Iberostar Paraiso Beach Review

[mldenjbh]

We had a nice vacation to Mexico and Iberostar Paraiso Beach. I would not say it was anything over the top, but it was nice. We traveled as a group of 9 people - 4 adults, 5 children, 3 rooms. Our group got separated with one group getting upgraded to junior suites and us in a ROH room. The resort was accommodating and placed us in a junior suite as soon as it was was available.
 Here is my review.
Rooms -
The were very nice and clean. The maid did not fulfill our mini bar requests, but we managed. The beds are hard, but after a long day, we didn't mind them at all. The air conditioning was very nice and it was good to have the extra television stations for our children. We had an iron, but no ironing board - we made due with the bench for the vanity.
Pool -
Whilst the pool was very beautiful, the tiles are in need of repair. We did go over to the Lindo pool and noticed it was built much better - I suppose the resort learned from past mistake on the Beach side.
We did have an unfortunate incident of our young son's swim diaper falling apart and left a mess in the pool. We immediately informed the staff who looked at the mess and walked away. This was mid day and I understand they clean it and put chemicals each night, but there were people in and out of the area where the accident occurred and had no idea what they were swimming in.
The pool bars were fun and convenient, but noticed that people drank all day and not many got up to use the restrooms. I guess that would explain why that part of the pool was warmer than the part by the waterfall. I would not say the pool is at all clean by US standards.
Staff -
Very nice and accommodating. Those people work their tales off. The Star Friends work an average of 12 hours a day, 6 days a week and always have a smile on their face. The bar tenders are extremely overworked and have a tendency to show their stress (nothing that couldn't be fixed with a little tip). The ground crew gave us fresh coconuts and cut the tops off for our children to drink. We tipped them generously. The grounds crew keeps that place beautiful and go virtually unnoticed. They make $30 per week. We gave them tips which would equate to one day's pay and they were thrilled beyond belief.
Activities -
Always something to do from the activities at the pool to the nighttime shows. We enjoyed this very much.
Babysitting -
We used the babysitting services one night and had a lovely girl from the Netherlands. She was very good with our boys and even taught them some words in her language. She was very trustworthy and called us when one of our sons was upset. We felt at ease having a night out.
Food -
We were at the resort for 10 days and I have to admit, the food got a little old. We did enjoy the vast array of different foods. The octopus was something interesting! We ate at the Mediterranean (good), Steak House excellent) and Tropical (excellent). The breakfasts were very good and lunches were OK. I found the seafood screwers at the beach grill on our last day and wish I had found them earlier. Our children really enjoyed the icecream parlour and had their share of 5+ cones each day. The coconut and mango were scrumptious!
Misc -
The cats are such a treat to watch. They certainly have a good life at the resort and are very picky eaters! I enjoyed watching them scurry up the palm trees to catch the lizards.
It is a shame that the pier is out and I hope they rebuild for others to enjoy.
Playa Del Carmen is a charming town and we enjoyed our excursions even if we took cabs mostly (the bus gets filled up with Lindo/Maya first and rainy days make it difficult to get on board).
I know that Mexico is known for it's marble, however it is extremely dangerous on which to walk. When it rains, one must be prepared to brace themselves for a fall. The staff does a good job at keeping them as dry as possible, however it is still dangerous.
Yoli of the Star Friends group was by far the best, most positive person they have. We really enjoyed her company.

I would reccommend this resort to people who enjoy Mexico. It was our first time to Mexico and probably our last for a long while. We did enjoy the resort very much, but did not enjoy the country so much. It will be better to explore when our boys get older.

[raider]

great review! thanks for taking the time.

I wonder if the tiles got a lot worse since the last time i was there(november04) because i didnt notice any "bad" tiles. Of course i live in colorado and we dont have very many pools there so my standards may be low. lol

I will also pay more attention to how long people sit at the swim up bar, scary to think grown people would do that no matter how big the pool is. Luckily the people there last year had very good blatters and used them accordingly as did I. water is cooler by water fall because it just fell 15 feet and doesnt just sit there and warm in the sun like the rest of the pool.

