Lorry Perkins
Writer, Travel Blogger
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Dreams Aventuras Riviera Maya: Newly Renovated, Reopened September 2021
According to AMResorts, The Dreams Puerto Aventuras Resort & Spa reopened on September 1, 2021, after extensive renovations to elevate the overall property experience. In addition to the new look, the resort has a new name, Dreams Aventuras Riviera Maya. Since our last visit was a few years ago, I’d like to thank Craig Schneider for providing the new images.
Highlights of the enhancements include:
- Completely renovated elegant and welcoming lobby
- Addition of 35 swim-out suites
- Fully renovated guest rooms with all new decor, indoor and outdoor furniture, linens, and accessories
- Brand new decor in all restaurants and bars
- Completely renovated a la carte restaurants
- A beautiful new bridal suite
- All new indoor fitness center
- Renovated Explorer’s Club for kids ages 3-12
- New Kiddies Splash Zone
- A new water park annex featuring two water slides added to the main pool for guests of all ages
- And more
Featured Deals: Ends 3/29 – Welcome Home Sale – 40% Off + Perks
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Spacious Rooms Include an Ocean View, Deluxe Garden View, Deluxe Marina View, and More
We were upgraded to a room overlooking the dolphins which were amazing to watch from our balcony. You can choose from a king room, king ocean view, deluxe pool view, deluxe ocean view, and other select rooms. Regardless of your room type, you will enjoy air conditioning, a flat-screen TV, a mini bar, laundry service, a private balcony, and all of the property amenities at this all-inclusive resort.
Activities Include Nonmotorized Water Sports, Fitness Center, and Dream Spa
If you tire of sitting around at the poolside bar, There is plenty to keep you busy at this Dreams Puerto Aventuras Resort. Boost your activity with the nonmotorized water sports or fitness center. Looking for a spa resort experience? Dreams resorts are famous for its spa services.
Dreams Aventuras is Adjacent to the Town of Puerto Aventuras
This resort is most unusual compared to other all-inclusives in Riviera Maya because it is adjacent to the town of Puerto Aventuras. You can literally walk off of the resort property and into the town that is full of private residences, restaurants, and sites to see. We stopped at this resort briefly to drop off guests when we were en route to another resort, and after driving through the town, then seeing the yachts, boats, and catamarans docked at the marina just outside of the resort grounds, we made a mental note to stay here one day.
One of Riviera Mayas Largest Dolphinariums
The resort boasts one of Riviera Maya’s largest Dolphinariums. When we stayed here before the renovations, we were fortunate to be upgraded to a room that overlooked Dolphin Dreams, which features “a world-class interactive program allowing resort guests to observe dolphins and manatees up close.” Every morning we awoke to a view of trainers working with the sea creatures to perfect their performance, or at times, the dolphins took it upon themselves to entertain us without prompting. Having the dolphinarium on site saves time and avoids the added cost of transportation to another location if one of your desires is to interact with dolphins.
This resort is on the smaller side, so it is very easy to navigate for those who do not want to do a lot of walking. We like to walk, so having the option to stroll around a nearby town was a plus. The resort has 305 nonsmoking rooms, two pools, eight dining options, and four bars. Dreams Aventuras caters to families but includes an adults-only section with its own private pool for peace and tranquility.
The Beach at Dreams Aventuras Riviera Maya
One of the drawbacks to the resort is the small beach, but if you are there for the pools, food, and service, you won’t be disappointed.
The Preferred Club at Dreams Aventuras Riviera Maya Resort
We met guests who were members of the preferred club and raved about the benefits, including a preferred lounge, but because we like to visit different resorts, we’ve not been tempted to join. What I hear from some who have joined these types of vacation clubs is that the advantage is having entry to exclusive parts of the resort. If that is important to you, maybe you would like to consider purchasing, but for the most part, we do not feel there is a money-saving advantage.
Puerto Aventuras Resort Restaurants
Reservations at the a la cartes are not required, so you can dine at your leisure. There are five a la carte restaurants to choose from, in addition to a buffet, grill, and cafe. If you do not feel like leaving your room, you can order room service. The a la carte restaurants include El Patio for Mexican cuisine, Gohan is the brightly decorated sushi lounge, Oceana features fresh seafood in an open-air setting (adults only), Portofino serves Italian cuisine, and the Seaside Grill is the place for steak lovers.
