Paradisus Playa del Carmen - Riviera Maya

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.

I am writing as I am currently staying here on our last day of our 7 day trip. Truly everybody at this resort has made our stay so enjoyable. All of the staff are incredibly attentive and have gone above and beyond. We have a very late flight tomorrow and the front desk extended our checkout till 4pm and provided a hospitality room as well in case we needed. Free of charge mind you and I feel like that represents the lengths this hotel goes to make you feel valued. The food is definitely the best I’ve had at an all inclusive and the best has to be the pool bar by the adults side pool. Best fish tacos and sliders. The coffee at the Nescafé is delicious and we really enjoyed starting our day there. Can’t go wrong with the buffet either. Restaurants are hit and miss. I found the hibachi to be pretty good. The beach was pretty seaweedy and they do try to clean it but definitely disappointed me a bit. That’s just what you get with playa del Carmen. Otherwise I’m really glad I chose this resort and was thoroughly impressed for the most part. (Wish I spotted a spider monkey tho)

We had a wonderful trip to the Paradisus Playa del Carmen during Christmas of this year. The property itself is beautiful and even though we were there during the holiday and even though the hotel was fully occupied, it didn't feel too overcrowded most of the time. You do have to get up and make sure you get your pool chairs early just like at any resort. My kids loved the waterpark and all of the nature around the property especially the coati mundis! For an All-Inclusive the food and drinks were great. There were plenty of activities day and night. One night they had a little festival night with games and food/carving stations, it was great. We used the gym a few times and the property is situated near the northern end of Playa del Carmen so I went on a couple runs into town that were nice and safe. We book through our AMEX platinum and got upgraded to a swim-out suite which was perfect and made being in the room a little easier because the kids had easy entertainment right outside the back door. Here's what made our stay extra special... The first night we arrived it was my wife's birthday, the hotel connected me with a service to set up surprise birthday balloons in our room when we arrived and a private dinner on the beach for our family. It was a birthday she will never forget! We opted for the concierge package, which was well worth it in my opinion. Our concierge Jorge made our stay unforgettable from setting us up with the right restaurant reservations, on the right days, to coordinating excursions, it was definitely the way to go. A few of the evenings that we went out to dinner we came back to our room to find little gifts for the kids and even a scavenger hunt with balloon animals, which they had so much fun with. It was such an amazing touch, one that our kids will most certainly remember forever. Jorge and his team really made this feel like a 5-star stay, I can't recommend him and this package enough if you're looking for a memorable, seamless vacation!