Resort Details
Guest Reviews from Apple Vacations Customers
Customer Ratings & Reviews
TripAdvisor Traveler Rating
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Nov 01, 2025
Good Experience...... still need to get the entire resort functioning
First visit to Mazatlan. The resort is very close to the airport, located in a small group of resorts. Approximately 30 minutes from the city. The City of Mazatlan is beautiful and well worth the trip and tour. We used a private operator and spent 7 hours seeing all the historic sites, market and had an authentic Mexican lunch. The resort is currently undergoing renovations, which was a little disappointing, with only 4 a la carte restaurants, two were closed for dinner during our entire 7 day stay. And the buffet was also closed all week. They are currently renovating and hopefully this situation will be rectified soon. The staff was amazing in all restaurants and bars. A few special mentions would go to Joel and Hiram in the Meraki restaurants, Hernan our server and Issac the bartender at the Sugar Reef (Preferred Pool), Sandra made amazing eggs for breakfast, Alejandro at Desires, who always remembered our drinks and opened early for us to watch the Toronto Blue Jays in the World Series. We took advantage of the free golf and enjoyed our round, despite the heat. If you are a beach lover, there is no seaweed and beach walks are possible but during our week, there was no swimming as the waves are constant. Beautiful sunsets with great sound for sleeping.
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Oct 23, 2025
A great place to getaway and relax
Excellent service and place to relax, a bit far from Mazatlan, but conveniently located 10 min away from the airport, atmosphere is nice and relax, and staff are very dedicated to your needs, rooms are large and nice and every room has beach views
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Oct 20, 2025
Relaxing and carefree get away
My favorite things were the food and the resort layout. Every room looks at the ocean and you can see the entire pool area which was awesome for my family with kids. The buffet was so so so good. Sandra made the best omelettes but I just looked forward to seeing her smiling sweet face each morning. The servers were kind, attentive and professional. Alonzo was very warm and made us feel welcome. It was tough to say if the Italian or Mediterranean-Asia food was better but our server at Meraki, Hasiam was so incredible and made the experience so special. His energy and passion for his work was admirable and his kindness was genuine. We kept going back hoping to see him! The pool bar staff was unbelievable. They were always checking on you, super friendly and made great drinks. Carlos made some good skinny margs and was very nice. The rooms were very nice and new and I loved the modern decor. Gabriel kept our room sparking clean and was very helpful if we needed anything. Daniel got the sports and activities going each day and he gave my son a volleyball lesson when there weren’t enough people to play. Easily the best service we’ve had and the resort checked all the boxes for us. I’m missing the Sunsets in the infinity pool. We’ll be going back as soon as we can. So easy and refreshing to stay at this resort.
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Oct 19, 2025
Not Too Resort-Like
Just returned from a 4 -night stay at Dreams Estrella. I might be a bit spoiled by luxury, as I found this resort to be average or slightly below. I personally did not think the food was good (although most of the reviews state otherwise). Room service: Steak tacos (heavily peppered), enchiladas (cold when served), soup (cold), chilaquiles (at breakfast buffet)- very stale chips (could not bite some of them, literally!) and Oceana - tuna shashimi, could not cut through it (maybe a bad piece). However, the good news is that my daughter who is Celiac (cannot eat gluten) did not get sick once and they hotel took very serious precautions when making her food. This is the most important thing for me and matters more than the taste of the food. Many of the pool lounge chairs had holes in them. By 3pm (3 days in a row) there was not a single pool towel to be found and my kids had to walk back up the room dripping wet. The chairs in the room were heavily stained. To be fair, they were light colored chairs. However, all these things made the resort feel a bit outdated and not resort-like. Small attention to detail such as having clean towels by the pool and serving warm food, could make all the difference. Upon check-in, I advised the receptionist about my daughter's medical condition and they gave me a slip of paper. I was told not to lose the paper and that I would have to show it each time I ordered (for my daughter). I thought the process seemed a bit outdated. Turns out, I never needed the paper because they had it noted on my room number regarding my daughter's condition. Positives: The service from the staff makes up for the lack of luxury. Every staff member we encountered were super friendly and attentive. Everyone there works so hard! Big shout out to Sandra who made our eggs/omelettes every day to perfection and was such a joy to come in contact with. Also, for the hardworking ladies at the coffee shop. They make the best lattes and always carried a smile. Our waiter Cesar at Meraki was so kind and attentive and lastly, the Chef at Rodeo grill who came out and discussed with me how he would prepare my daughter's meal, I appreciate you more than you know. With my daughter's medical condition, 1 small bread crumb will make her sick for days. The staff did an amazing job at providing gluten free meals, free from cross contamination and very educated on how to properly cook for her condition. BIG APPLAUSE! Overall, we had a great time and the staff works really hard at providing great service. The hotel is outdated and small changes (such as having clean towels by the pool and warm food) can make a huge difference. It would be helpful to have access to the restaurant menus and days open on the room television. We visited the pool and lazy river, to find it closed. No times posted. Tr Some slight changes can really help this resort!
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Oct 19, 2025
Dreams - October visit
Honest Review of Dreams Estrella del Mar (Mazatlán) We just returned from 6 nights at Dreams Estrella del Mar — two adults and two kids (ages 11 and 8). Having stayed at multiple Dreams and Secrets resorts before (like Secrets Cap Cana, Dreams Playa Mujeres, and Dreams Jade), I’d say this one felt a bit more low-key and definitely a lower-tier Dreams experience compared to the others. First Impressions: The resort is very new, and it shows — the landscaping and trees are still growing in, so it doesn’t have that lush, tropical “Dreams” feel yet. My first impression was that it looked more simple and less polished than other Dreams properties I’ve visited. Service & Food: The best part of our stay was the people. The staff truly made the experience better. • Joel at the Preferred Lounge Bar made the best espresso martinis — easily my favorite drink all week. • Sandra at the omelette station always had a smile and made perfect breakfasts every morning. • Arturo in the breakfast area was so attentive and kind. • Francisco from the entertainment team was full of energy and made sure the kids had fun every day. • And David, our UVC rep, was amazing — super professional and helpful. Food across the restaurants was consistently great. We didn’t have a single bad meal. Oceana was just okay, but everything else was really good. Drinks: We were Preferred guests, and while bartenders didn’t always know how to make some of the cocktails I usually order at other Dreams (like a French 75 or other specialty martinis), the espresso martinis at the lounge made up for it! Kids Club & Family Experience: The Explorer’s Club and the water slides were fantastic — my kids absolutely loved them. The resort layout felt safe and family-friendly, which gave us peace of mind. Language & Atmosphere: One thing to be aware of: this resort currently caters mostly to Mexican nationals, and most entertainment and activities (karaoke, shows, movie nights) were only in Spanish. Since we primarily speak English, we sometimes felt left out and couldn’t really participate. At other Dreams resorts (like in Cancun or Riviera Maya), entertainment is usually bilingual, which helps international guests feel more included. I really think Dreams Estrella could improve by offering more bilingual entertainment and activities for American and other English-speaking families. Overall: It’s a nice, quiet, family-friendly resort with wonderful staff and great food, but it doesn’t have the same level of luxury, atmosphere, or liveliness as other Dreams properties. If you’re expecting that full “Dreams” experience, this one might feel a bit more basic. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/5 stars) — Amazing staff and service, but I probably wouldn’t return until the resort matures and adds more bilingual experiences.
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