and seafood, desserts, specialty cocktails, and more.
For our last night, we booked a private dinner on a bridge in the center of the resort with our remaining resort credits. It was a 4-course meal and the filet, lobster, and lobster bisque were perfect. Although it was a great time, I don’t recommend spending money on this when you can still enjoy a great meal at one of the restaurants. I think a s’mores fire on the beach would be a better alternative if you have resort credits to use or want something extra to do.
Pool
We really loved the pools here. There are two incredible infinity pools with one connected to the children’s pool. The pools heated to a comfortable temperature, which was especially great for the kids. The adults loved the convenience of grabbing a drink or two at the swim-up bars. Spending hours by the pool was my favorite because they had amazing views and the cabanas were roomy with lots of shade. The drinks and food were never-ending thanks to the amazing service!
The cabanas are at several locations throughout the resort, not just by the pool! Some cabanas also include two loungers and a table so it’s a great spot to enjoy the sun and the shade throughout the day. Note that the cabanas are only available for Preferred Club members and they recommend reserving them early the day of to secure one.
There are also six hot tubs, a waterpark, a waterslide, and a lazy river (which is exclusive to Preferred Club members).
The waterpark (not pictured) looked huge and impressive. While I was too scared to go in it, the rest of the family enjoyed the much smaller waterslides. The waterslide is located on one of the kid’s pools located next to the kids club. It’s like a water playground with several different kinds of slides, water guns, and waterfalls. The lazy river was kind of a bore for us and the water was also freezing.
Beach
The beach, unfortunately, had a lot of seaweed along the water but we still enjoyed lounging on the cabanas and playing in the sand. The cabanas are exclusive to Preferred Club members. Be sure to make reservations with the concierge in the morning. Beach lounge chairs are available for everyone.
There are two beach bars. The Hideaway is the Preferred Club beach bar located beside the Preferred Club cabanas and serves tropical cocktails. The Sand Bar is the only bar that serves tropical cocktails and fresh coconut.
Kids Club
The two kids’ clubs on-site are the Explorer’s Club for ages 3-12 and the Core Zone Teens Club for ages 13-17. The Explorer’s Club offers a playground, video games, big-screen movies, and crafts, treasure hunts, sandcastle contests, and a camping adventure. The Core Zone Teens Club features social activities like bonfires and disco mixers in addition to a vast array of sports and games.
Both kids clubs are for kids only and adults are not allowed to enter. This is a new concept to me as we were always able to explore and play at the center together at other resorts. The daily activities looked like fun, but the kids didn’t want to participate alone during this trip.
Entertainment
The resort did a good job with live musical performances, drink demonstrations, themed nights, and stage performances. We attended several of the live stage performances and they were always entertaining and impressive. We saw amazing acrobatic performances, amazing singers and dancers, light shows, and techno dances. They were geared more towards adults but were still enjoyed by the whole family.
Photographer
We utilized the in-house photographer, Adventure Photographer, and we were so glad we did! They did a great job capturing moments and had a great eye for taking artistic shots. We did a mix of photos at the gardens and the beach and loved all of them.
The photographer’s office is located near the kids club. You schedule a time to take pictures which for us was at 9 am or 5 pm. We did both times and the lighting at 9 am was better in my opinion. They’ll take a lot of pictures within the 30 min time frame. And they will usually have the proof ready the next day. The photoshoot is completely free and you just pay for the photos you want which are $22 each.
Covid Testing and Precautions
Masks were only required at the buffet and in the theater, which were provided by the resort. All staff members wore masks at all times.
Current guidelines require 24-hour test results in order to fly back to the US (click here for up-to-date guidance). You can schedule on-site testing at the front desk. It’s recommended you make an appointment at least 2 days before your departure.
