Paradisus Playa Del Carmen - Riviera Maya - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

16536 reviews

• 

  Not the same anymore

  So this is my second time staying here - last time I came, I rated it five stars, back in March 2022. I’m not sure if it’s because it seemed fully booked and crowded but had to dock it a star this time for what I felt was a much less special experience. We came as a family of five - three kids, ages 6, 9 and 11. What was different this time was that I felt the concierge experience was pretty lacking. Our first experience, with Tiara, was pretty astounding. It made the whole trip really memorable. She had left a little surprise for the kids every day - from bubble baths, little balloon animals, Kidsdom treats, etc. This time - we didn’t get anything until halfway through my trip I asked our concierge if they still do that and he said it was “upon availability.” But I saw other kids at the resort with various treats and such. It just felt like we got one surprise one night because I asked? Also, I’d mentioned in my booking and to the concierge it was my daughter’s birthday. They left some balloons and a cupcake which was lovely but they never did anything at the restaurants. Family concierge also comes with hydrotherapy access at the spa but it was nearly fully booked. It’s like you have a benefit but can’t use it? I booked a spa appointment on a day they said the water ritual was fully booked and when I went to the spa, there was literally no one doing the water circuit despite them saying it was fully booked. Service at the Lunch Box which is the FC restaurant was extremely slow. They were wonderful and nice but lunch one day took a full two hours. Breakfast took 90 minutes. The locations for activities shifted a few times. Crafts got moved to the lobby one day, the mechanical bull got moved somewhere else. There were activities they put on when it was raining but we got no proactive communications about it. Everything was something I had to ask about. That being said, there are still lots of great aspects of the resort. Food is solid. We enjoyed Sal a lot. Bana teppanyaki and Capella also very good. Buffet at lunch and dinner are okay - have had better buffets at nearby resorts. Ice cream shop and the cafe are awesome! The ladies at Kidsdom are also wonderful. The service in the rooms is iffy. They only cleaned our outdoor tub after I asked them to clean it every day since the kids were using it. Our hair dryer was broken and I asked our concierge and it never got replaced so had to call down to ask again. The sofa bed is okay but weird - ours ended up being a two level ie you couldn’t lie on it the way you’re supposed to without there being a four inch drop in the middle of the bed. I asked them twice if they had anything we could put on top to make it more comfortable and they didn’t bring anything except sheets. I think maybe the resort feels the strain when there are a lot of guests? Our concierge mentioned he normally has 12 families but this week he had 25. I was disappointed in the FC experience this go round and I’ll probably think twice before coming back. It was nowhere close to what it was like our first time.

  Feb 22, 2025
• 

  Downgrade in our view

  Just came back in Feb 19th. It’s been around 8 years since we have been to La Perla. The resort is Great and has so much potential. We stayed in a Reserve Master Suite for 8 nights. Quick check in, on surprising note, because we booked with Air Canada, they would not add my Melia number to the reservation so I could not access our trip with the app. 8 years ago, they did and I even got pints on my stay, not for this one… Service was great again. Patricia our butler just did amazing. Not bugging you for anything but just listening to what we needed and provided high level of service. Beach is clean and good and the same with the pool. Only negative, even with the reserve, the Bali beds and chairs on the beach are all taken by 7:00 Am. I went down one day at 6:20 and took the last Bali in the Reserve section. There must be a better system as some people reserve a Bali at the beach, chairs at the beach and also spots at the pool!!! Guess what, nobody can use these and a third are empty… I assume it is the same in the non-Reserve areas. There should be a system with the pool, beach butlers even if you have to tip to control this. Also the number of chairs is really limited for the size of the resort. Versus our last trip, the food quality has gone down in our view. I personally am a meat person. Very limited choices. The buffet for diner, forget it.. went there when on our arrival day and on our last night, just the same both nights, no tenderness at all in the all the meat and other choices are poor. We did Italian Capella twice, very good but too loud as it is mixed with kids. There should be a divider for an adult section and probably in all restaurants.. One of the nights we were sitting between 2 tables of 10 where the kids were out of control, pulling down the curtains and screaming without their parents doing anything. We did Hibachi with an adult table which was ok, did Tokimeku on adult side which is similar plates without the show.. did Lemon Fish on adult side, was ok… We expected Sal to save it and had booked there twice but canceled our second one after our first night. I had a NY steak that I would compare to a on sale $8.99 steak at any grocery in Canada. Hard and dry, same for for my wife plate. Breakfast and Lunches at Santé or lunch at Fahrenheit were Great at least! But the rest of the food just ok and far for great! We travelled to Mexico and other all inclusive hotels 20-25 times or more. While LaPerla was on our top 5-6, it is now down to average because of the food… some will say it’s inflation and economy, but we where at Playa Mujeres in November at another resort and food was great!! The food brings down my review 4 star, definitively not 5. As I said earlier, the resort is clean, well taken care of, comfortable beautiful and Great service! I was expecting better food at Paradisus! and no points at all? What is the purpose to keep a card?

