Paradisus Playa del Carmen - Riviera Maya

Great rooms, lots to do and food was good. Buffet could be better, but overall, great experience. Lots of options for kids. The beach had some seaweed at the beginning of the trip, but it cleared up and it was beautiful. Amenities, coffee and snacks are everywhere! Would go back with my kids until they’re about 8. Not too much for older kids to do.

We were here during the second week of January 2026, no concierge service, no special attention. We travel often to Dominican Republic, Cuba, Mexico , Florida etc. I can definitely compare and provide a few details about this place. First of all, this chaîne Paradisus has a reputation 5 stars hotel big chain in lots of different great destinations and I always felt that I want to try it. We have been to Princess, Ocean Riviera, riu , dreams, royalton, Melia etc… unfortunately for me this resort was not what I expected. See below the why: 1. Food If you are a family with kids and cannot use the restaurants on the adults only section because you have kids , food is okay. We did try one a la carte on the adults side, was great! The a la carte on the family side hands down are not good, service is good but the rest it’s really mediocre. And what’s up with this waiting in line to reserve a la carte restaurants for souper? This is very old school lots of other 5 stars resorts are not doing this anymore. The resort should start using their app and or reserve with a quick call, I have a few days of vacation, spending time waiting in line ups to reserve for food in a 5 stars hotel it’s a waist of time when this can all be done if you start using technology. We had a reservation at the Japanese restaurant where you see the chef cooking etc… unfortunately they tossed us on a small table and we could not watch the show kids were so disappointed we left to the buffet. Was really underwhelming again this is a 5 star hotel and we had a reservation which I waited 40 min to make, again so not impressed. The buffet it’s better than a la carte but becomes really repetitive after 2 days. Buffet it’s small and all tossed in one place , morning - where are the stations with chefs that prep crepes waffles etc?! There is one station for omelets the rest it’s all old stuff. Also pastry it’s never fresh, other resorts provide stations with lots of choices and fresh pastries. French crepes made in front of you with variety of fruits etc… lacking here big time since you are paying big bucks to get to this resort I would expect the wow factor of the buffet. Get ready to be really disappointed. Lunch-liked the buffet because they had salads and différents options every day but it’s indoor and small so its really noisy and crowded feels like a bad cafeteria. Celsius by the pool was okay, the food in the splash pool was okay, again I would expect more since this is a 5 stars hotel with a huge reputation and expensive. 2. Drinks- they know how to make their drinks, lots of options, great work on this aspect! Coffee is great! 3. Beach - oh man this was such a disappointment. First of all there is nothing really going on, on this beach, no fun activities no music or very rare, and the way it’s set up with the chairs and concierge services it’s really bad. Basically if you aren’t family concierge you get to pick a place only on the sides because the front of the beach it’s reserved for those who have the concierge services. There is a bar with drinks on the beach only for them , again those who did not purchase the extra service cannot have drinks there. The shade at the beach is provided by very old and bad looking umbrellas , chairs are all tossed together and the beach itself it’s rocky, smells bad and no turquoise water. We had 3 days of really bad sargassum and I did complain about the lack of effort at the beginning to pick it up afterwards they did and beach was cleaned the 4th day but water was still very brown. This is a 5 stars resort I should not need to complain to see things get actioned. If you are a beach person this is not the destination you want. For the money you can do better. 4. Rooms-great rooms very clean very spacious really enjoyed the balcony. 5. Grounds- this is a very small resort with very modern look and feel. We also walked to the adults section it’s still small. If you like short walks then it’s okay but if you like longer walks and see some of the luxurious and lush greens and flowers etc this is not the resort you need. The shows are often indoor in the indoor theatre, very disappointing since in other resorts lots of activities and even night activities are outdoor. This is great because we do not want to be indoor, we want to be out as much as we can and enjoy the beautiful weather. Observation: there are a lot of families with really young kids or strollers. So if your kids are older then 7 , I recommend to look for another resort where you have a variety of activities for kids, here is very baby style or young kids resort. Even the shows at night aim that audience, very young kids. Now feedback for the resort: more Latin music everywhere would be great, honestly listening to English American songs we do it all the time at home, I was hoping to discover new Latino songs here, unfortunately did not. Music on the beach it’s a must to create that festive atmosphere! Music in restaurants should be again a must that would make it less cafeteria style. Unfortunately we went to a la carte and buffet and there is no music , no atmosphere , it’s really mediocre. No playground for the kids, yes there is a splash pool but your audience are parents and I would even say parents with young kids so a playground is a must, in other resorts you have that! Improve the wow effect at the lobby, we had no welcoming drinks , no music, no nothing and the lobby is also very mediocre there is no grandiose effect that you usually have in other resorts with music and drinks and festive vibe. In a nutshell, I would say very underwhelming experience Paradisus…

The Paradisus conundrum: should you pay extra for Family Concierge or not? If you don't go Concierge you won't be able to get a reservation in any of the à la carte restaurants and will be stuck at the buffet each night. But if you do go Concierge you end up paying a ridiculous amount of money for what amounts to a 4 out of 5 star resort, because the reservations are the main benefit. For that price you could (and should) go someplace nicer, with enough options for all of their guests. My family has been to about 10 similarly rated (and usually less expensive) resorts in the Cancun/ Playa del Carmen area and Paradisus is squarely in the middle in terms of amenities, food, service, etc. The one thing Paradisus has going for it over other options (other than the Grand) is the large water park for kids. Unfortunately the water park pool was so chilly that my kids didn't couldn't handle it for more than an hour.

Cannot say enough wonderful things about this resort. The greatest stand out (in addition to the vast property and beautiful spaces) are the staff. Everyone was exceptional and could not be more kind or more helpful. A special shout out to our awesome concierge, Roberto who went above and beyond for us. The food is hit or miss. Very inconsistent. Fortunately we discovered early on which restaurants we preferred and were very happy with our choices after some initial disappointment. We didn’t want to leave and can’t wait to return. Thank you all for a wonderful holiday.

My husband and I ( plus our family of 3 grandchildren 19/17/16 y.o, and their parents) spent a week at this resort. Rooms are amazing, spacious, well equipped, nice towels and toiletries.Fairly quiet. We reserved a Master Suite with Nature View. I do not know if a view towards a pool qualifies as Nature View though. The pool grounds are extensive, lots of space, no fighting for chairs as there are many. Maybe a faster clean-up of towels and empty cups/plates would make it even nicer looking. There is a generous amount of entertainment for young children and adults, however if you are an "almost" adult, like our 2 grandsons (16 and 17 y.o) , you don't belong anywhere. Too old for the small kids' stuff and not allowed in the "adults only" restaurants.Other than beach/pool volleyball there are no activities for this age group, no special room to hang out with your peers or to play video games anywhere The hotel offered special coupons at check-in for discounts on spa, dining and beverages , it would have been nice if it was explained at this time that these coupons eg. have to be presented at the end of dinner when you order an menu extension that costs extra. On the whole most of us had a good week, maybe our grandsons less so.