We had an absolutely fabulous time at Dreams Los Cabos. Because we had set aside the first 5 days of our vacation to attend a wedding and visit with family, we were only able to spend 3 nights (2 1/2 days) at Dreams. We definitely could have used about 3 more!
We considered Cabo for our honeymoon about a year ago, closing in on Las Ventanas, Marquis Los Cabos, and the One and Only Palmilla as options. At the time, the pricing was pretty high, and we decided our money would be better spent in Europe. Only when we rsvp'd for this recent wedding in College Station, TX did we consider Cabo for our anniversary trip destination. I had read that tourism in Cabo had been reduced over recent months because of swine flu concerns, even though there hadn't been any reported cases from the area. This meant lower prices and better deals for vacationers. Wanting to save even more money, we decided to try an all-inclusive option, and Dreams came up as the best in the area. We arrived late Tuesday morning and left early Friday morning.
The weather in Cabo this time of year is hot, but completely bearable because of ultra low humidity levels. 100 degrees feels pleasant if you're under shade, and there was a perpetual light to moderate breeze. When we arrived at Dreams, we were greeted with cold, scented towels and glasses of champagne. The entrance is gorgeous and airy:
It leads out to the main pool and beach:
Our room wasn't ready upon arrival, so we headed to El Patio for a buffet lunch. Once we settled into the room, a complimentary bottle of champagne was sent as an anniversary gift. We enjoyed this on our balcony, chatting and overlooking the pool and ocean:
After a brief champagne-induced nap, we headed down to Oceana for a casual seafood dinner in the open-air restaurant. The golf concierge later set up a round of golf for Husband at the nearby Cabo Real course...the cost was around $200, which included a rider fee for me, and unlimited drinks and snacks for us both. The course itself was amazing...in one direction was the desert mountains and cactus-filled ravines...in the other direction was the gorgeous beach:
We spent the rest of our day lounging by the 'quiet pool' and sipping on frozen drinks. We chose Asian cuisine that night - dining at Himitsu. The next day was entirely spent lounging under our own palapa on the beach. It was so quiet and peaceful...we felt like we were in our own world:
Only the pelicans and occasional local peddlers interrupted the day:
Our final night's dinner was at Portofino, the lovely Italian restaurant. We chose to wait for one of the 3 tables out on the veranda, next to a small pond and dimly lit. The wait was short - just enough time to snap some pics poolside and enjoy a glass of champagne. The setting was beautiful and tucked away at the far corner of the resort...we slowly enjoyed our meal, which was a perfect end to a wonderful getaway.
The weather:
I'm not one to shy away from hot weather, as long as the humidity is low. The highs were around 100, with lows in the 80s. The sun is strong, and the sand gets hot, but under an umbrella or palapa roof, it feels warm and pleasant.
The transportation:
We used Olympus tours for our transport to/from the hotel. As with most of the tour companies, they load up the van and often have several stops along the way. The only time this can be a pain is if you have an early departing flight...we had an 8:30am flight on Friday morning, and our pickup time was 5:30am! Yuck! We picked up 1 other couple, but even with the early pickup, we arrived at the airport before security was open. A friend who travels to Cabo often advised us to rent a car, and we just might on our next trip. It seems very easy to get around, and it would be nice to have more flexibility had we stayed longer.
The golf:
Husband described the course as moderately difficult. Although the quality of the grass itself wasn't top-notch (rather dry due to a lack of rain), the setting and vistas were really unique. He felt that it was absolutely worth the money. The course was fairly empty, so he was able to take some time on the practice range, and we were never rushed to move through the holes. The beverage/snack cart came around often...we mostly enjoyed ice-cold Coronas, but she found us at the 18th hole with some lime juice for margaritas. The staff was extremely friendly!
The accommodations:
I was getting anxious before our trip after reading reviews on several trusted sites. Some people truly loved their experience at Dreams, and others hated it! I have to say, we had NO complaints with the resort itself. We had an oceanfront suite, which was spacious and cleaned thoroughly every day. There are 2 pools - a big one with an infinity pool and water slide, and a 'quiet pool' off to the side of the resort - both with swim-up bars and towel stands. The families with children stayed around the larger pool...most of the lounge chairs here were filled by 11am. There were always plenty of empty chairs around the quiet pool, as well as hammocks from the trees. The beachfront palapas were even better...never full and fairly quiet. We found the common areas to be extremely clean as well...we even saw them scrubbing the pool areas with bleach solutions! I am a germaphobe, and felt completely comfortable at all times.
The service:
Every employee was pleasant and efficient. Many of the reviews I saw insisted that you must tip early and often for even adequate service. We didn't necessarily find this to be the case. Yes, we tipped our waiters by the pool and beach, who brought us drinks and snacks all day. We also tipped our restaurant waiters and maid service. But, the service was excellent even when we did not tip (e.g., when getting a single drink or water at the bar). The turndown service was a mystery to us...one 2 days it came at the inopportune time of 6pm (when we were just returning to the room)...on the last night it came at 10:30pm! The complimentary chocolates are gross, but you're provided with 2 extra towels and a 1-page newsletter for the following day.
The food:
Another frequent complaint on the travel sites. We liked the food! Sure, it wasn't gourmet, but it also didn't taste super mass-produced. There are 5 restaurants at the resort - 3 that are good for a nice dinner, and 2 that are good for breakfast/lunch or casual dinners. Additionally, there is the Coco Cafe, which has pastries and yummy (but decadent) coffee drinks. El Patio was mainly buffet...the lunch was mostly Mexican, while the breakfast was a good mix of western-style and Mexican cuisines. We had a great omelette made by Bety, yummy french toast, and freshly cut fruit. We ate lunch at Seaside grill one afternoon, which had some decent sandwiches and burger options. Our first dinner was at Oceana...the grilled mahi mahi was super tasty and Husband's grilled tuna was perfectly cooked. Himitsu, the Asian restaurant, has some good and unique sushi and lots of other Pan-asian options. Portofino, the Italian restaurant, was actually the most disappointing of the 5, even though reviewers raved about it! We found the setting to be gorgeous, but the food mediocre. The great thing is that you don't need reservations at any of the restaurants...any wait would be at most 15 minutes, and they give you a pager so you are free to roam the resort or grab a drink at the front bar/lounge.
I'd say 3-5 days is the maximum amount of time you could spend at Dreams, before you get bored of the resort and the food. The resort is a hotspot in Cabo for destination weddings and honeymooners, and the staff lead tons of activities throughout the day. But, you can totally do your own thing as well. We were warned about the persistent and annoying timeshare hawks, but didn't have to deal with any! The local peddlers hawking their wares beyond the hotel's beach boundary were WAY more annoying than any timeshare people. Overall, we had a fabulous time, and I'd recommend Dreams to anyone!
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