Iberostar Grand Paraiso

Incredible hotel, but the food was spectacular. Armando at the Mexican Restaurant and Emilio at the French restaurant were two of the best servers that I have ever had! They both provided an over the top experience that made the trip absolutely amazing.

A must Visit is L’atier at Joia Paraiso. Our waiter Abraham Lopez was exceptional. Very professional and spot on with the recommendations. Food and service was A plus! Additionally the dining room was well appointed and the ambiance was exceptional!

Abraham Lopez was excellent in the French restaurant. Every tastes great, great service, great environment. I had to use 200 characters…………………………………………………,???..,?.!,?.?,!.?,.!,?,!.,?..!,!.?,!.!,!.!,!.!,’cjsjdbcbncnxnnxnx

We arrived at the Joia in mid- November through the beginning of December - 14 wonderful days. When we arrived, we were greeted by Ricardo, Hector, Jorge and Leonardo with a big hug and Welcome Back. As we entered the hotel reservation desk, we were greeted with a big smile by Paulina, Head of Reservations and her staff, Carlos and Sacnite. Our information was taken quickly, and our room was upgraded and ready for us as soon as we finished checking in. We stay each year in Building 72, which is part of the main building, and love it there. After unpacking, we headed to the Buffet and were greeted by Rebecca, the Buffet Manager, along with Wilbert, Cecila and Leonardo. The buffet was delicious with a tremendous variety of delicious food. As we headed back to our room, we encountered our Butlers from past years, Fatima and Marco with big hugs and tremendous smiles. They each offered us their assistance at any time. They are each terrific Butlers! We made our way down to the new Star Cafe near the Lobby and were greeted by Lorena, Head of Public Relations, and her staff, Analhi, Elizabeth and Nuvia. Each offered us any help we may need during our stay. I headed over to building 70 to see some of our Butlers from many years past. Mauro, who I consider the be one of the best Butlers, was there with a big hug for me. He makes our stay outstanding! You can't miss him with his adorable white glasses. Trini and Marcelo were each there with a tremendous greeting. Again, they all offered me any assistance during our stay. On my way back to my room, I stopped at the pool and encountered the Entertainment Team. Carlos, Head of the Entertainment Team, who was there last year, came right over and gave me a big hug. Viridana, Christopher and James also stopped me along the way and told me about the schedule of events for the day and the evening entertainment. Btw, they are all excellent dancers! Of course, if you're at the pool you can't miss being greeted by Mirna. She always is willing to get you new towels, set up your lounge and offer you any assistance. The Towel guys, Rey, Omar and Manuel were also extremely helpful to us each day. One of my highlights is seeing Luis and his drink cart. Not only does he make delicious fruit drinks, but he is so talented. He creates a different watermelon creation each day. Takes him hours to create these beautiful masterpieces. Don't miss seeing him! Our first night we ate at the Haiku Tables, the Japanese Restaurant. Carlos and Darvelio, the unbelievable chefs, made us a variety of beautiful creations. The food was excellent along with the service of William. We ate at this restaurant many, many nights just to watch Carlos and Darvelio make their delicious creations. This, obviously, is our favorite restaurant. Another evening, we ate at Embers, the steak house. The food was very good. The lobster was excellent! Our waiter, Cesar, who we know for years, was our waiter. He is top notch! L'Atelier Gourmet Restaurant was very good. The lamb chops and onion soup were outstanding. Ask for Emilio as your waiter. He is extremely attentive and an outstanding waiter. Janeth, the manager, again who we know for years, made sure everything was perfect for our meals. We ate several evenings at Venecia, the Italian Restaurant. Their filet mignon is incredible! Don't miss it. We were fortunate this trip to meet Noemi and Victor on this wonderful vacation. They are each Head Chefs and make the most delicious meals each lunch and dinner at the buffet. My absolute favorite is their bbq ribs. I can still taste them now! Make sure you go to the Gala Buffet! It features the most delicious foods along with a tremendous number of irresistible desserts. Each day I walk to the beautiful fitness center to see my friend, Luis, the Fitness Director. He and his staff, Armando, Sergio and Berenice, along with the other fitness instructors, are terrific. The fitness center has loads of new equipment and many classes. If you're looking for a personal trainer, they are there to help you. My husband headed to the most beautiful and tough golf course. There he met up with the Golf Pro, Greg, who he has known for many years. He played at this amazing golf course for 6 days, and that is one of the reasons why we've come back here for 15 years. Their putting green is also great for practicing. The Lobby Bar has music each night after dinner and plays until the shows begin. After the shows, the Rhapsody Bar has music to late into the evening. Or take a golf cart to the disco at the shopping center which is open late. BTW, the shopping center has a free coffee shoppe, ice cream/crepes shop, tacos and burgers some are open late at night. All in all, we have been to many Ai's, and the Joia has the best staff, service, fitness center and golf plus the grounds are amazing. Make sure you go see the other 4 hotels in the complex for their beautiful architecture. We plan on coming back for our 16th year. You won't be disappointed!

Amazing resort and incredible service! Don't miss the French restaurant and meeting Abraham who went above and beyond with his professional and kind service! Many thanks for making our anniversary dinner so special, Abraham. Fourth time to this resort and will not be the last!