We are back from Dreams Sands, overall had a great trip! Since we booked so last minute I really didn’t have huge expectations was just happy to find a cheap flight and reward availability for the room. When we got there to check in, they took us to the preferred check in area which is attached to the preferred lounge which has snacks and higher end alcohol (mostly mid-shelf) and said that we do receive preferred benefits.

My spouse did the check in while I was corralling our small child and didn’t ask for a room upgrade. The room we got (908) was in the preferred tower but had not been renovated and did not have a balcony. I was flexible about all that but when we walked in the mildew smell hit us badly. We tried to air out the room and used some incense that was there, hoping it was just from the hotel being closed for a couple of months. The next morning the smell was still super strong and I woke up with an awful headache. We approximated that the smell was coming from the old kind of icky bathroom.

That morning I went to the preferred desk and told them the smell was awful and wasn’t going away. They seemed sympathetic. I’m sure I’m not the first person to complain. He had a “deal” on a jacuzzi suite ($130 extra per night) or could do a renovated king balcony room at 1pm. I asked if we were supposed to be upgraded originally to the balcony room and he said yes but since we checked in on 12/31 there were no upgrades available bc the hotel was full. We chose the balcony room at 1pm (room 708) and it was perfect. No smell, nice fresh room with no issues whatsoever and a nice small balcony.

Preferred guests have access to El Patio restaurant for breakfast whereas everyone else only has the buffet and it gets packed so that was a very nice option. We were not fans of the buffet. There is also a preferred pool, bar and beach area. No one ever asked us what room we were in but a dude with a clipboard was always around keeping an eye on the area.

Our little girl loves hibachi and we learned the hard way that is the only restaurant that takes reservations. I wish they had told us that when we checked in, but you have to go right at 3pm to get a spot for one of the grill tables, the entire night fills up within minutes.

The beach was wonderful, no seaweed or waves and very shallow for a good stretch. The larger main pool is heated and was warmer than Zivas pool has been at this time of year. The kids club was amazing, the ladies there were so sweet and our little girl who is almost 4 went about two hours each day. One bonus is kids club at Dreams is ages 3+ and they seem to really take care of the littles. Ziva is 4+ and I’ve been worried about sending her when she’s old enough bc I’ve seen them play some rowdy games like dodgeball.

The cons of the resort compared to Ziva are mostly the food quality and choice. It’s a smaller resort so less options and a noticeable difference in quality but I also understand it’s a different price point. And weird hours like the coffee and crepes place opens at 7 for coffee but doesn’t open until 11 for crepes and closes at 5pm. Also the staff doesn’t seem to stop the random people selling trinkets on the beach which gets annoying after awhile. I would equate the preferred status at Dreams with a similar experience at Ziva with no status. Overall we had a lovely trip and would go again, but if Ziva is available for the 6k point difference we would choose Ziva.