Dreams Tulum Resort & SPA
Welcome Home
What amazed us most?
Smiling and happy staff. From the first moment we entered the hotel, we had a great feeling - “We are finally home!” The hotel was built directly in front of the second largest coral reef barrier in the world and is surrounded by lush, tropical, botanical gardens. Truly a nature lover’s paradise!
Why should you come here?
To experience a unique spa built in the jungle and private treatment rooms with panoramic views of the rainforest; to propose to your beloved or even get married in the resort’s church and have a party on the shore of the Caribbean Sea; to explore the ancient Mayan city of Tulum, located only 5 minutes away from the hotel.
THE MOST
special thing about the hotel
For the last ten years, I have had a nice tradition – I celebrate my birthday in a new place every year: Phuket, Bangkok, Koh Samui and Tenerife. This year, I was lucky enough to spend my special day in Mexico in the wonderful Dreams Tulum Resort and Spa. The amazing setting of the Caribbean Sea, lots of surprises from my family and the hotel managers, and a week of non-stop celebrations with white sand beaches and turquoise sparkling waters as the picturesque background – everything I needed to be happy.
We entered the hotel gates and were met by the smiling hotel staff, a sign saying “Welcome home” and a glass of champagne. It was so touching and intimate. But the real surprise was waiting for us in our room. First of all, we were left speechless by the sheer size of the Presidential Suite – it was huge with a massive terrace overlooking the ocean with sun loungers and a Jacuzzi. The evening sun was so mild and soothing, we decided to check out the beach as quickly as possible. But then we noticed a real surprise: the TripTemptation logo was laid out in… coloured rice on our king-size bed!
We could not believe our eyes – it was a real masterpiece and deserves a place in the museum of modern art. Later we found the artists – it was the housekeeping team. Very creative ladies, I have to say! After we had got over our initial excitement and had some rest, we decided to explore the hotel.
The Dreams Tulum Resort is a big hotel with 432 rooms. Two three-storey buildings are set in the large blossoming botanical garden so we felt like we were completely alone in some areas. The hotel territory is so big (about 20 hectares) we needed a golf cart to get to our room when returning late and tired. Many years ago, there were real jungles here and even now, within this busy environment, we could find wild animals walking around, especially early in the mornings when it’s not so hot and most of the guests are sleeping. We were lucky enough to see iguanas and even one small deer. The locals call it the Temazate deer. It’s a really small species, which does not exceed 30 kg and is no more than 90 cm in length. Two deer couples live here on the hotel territory. It’s unbelievable!
Between May and October, hotel guests can see marine turtles laying eggs on the beach. As part of the sea turtles conservation project, the hotel is committed to educating guests as well as the surrounding community on the safety precautions that should be taken during the sea turtles most fragile nesting month. The hotel even has a “Turtle-friendly Hotel” award. One more natural wonder we found on the hotel territory – the Cenota – it’s a small pond with healing water. It’s beautifully lit in the evening (just like the other parts of the hotel’s jungle).
As the Dreams Tulum Resort is located in a National Park, the policy of the hotel is to respect nature and be friendly to the environment. The hotel is committed to making the world a greener and better place and is involved in various programmes, practices and activities to protect our Earth. For example: waste sorting (even cartridges from ink printers are taken to Cancun to be disposed of in the correct way), saving water, energy consumption, reducing emissions and flora and fauna protection. For doing this honestly and properly, the hotel was proud to receive The Certificate of Environmental Quality in Tourism from the PROFEPA environmental organisation. Dreams Tulum is one of just two resorts in Mexico to achieve this highly coveted certification.
The Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa was built in traditional colonial style as a typical Mexican hacienda or local farm. It used to be a very wealthy place with a public church, which is still open nowadays. The priest comes to bless young couples every week and you can even marry here.
The old hacienda building still exists – it’s been refurbished and modernised, but is still very traditional with some antique pieces. We checked in there, into the Preferred Club section, and went to Coco Café every day for our special coffee - Flameado.
This is an all-inclusive resort with a high standard of service and dining (AAA Four Diamond Award for high standards in service, accommodation, cuisine and amenities in 2015-2016). You can forget about mass feeding at the buffet as we enjoyed six gourmet à-la-carte restaurants every day. The nice thing – we didn’t need to book a table in advance. There is no hassle with reservations and no need to pull out your wallet.
