Dreams Puerto Morelos Resort & Spa

kathleen fajardo

Our stay at Hyatt Ziva Riviera Maya was nothing short of amazing! The resort is beautiful, with stunning views, well-kept grounds, and a relaxing atmosphere that made our vacation truly special. From the food options to the pools and entertainment, everything was thoughtfully planned and top-notch. A special mention goes to Sandy, who went above and beyond to make our experience unforgettable. Sandy was warm, attentive, and genuinely cared about ensuring we had everything we needed. Her hospitality and kindness stood out and made us feel so welcome throughout our stay. We left with wonderful memories and can’t wait to return. Thank you, Hyatt Ziva Riviera Maya, and an even bigger thank you to Sandy for making our trip exceptional!

Elen Ru

⚠️ Important Warning for Travelers: Hyatt Ziva Riviera Maya If you’ve already booked this hotel — please read carefully before you go. This review is not written out of frustration but as a genuine warning to help other families avoid the same mistakes we made. Tips Before You Arrive 1. Avoid overnight flights unless you can sleep on the plane. If you arrive early in the morning, don’t expect any place to rest before check-in. We arrived from Vancouver with our child, completely exhausted, and were denied even a temporary room. The lobby was too hot, and the concierge area — although cooler — had such a strong smell of cleaning chemicals that it was impossible to stay there. This same harsh odor is present throughout the property, especially in the restrooms. 2. Bring plenty of snacks if you’re traveling with kids. We finally got our room around 1 PM (thankfully earlier than the official 3 PM check-in), but when we went to eat later, we discovered that every restaurant requires a reservation, and the average wait is around 45 minutes. The buffet was closed, and there was literally nowhere to get food quickly. Room service is also very slow. Keep some snacks with you or grab pizza by the pool to store in your mini-fridge for emergencies. 3. Be aware: there is no real beach. If you’re expecting a typical Cancun beach vacation, this is not the right place. I honestly didn’t know beachfront hotels without a usable beach even existed. The name “Riviera Maya” and the Hyatt brand gave me false confidence — this was a huge disappointment. 4. Forget about enjoying the ocean breeze at night. The property is surrounded by mosquitoes. You can’t sit on the balcony, and you’ll have to keep the doors closed with the AC running 24/7 — which made us all catch colds during our stay. 5. Pack mosquito spray and after-bite cream. You will need them. We were covered in itchy bites after attending one of the outdoor dinners. 6. Keep your emergency meds in your carry-on. Even if your stay seems fine, things can go wrong at the very end — as happened to us. ⸻ My Honest Review We arrived tired but excited — and not being offered any place to rest really set the tone for our entire trip. When we finally got our room at 1 PM, we were thankful, but by then we had already lost our first day trying to stay awake. The room was clean and large and had a jacuzzi — which unfortunately didn’t work. We paid extra for an Oceanfront room so we could enjoy the sound of the waves, but the mosquitoes made it impossible to even open the door at the evening. The food was a big letdown: repetitive buffet, hardly any seafood, and even basic dishes like guacamole or nachos were tasteless. The cocktails tasted like artificial lime concentrate rather than fresh juice. The restaurant service was painfully slow — clearly understaffed, and this was only end of October. I can’t imagine how they manage during high season. Entertainment was minimal and repetitive. The same music, the same saxophone every afternoon. By the second day, we were already bored and ended up spending time at a nearby beach just to swim and eat real Mexican food. The worst part: both our child and one adult in our group got food poisoning. On the last day, after having chicken soup from the buffet, I also got sick — spent the entire flight home vomiting and needed several days to recover. I understand we didn’t pay for a luxury stay, but I did expect two simple things: good food and a swimmable beach. Sadly, we got neither. This was my fifth all-inclusive vacation in Mexico including Riviera Maya— and the first time I left feeling so disappointed that I don’t want to return. I truly cannot recommend Hyatt Ziva Riviera Maya to anyone. Better safe more money to go to other place.

Susie Turk

I had a fabulous time at this resort. The service is excellent. Rayli at the Corner Snack bar is so funny and friendly. Javier was so kind and worked to make it a special birthday celebration for us. Kevin leads the most hilarious and fun water aerobics. Jorge in fitness is an excellent trainer. His workouts are a great way to start the day. There are plenty of activities for everyone. There are four water slides at the waterpark. The food is really tasty. The rooms are spacious with two sitting areas. We really enjoyed our stay.

