Iberostar Grand Paraiso

Trip Report-First time but not our last! We just returned from 5 nights at this beautiful resort. I want to share our experience as first timers as I enjoyed reading about others experiences prior to our trip. We had previously stayed at the Paraiso Maya several years ago with our teenager and several other all inclusives in Mexico. We booked separate flights and hotel. My husband has a Delta cc so we had a free companion fare to use. We booked through the Iberostar website and got an extra discount by joining the IHG rewards. Thanks to everyone for posting your discount codes and tips. Since we booked through the resort, we had private transportation through W2M. We had a bit of an issue locating them exiting the airport but found them off to the right. After a short wait we were on our way in a brand new SUV. Arrival/Check in-On arrival we pulled up and were quickly greeted. Like a fine tuned machine, each staff member swiftly handed us off to the next. We were seated in the lobby and given cool welcome drinks as they took our passports. We were then escorted to pay and then promptly whisked away by golf cart to our room in Building 71. It was about 10 minutes, quick and efficient-a great first impression! Room-I was not prepared and we pulled up and saw the view through the doors to the ocean. Awesome! One of the reasons we chose this resort was the oceanfront room at a reasonable price. We arrived at our second floor room and loved it. The bathroom is great with divided double sinks, great hair dryer! The bed was very comfortable. Bellman stated butler would be up shortly but we waited 30 minutes and were very hungry so we could not wait and left. I see lots of comparisons between if 70 or 71 is better. If you are a beach/ocean person, the stretch in front of 70 is the best. We tend to stay at the pools so we didn’t mind 71 at all. We were a very short walk from the pool to our room. Pools-we only hung out at the main pool. Every morning I got up to get a palapa next to the pool. It seemed like most were taken by 9am but there was always a Bali bed or loungers available. It never felt crowded. We brought floats and are glad we did since there were not many to use from the resort. Our wonderful butler Karolina filled our floats up for us. The pool is cool but refreshing once in. I couldn’t help but think in December and January how cold it is! Service around the pool is great, constantly walking by asking if we needed anything. We brought large tumblers and filled them with ice and water every day. Lots of people had yeti types of various sizes for drinks but the regular cups worked fine. No towel card games, you get as many as you needed. Activities-several activities at the pool daily. I did whatever version of aqua aerobics at 11:30 daily, a cocktail class, throwing a football, chess, etc. We found it to be a good mix of activity and laid back. At night, we played bingo at Rhapsody and went to a couple shows. Raymundo and Fabian are awesome and full of energy! Drinks-This is where all inclusives usually fail us with overly sweet drinks.We are craft cocktail people, we love interesting drinks with good alcohol. Lots of top shelf spirits and interesting different types we don’t see back in the US. Luilly and Gerardo at the lobby/mixology bar took care of us every night and made us fantastic drinks that we would pay $$in restaurants at home. They are wonderful people and made our experience so special. Food-LOVE the beach/ceviche bar. Ate there several days. Shrimp Caesar, beef quesadillas, shrimp ceviche. Had lunch at the pool in our chairs one day too. Don’t sleep on the taco bar at the mall too. Awesome horchata and hibiscus tea if you want to get out of the sun for a bit and check out the shops at the mall. So we ate at the Italian twice, Mexican twice, and Steakhouse once. I forgot to get reservations for hibachi but once I tried, they were already booked out three days. We didn’t try the French because my husband and I dislike mushrooms and foie gras and the menu didn’t have much to offer beyond that. We did hear people say it was very good. Mexican-Guacamole cart! Best I’ve ever had! Steak tostada, enchiladas suizas, shrimp ceviche, fajitas, Al pastor tacos. Everything was fantastic both times. No room for dessert! Italian-Mozzarella app with pesto and Mussels in the blue cheese bread bowl were our faves. Spaghetti bolognese, gnocchi with beef, and vodka pasta were all wonderful. Tiramusu, lemon tart and pistachio dessert were awesome. We ordered a nice bottle of Mexican wine here and enjoyed it. Joel was our server and he really stood out. Steakhouse-garlic bread to start was so good! Coconut shrimp app was so good. We had ribeye and flank steak. Both were much better than I expected them to be. The chocolate peanut butter cake was so rich-I’d advise to share. We still didn’t finish! The dining here was the best all inclusive food and experiences we’ve had. We usually between 6-6:30 and got seated right away. One night at the Italian we arrived and we had to wait about 30 minutes. They texted once our table was ready. Spa-my husband has back issues and wanted a massage. The resort price is about $250 vs beach $160. There were a lot of flies on the beach so he decided against it. He asked our butler to set up a time but they were all in the afternoon and my husband wanted morning. One day by the pool, David came with his chair and gave my husband a head/neck massage and then gave him 25% off for a morning massage the next day. It worked out well. He said the spa was really amazing and did the sauna, steam room and had a nice juice bar. Said it was one of the best massages he ever had. Butler service-we weren’t sure if we would use their services but we did. There are big glass bottles filled with water in the room. I walked down to get them refilled and they sent someone up with four new bottles. My husband bought us Turkish towels that are supposed to dry quickly. Well they were the same shade of blue as the new resort towels. One night I didn’t realize I put it in the dirty towel bin till the next morning. We let Karolina know on the chance someone found it, not thinking they would among the volume they see daily. 2 hours later they show up with it at the pool! Wow!😮 They also confirmed our departure transportation and set up the bellman to come to our room to pick up our bags. They have 2 golf carts there and shuttled us to the mall. They knew who everyone was and were always ready to assist. Now the one negative… Since the butler didn’t catch us in our room on arrival, they found us by the pool the next morning and went over the resort map, talked about credits and the welcome breakfast. We politely declined went about our day. The next morning another butler asked if we went to the welcome breakfast, that we need to go, and really tried a hard sell. I know it’s their job but it was off putting to hear the sell a second time, even harder than the first. On day 4 we were up at the lobby and another person approached us again about the welcome breakfast. Honestly after being there and having a great time we might be interested in more information but they are so aggressive we wouldn’t ask because we don’t want to be bothered! Despite that it doesn’t change our feelings about the resort. Tips-We tipped every meal, drink, housekeeping, ride, service. We even tipped the entertainment. I took 100 in $1, 20 in 5’s, $10’s and $20’s. I would say about 50-60% of people tipped. The service at this resort is really exceptional. The staff here works very hard and made this vacation so wonderful. Tip with your ❤️! To close, we love this resort and its staff. The size is not too large, a quick 5 minute walk and you’re anywhere you want to be. We’re already thinking about our next trip!