Our favourite was Himitsu restaurant, which specialises in a fusion of Pan-Asian delicacies and offers a great experience – the Tepanyaqui table (the only one we had to book because only seven guests can dine at one time). This is a Japanese style grill, where the food is prepared in front of you and the chef makes a real show of it. It’s a must in our opinion.
Dreams Tulum Resort is amazing for couples who want to get married by the setting of the Caribbean Sea and a traditional Hacienda church, solo travellers, and for families with children as kids are very welcome in the Explorers’ Club (where they disappear to on the day of arrival). The club is open until late and kids can enjoy supervised adventures and activities, giving parents time on their own. The big plus – this Club is located in the far corner of the hotel, so the little devils never disturb other guests and are always busy. I should also mention that, for the fourth consecutive year (2014-2017), the hotel was awarded a Family Vacation Critics’ Favourite and named as one of the best family-friendly resorts.
As we came to relax and have absolute privacy, we spent most of our time in the Preferred Club section on the beach with exceptional service. I have to say, the service in Dreams Tulum Hotel really is impeccable. All of our special requests were accomplished as soon we asked. I would also like to say a special “Thank you” to the head concierge, Ruben, for taking care of us with incredible attention, kindness and real home hospitality.
As I mentioned already, this time we were just lazy sun seekers, but active guests can take part in beach volleyball, morning yoga or evening aerobics at the hotel. And of course, the spa is somewhere you just have to go. The private massage cabins with floor to ceiling windows surrounded by lush jungle are incredible.
By the time my birthday rolled round, I was completely relaxed and hadn’t planned anything special. Just the fact I was in Mexico in a great hotel with my love made me happy. But despite my expectations, the day was full of big surprises and small pleasures. My special day started with a morning swim and a wonderful massage in a beach-side palapa. The light sea breeze and soothing hands of the master from the resort’s spa put me in a fantastic mood. When we got back to the room, we didn’t recognise it. My first thought was – I’d mixed up the floors. Balloons, a special “cake” made from towels and an invitation to a private dinner – all of this was waiting for us. I could not wait to enjoy my romantic evening!
By sunset, dinner with a special lobster menu was laid out on our huge terrace and the Jacuzzi was decorated with candles and flowers. The private chef and waiter invited us to the table. I cannot describe how tasty the dinner was, I just want to say – I will remember this amazing birthday experience under the stars for a long time!
HOW TO MAKE
The most of your stay
- The Preferred Club option. It’s an exclusive programme, which offers a lot of privileges. For example: special quiet areas in the hotel, suites with impressive ocean views, all in premium locations, fast check-in, concierge service, pillow menu, a special area on the beach with romantic palapas and much more. We enjoyed it a lot.
- Experience a massage in the hotel spa and the special jungle cabins with floor to ceiling windows.
- Enjoy a special Temazcal ritual – a traditional Mayan steam bath to relax all the senses. A truly unique experience which is held in a special Mayan spa.
- Say “I do” in the colonial-style wedding chapel located in the resort, along with beautiful wedding photos on the beach.
- For a honeymoon, anniversary or just to celebrate something extra special with your sweetheart – a romantic, candlelit, private dinner on the beach or in your room or treat yourself to a champagne breakfast in bed.
WHAT ELSE
to see and do around
Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa has a unique location: on the territory of Tulum Natural Park, the largest natural protected marine area in Mexico, opposite the second largest barrier reef in the world and close to many historical places and eco-amusement parks (Xcaret Park and Xel-ha). Here you can dive in underwater caves and ponds called cenotes, swim with dolphins or snorkel in turquoise waters.
One must-visit place is the ruins of the ancient Mayan city of Tulum (just 5 minutes from the hotel) located on a hill by the beautiful Caribbean Sea. Explore one of the 7 new wonders of the world, the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza and discover Coba with its famous step pyramids, still largely covered by jungle - it’s a very mystical and spiritual place.
HOW TO
get here
The journey from Cancun airport to the resort takes around 70-80 minutes. Our trip to the hotel and back to the airport was really fast and smooth thanks to a private transfer provided by Amstar.
