For our very first all-inclusive Mexican vacation, Mike and I chose Dream Riviera Cancun, a stunning AAA Four Diamond and 4.5-star resort in the Riviera Maya located just steps away from white-stand beaches and crystal-clear ocean, surrounded by lush, tropical gardens. We were blown away by how gorgeous the Dreams Riviera Cancun grounds were. For me, on my never-ending quest to find the Instagrammable, picture-perfect photo spot, I was thrilled to discover this resort was effortlessly teeming with it. I mean, I assume this is the case for many resorts in Mexico, but I was really happy that even my suite was picture perfect—complete with private plunge pool.
I’ll be blogging a bunch of different travel guides about our Mexican all-inclusive resort vacation, including a few about the Dreams Riviera Cancun experience, and will link those here when they’re ready.
In the meantime, if you’ve booked a getaway to this lovely resort, I hope you use this blog post to guide your gorgeous vacation photos! It really doesn’t even capture all of the possible, picture-perfect moments (guess we’ll have to come back!) but I think it features a fair bit.
Travel Guide: 14 Instagrammable Spots to Snap a Perfect Picture at Dreams Riviera Cancun (Mexico)
1. The Infinity Pool.
Infinity pools are a thing of beauty. We spent a fair bit of time lounging in the pool, which isn’t too deep either so you can walk in it holding your phone/camera. The pool is least busiest first thing in the morning but we honestly found (and were surprised) that even at its sort of peak, mid-day busyness, it wasn’t challenging to find a nice, pretty people-free spot in the pool for a photo.
Pro-tip: bring your own floaties for pool fun + photos!
2. LOVE Locks.
Because Dreams Riviera Cancun is a popular wedding spot, it makes sense they’ve got their very own LOVE locks area. I wish we had known about this in advance so we could have brought our own lock to clip onto the words but alas, just photos in front of the LOVE will do. And it definitely did do! The fullest angle is from the slope going down to the LOVE sign. Thanks to Dreams Riviera employee Joel for offering to snap our photo as we were milling about the sign.
3. Beach Hammock.
Like the infinity pool, I was surprised that this hammock wasn’t in more use (I really think we picked a perfect time go to the resort—first week of December!) This beach hammock located just in front of the infinity pool is large enough for two people, nestled between two tall palm trees, over beautiful white sand and facing the ocean. Lay back and relax, and get some relaxing photos in too. This is also a good Boomerang spot!
4. Angel Wings.
Readers of this blog and my social media will know I love a good angel wings photo opportunity! Luckily, Dreams Riviera Cancun has beautiful wings to appease the likes of me, lol. The wings are located near the ramp going down to the World Cafe (outdoor). It even, very helpfully, includes a little raised area you can step onto to position yourself perfectly between the wings. I think (generally) daytime shots are nicer, but the wings are also lit up at night so be sure to grab both day and night pictures!
5. Swing Seats.
There are a few different bars at Dreams Riviera Cancun. You’re going to get some great drinks and service at any of them, but there’s only one bar with fun SWINGING SEATS! So cute. Mike and I spent our first full day morning swinging and drinking at Bar Baracuda on the beach, just past the pool area (to the right of the infinity pool). This is also a good Boomerang spot!
6. Private pool.
If you spring for the Premium Deluxe Suite with Private Pool, you get some lovely Instagrammable opportunities right in the comfort of your own room (well just outside your room). You’re guaranteed no crowds in your own private pool. We LOVED having this as part of our room and highly recommend it if you’re deciding what room to book!! Okay, the public pools are right there too, and they’re quite photogenic as well, so you don’t necessarily need this but based on your budget and your preferences, a suite with private pool can have a lot of other perks than just being a nice Instagrammable spot lol.
7. Lit-up Tree Swing.
Okay, we found out after the fact that the swing had only been added as part of a wedding but the beautiful, tall and well-lit tree just outside Himitsu restaurant is always there—and just as Instagrammable. The swing just makes it a lot MORE Instagrammable… but honestly, it’s so pretty! Even without the swing, lean up, sit down, walk towards the camera with the tree in the back. I think a photo looking up at the tree, with photographer crouching low and pointing the camera up, would also be a really interesting angle, and capture the lights quite nicely.
