Iberostar Paraiso Del Mar - Truly a Paradise near the Sea!!

by Natalie
(Philadelphia, PA, USA)

Roughly translated to Paradise of the Sea, this hotel couldn’t have a better name. My fiancé (now husband) went and spent 4 glorious days and 5 spectacular nights in this all-inclusive resort. I beg him every time we have vacation time coming up to go back here and spend some more time.

Our plane from Philadelphia, PA, USA landed in Cancun airport early in the morning, around 11am. We were quickly met outside by our ride and taken directly to the resort complex. Once at the front desk (which is not inside a typical lobby, instead it’s an open-air lobby with thatched roofs, gorgeous marble-like floors and columns) our bags were taken off of our hands and transported directly to our room. We hopped on the little tram car from the lobby to directly in front of our little complex. It was an adobe type design with about 12 rooms in each little building. You could walk from building to building, each a different color with a slightly different landscaping. Gorgeous grass, trees, and flowers surrounded us, and we could hear the ocean waves close by.

We decided immediately that we were going to take a walk around to see what the resort had to offer. We got out our little map (yes, this place has so much to offer that there is a map!!!) and started off towards the pool. On the way, we encountered peacocks, swans, and other wildlife roaming around and keeping to themselves…then, through the clearing of small shrubs, we saw it…the greatest pool on earth!!! Our travel agent had told us that Paraiso Del Mar had the largest pool in Mexico, but I didn’t believe her until I saw it for myself. I really can’t begin to describe just how large, gorgeous, and spectacular this pool is. You really have to go down there and see it for yourself. Pictures and descriptions will NEVER do it justice!! There were poolside bars, poolside lounges, poolside shows, and best of all, a waterfall with Jacuzzi inside!!

After the pool, we continued on our walk and saw the great little snack stops they have. These are for a quick breakfast or lunch if you don’t want to head out to the finer restaraunts. The food is wonderful and it’s a very casual atmosphere…you can go straight from the beach or the pool to grab a bite to eat. Next, we went to the beach. A private beach, only for the resort’s guests, was dotted with sunbathers, hammocks, lounge chairs, and umbrellas. The water sparkled the bluest blue I’ve ever seen and the sand felt great between my toes. There was a place to rent snorkeling gear and other ocean fun gear and there were many guests taking advantage of this and having a great time in the ocean. We weren’t quite ready to stop exploring, so we moved on and headed back up towards the lobby.

The lobby, where do I start?? The lobby is connected to a few restaurants and hallways in an entirely open-air atmosphere. Topped with thatched roofs and surrounded by ponds and wildlife, it is truly an experience I have never experienced before my stay or after. I saw flamingos, swans, peacocks, koi fish, parrots, turtles, and a few other animals. Some where caged (the parrots), but most just enjoyed their time away from the guests minding their own business. While eating in the restaurants at night, if you got a “pond side” table, you were actually able to watch the fish swim beside you. I read a lot of reviews and talked to my travel agent in detail before taking this trip, and never once did anyone tell me about this perk of the hotel. I would go back simply for this.

We went to Mexico in September of 2005. We went right after Hurricane Katrina and right before Hurricane Rita. We had about 15 minutes of heavy downpour while we were there during one day and the rest hot hot hot sunshine! This time of year was a lot cheaper for us because it was hurricane season and it was a lot less crowded in the resort (although, there were still plenty of people to mingle with!). I would recommend it for anyone, and just keep your fingers crossed that the weather holds out!