Dreams Sands Cancun Resort and Spa

We needed to stay in Cancun for one night before heading over to Chichen Itza. Chose a moderately priced all inclusive.

Positives first - food was great, especially the buffet. Property was ok - not the best, but generally had all required amenities. Swimming pools were nice.

Now the long list of negatives -

1. Bathroom smelled like a dead rat and no resolution even after complaining
2. Hotel corridors looked pretty run down
3. Water dripping from ceiling everywhere, including at the restaurants
4. Beach is a joke - pretty much non existent
5. From the get go, staff are only interested in one thing - upselling. Every single interaction, even simple hellos or questions were forcefully converted into a selling pitch

Where do I even start? Room: Check in was a nightmare. I reserved a "supreme king room with ocean view" What they first put me in was a partial ocean view with a full view of the noisy pool. I went back downstairs to ask for a different room and was put in a room even closer to the pool. Back down I went and was put in a room that was a little more quiet. None of the rooms were "supreme". Interior: Although the lobby and restaurants were nice enough, my room was rather shabby as there some gauges in the walls throughout. The bed linens had a smell that I find hard to describe. Not overpowering but still smelled. The water in the sink definitely smelled and I used bottled water to brush my teeth. The shower water had to be fixed because it didn't get above warm. Food: The food I would classify as marginal at best. Same old offerings at the buffet and the food in the other restaurants only slightly better. Staff: Ugh! Staff was generally indifferent at best and downright ride at other times.When I checked in, the person at the reception desk pointed and told me the general direction of the restaurants etc. Throughout my stay I saw staff take guests around the property showing them where everything was located. I had breakfast in the buffet one morning and the person who brought me coffee seem to have gotten lost and I had to look around for another server to get more coffee but they seemed to have disappeared as well. I got up and didn't leave a tip due to the bad service. As I was half way through the restaurant, the server appeared and yelled "thank you" at my back. I was mortified. Since there is no beach to speak of (major disappointment because all I wanted to do is lay on the beach and relax!) What I had to do was lay poolside that was noisy. As I was laying a little bit away from the pool, the activities people decided that it would be a great idea to play some sort of game with guests literally a foot away from me. Not only did I keep getting bumped into but it was so loud that I couldn't hear the audio book with my noise cancelling earbuds in. So I had to get up and move. I could go on but this has been long enough as it is. To sum it up - stay somewhere else in Cancun!!!

This was our third visit to Dreams Sands. The service provided by the staff is always great and never disappoints. The only significant change was the beach. The beach is still the best we have visited, but over the years, there has been alot of erosion, shrinking the size and beauty of the beach. If you are looking for a relaxing beach vacation, this is a great place to be. The customer service is wonderful and the food is good.