Iberostar Grand Paraiso

The service overall was excellent. Loved all of our butlers - especially Mauro and Benito. Loved the entertainment staff - especially Carlos. Drinks were good, Gala Buffet was excellent, Italian restaurant was our fave but they are all great. Service at the steak restaurant and the French restaurant were the best. Easy to get around, always a golf cart available for a ride. Housekeeping was excellent!! Overall 10/10

Truly Joy in Paradise - Joia Paraíso! TL/DR: This is going to be long but the sum of it is that the resort is amazing, the grounds are beautiful but what sets it apart from other places I’ve been to is the amazing staff. They truly made you feel special. Read on for the details. I booked this resort for a celebration trip for my daughter. We were there for a full week. Going into it, I knew that sargassum was high this year and selected this resort in spite of that, due to the fact that it seemed like there were plenty of things to do if the beach was unusable. I was correct. Let’s start at the beginning. Transport from the airport to the hotel was provided by Amstar and included with the booking. It was seamless. The only thing I would have liked is drinks and/or snacks on the arrival ride. I’ve previously used Amstar for transportation and the driver always had a cooler with drinks on offer. This was the first time that was not offered. Upon arrival, we were greeting at the vehicle with a cool towel and taken to a table where we were given a welcome drink. Checkin was quick and seamless and once completed we were given a ride on a golf cart to our ocean view room. We would have preferred to walk in order to better orient ourselves with the hotel but the golf cart was a nice touch and I’m sure is a wonderful thing for many weary travelers or those with a large amount of baggage. The room was beautiful. We were in building 71, as ocean front butler room. Mauro was the first of the butler team that we met and he introduced himself and gave us the details on how the butler service worked and a quick rundown on how to use the app (we did download ahead of time). I booked via a travel agent and made a request for two beds and also asked if a celebratory bottle of bubbly could be placed in the room on arrival as a surprise for my daughter. Both requests were fulfilled and the cava (Spanish sparkling wine) was chilled along with a card saying congratulations and chocolates! An amazing start to our trip. After unpacking and changing, we took some time to orient ourselves with the grounds. At Joia, you have access to the full complex of 5 resorts. Joia is only about 15% of the entire property and the only resort that is adults only. I highly recommend checking them all out. The wildlife is amazing and you can always head back to Joia for a bit more relaxed experience. We tried several of the a la carte restaurants and in general, found the food to be better than the average AI resort. The Mexican restaurant at Joia (Legado) was our favorite. Don’t miss out on Gala night - it’s buffet but there are a TON of options and they really pull out all the stops. The entertainment was also a step above the usual AI shows. The fire show and circus shows are not to be missed! We booked a snorkeling excursion with Dressel Divers - they are located on site. Waldo helped us with the booking and it was evident that the really loved his job. You could also do a 15 minute scuba trial right there in the pool! I wish we had but we were having such a good time with the Star Friends. Now - on to the star of the show - the staff! From the aforementioned butler team all the way to the entertainment team and restaurant workers - they were all spectacular. Standouts included: The remainder of the butler team - Karolina (an angel who went out of her way to get me a bandaid when I got a blister on my foot from my sandals), Ruben (so sweet, checking in on us when my daughter was feeling unwell), and Gustavo (always smiling and quick to press the button on the elevator). The butler team was amazing, always found in the lobby of the building and anticipating your needs. The Star Friends! The resort entertainment team. They were wonderful and engaging. I’m not sure how they had all the energy to do what they do. Starting with Cinthia and Ianko - the personal trainers/yoga instructors. My daughter is a yoga instructor and made me go to a few classes with her (She went almost every day) and I thoroughly enjoyed them. Pedro and Luis were also stellar! At the pool for daily activities, at the nightly activities - always smiling and ready to have fun. Sorry that I broke the house at blackjack, Pedro haha. Other Star Friends standouts included Alma, Cassandra, and both Carlos’s. Vanessa was the food concierge in the buffet restaurant and even hosted a guacamole making class at the activity pool one day. Monserrat at the Star Cafe was so adorable and bubbly. If coffee doesn’t wake you up, her sparking attitude will. Antonio, Daniel and Dario at the lobby bar were fantastic. The drinks were tasty and beautifully presented. I really wish that I had gotten everyone’s name, as they all deserve to be recognized- truly an extraordinary staff. We were sad to leave and hope that we see them again. Nos vemos la próxima vez!

