IBEROSTAR GRAND PARAISO REVIEW: Adults only, all-inclusive, 5 Star Resort in Riviera Maya (Cancun)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ส.ค. 2023
- This video is for informational purposes only. We pay for all of our own trips and the resorts never know that we make videos about our experience. Our opinions are our own.
There are so many all-inclusive resort options out there to choose from. We will walk you through what our week here was like and you can decide for yourself if this is one you want to put on your short list of vacation options.
Iberostar Grand is rated 5/5 on TripAdvisor and 4.9/5 on Google Reviews.
The grandeur of the Iberostar Grand Paraiso with its Neo Renaissance style is beautiful. Reminiscent of Las Vegas' Bellagio Hotel.
The Iberostar Grand Paraiso, is an adults only all-inclusive resort in the Riviera Maya area of Mexico, on Playa Paraiso. This five-star resort is part of the Iberostar Playa Paraiso complex. In this video, we delve into the resort's décor, rooms, restaurants, beach, activities, and more. We will share some personal tips and insights from our own experiences.
Iberostar Grand focuses on luxury and relaxation. It is not a resort with an active and social vibe. If you have watched our other resort review videos we would equate the Iberostar Grand as a mash-up between Beloved Playa Mujeres and Excellence Riviera Cancun. It is more luxurious than Excellence Riviera Cancun, it is a similar age demographic, but less "couply", than Beloved. If you are looking for a resort that is similar to Valentin or Excellence Playa Mujeres with that type of party vibe then this is not it.
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Such a great review. Thank you so much! You were spot on we’ve been going there for 15 years and it’s been amazing and you caught all of the special things that we love about this resort. Thank you so much.
Thank you for your kind words! Much appreciated 😊 I'm really glad you liked the video and I'm happy you found it accurate to your experiences as well. It is a special resort!
Best stay we had in our 20 year visits to Mexico.
Thanks for sharing. It is one of our favourites too! It is hard for any other resort to beat them in luxury and service. Can't wait to be back. 😊
Thank you so much for this video. Very helpful in my search for a nice adult-only in Riviera Maya.
My pleasure! More videos to come about the Grand's restaurants and suites. 😊
Hi Nancy, great tour/review as usual. I was wondering about this resort about 10 years ago when I stayed at another Iberostar resort in the area. I really like the room! I am adding this one to my list. take care.
Thank you David! I always enjoy your comments and suggestions. Good addition to your list. I have already looked at pricing for 2024 to return. 😜
Have a great afternoon!
First time viewer, excellent video! Looking forward to your follow-ups on the room options and restaurants.
Awesome! Thank you!
Excellent video!
Thank you very much!
One of our favorites!
It is a great resort! 😊
can't wait to see your food post we were there in 2018 and going back in october curious about the changes. We normally go to excellence playa mujeres but it was unavailable. I remember them making food pool side
Thanks! The drinks poolside are outstanding. That fruit cart bartender is not to be missed. 😁
We saw a chef with a nacho "cart" just off the grass, up the stairs, by the buffet exit doors, during lunch time. You could grab nachos and eat them at your chair. Didn't notice any other poolside food throughout our week when we were there.
I was looking forward to lunch at the Cevecheria overlooking the beach and sea but we tried it twice and we were disappointed each time. I had hoped the first time was a fluke but second lunch was no better. It was the most disappointing restaurant there. It is no Las Olas! 😜
We found the Grand food and drink quality overall higher than EPM.
Grand's pool entertainment is much much much less active than EPM's main pool. More like the serenity of EPM'S club pools.
Hope you're excited for your trip. I'll try and get the food one out asap. 😊
Hi Nancy,
That’s a great review. Thank you for sharing that.
I have been to Secrets Moxche and Akumal. Is this hotel comparable to them in general?
Thank you! 😊 Grand Paraiso is very similar to Moxche and Akumal in the quality of the pools, restaurants and beverage options. It differs significantly on activities and nightlife as well as service.
We found that the the Grand has much less going on in the daytime and their nightlife is significantly quieter. For example the pool activities at the Grand would be a golf chipping game, dance class, a guacamole cooking class, or pickle ball but very few participate in beach volleyball. At night it is a "sit with a cocktail and listen to the musician" rather than a "dance to the house band". It is more due to the resort demographics than the activities staff. The Grand draws a crowd that is a bit older (35-60) who wants luxury and relaxation. The Rhapsody bar is fun in the evening with Karaoke or a musician.
Moxche has more daytime events going on at the activity pool. Not much going on at the beach as their beach is small. The nightlife at Moxche with the Gypsy club or the shows (if you like shows) are much better than the Grand and even Akumal, imo.
Akumal has more going on at the beach than the other two resorts and a similar vibe to Moxche at the active pool. As I'm sure you know.
Moxche and Akumal have better lunch options. It is hard to beat the Barefoot Grill Lol!
The Grand has them both beat for service and attention to detail.
If you enjoy a buffet the Grand has one of the best we have ever been too.
It really depends on what you are looking for. If service, food and bev are your top priorities than the Grand is great. It just leans more to the quiet and very peaceful side of things. For some on our team it is just too quiet.
We have two more videos about the Grand scheduled to launch tomorrow (Restaurants and Bars) and Oct 24 (Suites). They might give you a better feel for the place.
Hope that helps a bit.🙂
Good video - did you mention there would be a part 2 ?
Thank you!!
Yeppers 😊 I'm working on a separate video about the room options you can choose from as well as a separate video about the different restaurants, menus, and bars.
If you get a chance I would like your thoughts on the Barcelo Maya Riviera . My wife and I have been there 8 x and love it sooo much we purchase the Time Share at the resort. Last year we had 10 friends and family go with us and this year we had 23 and they all loved it. Enjoy your videos!
