Dreams Macao Beach - Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Dreams Macao Beach Punta Cana is part of the Inclusive Collection in the World of Hyatt. Located about 30 minutes from Punta Cana on the North side of the island, it is easily traveled both to and from the airport or downtown.

The resort itself is large and sprawling. There are 10 restaurants/grills for dining and seven bars ranging from exclusive Preferred Club Membership and Adults Only to poolside tiki bars that offer incredible views and beach vibes.

Plenty of activities will keep everybody happy. There are volleyball and tennis courts, a water park complete with lazy river, kids club to occupy the little ones as well as many offsite excursions which can be booked from the lobby such as swimming with dolphins, deep sea fishing, snorkeling, a tour through a coffee and cocoa plantations, Monkey Island, zip-lining, dune buggies, and shopping at downtown Punta Cana. When it comes to shopping there are a couple of tourist traps. We recommend going to either BlueMall or the Downtown Mall. The BellaMare excursion is a tourist trap and not worth our time.

With all that it has to offer, there is something for everybody, however we found that the dining needed some more finely pointed guidance....so here you go.

Oceana

For the first night, Oceana was selected for dinner. Mainly on the recommendation of one of the hotel staff who mentioned that it wasn't open every night of the week. He also recommended to give the grilled octopus a try. None of the restaurants on the resort take reservations, and by the time of arrival there was a small wait. We got a buzzer and went down the path a bit to the first bar and ordered a drink while we waited. We didn't have to wait long so we took our drinks with us back to the restaurant.

I ordered the grilled octopus as recommended and was exceptionally pleased upon its arrival. It wasn't chewy as it can sometimes be and ultimately was only the arms which made it much more simple to eat. It was served on a potato puree with an olive oil, garlic, and arugula drizzle.

The selections for dessert were the chocolate brownie; ideal for chocolate lovers, and the Tarte Tatin – which combined caramelized apples on a crispy puff pastry base. A little dry on both accounts, but with a glass or red or the local rum, it did not matter.

Overall the portions were small, but if ordered a couple of them at a time it was more satisfying.

World Cafe

Each morning for breakfast was at the World Cafe. It is buffet style restaurant that served a little bit of everything for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I only had breakfast there since it was really the only place that served early in the morning. All of the other restaurants didn't open until 6pm, so this was it.

They catered to everybody's own preference. Starting with a mimosa as you entered it was then whatever you felt like trying. There were American and European style pastries. Several live cooking stations where you could get omelets or crepes. Cereals, fresh fruit, breads, and hummus, freshly squeezed juices, European hot chocolate, coffee, tea and so much more.

Portofino

Portofino is their gourmet Italian restaurant. The décor is warm and welcoming, much like the Italian culture, but that is just about as far as the experience took me. Figuring that this was a luxury resort, I would have assumed that their cuisine would have been more on point. I started by ordering the Caprese, which was described on the menu as “Mozzarella di Buffala, cherry tomatoes, and basil pesto”. What was served was some very small balls of some dried out mozzarella, clearly not buffala, no cherry tomatoes, but rather an unripe whole tomato that was simply quartered and slid into the middle of the plate with some sort of runny pesto sauce which was probably just some canned pesto mixed in with far too much olive oil.

The pizza was no better. I'm not sure where they got their pizza recipes from, but after living in Italy for a few years, not once did a Diavola pizza ever consist of having blue cheese on it. Instead, after my disappointment with the caprese, I opted for Pepperoni Pizza with a special request of some of the 'olio picante' to drizzle over the top. Upon arrival, it was just a regular frozen pizza that was cooked perhaps 80% done in an oven. I did get the oil after requesting it from 3 different waitstaff, the last one finally understanding what I was asking for and acknowledging that they did in fact have some. (I knew they had some it was listed on the diavola pizza on the menu).

Finishing the meal, I went straight for the trifecta of Italian disappointment; a slice of tiramisu and a cannoli with a limoncello for a digestivo. I got what I expected, the tiramisu was a frozen piece of store-bought garbage, the cannoli could have been made on site, but I doubt it just because of how crusty hard it was, but the store-bought limoncello was smooth and not overly sweet so I guess that's something.

Himitsu

In my opinion, if you want the best meal on the whole resort, then Himitsu is the place for that. As a bonus, there are three Teppanyaki tables, which are restricted to children 12 years and older. Keep in mind that reservations for these are required ahead of time.

I did in fact make a reservation and was not disappointed by the service, atmosphere, portions, or quality.

The hibachi chef, Juan Carlos, was fantastic! He started with a few tricks as the evening 'fired up' and began dinner with a very light yet satisfying fried rice. Next came the mixed-vegetables, chicken, and beef. There's not a lot to say because the whole experience was simple, entertaining, and delicious. Clearly the best of the selection of restaurants with more than enough on portions, which was the same case of the a-la-carte patrons as well.

Bordeaux

We ended our stay with an evening at the French restaurant. Again, the restaurant is ala-carte and was decent enough, but did not really have anything that jumped off the page. Dress-code online and posted at the entrance says “Casual Elegance” and is defined by the resort as: “Sneakers/tennis shoes or dress sandals, dress shirts with short sleeves or collared shirts. No sleeveless shirts or flip-flops. Long pants required for men.”. Our experience was similar to all the other restaurants in the sense that it really didn't matter what you wore...every restaurant or bar was just another tiki bar where swimsuits were common,, flip-flops were the footwear of choice, and both men and women seemingly just rolled off the beach for dinner before heading to one of the outdoor bars for an after dinner cocktail.

All in all our trip and stay were everything that we would come to expect from an island resort in the Caribbean that caters to families. However, it is in my opinion it was too large for that “get-away from it all” feel of a Caribbean vacation. I would have preferred something smaller that gave you a more intimate feel of a small tiki hut on a beach somewhere. We also felt that if the team at Dreams wanted to raise the level o sophistication that is showcased on the website, but also the Hyatt brand, then they really need to hire personnel that will not be afraid to toss out a guest that does not adhere to the guidelines that the resort itself has put in place.