Iberostar Paraiso All Inclusive Complex

Excellent buffet selections, good variety of activities, and beautiful beach. We had reservations for two nights at the non-buffet restaurants (Mexican & Italian). The Mexican restaurant was ok and the Italian one was excellent. The selection of food at the buffet was excellent for all meals on the other days. We took excursions through MayaLand tours with Grayline to both Xel Ha and ChichenItsa and they were great too.

I visited the Iberostar Paraiso beach/mar from january 28th to Feb 5th and had one of the best all inclusive experiences to date. I have visited Jamaica,Dominican several times, Bahamas and other carribean resorts. I have stayed in Riu's,Barcelos and others.However the Iberostar gave me a holiday that I will not forget. The event staff were just so friendly and so much fun. Once they got to know me they greeted me by name whenever I met them walking around the resort or came by at lunch or breakfast to say hi. The shows were a great variety and they tried to make it fun. Once the shows were over you could head to the lobby bars or to the disco which was open to 3:00 am. Food was always available throughout the resort and was of a high standard. I also went to a couple of the specialty restaurants, the mexican and the Mediterranean and found them excellent. I believe there were 5 others and heard great reports from people who went to those. There was also a burger bar beside the disco open late so if you got hungry, wanted to soak up some of that alcohol or whatever you could nip out and get something then return. I found all the wait staff, bar tenders at the swim up bars,lobby bars,disco or whatever so much fun. A hello and a smile go a long way. A small tip helps but a dollar here or there goes a long way. I have been amazed at the reviews I read last year by some people who thought the staff were unfriendly. Smile,say buenos dias or hi or whatever and it will make anybody's day. The people at the resort were also so friendly, many from Canada as always but also all the other cold spots Wisconsin,Minnesota,Colorado etc.,. Also a lot of south americans who I got to know. I speak some spanish which helps but is not needed. I found people there who wanted to have a good time. Many times at night people I met during the day would stop by for a chat or a story. There were singles, families with young children, newly weds,married couples, older people (I am 54) there were people in their 60's and up all having fun.The swim up bar area was lively with two back to back with a patio in between which served ice cream all day and drinks as well. There was also a large quiet area with a separate swim up bar for those who wanted to kick back, read or relax wih no music. that was good as well if you just wanted to get away from it all. Beach was beautiful, although sea was rough at times with large waves, just depended if there was wind or not. There was also two snack bars at the beach and two beach bars and just off the beach was a large beach buffet with all sorts of hot and cold food.The Monday out door party and paella cook out had to be seen to be believed. Amazing. Cooked in a 6ft diameter stainless steel dish over a fire, the cooks added calamari,shrimp,mussels,clams chicken,pork,saffron rice,vegetables and a host more,served with sangria it was just a treat. Anyway to sum up I had a wonderful time and am planning to get back as soon as I can. The resort was immaculate, the staff cleaned constantly and were always working on the gardens. There was wide life walking around, swans,guinea fowl?,peacocks and some other critter that was cross between a racoon and an ant eater. They were always running around and a lot of fun to watch.One other thing, if you book the mar or beach you can go to either but not to the Maya,Lindo or the Grand. If you book the Grand you can go to them all. Just check when you book so as not to be disappointed. Anyway the mar and beach are huge so it really is not an issue. There is also plenty of golf carts and the little train to get you around but bring your walking shoes Sometimes you have to walk but I enjoyed walking around exploring. If you have difficulty flag down the little carts etc.,If you plan to go to Riviera Maya I would not hesitate to give this a try. Great value for money and well worth it.

This was a short relaxing getaway. We didn't do much but hang on the beach or in the pool. The service was outstanding. The buffets were always great with many options. The entertainment at night was also great. The staff went out of there way to make our stay enjoyable. We stayed in the del Mar & the only negative I would say is that there are some aspects of this part of the property that will need updating or repairs like the fitness area and the pools. The pools were still nice and I liked that they were salt water and not chlorine, but there are many spots where tiles were falling off. Overall it was still a great trip and I would recommend it to others.

I stayed at he Lindo, I wouldn't recommend the beach or Del MAr hotel, stick to the Lindo and Maya. *Starfriends were great! *Great drinks but they don't know how to make amaretto sours correctly :( *Dos Equis beer is all they have, but better then corona. *All restraunts that required reservations were delicous. *Room service very quick *white sand beaches with some boulders on the Beach/Del Mar side but perfectly fine on Maya/Lindo side. *Scuba diving and water sports available right on the beach *Very nice club/Disco *Amazing tacos at the taco bar in the shopping plaza *Grounds were huge so expect to walk a lot, but nothings more then 10-15 minutes away *Lots of entertainment and activities all day and night long.