The food was quite good, and the service was excellent at the Aventuras. We ate at the Oceana seafood restaurant located by the pool twice because the food was delicious. One night I had walnut-crusted salmon, and the other was a tasty stuffed chicken breast. The Mexican restaurant served a delicious shrimp with garlic sauce and then made one of my favorites, a Mayan coffee afterward. I indulged in the fettuccine at the Italian restaurant and remembered enjoying my steak at the steakhouse. The resort didn’t offer much in the way of pizza at the time, but when our waiter learned that we liked it, he made a special request to the kitchen to make it for us.
Entertainment at the Dreams Aventuras Riviera Maya Resort
The nighttime entertainment is similar to other resorts, but I remember a live band by the pool one night that was like a mini-concert. The group was high energy, and the crowd responded with enthusiasm. People were dancing and having a great time.
Jeep Ride to the Sian Ka’an
We don’t usually allow ourselves to be tempted by a sales pitch, but we were offered a gift certificate that paid for our Jeep ride to the Sian Ka’an if we agreed to tour the Dreams Tulum resort. It was a gorgeous resort, but we decided against purchasing the travel package. It wasn’t high-pressure, but it did take a few hours to complete.
We forgot all about the time lost on the sales tour when we hopped aboard a Jeep caravan with a group that consisted mainly of German-speaking tourists. Our guides spoke English, German, and Spanish and went out of their way to make sure we understood everything and enjoyed the excursion. We were paired with a couple who spoke only Spanish for our Jeep assignment, but we managed to communicate somewhat.
You can read more about excursions to the Sian Ka’an biosphere here. Watch this video above of our bumpy ride through the jungle to the biosphere, where we then parked the Jeeps and climbed into small boats to navigate the waters where we spied sea creatures large and small. The boats were fully equipped with snorkeling gear for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view the marine life swimming freely in the waters beneath us. We docked our boats in time for a traditional Mexican lunch served in a pavilion by the beach before boating to another beautiful area where we swam in cool, clear water. Whether you travel by Jeep and a boat or float down a river at the Sian Ka’an as we did on our second excursion, a visit to the biosphere is a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime experience that I highly recommend.
When staying toward the southern part of Riviera Maya, a visit to either the bohemian town of Tulum or the Mayan ruins is another choice if the biosphere is not of interest to you.
This is a resort that we have only wanted to visit once, but after seeing the renovation to the rooms and restaurants, I’m tempted to pay them a visit. What are your thoughts? Can you see yourself at this resort?
Book Your Travel
When we travel, we book with our travel agent Jim Lucente. Rest assured that you will know the latest Covid protocols and have the added layer of a professional to contact directly with any questions or concerns. I highly recommend contacting Jim Lucente, owner of Lucente Travel, at 412-299-7699 or emailing him at jim@lucentetravel.com to book your all-inclusive vacation.
If you prefer to book online, click on the ad below.
ahh, the swim up suites sounds too good to be true! so glad they added 35 of those, it’ll be a top seller for sure!
This looks like a really beautiful place to visit.
Beautiful! We spend a lot of time in Merida and love finding resorts like Aventuras as a quick getaway with new places to explore.
The waters around the Riviera Maya are just incredible. As we jumped right in at some resort, immediately there was someone with a whistle calling us….yet, we had a great time. This resort looks so beautiful and clean – certainly a wonderful place to stay.
Resorts are not my thing at the moment, but those rooms look so pretty! Also, a swim out suite? That’s something I have’t experienced yet sounds so cool!
I love to visit resorts such as the Dreams Puerto Adventuras right after a major renovation. I understand there are sometimes some shakedown issues. But I love the new feel. Especially for Caribbean resorts that often seem so musty. Great that the resort is located so close to town. I too would be tempted to visit.
oh my gosh, the swim out suites sound heavenly right now! im usually not a resort type of person but i might have to make an exception ….
After such a bad 18 months for travel and hospitality it’s great to see that they have been able to renovate and come back hopefully stronger.