  Feb 22, 2025
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  Absolutely Top Notch

  The restaurant Flora at Playa del Carmen’s Paradisus was the most memorable night of our honeymoon. The exquisite attention to detail made us feel well looked after. Carlos Cardoz, our waiter, in tandem with floor captain Bersaín Sánchez took care of all of our needs and answered all of our questions regarding the menu. When the food prepared by Chef Daniel arrived is was visually pleasing and the taste had our eyes rolling. What a spectacular send off on our last night here. They even surprised us with a lovely desert with a candle for our honeymoon. The staff in this please is extremely friendly and meticulous!

  Feb 21, 2025
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  Amazing Family Vacation with a Few Fixable Flaws – Would Return!

  Sorry in advance for the long review—hopefully, some of you find it helpful! 🙂 We’re a family of four with two young kids (4 & 6) and stayed in a Family Concierge Master Suite. The staff was great, the facilities felt luxurious and well-maintained, and overall, we had an amazing time. We’re likely rebooking for next year, so keep that in mind as you read the rest of this review! Food: Breakfast at the buffet was decent, with great pastries, a nice omelet station, and a kids' corner with colorful pancakes, but it lacked variety and felt a bit basic. A much better option was Lunch Box, where we enjoyed a delicious Mexican breakfast while the kids had pancakes, waffles, and scrambled eggs. It was a much smoother experience than constantly getting up and down at the buffet. For lunch, we mainly ate at Celcius, which had great wings, fish tacos, nachos, and burritos. A special shoutout to Cecelia, who went out of her way to provide excellent service. We also ate at the waterpark, which had solid options like burgers and hotdogs. We tried the buffet once, but aside from the taco station, nothing really stood out. Room service was pretty good, but we never made it to Lunch Box for lunch, as 1 PM was too late for our schedule. Dinner was the highlight of our trip. Cielo was our favorite, with unique and flavorful dishes and outstanding service. Bana Teppanyaki was fun, and while the set menu was simple, the show made it a great experience. The non-Hibachi side of Bana was excellent as well, but communication was poor—we didn’t realize the menus were completely different and were initially disappointed when we expected the show. Flora was surprisingly good, Cappella had okay pizza but great pasta and short rib, and Blue Agave was just okay. The buffet at dinner was bad—meat was undercooked at the carving station, the rest of the food was cold, and the desserts were the same as lunch (not great). Some food wasn’t labeled, which led to some accidental surprises. We avoided it after one visit. One of the best food experiences was Fiesta Night (Thursday). There was an amazing setup with different vendors serving smoked meats, tacos, stews, crepes, and more. The food was incredible, and we were so glad we knew about it from reading reviews, as we planned it as our dinner that night. However, there was no clear communication about it, and many guests didn’t seem to know it was happening. The biggest downside was the lack of seating—it would have been perfect with some tables and chairs nearby. For snacks, the ice cream shop was amazing, with tons of flavors—passion fruit and banana split were my favorites. The coffee shop had good cappuccinos, and the carrot cake was incredible. The bars were excellent, with plenty of delicious cocktails. Activities: The waterpark opens at 10 AM, and we spent about four mornings there. The kids loved it! The slides have a bit of a drop, so we caught them rather than letting them go under. The swirly slide and the large flat slide were their favorites. The toddler area and fort structure were great to have as well. The best part was no lines—it felt extravagant to have access to such a great facility without crowds. The on-site food, including ice cream, slushies, drinks, burgers, hotdogs, and quesadillas, was perfect. The beach had soft sand and was great for playing and building. Some seaweed was present, but the staff worked hard to clear it. Boats were available, but the waves were rough most days. We did a free 20-minute Hobie Cat ride, which was