Iberostar Grand Paraiso

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!

So we went to this “4 diamond resort” with my wife and 2 daughters, and in fact everything was perfect. But me as a business owner something I don’t tolerate it’s looking bad treatments to the staff. All nights including “gala” we saw a lady named “zinai” or something like that on the restaurants, waiters told us she is the boss. When we first spoke to her we noticed that she doesn’t speak English at all, plus. We saw how she spoke to one of the managers of the restaurant we where in a bad mood, snatching fingers to them and also taking a lot of pictures to the point we felt harrased of too much pressure to the staff. I understand sometimes you have to correct staff for making the experience better, but never in front of the people that pays for staying there, just like us, I personally don’t think she’s fit for the position based on her lack of communication on English, also when we went to the steaks restaurant she took our order with the phone. Miserable attention from her. Besides of that Emilio, Andrea, Norberto and company where the best waiters ever. But based on what we saw and how employees got treated, it’s not something we support, that’s why we aren’t going back.