Iberostar Grand Paraiso

Overall, Joia was a great place for my boyfriend and I to spend our first trip together. It was a very relaxing and beautiful place. Ruth with TripGuy made sure everything was taken care of including flights, transport to and from the resort, and resort reservations. It’s really nice being able to trust someone enough to take that off your plate and enjoy your vacation. She’s never placed me at a bad resort. The main pool area was beautiful, well maintained, and had a great swim up bar. Louis and Jose made some amazing drinks and made sure our cup was never empty. Louis had a specialty drink that was the perfect combination of sweet and citrus. We enjoyed the daily activities, especially the volleyball. Jonathan from the entertainment team did a great job at making everyone feel welcome, even if you weren’t participating in every game. He kept the energy up and sparked conversations for us to get to know the other guests to make friends. Some people do play the towel game, which is unfortunate, but we were always able to find a seat. They did not skimp on towels, which was great! You could get as many as you needed throughout the day. They also had sunscreen and would blow up your floats at the towel hut. One thing that I was impressed by was the bathroom by the pool. People were going in and out in soaking wet bathing suits, but the floor was never wet when you went in. The housekeeping crew kept it mopped and clean. We didn’t spend much time at the beach because of the sargassum. We were in building 74, which didn’t have a view of the pool or beach, but that was fine for us because we really only got ready and slept in the room. We did see monkeys from the balcony which was really cool to see. The room itself was very clean and they made sure you had everything you needed. The housekeepers came in twice a day. The room had a nice jacuzzi, balcony, and two separate sinks to make getting ready for dinners easier. For food we enjoyed the taco bar behind the steakhouse, the rotating pop up food stand by the pool, and the buffet if we were still hungry. The sushi at the buffet was great! We went to the Italian, Japanese, French, and gala night at the buffet for dinners. The steakhouse was by far a favorite. I wish that we had discovered it earlier so we could go a second night. I had the lobster and my boyfriend had the filet mignon wrapped in bacon with lobster. Both meals were delicious. The sides were the one place that we felt was lacking. For example, the mac and cheese tasted like box Mac and cheese and the potatoes were hard and undercooked. We didn’t partake in many of the shows because we chose to wake up earlier to spend some quiet time by the beach and pool. We did go to the late night disco two nights and enjoyed it. There was a wedding party, so I’m not sure how busy it would be on a normal night but was fairly busy when we went. It was nice being able to take a golf cart to and from the mall and other resorts to be able to enjoy things like this. Out of the bars, the lobby bar ended up being one of our favorites. They had music most nights and Daniel made the best drinks. The espresso martini and pistachio martini were my go tos. Definitely a place we would go back to!

Excellent service Every Butler was exceptional and tipped well

I have been trying to post this review for weeks now, but TA thinks it's an AI generated review and keeps rejecting me, so hopefully by stating this it will finally be posted. We stayed at Joia end April for seven days to celebrate my mom’s 82nd birthday, and it was truly unforgettable. The weather was perfect, and we enjoyed crystal clear turquoise Caribbean water for some of our stay. We stayed in the ocean-access beachfront rooms, and the butlers in Building 70 were exceptional—so kind and attentive to my mom. A special thank you to Gabriel for helping her to the beach each day, and to Paoula for a lovely tour to see the flamingoes and swans. The service throughout the resort was outstanding. By day two, staff were greeting us by name. Humberto and Rodrigo provided excellent beach service, and the food was absolutely top-notch—one of the main reasons we continue to return. My mom enjoyed every single meal. Our final night at Ember was incredibly touching. Felix arranged a beautiful table with rose petals and decorations for my mom—it brought all of us to tears and created a memory we will never forget. Special thanks to the many staff who made our stay so meaningful: Sommelier Juan, Esteban, Johnathan, Guadalupe, Leonardo, Lizandro, Lizeth, and Monserett who had our coffee's waiting for us at the coffee shop. This resort is clean, well-organized, and has a warm, welcoming atmosphere. We felt truly cared for from start to finish. We will absolutely be back—thank you for another incredible stay.

Mala and Jonathan From the entertainment are so much fun. The black jack was so freaking fun with Miss mala. The shows and staff are very kind and helpful.

and Jonathan from the entertainment staff has been great, the activities and shows are so professional. They should bring back the mic around the pool, the mc used to be fun and entertaining. The drinks and service has been great , thanks for everything. The beach is stunning.