From a distance, our Preferred Club Deluxe room liked like the photos on Dreams’ website. But, a closer inspection revealed some wear, tear and peculiarities. We were disappointed.
Dreams Punta Cana has 620 rooms and suites in eight styles:
Deluxe Tropical View - 291 square-feet; up to 3 guests
Deluxe Swim Out - 291 square-feet; up to 2 guests
Deluxe Tropical View Family Room - 582 square-feet; up to 6 guests
Preferred Club Deluxe Tropical View - 291 square-feet; up to 3 guests
Preferred Club Deluxe Tropical View Family Room - 582 square-feet; up to 6 guests
Preferred Club Junior Suite Tropical View - 615 square-feet; up to 4 guests
Preferred Club Honeymoon Suite Tropical View - 615 square-feet; up to 2 guests
Preferred Club Master Two-Bedroom Suite Tropical or Partial Ocean View - 906 square-feet; up to 5 guests
Our shower had no curtain, just a grimy piece of glass that covered half of the tub area.
The best rooms have private jacuzzis on their patios, but these were beyond our price range.
Our family stayed in a "Preferred Club Deluxe" room; we found the accommodations disappointing overall. That said, we can't comment on things that might be important to you (for example, we never turned on the television or used Wi-Fi). Here are some thoughts about our room:
The Good
Mattress - Our bed was more comfortable than our mattress at home. That's a major perk on vacation, because adjusting to a new bed can be hard.
Hot Water - This is easy to take for granted until you don't have it. (The shower in our suite at Beaches Turks and Caicos had erratic water temperatures.)
Air Conditioning - We turned the air conditioning on and off rather than fiddling with the imprecise flywheel. The room temperature was comfortable throughout the trip.
Bath Products - The bathroom was stocked with body lotion, brushless shave cream and a shampoo/conditioner combo from Gilchrist & Soames. There was also a shower cap, comb, disposable razor, mending kit, cotton balls, Q-tips and a hair dryer. High-quality toilet paper was in ample supply. An iron and board was in the closet.
The 'OK'
Minibar - The refrigerator in our room was stocked with water, two bottles of Presidente beer and various sodas (Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite) in glass bottles. There was also a mini-bottle of Brugal rum. We were spoiled by the minibar at Beaches Turks and Caicos, which also included wines, spirits, mixers and lots of beer.
The Bad
Shabbiness - The furniture in our room wobbled. We had an unplugged lamp with no outlet in sight. Our clock was an hour fast and could not be reset. One mirror hung crookedly; the other looked like it was "keyed." The shower was half-covered with Plexiglass in place of a full length curtain. Nothing about this room said "luxury."
Non-Potable Water - The tap water is not safe to drink at Dreams Punta Cana; the staff also recommends using bottled water to brush teeth. Not convenient.
Foam Pillows - Our pillows felt like sacks of packing peanuts. We suffered a bad night of sleep before we were able to replace them. (One of the preferred club privileges is a "pillow menu" that includes a feather option. It seems like an admission that the foam pillows are cheap.)
Tricky Patio Door - We saw other guests struggling to open and close their patio doors. That made us feel better: Our door stuck and had no screen to keep bugs out.
Verdict
Our room at Dreams Punta Cana was disappointing despite its ideal location. We may have considered it unacceptable if we had stayed in a less convenient part of the resort.
Insider Tips
Want to see flamingos in your front yard? Choose a “pool view” room in buildings 7, 8 or 9.
Buildings 6, 7, 8, and 9 have better views. The "tropical view" rooms in buildings 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 overlook a service road and barbed-wire fence;
Rooms on the second and third floor have more privacy than ground floor rooms;
Building 6 is conveniently nestled between the Preferred Club Lounge, restaurants and beach;
Request a goose feather pillow;
Room service is 24-hours, there is an extensive menu is in the nightstand;
Put something on top of the bathroom faucet to remind yourself not to drink the water; and
The bed posts are the perfect height for hanging towels to dry.