I chose this location for my 40th b-day; what a great trip we had!!! The food was great, all of the specialty restaurants were good, especially the gourmet and steakhouse. Drinks were good and you can get whatever you want: wine, beer, champagne, mixed drinks. The room was nice and clean, we were in building #66, our housekeeper for the room did a good job restocking the fridge and cleaning, changing sheets everyday. Pools were gorgeous, especially the private pool. Nightly shows by the Starfriends were great and kept us laughing. The beach was nice although when we there it was windy so there was a red flag for the water which meant swimming not recommended. Plenty of lounge chairs at all of the pools and on the beach, never had to get up early and go place a towel on a chair to save even with 5 of us traveling. Staff very helpful and friendly, but some do not understand or speak english. Concierge very nice. Spa was great. Alot of walking involved due to the resort being so large, but beautiful(bring good walking shoes). Had arranged a snorkeling trip for our last day there with Olympus tours who are located at the front desk of the resort. After waiting 1 hour or more early in the morning (with 2 teenagers) for our transportation and being told he was running late, they finally admitted that they messed up our reservations and scheduled our tour for the wrong day! After lengthy discussions with the rep. and several phonecalls per the rep. to "his boss" we ended up cancelling our tour and getting our money back. They were unable to get another driver to us and did not like the idea of giving us a discount even though they messed up! Cancun-Transfers was fabulous! They picked us up from the airport on time and picked us up from the resort on time to go back to the airport. We chose VIP transportation(private/not shared) for $120.00 and got picked up in a Ford Expedition with bottled water, Corona or soda. The architecture at the resort was pretty; alot of trees, flowers and even animals! We had dinner at the italian restaurant for my birthday, the waiter and maitre d surprised us with a birthday drink(tequila boom-boom:) and then when we got back to our hotel room there was a special towel animal arranged with roses and chocolates. We would definetly return to the Iberostar Paraiso Maya and I have no problem recommending it, great birthday and vacation!!!!

The resort is amazing with great and friendly staff. Food is excellent quality and readily available. Rooms are a great size and kept spotless. The pools are clean and are partially salt-water with very little chlorine. Drinks are great and almost any liquor you want is stocked. The beach area is well staffed and well maintained with conveniently located bar and snack-shack.

It was a great hotel - a lot of activities if you wanted. Great for kids too. Very friendly staff. Food was excellent. Entertainment every night. Wonderful beach and really nice, big pool with lazy river, wave pool etc. Lots of restaurants and bars in the resort.

The one bad thing was that a good number of the employees did not understand the English language. We only speak and understand English. Therefore, our questions did not always get answered. The good thing is that we liked just about everything else about the resort. The main buffet, the pool buffet, the beach grill, the Mexican Restaurant, the Steak Restaurant, and pool ice cream stand were all great. The swimming pools were very nice, as was the beach. Our standard room was as nice as any, and maid service was top notch. The grounds and buildings were meticulously maintained. The adult evening shows, featuring the Star Players (entertainment team), were honestly not very good. We attended 5 shows, and two of them featured what I'd call professionals. My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed them and would rank them right up there with Las Vegas caliber shows. We've vacationed in Aruba and Puerto Rioco. This was our first time in Mexico, and our first time at an all-inclusive. The weather was super. We had a fabulous vacation without leaving the resort. We would return. We would recommend the Iberostar Paraiso Beach to our friends. The Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar shares all facilities with the Paraiso Beach and I'm sure staying there would be just as nice. We walked around the more expensive Paraiso Lindo. It was nice, but the Beach/Del Mar looked more fun to us. In closing, I'll add that we are healthy, 61-year olds. This resort will satisfy all age groups.

Diving, Shopping

Iberostar Paraiso del Mar is perfect for family vacations. The beach is excellent - soft white sand, waves, lots of palapas for shade. Lots to do here - a carousel for the kids at the commercial centre plus tacos, crepes and hamburger restaurants (included); nice beach buffet, excellent fresh fruit, good choices for kids. Sprawling complex with beautiful landscaping and lots of birds, coati (Mexican raccoons), lovely plants and flowers. Beds are comfortable, lots of pillows, excellent Star Friends (Franklin, entertainment director, is superb). Another successful Iberostar vacation (have also been to Varadero and Punta Cana Iberostars - they excel at family friendly vacations). Only drawback is the pool - absolutely freezing.