Paradisus Playa del Carmen - Riviera Maya

We had a great time. The resort was beautiful and the events we went to were amazing. (We were here for Melia’s Infinite Black Event) Our concierge, Rodolfo Medina, was excellent and very attentive! I was sick and ran out of medicine and he arranged for me to get what I needed without having to leave the resort. He checked on me every day. The food was excellent. I just wish they had some Baja fish tacos!!! I hope to return soon so I can truly enjoy this resort without having my cold!

Great hotel with great food and great friend friendly staff. The beach and water was OK. I have been to better but still enjoyable. The staff made their best efforts to clean the sargassum.

We traveled to Paradisus Playa del Carmen from January 10th-17th, with two families including two six year olds, a 4 year old, and 3 year old. We had regular rooms with views of the pirate pool. Rooms were very spacious and clean with a fully stocked minibar and snacks. We requested a cot the first night, as our kids don't always sleep well together, and it arrived promptly while we were at dinner. Food and Service: We were in contact with Lady Gonzales from e-concierge throughout our stay. She made our stay extra memorable, she was in contact with us everyday to see how our stay was going and to see if there was anything we needed! Lady also made the dinner reservation process a breeze. We ate at the Japanese, Mexican, Italian (Cappella), Flora, and Blue Agave during our stay. Service and food was exceptional at the Japanese (Bana) restaurant. Italian was also delicious with great service. The wine is also great at this resort, which was a nice surprise. Our favorite experience was Mexican night at Flora. Lady arranged for us to have outdoor seating and we were able to enjoy lots of local Mexican cuisine prepared that day outside, while also watching the fun entertainment. The buffet was also great, lots of options, food was always tasty and fresh, the only downside was how noisy it can get during busy times. Make sure to try the fish tacos at Celsius (at the main pool) for lunch. They are so delicious that we ate them nearly every day. Special thank you to our server Frederico at the main pool. He kept the drinks flowing and always had a smile on his face. We appreciated his attentiveness and kindness every day. Our favorite drinks included the mazcalitas, margaritas, and mojitos. The kids enjoyed the shaded cabanas that were free to use every day, when they needed some down time after lots of sun. Beach and Pool: The main pool was nice, much warmer than the kids pirate pool. The kids preferred the main pool given that it was warmer. Lots of shade around the pool and the beach. If you left towels, and were not at your loungers for more than an hour, staff removed them. This prevents the chair saving game that people try to play. We appreciated this as we noticed people tried to save the best seating. We thought the pools were mostly quiet, relaxing, and perfect for families. The beach was beautiful while we were there. There was some seaweed, however staff work hard to remove every day. It didn't impact our fun or the beauty of the beach. The kids loved swiming in the warm ocean, especially towards the cenote. The sand is soft and light, great for kids to play in. The Resort: The resort itself is beautiful. The grounds are well kept, and it has a very family friendly vibe. Lots of activities for kids happening everyday including bracelet making, face painting, and balloon animals. The resort is well laid out with everything a short walk away. Lots of animals to see including turtles, koi fish, and coaitis. The only negative which is outside the resorts control, is distance from the airport. It takes approximately and hour to get to the resort from Cancun airport with stops at other resorts. The day we left, there was a motor vehicle accident so it took nearly 1.5 hours to get to the airport, make sure to leave extra time if you arrange private trasnfers. We would definitely visit the resort again, it was a great week that we didn't want to end. Thank you Lady Gonzales, you are amazing!

