Overview

Welcome, fellow travelers! Are you looking for a luxurious and memorable family vacation spot? Look no further than Dreams Vallarta Bay Resort & Spa! This all-inclusive resort is located in the heart of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and boasts breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. Not only does the resort offer countless amenities and activities, but it also provides a unique blend of relaxation and adventure.

The Dreams Vallarta Bay Resort & Spa by World of Hyatt (formerly Now Amber under the AMR Resorts brand) is a family resort sitting only 15 minutes from the airport, and even a shorter stroll to downtown. Each room offers fantastic views of the gulf meaning you cannot go wrong when a room is assigned. The amenities drive the room choices. From a balcony jacuzzi to a swim-out room and even access to premium bars and services, you can pick and choose your upgrades.

We will walk you through our entire experience below. Make sure to visit the Facebook page for full photo albums and subscribe on YouTube for full videos.

Airport Transfer

For this trip to Dreams (Now Amber) Vallarta Bay by Hyatt in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico we used the transportation provider Tukari. They were booked through American Airlines vacation packages. The staff was expecting our arrival and we had a quick wait before the drive to the resort. A good experience both ways as they were on time headed back. The vans were comfortable and the drivers extra courteous.

Resort Arrival and Check-In

When booking through American Airlines Vacations, we chose to stay in the Preferred Club. Those include upgraded rooms, a private snack center in the lobby and upgraded alcohol in a private bar. We were greeted with a cool towel, champagne (or water) and a quick seat at one of the check in agent desks. Make sure to have your passport, a credit card for incidentals and copies of your vacation package printed out. It makes check-in a breeze. They will always ask if you want another upgrade, but we waited to see how our current room looked.

The Room

We had no clue how happy we would be. As you see in the pictures below our first room (we upgraded later) had an awesome pool and ocean view. The balcony had a Jacuzzi we put to use at night quite often to relax. The room was decently stocked with drinks. It was very clean and organized.

With some cancellations at the resort, an offer was made to upgrade halfway through the visit. Room two was incredible. After living through an attempted sales pitch we were placed in a Master Swim Out suite. It included a living room, kitchen, master bedroom, huge bathroom and the amazing patio that lead to the amazing private pool. We were next to the main pools making it a few steps to join in, or stay where we were. The photo album has a look around the room.

Pools

The pools were plentiful and very clean all day. Seats were taken up early as expected. Plan your time for dinners as pools were cleaned early in the evenings. Way too early for our liking starting at around 8pm. Everyone else seemed ok with it as they prepared for dinners and night entertainment. We like to swim later but the chemicals were there for hours. So the Jacuzzi on the balcony was put to use the first half of the week. The private suite pool was included in the cleaning schedule the second part of the time. As we spent most of the day at the pool there is plenty of pictures in the photo album.

Dining

We enjoyed most of the meals. The Asian restaurant (Himitsu) was our favorite of the week. Sushi and hibachi dishes were all good. The low end was the Mexican restaurant Tamarindo. We have come to expect that at the resorts as strange as it seems. We ate the Carnival buffet a couple times, and once after a main meal since we didn’t like the dinner food ordered. The buffet does well at offering a variety of cuisine and snacks for everyone.

Make sure you plan on dressing appropriately for each meal. It is more relaxed during the day and also in the buffet than in Himitsu at night. We walked next door to Secrets Vallarta and visited Bordeaux for French options. A short wait and good food. The adults only side is very quiet and people there seemed to eat earlier. I would suggest visiting the resort website for information on Capers (Italian) and Castaways (seafood).

Spa

We decided to take advantage of the spa services while there as the resort was offering last minute discounted bookings. I would recommend always asking someone for this type of deal or option. Resorts often have gaps in bookings and will work with you to fill those slots up. The spa was spacious and the hydrotherapy pool, shown below, was amazing. Even better than the massage I received, in my opinion. Numerous types of jets, beds and areas using water massage therapy were found in the inside pool. A sauna and areas to relax and rejuvenate after your massages were available.

Staff

We pretty much loved the staff, especially in the Preferred Club. Everyone was so helpful and welcoming. The bartender in the Preferred Club bar at night was plain awesome. We never had a problem with service or anyone getting an answer to a question.

Entertainment

Entertainment options were great for a few reasons. The family side of the complex, Dreams has the family shows. You then walk a few yards across the main lobby into the adult side and see the adult shows which just happen to start a short time later giving you time to get the kids settled. Both sides had excellent choreography, fun for kids and alternately very adult shows on the Secrets side. Casino nights were offered, dance/music shows and everything in between.

There was also a nightclub which we were in every night. It has since been removed. It was downstairs from the main lobby and was huge. The dance floor was not giant but the overall space was cool with tons of private booths too. The DJ would play whatever you wanted and the bar was readily staffed. We spent each night here instead of hitting the town. Looking back we should have also explored the town nightlife and walked one night the few blocks and partied some as it was safe.

Beach

Here is one thing about Puerto Vallarta. The beach is nice but there is a c͟o͟n͟s͟t͟a͟n͟t͟ stream of vendors (Heck you even see them in the pictures I have). They stay off of the hotel boundary, but are feet away unless you call them closer. If you do not wish to be bothered, just wave them on, do not make huge eye contact or say no thanks and they always keep walking. But there is always someone new asking if you want to buy goods. There are servers on the resort beach area always bringing drinks or even snacks. We made sure to tip every so often since they walk a ways in the heat and the sand.

Overall Evaluation

We loved this resort, the services and the location. We loved the ability of being able to pass between restaurants, shows and services on both the family and adult side (we now like adult only resorts more). The beach area was well kept, you just had numerous (but nice) vendors to deal with. We will be looking forward to going back to Puerto Vallarta again to see more of the city. The five minute walk to El Malecon boardwalk is a draw for all tourists.

See the entire photo album at our Facebook Page and group where we can answer more questions and share experiences.