Iberostar Grand Paraiso

The hotel is beautiful and the food is incredible. But more so than that, the staff were AMAZING! I want to start the review with a huge thank you to Luis, Alma, Raymundo, Marlene, and the other members of the event staff. Their energy and activities made the trip amazing. But the review, for those interested: Overall, a fantastic resort for couples and mid-size groups. The resort really nails the concept of affordable luxury. The building is beautifully constructed and the interior design is thoughtfully done, giving it the feel of a high end luxury hotel. The best indicator of this was what seemed to be a small army of maintenance staff seen everyday landscaping, painting, cleaning, and polishing. I would recommend going to some of the other resorts/lobbies on the complex. There are four, each themed. The maya resort had the most interesting bar and decor, but the Pueblo inspired shopping area had the nicest single building, the church. The architecture and design at all the resorts is really fun to see how it is incorporated into the theme, and how that influences the experience. The rooms themselves were quite nice. Spacious, well air conditioned, and with a sizeable bathroom. The rooms could use a bit more storage space and I would have liked somewhere to hang my laundry. But of all the places in the hotel to be just good and not great, I’m glad it was the room, the place we spent the least amount of time in. The pool area was lively enough to party but large enough to find a small corner to tuck into if you wanted to be away from the noise. And for the dedicated relaxers, there is the second no-talking allowed pool. At all of the pools, there were always enough chairs. We had too much fun elsewhere to really use the beach outside of a scuba trip. There were kayaks and Catamans for borrowing and we did see people lounging on the beach so if that’s your thing there is a nice, usable beach area. And the FOOD. It was incredible. Almost every dinner involved a lively debate between my wife and I for how this new restaurant shook up our previous ranking. In the end, I was right in saying the Mexican steakhouse was the best. She was, however, somehow more right in saying the Italian was the best. Each of the restaurants had wonderfully prepared food and felt like a gourmet dinner. I landed home yesterday and can’t imagine when I will eat an actual meal next, I’m still so full. The evening’s dinner plan was an exciting adventure to look forward to each night, like seeing water volleyball or trivia on the daily schedule. We would scarcely be finished breakfast at the buffet (also very good) before we began strategizing how to burn enough calories to be hungry for a large dinner that evening. The answer to that was to participate in the many and varied activities put on by the star friends, the name given to the hotel event staff. In addition to the above named teammates, a shout out to Montserrat, Cassandra, and Carlos who were also stars of the trip. The events are nothing particularly new or wild (with the exception of paddleboard racing), but were games involving the right mix of skill and luck to make the former high school QB on a 30th birthday trip and the nurse celebrating her recent retirement feel they had an equal shot at winning. The star friends also ran many of the interstitial events like inviting guests to play cornhole or pickleball, teaching salsa lessons, or getting the dance floor going at the evening party. I noticed many of the guests would track down the star friends at the pool before check out and say long, enthusiastic goodbyes - myself included. The star friends also had bit parts in the fantastic shows hosted in the theatre. These shows were typically song and dance performances, but they all had such strong unique themes that no two of them felt similar. While we were there, we saw a circus show, a cabaret, and a “Mexican themed” show (salsa, meringue, and Mexican songs). They were all great entertainment, especially after one of the wonderful but heavy dinners and especially especially with table side bar service in an elegant theatre. We left the circus show remarking that it was better than many of the circus or variety shows that we have bought tickets to see. In total, I felt extremely well looked after while at the resort. The food was amazing while also responsibly sourced and diligent about allergies. The resort itself was beautiful and well maintained, and our room was cleaned with military frequency. After learning it was our anniversary, the turn down service frequently involved flower petals on the bed. (If my wife asks, please tell her I arranged it with the front desk). I enjoyed the activities and the games, but had all the space I needed to relax with a book or a quiet nap in the sun. I have every intention of returning in the future with more friends, because I want them to also experience what a beautiful place this is. Thank you!

We have just completed another wonderful stay at JOIA Paraiso by Iberostar and another amazing dining experience. One of our favorites is enjoying the talents of Chef Yadhir...he is an outstanding part of the culinary experience and his passion and love for his craft shows on a daily basis. We enjoyed a wonderful Mexican buffet celebration of Independence Day for Mexico filled with traditional favorites...the Gala buffet is always an over the top dining treasure. Chef Yadhir always takes the time to interact with the quests and does mosny table side treats. His love for cooking is on display on a daily basis. Hats off to Chef Yadhir.

This is my fourth time to this resort, and I have been to many in the area over the years. This resort continues to hit the mark with good food, selection and service. The rooms are quiet and comfy. The food large selection and the drinks it is nice to see such a large selection not only alcohol but beer selection. Going to some of the other resorts on property I must say the sports bar at Lindo is disappointing but at the Joia in the Rapsody lounge they are able to accommodate most any sport. I would recommend and will be back again.