This was the most amazing trip my mom and I took together. The property is gorgeous with the surrounding jungle and the very cute wildlife, but what truly makes it are all of the hard working people who make the magic happen. All the staff are so lovely. The dynamic duo of Pedro and Luis is unbeatable. They are kind, caring, warm, and a lovely lovely lovely pleasure to meet. On the few days I felt unwell, they constantly checked up on me to make sure I was feeling okay. This made my heart grow two sizes, haha. Cassandra and Alma are so so generous and make you feel invited all the time. Always encouraging engagement from the crowd and being huge supporters of everything you do. The 4 of them go above and beyond constantly and make paradise on earth. This trip would not have been the same without them. Both Carloses were also so kind and helped to make sure everything was always smooth and enjoyable. The entire Star Friends team were incredible and brought the fire each day. Ruben, Karolina, Gustavo and Mauro from building 71 were the best butler staff we could have asked for. Always anticipating our possible needs and making sure we felt at home and taken care of. Cinthia and Ianko from the Fit team guided the most magical yoga and fitness classes on this beautiful resort. They brought challenges, fun, and of course relaxation to every class they taught. I attended yoga classes nearly everyday and each one exceeded my expectations. Both of them are so caring and were also huge supporters during any of the fit classes. All of the servers, bartenders, cart drivers, property maintenance, and every other person we’ve interacted with are truly amazing and deserve more than the world. I wish I could remember all of their names, but then this review would be 100 times longer. Waldo from the dive team helped us to book a beautiful snorkeling excursion in Cozumel. He was very kind and answered all of our questions. On our excursion day we met Nuno, our amazing tour guide. On the boat itself we had 3 staff members (I am so sorry I only remember Rodrigo’s name but they were all the perfect people to go on a snorkeling trip with). This day was beautiful, and what made it even better was on our return to JOIA almost every team member mentioned above asked about our trip, making you feel so special and seen. All of these people mentioned above, including many more who I might’ve missed, are incredibly talented, hardworking, and so so so so very much appreciated. I hope to return one day and see all the familiar faces and make even more great memories. This experience and stay was truly above and beyond and I can’t express into words how much love I have for this community at JOIA by Iberostar. Mucho amor, nos vemos pronto ❤️❤️❤️ - Fae from Connecticut

I have been a loyal Iberostar guest for the past five years. This was my third time at Joia Paraiso and my fifth time at an Iberostar resort. Unfortunately, this trip did not fully live up to my expectations. On the positive side, most of the staff are very friendly and welcoming. They genuinely make you feel like part of the family. I had very positive experiences at the coffee shop, the spa and most of the restaurants. The one staff member who really stood out on this trip is Isabella with the Star Friends. Several mornings I woke up early to do sunrise yoga on the beach at 6am. She leads that group most days and was the most fantastic person. She was the reason I kept going back to the class. Now for the not-so-good part. The butler service this trip was frustrating and inconsistent. Upon checking in the room, I noticed that the small bottle of tequila they traditionally gave away for free was missing. When I asked the butler about it, he informed me they no longer have it in stock. The next day, another butler told me it had to be paid for. Finally, on the last night, a different butler told me the first one is free and any additional ones must be paid for. She told us we should have been given one, but by that point, nothing could be done about it. I am not sure why that even happened but it left a bad impression. I could really care less about the tequila. I care more about how I felt lied to initially. I also had other issues with the butler staff that is too much to list in a short review. To make a long story short, if I ever return to this resort, I will make sure not to have a butler. It was way more stress than it was worth, in my opinion. I still believe in Iberostar as a brand and really hope this was just an off experience, but sadly, after this visit, I am questioning if I would return to this particular property. I hope management takes this feedback seriously and works to improve consistency and communication.

The resort is top notch. The staff especially is very accommodating, kind and professional. Abraham of the Ember steak house comes to mind as one of the exemplary wait staff. The resort has great views, rooms, restaurants and amenities. You will not be disappointed.