Dreams Royal Beach Punta Cana — Hotel in Higüey

Arrival at airport (PUJ) ~ We did have a 70-minute wait zigzagging through lines to process through immigration. Speaking with other guests at Dreams RBPC, it must have been the day we decided to arrive (Wednesday) as others only had 10-30 minute wait times. Our experience upon departure was seamless.||RESORT: The grounds were beautiful and well kept. We've read on social media that some find the walk from the newer Preferred Section to be cumbersome or too long to get to the beach or the main lobby / restaurants. We enjoyed the walk on the bridge over the natural habitat. When we were dressed nicely for dinners, there was always the option to take a golf cart to wherever we needed. The resort only offered one souvenir store compared to the Dreams in Mexico having 2-3 little stores. It served its purpose though.||Our only disappointment was not being able to view the ocean from anywhere on the resort except the beach. We did miss the option to snap pics from our room with ocean views behind (although we did have a swim out room on the ground floor).||Unlike Mexico, we were very happy to learn the Bali Beds were part of our Preferred package at no charge. We do like a nice Bali bed, especially on the beach. These provided much needed coverage for the more intense sun in the DR.||BEACH: The beach was beautiful. While there was seaweed (nothing you can do about nature), it wasn't overwhelming, and the tractor did run twice a day to clean up the beach. Being a public beach, there were multiple vendors approaching you trying to sell their items. Again, we read on social media that some found it obtrusive or persistent. We had no issues politely declining with no further persistence.||RESTAURANTS: We found the restaurants to be "hit or miss". We went to the Italian restaurant twice and the first time our food was really good. On our second visit it was subpar. We found the buffet in the Preferred section to be better than the buffet in the main section. The fresh omelet and crepe stations were fabulous as always in Preferred. The seven of us had a bad experience at Oceana one evening. Everything, and I do mean everything, tasted like seafood from the frozen butter for our dinner rolls, the fried cheese appetizer to the dressing on our salads. Our daughter's beef entree was more than rare and she could only eat 2 bites max. We both ordered the Shrimp Scampi and being in the middle of the ocean we thought we'd have some decent sized shrimp. They were more "popcorn" sized and tasted previously frozen and overcooked.||We were a little disappointed with the fact that some restaurants allowed shorts and T-shirts for men when "formal" was listed on the app for particular restaurants. Given that the year-round temp average is 85, I wouldn't think there would be any fluctuation in dress code.||On the evening of the Beach BBQ, my husband had a really bad experience. He had the server place shredded chicken on his plate for a chicken fajita. Once seated, his first bite contained a chicken bone. I sifted through the remaining meat and found 2 more bones. We brought it to the attention of a server, but nothing was done and no one approached us.||POOLS: There are plenty of pools to choose from, especially being Preferred. Whether we wanted full sun or some shade, we never ran out of options for each day.||STAFF: Overall, the resort staff were very friendly and accommodating. We did notice a greater language barrier in the DR than we do in Mexico though. Our butler, Marcelo, was very friendly and helpful. He helped our daughter & SIL book their couples massage (which we ended up taking), secured seats at the Teppanyaki table, and helped with booking additional massages at the end of our trip. We need to call out the bartender at the Preferred Lounge in the new section, Joamel (spelling). He was very personable, held great conversation, and was always willing to create what we coined the "Chicago Special". On our first day there, we all ordered our first drink of the trip and my husband told him "bartender's choice". Joamel made what looked and tasted like pink lemonade and asked that we name it!!! It became so popular during our visit, other guests were flocking to the Preferred lounge in the new section asking for "The Chicago Special". We also want to point out Lionel, who frequently drove us back and forth between the new and old sections, always with a smile and light conversation.||ROOM: Our room was very nice and clean (most important). We liked the fact there was a separate water closet (albeit a little narrow to maneuver the door closed). With just the 2 of us, we made the "non-closet" garment area work for us. We just requested a few more hangers to accommodate additional items. I can see how more than two guests could have difficulties trying to accommodate clothing.||We had a Preferred Club Junior Suite Swim Out. It was just as it was pictured on-line with a Bali Bed and was clean and convenient. We made use of it a number of times after dinner. Again, no real view as we faced a service road.||AMSTAR: Transport back and forth from airport (PUJ) to the resort was quite the experience. No issues at all with either driver, it was strictly a different driving experience than in Mexico. I'm not sure anyone in the DR follows the "rules of the road", LOL! We partook in the gated local market tour which included a Larimar store, cigar making, rum, chocolate and coffee tasting, and general souvenirs.| |ENTERTAINMENT: We always managed to stay in a quieter pool during the day, so we didn't engage with the Entertainment team during the day. The nightly shows were enjoyable though. We especially liked the acrobatic show. We skipped the Queen tribute, but could still hear it from the Preferred Lounge in the main lobby. Other members of our party sat in the show and really enjoyed it, they even took pictures with the entertainment crew. Other members of our family also enjoyed...

