Paradisus Playa del Carmen - Riviera Maya

Driving into the resort off the highway should have been my first red flag . The entrance was far from a luxury resort than one would expect, all along the road was garbage. It lacked greenery , did not look welcoming and did not portray a luxury resort. We were greeted pleasantly and promptly then taken by golf cart to the family entrance . The staff were pleasant , spoke good English and welcoming. We are a family of five, visiting for a family vacation which included myself , my son, his wife and my two grandchildren (3&6) We had two rooms but were surprised that we were given rooms in two separate buildings . We asked if there was any way we could be closer together since we were there as a family . We were offered rooms side by side but we were required to pay an extra $500 American. The rooms were spacious, clean and the beds were comfortable . The fridge in my room did not work but it was replaced after two days. The safe in my son’s room did not work and that was also changed out for a new one . The air conditioning worked well and so did the wifi The pool area was a wonderful size , nice temperature and very convenient, being a swim out room. We were concerned about the cleanliness of the pool as there was debris on the bottom and lots of bees/ insects and bird poop floating in the water . We assumed than the pool was just not cleaned that first day but were shocked to realize that after a week of being there that we never saw one person clean the pool. My grandson lost one of his small water balls so myself and my daughter-in-law looked info the filter drains in an attempt to find it and were disgusted by the garbage in the drains, cups, corks, old toys, chip bags. We gathered up the garbage as well as old deflated pool toys ( they were there when we arrived sitting on the pool edge) and placed them where we thought staff would easily see to be thrown away during evening cleanup . Again we were shocked that after a full week at the resort the garbage and deflated toys were still there. We took the kids to the aqua zone but some areas were closed due to bees ( they fumigated while we were there ) my concern was more about the torn netting around the base of the infants pool where a child could easily get tangled up on . The kids did have fun and were unaware of the dangers. The pirate ship had broken fibreglass and open/broken areas where kids could cut themselves. The cabana/day loungers around the pool were dirty and we did not ever see anyone whipping them down . The turtles and koi fish were fun for the kids and it was a nice touch that the kids were given food to feed the fish . The ponds appeared pretty dirty ( I did see a person cleaning the fish pond once and it didn’t seem to make much difference) the fish eagerly approached the kids with food but many had what looked like tumours or ulcers on them, one fish appeared close to death and didn’t move. The buffet was typical and food was average , lots of choices. The restaurants were again average , we enjoyed the Japanese but were very disappointed at the Italian . The taqueria was ok, although I liked the fish tacos at the pool restaurant better. The kids were just happy with chicken strips and fries. Our pool server Laura was fantastic, very lovely lady, great service. The common/ breezeway areas were nice and people seemed to enjoy this area. Unfortunately the cushions on the sofasas well as in the foyer of the buffet were often stained or soiled. The grounds around the pools had very few flowers and just seemed lacking . The palm trees around the swim out pools looked like they could use some attention. The inner gardens were nice and tropical looking although the fountains were green and slimy looking. We didn’t use the gym or spa so I can’t comment on them . We also didn’t attend any shows in the evening as we had young children and they were often in bed before the evening activities, not to mention the mosquitos that came out after the sun set. The beach was beautiful I would have loved to spend time there but you could not swim due to the weeds nor could we enjoy the beach because of the smell of the rotting weeds. Over all I personally would not return to this resort. If you have children they will love it because they will see past all this resorts flaws. I wanted to take my grandchildren on a wonderful family vacation and we made great lasting memories . Was it worth almost $10,000, i don’t think so. Was it 5 star , not in my books .

My wife and I had stayed at Paradisus Playa del Carmen - Rivera Maya from 17 through 24 of May. While we'd stayed in quite a few Rivera Maya resorts, this one certainly a standout! The main reason why it's a standout is certainly the customer service! It was on the level we'd rarely experienced before! Everyone, starting from the bellboy, and going down the list to housekeeping, bartenders, waiters and waitresses, the stuff you'd just pass by, everyone was taking their time with you, and doing their best to make you feel welcome! The special mention is to their concierge team! These people take care of your every whim, every reasonable, and sometimes, even unreasonable requests! Which brings me to the main reason for this review. You can read about the restaurants, bars, and general layout in other reviews, and watch the YouTube videos. The resort is spectacular, no doubt about it! I just wanted to mention the concierge that we had during our stay. ELMER BERROTERAN! From the moment we'd arrived, to the time we'd arrange for our departure, he was with us either in person, telephone or text, both via WhatsApp. All the requests that we had, be it restaurants reservations, housekeeping issues, room service, and any other arrangements, were handled by him, without us having to call the front desk, or anyone else for that matter. Elmer made our stay an absolute pleasure, real "leave all your troubles at home" vacation. All this was done with smile, and "what else can I do to make your stay even more pleasant" attitude. He'd succeeded many times over! Thank you very much, Elmer, and we hope to see you there again soon!

Great food and awesome service! Thanks to Chef Jorge at Blue Agave for the delicious tacos

Atmosphere 5- all staff is cheerful for the most part, lots of activities Location 4 - 1 hour from Cancun airport, need to arrange transportation Rooms 3 -our room had air conditioning issue that had to be attended at 11pm. They do a great job at cleaning. Watch out for mosquitoes Value- 5 lots of options to eat, lots of bars. AquaZone was fun. Do not miss the Cenote excursion thats part of the package Noise- 4 some loud music can be chaotic while sleeping or having a quiet dinner. Festive for most. Amenities- 5 almost everything, Great for kids of all ages. They have Kidsdom, pools, video games, ping pong, pool and various activities Service - 5 smiling and attentive

We had a wonderful time here!!! Gabriela was our server at our poolside cabana and she went above and beyond to make our day amazing. She was so polite and attentive! We appreciate her so much!!!