Our second time at this resort (April 3 - 10) and it did not disappoint. Four people in our group - myself and my husband, and adult daughter and fiance. There are so many things to enjoy at this resort. The hotel itself is beautiful - the lobby is grand, the grounds are beautiful and the rooms are spacious. Housekeeping was excellent and it is obvious that cleanliness is a priority. Never a problem getting pool loungers (off season, hotel not at capacity) and the entertainment staff were excellent. Lots of things to do if you choose - pool volleyball, water aerobics, corn hole, ping pong, croquet, crazy game, bingo at the swim up bar, margarita making class, blackjack etc... Have to give a huge shout out to Pedro, Mala, and Fabian - always laughing and smiling. We did not use the services at the spa, but did use the pool and hot tub there - very relaxing. We also used the quiet pool - if you want some quiet down time, that's the place to be. The restaurants were all good. Always able to find something at the buffet. Mimosas ready to go in the morning. Mario sure took care of us at breakfast! We tried the steakhouse, the Italian, the gourmet (French) and the Japanese. The show at the Japanese restaurant was amazing - Miguel did a terrific job! (note - you need reservations for this) Wait times were reasonable for the a la cartes - one glitch on our last day as the steakhouse was hosting a 50+ wedding party, leaving the other restaurants with huge lineups. We are not fussy eaters and have no dietary requirements, so really no complaints about the food. The cordon bleu roll at the French restaurant was amazing - and the tiramisu at the Italian was to die for. For the most part, the service in the a la carte restaurants was good - a bit on the slower side as hotel was not at capacity and likely not full staff (they were sure working hard) No hurry to be anywhere - it's vacation, right? The main pool also had a snack bar set up everyday - each day with something different - hamburgers, tacos, etc....great, if you didn't feel like heading to the buffet. The Star Cafe offers specialty coffees and cocktails, as well as pastries - worth checking out. The lobby bar staff made an awesome pistachio martini and there was evening entertainment as well - saxophonist, violinist, singer etc... We took in a few of the evening shows - have seen lots in our travels, but they were entertaining. Really depends on personal taste and what you enjoy. Overall, this is a great resort - you are also able to use the facilities at the other Iberostars - Maya, Lindo, Del Mar, Beach - we did check them out but spent most of our time at our "adults only" resort. A bit of something for everyone!

As my vacation here at JOIA comes to an end I wish to thank the entire staff for making me feel welcomed and pampered. The staff in building 70; Fatima, Gabriel, Aristide, Bernardo, Rodolfo, Paola, and Fernada were absolutely fantastic! Those who maintained the rooms, room service and all other areas exceeded my expectations! I will be back and look forward to seeing everyone again 😎

In the beginning, it was a little tough given that we are vegetarians. But we met Valeria the head chef who was amazing. She madeaccommodations for our vegetarian options. And it definitely improved our experience.

Viri is the best! Always so outgoing, friendly, looking out for everyone making sure we are having fun and comfortable. All the entertainment staff are great, talented shows, great food and drinks! Shout out Daniel and Dario as well!