8. Lobby Water Feature.
Located in the lobby, the Lobby Water Feature, which I had been calling a Lobby Fountain, but then as I wrote this, realized it isn’t really a Fountain, lol, is quite pretty, and includes floating lights. There’s a few small bridges letting people cross from one side of the lobby to the other, and there are some seats that are jutted inwards so you’re kind of sitting over the water too. It’s quite lovely for photos but also a great lobby lounge to relax!
9. Holiday Decor.
When we went, they had just set up the Christmas tree in the lobby and WOW is it pretty and WOW is Mike’s Google Pixel 3 Camera Night Sight amazing. It’s hard to truly feel Christmas vibes when you’re at a Mexican resort in 28C weather and there’s no snow in sight, but the decor is quite nice so depending on what time of year it is, watch for whatever seasonal decorations are going up and snap those photos!
10. Tiki Arch.
Or, as Mike described it, the ‘Demegorgan’ from Stranger Things. lol. This pretty arch is meant to be a spot for weddings but when there isn’t a wedding happening, it makes for a really cute, Instagrammable photo spot!
11. The Ocean at Sunrise.
This view will take your breath away. We woke up and headed to then each for a 7:15 a.m. sunrise during one of our days at the resort and it was one of my favourite mornings. Honestly almost every morning was my favourite morning, hard to beat, but seeing the sun rise over the ocean, and walking along the white sand, and lazing about on the beach chairs before anyone else really got there, was something special—and so, so, so Instagrammable.
12. The Heart.
Another nice photo op spot, specifically created for your Instagramming pleasure, is a big red heart! They pull this out each day and set it near the Barside Restaurant, as you walk towards the beach (to the left of the infinity pool). This is one instance where I actually prefer the night-time version of the photo more than the daytime because the glowing lights in the heart really make you look like you’re some broadway performer getting ready for your big musical set! But as with some of the other recommended Instagrammable spots, be sure to get day and night pictures here!
13. On the Cabana.
These cabanas need to be reserved and we walked past a bunch of families looking like they were having the most relaxing time on their outside bed (lol really, what it is). But in the morning before anyone shows up you can easily pop down for an Instagrammable cabana photo if you’re not interested in renting one.
14. Wedding Decor.
As Dreams Riviera Cancun is a popular spot or weddings and honeymoons, you’ll likely stumble upon a bunch of different pop-up wedding decor / set-ups during your stay, like the tree swing!
On our very first night we came across this stunning, fresh flower arch and twinkly light box (they were taking down the lights as we tried to take some photos lol). These are often only up for a few hours and really depends on time of day, but as you’re walking around the resort and stumble across something that looks pretty, take a picture because it may be gone tomorrow!
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So there’s just a little run-down of some of my favourite, Instagrammable photo op spots at Dream Riviera Cancun! Really, it’s not hard to take a good picture anywhere on the resort—it’s all quite stunning. Whether you’re going for lush greens or water, it’s going to be steps away from you.
Something to keep in mind: the light!
The resort actually gets pretty dark as soon as the sun sets (around 6 p.m. in December). You’ll want to keep that in mind as you plan your photo ops! It can also be tricky because while you definitely want (or at least I do) daylight for most of your photos, the sun is RIGHT THERE and so bright that depending on your angles, later in the afternoon might actually be better for images than morning/mid-day.
I hope you enjoy capturing beautiful moments of your all-inclusive Mexican resort vacation!!
Check out my other Dreams Riviera Cancun Mexico blog posts:
- Know Before You Go: Travel Guide to Dreams Riviera Cancun (Mexico) All-Inclusive Resort Vacation (COMING SOON)
- Travel Guide: 10 Foods to Try at Dreams Riviera Cancun (Mexico All-Inclusive Resort) (COMING SOON)
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