We went for 2 weeks with BA holidays - they were £100 cheaper than the other operators , but had the Preferred Club upgrade as standard, so check the small print! Flights were on time and the cabin crew were very good.||Not the best first impression as we were dropped off at the Preferred Club lobby, which is completely separate from the main hotel. The two sites are separated by a lagoon, which has a really nice walkway straddling it with herons, terrapins, fish and iguanas to look at. There was only one person on the desk, so we sat around for over an hour before we were seen - not what you want after 12hrs travelling. We were given a welcome drink, but nothing more and after the paperwork was completed we joined our bags on a golf buggy and were driven to the main hotel complex (3-4 minutes). The preferred club rooms occupy the end of each block nearest the beach and are fairly nice, with a large TV and mini bar that was restocked daily, A/C was effective. You are assigned a concierge, and can ask them to arrange tours, bookings etc - it is all done via WhatsApp.||We were on the ground floor of block 5, which was good in that we had a small patio area, followed a bit of grass which led directly to a lazy river. The issue was that the corridor is the main route to several of the restaurants, so it was really noisy from around 6:30am with staff through to 11:30pm with (drunken) guests. Also it is near the main pool where the activities happen, so it can be loud and busy at times. We spoke to a few Americans and the DR is a popular destination for few days away partying hard - so be warned, things can get very loud and lively during the afternoon... After a few nights of disturbed sleep we asked if we could move and thankfully we were, and given a room upgrade to a swim up room with cabana in block 7 - which is the new part of the hotel separate from the main area. The room was similar, but slightly smaller.||Food was average to good for a 5* hotel, comparable to the better 5* hotels in Egypt for example. As usual the restaurant food was better than the buffet. It was nice to see premium drinks included, not just the local stuff as is often the case. Be aware that the hotel hosts a lot of weddings, so during our stay a few of the restaurants were closed on different nights to accommodate this. The concierge messaged us each day to advise of any closures and I believe they are also posted on the events notice board. Room service is also included, but we didn't use this. The restaurants have pagers that are given to guests so if there's a queue, you can wander off to a nearby bar and have a drink while waiting.||The beach was nice with plenty of sunbeds, and had a separate Preferred club area. Waiting staff did the rounds every 20-30 minutes taking drink orders. The well documented seaweed was evident, it left slightly unpleasant smell and some days there were piles of it, other days virtually nothing. A tractor towed beach cleaner regularly passed by. The sea is not clear near the beach were you swim, so no good for snorkelling. The beach sellers are a pain in that there are so many of them, but a quick 'no thanks' and they move on. They seem to be licensed and wear beige shirts. The other guys wear white and stand like hawks watching the sun beds for any sign of movement towards the sea. Step foot out of the hotel's beach area (which extends about 20ft out) and they will be on you - selling boat trips, paragliding or trying to get you to go to some shops. Again a 'no thanks' and they will leave alone. Via our concierge we booked parasailing $65 each with Seapro, who seem to be the official supplier. Annoyingly $10 appeared as an extra on the bill, which was never explained. It was nice enough, but for 5 minutes in the air a bit pricy. We looked into other trips out, but other reviews suggest you spend half your day getting there / picking up other customers and $340 for a snorkelling trip didn't seem good value.||A negative point were the use of portable speakers - despite numerous signs prohibiting them, they were still used and staff made no attempt to challenge this. One of the reasons we asked to move room was a family 2 doors down moved in with their loud speaker playing some sort of gangster rap at full belt. We ended up with the odd sensation of rap in the left ear and Latin pop in the right from the pool bar... Another issue if the golf buggy transport. During peak times you can expect to be waiting over 15 minutes. In the end we walked a few times which was ok, but left you a bit sweaty by the time you got to the restaurant. They had the vehicles, but not enough staff to drive them. ||All in a good holiday - if I could I would deduct 1/2 a star for the minor issues that can easily be addressed by management. Also, bear in mind that the hotel didn't seem to be very busy when we went, possibly 2/3 full at most. Staff and staff were very helpful and friendly. The grounds were immaculate. Take a wad of $1 bills to tip here and there and loads of...

