Iberostar Paraiso Beach

The Iberostar Paraiso Beach is set on a sprawling resort complex -- part of a larger, five-hotel Iberostar complex -- that is designed to have a slightly more authentic Mayan flavor, from the Mexican
colonial furnishings and folk art accents to the expansive, landscaped grounds filled with native local flora and fauna, including such wildlife as swans, flamingos, peacocks, lizards, ducks, and
coatis.The large lobby has a soaring wood-beamed ceiling and an oversized iron chandelier; the long front desk is covered in ornate wood carvings. Open-air corridors are lined with arches and columns, and the stucco walls are painted orange and gold. An ornately carved bar takes up a good part of the lobby, and guests lounge well into the evening at generously-spaced wrought-iron tables. With its many bars and restaurants, the resort always feels relaxed and lively; in the evenings, the nightclub and disco feature music, dancing, and live shows. There's even dedicated entertainment for kids, and disco parties for teenagers. The atmosphere is fun, not fancy, and entertainment runs until eleven at night.The pool is, naturally, a center of life at the hotel, especially as it's one of the largest on the Riviera Maya. There are lots of lounge chairs and cabanas, but the main pool can get crowded and lively, especially with families -- there's also a separate kids' pool -- so adult guests often prefer to stake out spots at one of the quieter pool areas or on the white-sand beach. The restaurants also tend to book up early, so make dinner reservations in advance to guarantee a time and restaurant.

The Iberostar Paraiso Beach is centrally
located on the Riviera Maya, near one of the Yucatan Peninsula’s most beautiful white-sand beaches, Playa de Punta Maroma. The resort is surrounded by mangroves and rain forest,
and the grounds are beautifully cared for, with an eye to protecting the native
wildlife. There are several eco-parks nearby, including Xcaret, where families can spend
a day exploring the jungle and caves, swimming the park’s
underground river (or cenote), visiting the butterfly pavilion, swimming with dolphins, and more. Xplor
Park, also nearby, is a more adrenaline-fueled day-trip, with zip-lining, ATVs, underground rafting, and night-time adventure
activities. The Mayan ruins at Tulum are an easy day-trip, as well, located an hour to the south. Cancun
airport is 30 minutes north of the hotel, and the popular tourist city of Playadel Carmen, with its nightlife and shopping, is 13 miles south.

Rooms at the Iberostar Paraiso Beach are
clean, spacious, and comfortable, and all have private balconies. The walls are painted bright Mexican colors, and embroidered fabrics and stenciled headboards only add to the cheerful, rustic atmosphere.
The wood furniture is painted with Mexican motifs, and the walls are adorned with colorful paintings of parrots and tropical flowers. The marble floors stay cool in even high summer, but all rooms also have air-conditioning. The modern, limestone-tiled bathrooms have walk-in showers. Balcony furniture is
plastic, and there could be more of it; views are either of the lush grounds or out towards the ocean. All rooms have safes, flat-screen TVs with satellite channels and movies for purchase, video game consoles, and minibars that are restocked daily.The four Presidential Suites are larger and more elegant than the quirky standard rooms, and their wrap-around balconies have hot tubs. Suite bathrooms are especially spacious, with separate tubs and walk-in showers. The decor is still Mexican, but in a more subdued gold-and-brown palette.Guests in ground floor rooms should be aware
that the resident peacocks enjoy hanging out on guest patios. Rooms near the beach tend to be
quieter; entertainment runs late in the evenings, and rooms near the main
buildings get the residual noise. There are no elevators in the complex. Those
with mobility issues may want to request rooms near the restaurants and lobby.
There are golf carts available to ferry guests from place to place. 

At the heart of the Iberostar Paraiso Beach is its vast, lagoon-style pool, one of the largest on the Mayan Riviera, which winds like a river between various “islands” and past a swim-up bar and a line of lounge chairs built into the shallow end. It is tempting to float on a raft all afternoon between the busier sections, ringed with palm-thatched gazebos, Balinese beds and lounge chairs, and the more quiet, private areas. At one end of the pool is a large rock formation with several tall waterfalls cascading down; inside the man-made cave is a private-feeling hot tub haven. The white-sand beach -- less a swimming beach than one for lounging on -- is equally pleasant, with plenty of (plastic) loungers and thatched umbrellas offering shade.The Iberostar Paraiso Beach offers a wide
array of activities for kids and adults, from athletes to sun worshippers. For
golf enthusiasts, there is an 18-hole golf course on-site and, for
divers, there is a PADI dive center, run by Dressel Divers International, which
offers basic scuba lessons in the pool, and off-site dive excursions for more
advanced divers. Yoga classes and private lessons are available, as are gymnastics, aerobics, target shooting and archery, tennis, Ping-Pong,
billiards, basketball, beach volleyball, soccer, bocce ball, and much more.
There is a game room, a kids' club with supervised play and movies, and a
kids' pool. In the evenings, there is live entertainment, including dancing, magic, bands, and shows.The resort also has a full-service spa and a fitness center. Note that there is a fee for Wi-Fi and that guests complain that the signal is weak, so the business center's computers might be the best option for Internet connectivity. Guests can take advantage of the shared facilities at sister resort Iberostar Paraiso del Mar (but do have access to the other resorts in the Iberostar complex).

There are a variety of dining options at the resort, including two buffet restaurants, a host of snack bars by beach and pool, and the El Puente Ice Cream Shop. An excellent paella is served daily in the beachside restaurant. In addition, there are seven different à la carte restaurants. La Dorada serves Mediterranean cuisine, specializing in seafood, in a dining room furnished with woven bamboo chairs and decorated with Greek-inspired mosaics. Japonez serves Japanese food, including table-side hibachi cooking, in a vivid orange and gold dining room. La Hacienda, the resort’s Mexican restaurant, is painted in vibrant Mexican colors. Brazil serves Brazilian cuisine amid stained-glass screens adorned with images of the Brazilian rainforest. Don Alfredo serves Italian cuisine in an airy, old-world-inspired dining room with chandeliers and upholstered chairs. Gentleman over the age of 12 are required to wear long pants and shirts with collars in the à la carte restaurants. Some restaurants require advanced reservations.