We have taken a family beach vacation each summer ever since Savannah was a baby and we look forward to it all year long. Typically, we book vacations through a travel agent, which is always so nice, but this year I decided to do my own research and book it ourselves. I narrowed it down to two Dreams resorts and then called to book. The reservation specialist I spoke with, back in February, was so helpful when I told her what I was looking for and I decided to book at Dreams Riviera Cancun. She helped me with booking airfare, two rooms, and transportation to/from the airport.
For the past few years, we have taken my mom with us on some of our vacations to help with the kids. Having her there allows us to take the older kids on excursions or just spend extra time with them while the youngest naps. We book adjoining rooms so that my mom can have her space and the two oldest usually have a bed in her room. It has always been so helpful and such a blessing to have her with us each time. We are so thankful that she’s willing to take the time to join us, working around our schedule.
Just a couple of weeks after we booked this vacation, the year-altering event known as Covid-19, struck. As the weeks rolled by and we heard of so many vacations being canceled, so we were super excited to learn that our trip had not been altered. We packed our bags and headed south for a week at the beach!
Like I said, we booked two rooms that were adjoining. One had a king size bed and the other had two queen size beds. We had ocean-view rooms and were on the third level. Here’s a peek at our accommodations.
From check-in to check-out, our concierge was Ernesto and he was so wonderful. As with all of the staff, from dining to poolside to room service, Ernesto and the others were all so friendly and helpful, always taking the best care of us. All of the staff had to wear face masks or shields.
There are three large pools on the property, the infinity edge pool was the largest and it was also the one with a swim-up bar. We spent most of our pool time in this pool and enjoyed the beautiful views. There is also a sports pool which is where most pool activities and games were held. The third pool was more of a kiddie pool with it’s 2′ max depth.
We were able to eat at three of the six restaurants, including Mexican food, Italian food, and Seafood. The breakfast buffet was prefect for our family each morning. We enjoyed lunch at the Barefoot Grill and took advantage of room service after long day excursions. For an afternoon or evening snack, we would often stop in the Coco Cafe for ice cream or cookies. That’s where they also had different coffee options, as well as other snacks and sweets to choose from.
Currently, due to restrictions by the Mexican government surrounding Covid-19, all resorts/hotels are only allowed to book at 30% occupancy. With over 400 rooms, we were able to enjoy a less crowded, more intimate stay. The resort is so pretty and well maintained. The food was delicious, the staff made you feel like family, and we were able to have a nice, relaxing week away. We also spent two days off the resort doing a few excursions, which I’ll share about in a later blog post. We, of course, were not ready to leave when our time had come, but are so thankful we had the opportunity to spend a week in Mexico as a family.
To answer some questions regarding changes on the resort due to Covid-19, the things I noticed, I’ll sum up here:
– Guests were never required to wear a mask on the resort, but all staff wore a mask/shield the entire time.
– Restaurants had seating a bit more spaced out and some places only allowed up to 5 people per table.
– We had our temperature taken and hand sanitizer given before we could enter any restaurant.
– The buffet was self-serve, other than some of the hot stations.
– As I mentioned above, the resort was only allowed (per their government) to book at 30% occupancy.
– Lounge chairs by the pools were more spaced out. We were told they only had about half of them out.
It was a week of relaxing, adventuring, and fun! We greatly enjoyed our stay at Dreams Riviera Cancun and would highly recommend it. I’m often asked if I/we feel safe while in Mexico, especially when traveling with our kids, and even more so now with Covid. We have always felt very safe. This resort, along with the others we have stayed at, are very family oriented and the people are so kind. We usually go off of the resort 1-2 times for excursions that we book via the resort. We always feel safe during those times, too.
~ Amy