Mark Frederik Stulzer

As a return visitor to Hyatt Ziva Riviera Maya, I noticed a significant decline in quality from my previous stay two years ago. While the staff remains friendly and pleasant, particularly Courtney who did an excellent job, several issues marred our stay. The most concerning problem was food quality. Nearly everyone in our large group became ill during the stay, with guests audibly sick throughout the night. This is unacceptable for a resort of this caliber. The property shows signs of neglect. Building 9's elevator was out of service, and various areas appeared damaged or poorly maintained. Dinner reservations often resulted in hour-long waits, which is frustrating at an all-inclusive resort. While the beach conditions are beyond the resort's control, the mosquito situation was overwhelming. Despite the staff's genuine efforts to provide good service, I cannot recommend this resort. The food safety concerns, maintenance issues, and long wait times overshadow the few positives. For the price point, there are better options where you won't risk spending your vacation sick in your room.

Maryam Ostad

⭐️⭐️ (2 out of 5 stars) Disappointing Stay – Not Worth the Hype We stayed at Hotel Hayat Ziva riveria Maya one week ago, and unfortunately, our experience was far from great. 🚫 No Beach Access The biggest disappointment was realizing there is no beach at all in this resort. If you love swimming in the ocean or relaxing on the sand, this is not the place for you. You’re limited to the resort’s swimming pools — which are nice — but that’s the only “water” activity you’ll get. 🍽 Limited Restaurant Options & Poor Service Although the resort advertises multiple restaurants, only two were open for lunch daily (one buffet and one by the pool). For dinner, there were no buffet options — only three restaurants open for all guests. They didn’t take reservations, so it was first come, first served, and every night we had to wait over an hour with our kids to get a table. What made things worse was the rude attitude of the restaurant hosts. Every evening felt stressful instead of enjoyable. The staff at the entrances were dismissive and unwelcoming, which really ruined the dining experience. 🎯 Lack of Activities & Entertainment Daily activities were extremely limited and repetitive — mostly water volleyball or a kayak in the pool. If you’re hoping for fun Latino vibes, dancing, or energetic music, this resort has none of that. The atmosphere felt dull all day until the evening shows began. Even the kids’ club was disappointing — empty, lifeless, and completely unengaging. My kids and nephew didn’t want to go back after one visit. 🍔 Food Variety The poolside snack bar (“Corner”) offered the same few snacks every day from 11–4. After two days, it became boring. There was very little food variety overall. 😞 Poor Treatment & Discrimination One of the most upsetting parts was the unequal treatment we noticed. During the weekend, many local Mexican guests arrived, and we clearly saw that they were prioritized at restaurants and bars. We often had to wait 15+ minutes for service at the pool bar while staff chatted with Spanish-speaking guests. Only after saying “hola” did we finally get attention. This felt discriminatory and unfair. To make things worse, our daughter’s birthday celebration was completely ruined because of the same poor behavior. We were told by the restaurant host (a lady) that our wait time would be around 40 minutes. After waiting one hour and 15 minutes, we were finally seated — but only at a table for four instead of seven. When we politely asked for a few extra chairs, we were ignored repeatedly. We ended up having to grab chairs ourselves and clean the table, while the staff continued to overlook us. That night, what should have been a joyful family dinner turned into one of the most frustrating experiences of our trip. 🛏 Room & Cleanliness On a positive note, the rooms were spacious and clean, and the cleaning staff did a good job. The resort grounds themselves are also well-maintained and have great potential — if only the management used it better. 🌙 Noise at Night Every night around 1–2 a.m., groups of loud guests gathered in the hallways, laughing, yelling, and even banging on our door. It was frightening for our kids and made it hard to sleep. We had to call reception several times to report it. 💫 Shout-Out to a Few Great Staff Members Despite the overall disappointment, a few employees stood out: Daniel, bartender at the Terrace Bar, was friendly, professional, and made the best drinks. The lovely lady at the Roots Coffee Shop (sadly I didn’t catch her name) was always smiling, welcoming, and kind to my kids. Courtney, the resort’s nutritionist, hosted fun and educational programs for families — we really enjoyed her sessions. ⚖️ Final Thoughts This resort has beautiful facilities and potential, but it’s poorly managed, lacks organization, and fails to provide a welcoming environment for international guests. If you’re looking for a beach vacation, great food, fun activities, or friendly service, I would not recommend this resort at all.