My family and I stayed at Dreams Royal Beach in December of 2024.

Resort is lovely, very unique with a walkway over an amazing mangrove! Iguanas, birds, turtles, fish - always something to see! Paddleboats available to get a closer view of the wildlife.

We stayed on the new Preferred Club side. Quiet, super easy to find a Bali bed or chair, and there were restaurants close to the pool. If you want to go to the more lively side, it's just a short walk over the mangrove, or you could take a trolley. Never had to wait more than a couple min for a trolley. Tip: Ask the driver to take you to the beach or restaurants instead of being dropped off at the other lobby entrance. Crazy Lionel was our favourite driver - such a fun, friendly guy!

We stayed in a Preferred Club Premium Suite Garden View. Best room we have ever stayed at in an all-inclusive. A 1 bedroom king suite with sofa-bed in the living room area. Huge balcony overlooking the pool. Bar was stocked daily with beer, water & snacks. 2 full bathrooms! So convenient when travelling as a family. My only complaint is that the room at times had a strong sewer smell. We alleviated this by running the shower for a bit (might be a dry p-trap? Not sure.)

The beach is absolutely beautiful with nice, white sand and clear water. There are some waves to play in as well. We loved participating in the beach activities put on by the Entertainment Staff: Beach Volleyball, Dance Lessons, Basketball competition, darts, ring toss, bracelet/hat making (my daughter's favourite!)

We went to a few of the shows in the evening. Our favourite was the Queen show - they are super talented! Magic show was cool as well. My kids enjoyed doing Karaoke and we all enjoyed the BINGO game they did one evening before the show! Bring your smart device to play!

The staff were wonderful. Always willing to help and always with a smile. Make sure you tip, as these employees absolutely deserve it.

With Preferred Club, we had a personal concierge. Emmanuel was assigned to us. We didn't need his services too often, but he worked hard to keep us in the loop each day with what was happening at the resort, and helped us with a couple room issues. He also made our dinner reservation at the Teppanyaki restaurant. If I could make one suggestion, it would be for the concierges to be able to make dinner reservations at all the restaurants for Preferred Club guests. We were lucky as it wasn't busy when we were there so we got in pretty quickly to all the restaurants, but I could see this being an issue during the busier times. Would be a nice perk for paying more for Preferred Club.

The food was okay, but not great. Breakfast buffet on the preferred side was really good, but we didn't love it on the other side. Dinner buffet was kinda small. Teppanyaki was okay, they did a little show, but it wasn't as fun as other resorts I've been to. The regular menu in the Asian restaurant was better than the Teppanyaki. Dinner at Seaside Grill was not good - we waited over an hour for our food and when it arrived, it wasn't great. Mexican was pretty good and the burgers and pizza on the preferred side were good as well. Portofino for dinner was not good either. We again waited over an hour and food wasn't good. Overall, with a few exceptions, we found the food to be sub-par and very bland.

Drinks were pretty good. Try the Purple Rain!

The waterpark was great, lots of fun for the kids & adults!

There is no big, main pool. There is a smaller pool where they have volleyball & other activities, but we could never get a spot at it. Lots of spots along the lazy river sections (no current, pretty much a free form pool?), but if you wanted to be where the action was, you had to get there early. Infinity pool is beautiful, and quiet - except by the swim up bar which gets a bit rowdy later in they day.

I didn't like that they used keys instead of bracelets. Also no way to distinguish between Preferred Club guests and regular so everyone was in the Preferred areas. Not a huge deal, but you pay more for...