I'll try to check it out! Two of my friends went on their honeymoons there and loved it but I haven't been myself yet.
Your review is so thorough! I look forward to my upcoming trip! I know that you recommend tipping in US money. I’ve read mixed opinions. My experience in Jamaica was that they preferred US. If I decide to bring pesos, do you know if it would be possible for the front desk to give me change of larger bills. Thanks!
Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed the review. We actually prefer tipping in pesos. The staff members at various Mexican resorts have told us they prefer pesos as it is easier for them to use and they don't have exchange fees. Of course, they are happy with any currency.
The front desk was able to break our larger bills into 20s and 50s pesos easily. Fyi, the smaller bills are waterproof so can be tucked into a bathing suit with no issues. 😁
Have a great vacation!!!
Having been to the Valentin I agree on the split. What type of camera are you making the video with? During my stay they never had any shows in the theater. In fact the theater was musty, moldy smelling with dust all over everything indicating a long time of disuse.
We are an adult family group who travel together and most of us are using our phones (Apple & Android) and sometimes a gopro to film. Everyone downloads their stuff onto my laptop with their comments and thoughts about the resorts and then I write a script and put the videos together.
Do you mean the theater at Iberostar or Valentin? Valentin theater was pretty standard stuff and busy in the evening. Iberostar put their focus on the paid theater show in the village theater which we didn't bother with after asking the options of other guests who paid for it.
@@newtravelescapesThere were no shows paid or free at the Grand during the 12 nights I was there.
@@NighthawkCarbine the Grand now has a paid show in the village/plaza theater. You can see ads for it on their website. I think the current one is a dinner show called 'Illuzio'. Didn't speak to anyone who said it was worth the cost. I get the impression they are going for something like Cirque Du Soleil's 'Joya' at Vidante but that is just my guess.
They had events/shows in the Rhapsody Bar some nights. Some shows outside by the pool and always the musicians in the lobby bar.
@@newtravelescapesYeah they have had Iluzio for quite awhile now. Rhapsody was great as was the nightly entertainment in the lobby bar.
@@NighthawkCarbine I agree! 😊
Hi there! When will you be posting the food/restaurant review for the Iberostar Grand Paraiso?
I'm editing it this week so I'm hoping to get it up next Thursday. 😊
Thank you for the great review! You mentioned that there is zero single use plastic. I really appreciate you pointed to two bottles for water refill :) Could you please clarify where those bottles can be refilled? Another question is tap water in Inberostar Grand safe to drink?
Thank you!!
I was surprised and quite happy about the environmental responsibility Iberostar has taken. Housekeeping keeps replenishing the glass water bottles in your room. Each building also has a water refill station for extra. Your bell hop shows you where it is when you check in. If you want more water in your room just let them know. They are happy to bring it. We never managed to go through it all. 😊
The water from the taps is filtered but I'm not sure to what level. I don't use it to brush my teeth but some others in our group do and they had no issues. I wouldn't drink it straight from the tap. Not worth risking spending half your week's vacation in the bathroom. 😜
@@newtravelescapes Thank you very much Nancy for your quick response 😊 I am happy to hear they have water refill stations. We were at Couples Negril a few times so we are familiar with refilled bottles and we are happy with that. But in the past when we were at Dominican Iberostar Grand and Jamaica Iberostar Grand Rose Hall they had plastic water bottles. So I am happy to hear that Iberostar chain is going green. :)
@@marinafromtoronto3837 I was impressed with their 'green' efforts. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences about the other resorts! 😃 Enjoy your trip!
@@newtravelescapes Thank you very much Nancy! :)
Thanks needed to listen as i am wondering if, its worth a stay
How many days is a person able to stay?
I am a solo traveller. I choose to have a butler
I would think you can stay as long as you want to book for. I would also negotiate a better rate or have your travel agent do so on your behalf.
Hello did they fixed the spa pool ? We visited July 2021 and it had roof leaks they took off all the drapes and pool had all black dirt all around the title … the food was not good as before 2020 we just wonder if was because lack of staff but May be is all fix back to normal ? Is the food back to amazing ?
We used the spa pool daily and no one was ever in there. 😊 It was really nice and very clean.
Food was good. Some dishes were excellent some were disappointing. Food is so subjective it is hard to say but I wouldn't say amazing. Overall, in comparison to the many other resorts we have been too we were happy with it and the quality of the food was high.
We travel a lot and have seen a significant drop in service at all of the resorts we visit Post COVID. Iberostar has fared better than most in that respect.
Hi, when is a best time of the year for this resort. Thks,
It depends on what you're looking for but overall I would say late February/ March/April/May and September.
Summer is really warm in Riviera Maya but the pools can be a bit too cool in the winter. Not always, but the pool temps depend on the weather.
The resort is huge so it's a shame that you didn't really explain how to move from one point to another, especially if one didnt pay for a butler room
I'm not sure what you mean. Do you mean the whole complex? The actual Paraiso Grand is not large at all. We didn't have a butler room for our first half of the week and our garden view room was even closer to everything than if you were at the beach front rooms. I highly recommend it if you have mobility issues. No need to go anywhere else if you are at the Grand. Now if you mean the whole Paraiso complex we walked most of it but, you're right, it is large and there are golf carts taking you from the different resorts within the complex: Del Mar, Beach, Lindo, and Maya if you want to use them. They are everywhere and you just let them know where you want to go.
If you want a beach front room at Grand and you prefer not to walk your Butler will call you a golf cart and take you to your restaurant of choice. It is very easy and quick. If you have a garden view or pool view room the rooms are in the main building. You don't even need to go outside to go to most restaurants or the lobby/lobby bar.
If you reserve a private villa then you can ask for a golf cart for a lift but they aren't very far either just tucked away for privacy.
Hope that helps 😊