Dreams Curacao Resort, Spa & Casino - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

1604 reviews

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  Bait and Switch

  On the recommendation of Delta Vacations, we booked rooms in the new Preferred Il Mare section of the resort, which was to include private beach, pool, bar, restaurant, a butler, in an ocean front "pod". Upon arrival, we were handed a regular room key with no explanation until we questioned it and had to prove our reservation. At that point we were told that the rooms were unfinished, however, they were obviously finished enough for the BRAVO network to film Love and Hip Hop in Miam there. We were told to check back in the morning to talk to a manager. We checked back 3x when they kept giving us different times the manager would be available (once we were told to come back at 10 AM - we were told that at 10:10). Then we were told a manager would find us - they never did. We had a basic room, not facing the ocean, not even a king size bed which we booked, dated, and not thoroughly cleaned. None of the other amenities that were to come with the Il Mare experience were available to us. The app does NOT show current menus - the menus are much shorter than what is shown in the app. The Preferred experience was to come with bottled beer. We had to pull teeth to get more than 2 bottles/day per room. The pools were nice and the beach area was nice, although small. Service in bars and resturants was hit or miss. Sometimes you were seated, sometimes you found your own seat. Sometimes drinks would be brought to the table, sometimes you had to fill them yourself. Dishes prepared were inconsistent day to day. Christina in the preferred club did her best to accommodate us and elevate our poor experience, but even her requests on our behalf were ignored. We were told throughout the week that we would get a certificate for a return stay, which we had to fight to get upon checkout. I doubt we will use it because we have ZERO trust that we will actually get what we booked after being lied to so many times.

  Dec 20, 2024
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  Needs Help

  We were travelling with another couple and never had been to Curacao. We have had our share of all inclusive resorts all over the Caribbean, so we opted to book the new IlMare section of the Dreams resort so we could have a more secluded stay, away from busy beach/pool bars, kids, etc. The new ILMare section consisits of private "pods" on a private beach, private pool, bar and restaurant and a butler! This is what we booked. Upon arrival, we were told ILMare was not ready so we could not stay there and were given a standard room......with 2 double beds! We were told to see the manager the next morning because the manager was not there. The next day we tried to see the mangaer, but kept being told to keep coming back. Never spoke with a manger. Well, we walked over to the ILMare grounds and found a bunch of people there and asked a security guard there what was going on. He told us they were shooting a Bravo network series there.....Love and Hiphop in Miami, if I remember correctly. So, apparently we were lied to at the front desk. There were others that we met throughout the week that were bait and switched too. The film crew and "actors" were on resort for a few days then left. After that we tried walking over to ILMare again, but were stopped by security. There were now people staying there because they were walking to/from that area and we could see them using the chairs, etc from our balconies. Apparently we were also supposed to have access to Preferred Status amenities, but were never told that by desk staff. We eventually found this after a couple of days. They have a Preferred Lounge where you get free snacks/appetizers and drinks with top shelf liquors.......but you mix them yourself?? The snacks and appetizers looked good, but we did not try them as they were just on platters sitting on a shelf. Sorry, not eating sandwiches, wraps and other perishable foods sitting on a shelf for who knows how long. There was a woman in the Preferred Club who did help us out a lot, I believe her name was Christine. As for the resort in general........the grounds were nice and relatively clean. The beach area is small, but adequate and if you like snorkelling, there is some sea life to see, but don't expect a pristine reef enviroment. The bar(s) and drinks were a disappointment. They use tiny cups, so getting a properly mixed drink never happened, not that I expected that from an all inclusive. The food was the greatest disappointment.......breakfast was decent if you used the omelette/egg station if you wanted anything warm. Even fresh pans of food brought out, were luke warm at best. Also, chopped up hot dogs from yesterdays lunch buffet do not contitute sausage in the real world. The lunch buffets were the worst in my opinion. We ate there the first day, and tried the second, but hardly touched our plates. The food was unappealing/lacked description such as just "fish" or "pasta". Much of what we did try was barely warm. We never ate there after day two. We walked the beach to the right down to a restaurtant called Tomatoes and ate there. A little pricey, but good pizza. For dinners, we had three options, the Italian, Steakhouse and Oceania for seafood. I love seafood, but after looking at the menu (which did not change), I would've only tried the chicken dish. We did not try that one. We tried the Steakhouse one night, but what was they called a strip steak, was litterally a 1/4' thick and the diameter of a hamburger patty, so order two right off the bat if you are going. There was a steak salad that was good, but there was next to no greens......I've had more garnish on a plate. Again, the limited menu did not change throughout the week. The Italian restaurant is where we ate the remainder of the trip for dinner. It had the same menu all week, but had more pallatable options than the others. Every meal we tried was good, but was often prepared differently from day to day, such as way too much ceasar salad dressing, hardly any greens in the salad, steak was marinated and cooked versus cooked and sitting in a pool of marinade.....A positive on the dining experiences, the staff was very good and friendly, wether it was the buffet or fine dining. Negatives, food quality, ability to serve at proper temp and inconsistancy of preperation was very lacking. We never tried room service, mainly due to the complaints from other guests stating there orders took hours or were never even delivered. The room we had was adequate and fairly clean for all inclusive standards. Our room faced away from the beach, though not a great view, did shield us from the loud music from the evening festivities at the lobby bar. We did have a roof leak in our bathroom overnight the first night resulting in pooling water on the floor. We informed the front desk, and by the time we finished with breakfast it was all cleaned up and taken care of. Housekeeping was courteous and did a great job during our stay. Upon checkout, were were told we would be emailed a certificate for a free weeks stay that would be good for a year due to our inconvenience. If we were informed of ILMare not being done (as the front desk told us) and having to get a standard room, we never would've made the trip. The front desk NEVER offered us anything to make up for that to enhance our stay and was never able to speak to a manager. I highly doubt that free week will be used.