I must look like a mean person i never was approached by one STAR friend, they did ruin a volley ball game by taking the ball and half the players to do that afternoon pool dance!

she is right people marble is all over and beautiful, i believe the main purpose is due to moisture other material will grow mold and marble wont, but SLIPPERY i almost fell several times leaving the swim up bar by the waterfall and using that restroom with the marble floor. of course i contribute half of the almost fell, to lazy frogs and dirty banana's

mind if i ask what about mexico u didnt like it sounded like you had a good trip was curious what about mexico turned u off?

[mldenjbh]

I too live in Colorado! We really did enjoy the pool, but made sure to shower immediately upon leaving it. I understand what you are saying about the waterfall being cooler, but you could tell a big difference in the water temp right after going on the little bridge. Perhaps that area did not get as much sun, but we just noticed that not many people left the pool to use the facilities.
In regards to Mexico - our trip got off to the wrong start when we left a bag on our transfer van. We realized this error immediately (within 10 minutes of arrival) and started working with Funjet/Lomas to recover the bag immediately. They said they couldn't get in touch with the driver and then they said they did and he was headed to a restaurant in Cancun. I asked for the name of the place and that I would meet the van there. They did not respond with that info. Instead they told me that they checked the van and nothing was left. I specifically remember where the bag was left - I can visualize it now. The bag contained very nice snorkel gear + our 5 year old son's baby blanket. I told them they could keep the gear and offered a $100 reward for the return of the blanket. Of course, nothing turned up. I then asked for the driver's name and cell phone number and that I would contact him direct. They told us a name and then proceeded to tell us he did not have a cell phone when in fact he was on it the entire time we were driving from the airport to the resort - basically a lot of lip service. The lack of care to this matter and the lies just left us with a bad feeling overall - of course, had it not been for a sobbing child the entire trip and if the lost bag would have been only replaceable items, it probably would not have mattered.
We have learned a lesson to not take irreplaceable items on trips with us (although we have done it numerous times before)- that was our fault, however we just felt as though they were not telling us the truth the entire time. When I asked for a report so I could turn it in to my insurance company, they told me I would have to go to the police station in Playa and file a report. By this time I was exhausted and wanted to just try to make something of our vacation.
I don't think this part of Mexico is a good place for small children - sure they loved the pool, but you can go to your neighborhood pool and the kids would be happy. We would have loved the ruins and more snorkeling, charter fishing, etc., but those are not appropriate for small children. I am sure we will return someday when the children are older and can enjoy these other activities. We loved Xcaret, but you need a couple days to see it all. I really enjoyed Playa Del Carmen - it has a neat atmosphere. When we do go back, I would definitely stay closer to town.
Of course, all of this is no reflection on Iberostar. They are truly a top notch resort and I would definitely return to Iberostar again around the world.

[raider]

i am so sorry to hear about the blanket that was stolen must of broken the guys little heart. Glad to hear that you were able to try and put it in the past and enjoy your vacation. I had heard so many stories about mexico i was a vulture around my luggage i didnt want anyone even looking at it. luckily for me my parents go on a regular basis so i had a ton of information to protect myself, and of course i only had to worry about myself and not any children.  thanks again for the great trip report and hopefully KARMA will catch up to the person that would take a little kids blanket.

[JJS]

Raider -

Any "protect yourself" infomation you'd like to share?  It's only our second time in Mexico.  Any tips?

[raider]

Always keep your luggage in sight line as long as possible, you will lose sight of it at resort, but most other times you can keep an eye on it.
Be sure to always lock your safe in your room, not that i think the maids are thiefs but better safe than sorry.
for guys try to keep your wallet in a special pocket either your front or something with a zipper to discourage any pick pockets.
i purchased swim trunks with heavy duty plastic velcro/ziplock bags made as part of the shorts that way i can keep my room card and cash right on me and not worry if i leave my towel and book around the pool or on an excursion where you have to leave your bags behind at several places. plus those shorts are just nice to have especially spending the day at the swim up bar.

between my parents and ouselves we have been to mexico about 15 times and "knock on wood" have never had anything taken, but still are very cautious. will post more if i can think of any. let me know if you have anything specific!