We have just got back from an amazing 2 week holiday. Everything was perfect and 5* service from the moment we arrived to the moment we left. It’s the little touches: every member of staff saying hello or asking how your day is every time you walk past. We spent most of our time by the quiet pool and it lived up to its name. There was relaxing music being played and the cabanas and hammocks lovely to sit in. Drinks were on a constantly flow to our cabanas or by the pool. We loved the infused water (different fruits everyday) and the towels and suncream provided. The food: just wow! We had no complaints right from the buffet to each Al a Carte restaurant and room service. Definitely 5* service and high quality meals served. A recognition to Lizeth who hosted us quite a few times at various restaurants, always like many of the other staff greeted us with a big smile and knew our names as soon as we walked up. The spa was very good too, you can come and go as much as you please and you don’t need to book a time slow which we liked. A range of hydrotherapy equipment to use as well as 2 jacuzzis. Infused water was readily available as well as a juice bar and snacks to help yourself to. You will never be bored at this hotel, there are many activities to do from 6.30am sunrise yoga to 7pm spin classes and more sessions in-between. I took park in the 9am yoga class and 11.30am aqua fit classes (these even ranged from aqua kick boxing to aqua pole dancing). A big thank you to Cynthia who held both of these classes along with more everyday with a big smile on her face and positive energy. You were amazing!!! There was always a singer or saxophonist on every evening in the lobby for a few hours then afterwards at 9.30pm a show in the theatre. The drinks were the best we have ever had in an all inclusive. They had everything we possibly wanted and knew how to make every cocktail we asked for- even uncommon ones! We never heard no for an answer all the staff always accommodated every request. I would recommend going to both the lobby bar and rhapsody, we loved them both. Thank you to housekeeping who did a brilliant job. The turndown service was not something we expected but it really does live up to the 5* name and was a lovely added touch. We liked the amenities in the room- beach bag, mosquito repellent, mouthwash etc. This hotel is very sustainable as it has its ‘wave of change’ which I loved especially for an all inclusive hotel. Also we loved walking around the whole of the Iberostar complex and seeing the variety of animals. You will see coatis, peacocks, flamingoes, maybe turtles, capybaras and the list goes on. Finally our flight was delayed by 2 days and the hotel helped us a lot. They were amazing when our travel company weren’t giving much information the staff at JOIA kept telling us to relax and enjoy the extra days we had as they were sorting it out for us and they did. The staff kept our room available by putting a block on it until we knew if we were staying we just couldn’t thank you enough for all your support in a stressful situation. And most importantly they allowed us to keep our room which meant we didn’t have to change! We will definitely be back for another visit!

Property itself is stunning to look at and is maintained to a very high standard. The gardens are kept immaculate and every effort to keep the sea grass off the beach is undertaken every day, but unfortunately nature sometimes wins. All the staff in this hotel are extremely hard working and helpful- Iberostar should be proud of them all. We stayed in a garden view room, this was completely adequate, comfortable bed, and again kept immaculately clean complete with turndown service every night. Bar was always kept stocked with beer and soft drinks along with bottles of water. If you require more water just ask your concierge and more will be forthcoming. In the bathroom plenty of towels changed twice daily, also good quality, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner and even mosquito repellent. Hairdryer was powerful and it was nice to see an iron and ironing board. Pools - there is a large pool where all of the day time activities take place. We however only used the quiet pool, which as the name suggests is very relaxing and has a tranquil setting. Plenty of fresh towels provided along with cool flavoured water, a nice touch is the sunscreen provided at the towel station. There was fantastic pool service for drinks all day. An improvement that needs to be made however is the cabanas need refurbishing, some curtains are heavily stained, damaged or in some cases missing. Also would suggest that the mattress covers need replacing more often. The structure of the cabanas now need to be refurbished as well to bring up to a 5 star rating. Drink quality- this is probably the best we have ever had in all of the all- inclusive hotels we have stayed in, in Mexico, never once did they run out of any brand. Just ask for the brand you require and if they have it you’ve got it. A special mention in the main bar to Daniel and the team they were outstanding, never once did I see Daniel asked for something he didn’t know how to make. He made us feel very welcome straight away, a sign of an excellent bar tender. Food is subjective, so this is our opinion, but it is based on travelling for 15 years to all inclusive hotels in Mexico. The buffet in the main restaurant- for breakfast this is as good as any hotel in Mexico. Lunch time buffet is the best we have ever had- fantastic choice, constantly been replenished, never ran out of anything. Evening meal buffet again of a very high standard with lots of high quality seafood and meat. Would recommend the Gala night in the buffet. The only criticism I would have is the large amount of artificial food colourings in the deserts. We also visited the ceviche restaurant for lunch, on 3 occasions every time we had a good experience, would recommend the shrimp ceviche A la carte restaurants - this is where the hotel really lets itself down and there is room for vast improvements in this area. The French restaurant- in our opinion the poorest we visited, whilst the service was good and staff were very attentive. The food needs to be improved dramatically along with the presentation. On the first occasion the seafood bisque was ordered and this was served with an unopened mussel and a broken shell mussel and the only 2 clams that were served had no meat in them. The bisque was dramatically over seasoned. A rack of lamb was not a rack of lamb, it was small lamb chops, not French trimmed which were overcooked on a bed of over seasoned polenta. The beef wellington was served with tough meat and was overcooked (ironically they had perfectly prepared beef wellington in the buffet, if they can produce it there why can’t they produce it in the restaurant). Tried a second time in case it was a one off, but this was not the case. Tried the French onion soup whilst it was ok, it was served in the same bowl as used for the breakfast cereal, the lamb again was served exactly the same as previously. The Italian restaurant. This was the only place where we had poor service. Again attention to detail is certainly lacking, food needs to be improved along with presentation. Food was overcooked and over seasoned. The whole menu on offer needs to be totally revamped. The Mexican restaurant was the best of the restaurants we visited. The ambiance and service was what you would expect of a five star hotel and the food lived up to expectations, can highly recommend the bone marrow tacos, the lamb casserole with chickpeas, the chocolate dessert of chocolate cookie ice cream, biscuit crumble and a dark chocolate fondant with sea salt was excellent and what you would expect to see in a five star hotel restaurant. The Japanese restaurant- we tried to visit, and were told there was a special event going on and they had no room, this was especially annoying as it was the same night the main buffet was closed- so limited your choice. In closing, unfortunately currently we will not be returning due to poor restaurant quality and at this price bracket there are a lot of other hotels with higher standard restaurants. The management need to take a long hard look at their al la carte restaurants and update there menus and presentation, we would personally say that the menus and presentations look at least 10 years old and have not moved with the times. We