  Dec 20, 2024
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  Anniversary trip

  All in all a great getaway for our 10 year anniversary. Beautiful beaches, poolside amenities, and really good food. Service at restaurants needs work, but overall we would go back again. The staff were always smiling and enjoying the day, it is a paradise very few people know about. We rented a car and explored the whole island in one day. Ocean side view with a balcony was the best way to wake up.

  Dec 18, 2024
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  Horrible experience DO NOT recommend

  Wasn’t what I was expecting when visiting a Dreams resort. I have visited several in the past and never was disappointed with any of their aesthetics or activities. The guest were welcoming but upon arrival we had to wait for our room; which wasn’t a big deal. We were finally given a room and were very displeased. It gave more of a Motel6 type of vibe, definitely not worth the amount of money spent. Not many activities, very laid back and boring. Definitely won’t be trying any of the food here at the resort. Unfortunately, we’ll have to stick to purchasing food elsewhere. Not to mention the flies!! They’re everywhere. The views online vs in person are not the same. If I would’ve known that I would’ve booked elsewhere honestly. Commute is not far from the airport, like 15mins. I tried speaking with the front desk about changing out my room but because I didn’t book with them I was told there isn’t anything they could do. What a waste of money spent!

  Dec 17, 2024
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  Great deal! If you do it right..

  If you book a stay here via Booksi/Monster as part of a timeshare presentation deal, it can be worth it. We ended up paying just a few hundred dollars for a 5 night stay, all inclusive, for two people. I pity the fool who pays full price! Like many all inclusive resorts, the quality of the food, drinks, and service, is pretty low. You can definitely get your moneys worth if you are patient and it is a beautiful place with a nice little beach. We had a nice room with a balcony and fantastic ocean view! The restaurants were constantly closed when they were supposed to be open, and sometimes vice versa. Everyone there seemed very unorganized. There was some adorable entertainers that put on a variety of shows most nights. The shows were clearly geared toward tourists on cruse-ships who are just happy to be out of their assisted living homes for the day.. Again, do the sales presentation! Ours was only 90 minutes long and we were actually out 10 minutes early. Just told the guy we weren't going to buy and he was super cool about it.

  Dec 17, 2024