fantastic—make sure to book it first thing in the morning at the beach. The pirate ship pool was a hit with our kids! They could do the slides independently, so we got to relax and chat with other parents while they played. The Family Concierge pool was incredible, with plenty of shaded spots even in the afternoon. The swim-up bar and pool layout made this our favorite hangout. We never used the Celcius pool because the Concierge pool was so much better. The Kids Club was a fun experience. The activities were simple, like arts and crafts and feeding fish/turtles, but it kept the kids entertained for a few hours while we enjoyed drinks on the adult side. The nightly shows were okay. The circus show was the highlight, while the others were mainly dance performances—well-choreographed and full of talent but not cruise-ship level. Still, the kids enjoyed them and wanted to go every night. The pre-shows were also fun, with inflatables, balloon artists, and face painting. Other activities included a great magic show at 4 PM one day, and we also caught a talented juggler randomly performing. The concierge-arranged cenote excursion was amazing. It was our only off-property trip, and it was a great way to break up the week. The kids were nervous about swimming in a cave at first, but our guide helped, and they ended up loving it. The outdoor cenote was also fun, and I got to cliff jump while my kids cheered me on! We also visited a local cenote that was just a five-minute walk down the beach to the left. It was a spot where all the locals go, and it was great for building sandcastles. It was fun to mix things up, and everyone there was friendly, but as an obvious tourist, I was a little cautious. I wouldn’t bring valuables, but we had a good experience, and it was nice to see a different side of the area. Room: Overall, the room was very nice. Having both an outdoor tub and an indoor jacuzzi felt luxurious, and we used the tub often. The sleeping arrangements were fine for the kids, but I wouldn’t want to sleep on the pullout couch or rollaway bed myself. It’s surprising they don’t just put two small beds in the room instead of the couches. Concierge Service: Our concierge was fine. He booked all our requested restaurants, prepared the balcony tub for the kids once, set up a scavenger hunt-style game, and gave them a bag with small activities. That said, he didn’t go the extra mile. Still, I wouldn’t return without booking Concierge—Lunch Box, the Concierge Pool, and other perks made it worthwhile. Final Thoughts: Overall, we had an incredible stay and will likely return next year. While some aspects could be improved, like the buffet, communication about restaurant options, and concierge effort, the amazing dinners, waterpark, pools, and overall experience far outweighed the downsides. One of the biggest gaps was communication. The app helps, but figuring out what’s happening when—and what each activity actually is—wasn’t easy. It wouldn’t take much to improve this, whether through better signage, clearer descriptions, or improved staff communication. If you're considering this resort, I’d highly recommend upgrading to Family Concierge—it made a big difference! Hope this review helps—happy travels! 😊

  Feb 20, 2025
• 

  A great experience, one to be repeated.

  This is a lovely hotel, it’s big and split into two, adults only and families. The staff are lovely and very welcoming especially Miriam, who was our concierge for the fortnight she made our restaurant reservations every night and just looked after us so well, making the whole experience just that little more special. The restaurants are great, they too are split into adults only and adults/families. We were in the adults only side and you could make it what you wanted, there was a big pool where there were activities and music going on all the time but as older ladies we chose to use the quiet pool, which was much more to our liking. The beach is also great and again split into two, adults only one families. Our only hiccup was that as I was travelling with my sister we had booked twin beds only to be told on arrival that the type of accommodation we had booked didn’t offer a twin bed option on the adults only side, even though it was advertised as doing so. After some discussion it was resolved but it’s worth double checking when booking.

  Feb 20, 2025