Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar - All Inclusive

Customer Ratings & Reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

8018 reviews

• 

  Membership integrity faults

  There is a hard cell “timeshare” type Scam with member upgrades and promises that are not kept. It’s a nice place with good service, but do not purchase any of the club memberships because they will lie to you. and the price of these memberships vary widely. They try to do anything for you while you’re shopping, but once you become a black member, then they would do nothing for you.

  Jun 13, 2025
• 

  Birthday Vacation

  I will start off by saying we have stayed the Iberostar resorts 4 times (7 Years ago, we stayed at the Iberostar Paraiso beach (which is next door to the Del Mar). Alot has changed in 7 years. We had decided this time to stay at the Del Mar section this time. We had booked with Air Canada vacations from Toronto and booked the regular superior room close to the pool. Our transfer from the airport went smooth and quick which only took about 30min to get to the resort. Upon our arrival at the resort the staff is very welcoming and friendly. We had decided to upgrade our room category from superior to beachfront Oceanview which was well worth the upgrade for the fee we paid (about 300usd) for our week stay. (we were in building 10). Being it was my birthday I was told they would give me a bottle of tequila in my room which I did not get (quite disappointed). Now being that our room was right at the beach it is quite a walk from there to the main lobby, but there is a shuttle that comes around every 15-20 min. The resort is quite big so be prepared to do a lot walking if that's what you like. We did enjoy our walks from time to time however it was very humid when we were there and did take advantage of the shuttle. At the lobby you will see the board with the shuttle service and which shuttle takes you around to various places (whether it be the plaza or the other Iberostar's next door). Our room was nice and clean and maintained with a beautiful Oceanview (despite all the seaweed on the beach) The mini bar only has pop drinks, some beer and no water bottles. They now provided glass bottles for you to fill up at the bar with filtered water. This is a hassle as you need to always go and refill the bottles when empty. Not sure why they got rid of the plastic water bottles when you can still buy them at the store. Last time we were here they always had water bottles in the fridge. The food at the resort is very good with large variety of choices to choose from. We especially enjoyed the breakfasts. We did eat the buffet a few times for dinner and was very good and plentiful. Now for the reservations regarding the al a carte dinner restaurant. In the past when we were here, we never had problems making a reservation. we were able to book the restaurants a few days in advance. Everything has changed now. You don't need to make reservations for the restaurants anymore - EXCEPT for the Brazilian and Japanese (which you can only reserve the day of when you want to go there and eat). We tried many times from the Iberostar app to make a booking and had no luck. I complained several times about this, and no one was of much help. they only way to try to get into these restaurants is if you try and go in the evening and see if there is any cancellation. This is very frustrating as also the app was not working all the time. Had sometimes a bad connection and it would log me out then I would have to log back in again. I think the resort should go back to the way they used to book the reservations with someone at the concierge, they clearly had a lot of time on their hands sitting there doing nothing when they can help the guests. Their customer service was not very helpful. The other al a carte restaurant you don't need reservation its first come first serve, and you may need to wait a while depending on how busy it is. we did eat at the Mexican, the mediterranean, and the smoke house, which were all good. The star cafe at the lobby is no longer open (have to go to the plaza area if you want a good burger). The wrist bands you have to wear now have a chip built into it as your room key. there are no more key cards for the room. There were a few times our wristband chip didn't work and would not open our door, so we had to go back to the front desk and have them re-program it again. Very awkward situation and quite a hassle. They need to go back and give key cards out which are more convenient than the new system they have. The grounds are well kept and beautiful. The pool was grossly hot and disgusting as you could not even enjoy the water it was so warm. think there must have been something wrong with the pool heaters. too bad, so sad. didn't use the pool much because of this. The beach despite of all the seaweed the water was nice and enjoyable. We were told that the seaweed situation was very bad in the month of May, and even worse as you get closer to playa del carmen. we have never been in May to Mexico so it's something to think about. the best months to avoid the seaweed is from march and April. There was a guy everyday constantly on his tractor cleaning the beach of seaweed, but it didn't help much. The other thing to mention is now the resort is 100% smoke free, which means you can't smoke on your balcony, no smoking at the pool or beach (however it's not very good enforced as I did see quite a few people smoking by the pool and beach). The stores don't sell anymore tequila or cigars (so you will have to go into town or get it at the airport/duty free). We were able to buy a few cigars from the lobby bar. The nightly entertainment is lacking shows like they had when we were here last time. They don't put on good shows anymore and now it's quite boring at night. The shows they had in the past were very entertaining and the theatre was always packed now the theatre was more than half empty. very disappointing. We did enjoy some spa sessions at the beach which were very relaxing and worth the money. Lots of activities going on daily at the beach and pool. Being this is now our 5th time at the Iberostar resorts here we did have a relaxing week, however seeing how things have changed since we were here last, we were not impressed with a lot of things. The only good thing I can is the food is good, people are great, and our room was spectacular. To end this review, we say adios to Iberostar and in the future try a different resort when we return. Thank you for the memories.

  Jun 10, 2025
• 

  Pick a different resort

  The hotel front desk staff is terrible..They have zero customer service. The food is very good. The wait staff is great. It is very hard to get reservations if you have a big party. It feels like you are being punished. We are in a family suite on the Beach side nice room. If you are going for a beach experience pick a different resort. This is the ugliest beach. The pool is nice. There is a lot of walking here and it takes forever to get the Golf cart rides. Will not be coming back.

  Jun 05, 2025
• 

  How is this considered 5 star resort?

  We were excited for our stay, but it fell short in several critical areas. Most concerning, my brother got food poisoning after eating the Italian entrée—the only dish unique to him. Staff offered bland food and said medical costs would be ours. No apology, no accountability. Our room’s AC didn’t work the entire stay. We reported it three times, and though maintenance came twice, it was never resolved. My mother’s room was fine, so it was clearly a room-specific issue. The only solution offered was to move us to another building, which wasn’t feasible since we were traveling together. We ended up sweating through the nights. it’s a sensor issue mixed between us being in or out of the room. Out of the room it got cold and while in the room, it would get warm. Food was average. Getting a reservation was a hassle. Called early at 7am, was told to try later, then told it was full by 7:50?!—until I complained, and suddenly they had space. Not acceptable. Service was inconsistent. Restaurant staff were generally kind, but front desk staff were often indifferent. Checkout was especially unpleasant. Rooms are outdated, beds are okay, and there are no elevators—an issue for a family member with a cane who was placed on the third floor with no help offered even after asking the front desk. The resort grounds and nature are beautiful, but don’t expect to leave easily. It’s far from town, Uber isn’t available , and many tours charge extra for pickup due to the distance from Cancun. Don’t plan to visit the beach- it was stacked with seaweed that you couldn’t even get in. Defeats the point of even coming to Mexico for the beaches. Overall, disappointing experience due to poor service (tips ARE expected as they only are kind after being tipped ) lack of accountability, and subpar comfort. Beautiful setting, but we wouldn’t return not with other actual 5 star resorts here.

  Jun 04, 2025
• 

  Pleasant staff, warm pool, plenty of sunbeds early morning

  Check in was easy, just the 2 of us arrived on the transport. Had a room on the 2nd floor of block 11 right near the pool. Best part of the stay was the wildlife roaming the hotel, flamingos,peacocks, parrots, coati's, agouti's, iguana's, and even saw a spider monkey with it's baby on it's back. Pool water was warm and welcome. Food was sometimes repeatative but made up for with fresh cooked salmon, shrimp in hot garlic oil, tequila on mexican nights. Will definately be going back next year.

  Jun 03, 2025