Paradisus Playa Del Carmen Warning: Long Review :) We have visited the Riviera Maya annually for the last 4 years now. The first 3 years we spent at Iberostar Paraisio Maya Suites, which we absolutely loved. Thought we’d give another place a try this year, and settled on the Melia Paradisus in Playa Del Carmen. The Family Concierge option looks appealing as we were traveling as a family of four with a 5-year-old and 6-year-old. The staff are for the most part hard-working and friendly. Any complaints about the property are primarily directed at management and their Spanish corporate overlords at Melia. Check-In process First impression was fairly poor. The shuttle dropped us off at the main entrance, we were told there was a separate entrance for FC and had to wait 20 mins for a golf cart to take us. They took our payment, then gave us wristbands. On arrival to the room, we found these were not working. Figuratively locked out of the room we just spent thousands of dollars on a few minutes previously. Asked our family concierge about this, said there was nothing he could do, go back to the front desk. Wandered for about 30 minutes searching for the front desk. Got there and was told it was a “system issue” nothing they could do, come back in an hour. Very poor first impression. Positives - If you have small kids, they have a lot of activities for them including face painting, balloon animals, and blow-up bouncy castles. - There are kids running around everywhere, so you won’t feel out of place if your child is being loud or has a meltdown. - It’s a smaller property, and doesn’t take too long to get from one end to the next. - The room service menu is pretty good and delivery is quick. - The grounds are beautiful and immaculately maintained. Negatives - The FOOD, particularly at the buffet. I have never before had to spit out food at a restaurant, and have done it twice this week. My pancakes were completely raw, with liquid batter in the center (see picture). - The buffet is quite small. Selection is very limited. Food quality is poor. Foods run out quickly and are not replaced. Even basic things like syrup, waffles, and orange juice are missing during breakfast hours. - The beach area is pretty quiet. There are no activities or music (although some people may view this as a positive). - There are no food options on the beach, but there is a small bar. - Upcharging everywhere for food and drink. Even with the FC package, there are drinks that are not included, like Don Julio Tequila or Heineken and Corona (not like this is Mexico or anything LOL). - The Melia mobile app is fairly useless. You cannot book restaurant reservations on it, there is no map of the property, and restaurant menus are only available on a browser, which the app redirects you to. - No lamb or lobster offered at any of the restaurants (without an upcharge) despite this being billed as a 5-star. - Room cleaning times are very off. You’re gone all day to the beach or pool, and come back in mid-afternoon (i.e. 3 p.m.) only to find your room is not clean. Since you want to cool down and relax, you have to put a do not disturb sign on your door, and the room stays dirty another day. Having a turndown service around 4 p.m. makes zero sense since the room is cleaned so late. - Wi-Fi was down for nearly an entire day during our stay. While this sounds like a first-world problem, you cannot do anything like message your concierge or book dinner reservations without this. The front desk was also powerless since their Internet was down too. They curtly asked if we had contacted our concierge first before coming in, knowing full well the Internet was down for the entire hotel. - No water dispensers anywhere. You have to get water at the bar or use bottles of water from your room, which seems to be a huge waste of plastic. - No hand sanitizer anywhere. - The KidsDom kids club has generous hours up to 11 p.m., but has limited availability (first come, first served) and is inferior to the Iberostar Star Camp. They don’t even feed the kids. - We were ignored at the buffet several times, including plates not cleared, drink orders not taken, etc. - Apparently, this is a smoke-free property, yet guests are vaping and smoking all over the place. Family Concierge The family concierge service is nice, but I’m not sure it is worth the extra cost. You get access to their lounge, a small restaurant, and a pool. The main use people seem to be making of FC is to book dinner reservations. If the app had this functionality (Kline Iberostar), you could do it yourself. Otherwise, use the line up at the desk (reminds me of when we vacationed pre-smartphone). Our concierge was okay but failed on some basic requests: we asked for a child’s toilet seat and were given wooden steps - ghosted when we sent pics and asked for a seat. Eventually, we found out they don’t carry these. The concierge did come in handy when we lost some items that our concierge was able to track down and hand deliver to us, which was much appreciated. In addition, the primary way to contact your concierge is through WhatsApp. When the Wi-Fi went down in the hotel (see above) they were completely out of touch (we don’t have a Mexican data plan on our phones). They made no effort to reach us by calling or visiting the room. This led to a mix-up with our dinner reservation that night. They refused to serve us despite the restaurant being virtually empty. I found the family concierge reception staff to be unhelpful. Even the check-out process was a mess - they told me to come back several times because they were busy checking in other guests. Overall Impression If you have young kids and don’t care about the food, this may be a good option for you. However, at the price point they charge, it does not even compare to rivals like Iberostar Parisio Maya suites. It is worth it only if you can get the room at a steep discount. The family concierge option adds little to no value. However, I cannot in good faith recommend this place to anybody I know. We were extremely disappointed and will not be returning.

We had the best trip. We did the family concierge and Tiara was amazing!! She made the trip that much better. Will definetly go back. Amazing for kids.