We stayed at the Paradisus La Perla from Dec 20-27. It was the nicest resort we’ve ever stayed in the past 12 yrs of us travelling to All-Inclusive resorts and we’ve stayed at some pretty great resorts! The service was phenomenal! Definitely the best service we’ve ever had anywhere! A big thank you to DIEGO, Hector, and Eucrardo from the Pool Bar! DANIEL from the South Ave bar! CECILIO from Mole! CARLOS, the sommelier from the Mexican wine tasting! The Manager at Passions! ANDREA from the Market! They went above and beyond for us!

CHECK IN was quick and efficient. Our room was even ready early, which was great. But then we were brought over to a sitting area to explain the resort amenities, etc… and we got the good ‘ol timeshare speech. We were told we could get a spa massage for $70, instead of $125 and we’d get a free meal at Passions if we went to this 90-min meeting. He swore it wasn’t a timeshare meeting. They just wanted to show us the Presidential suites, etc.. so we can promote these rooms to our friends and family. We agreed and of course it was all BS. We knew darn well it would be a timeshare meeting but we went anyways for the discounted massage and meal at Passions. The presentation was fine and all and we were considering it but they were extremely pushy. The girl who toured us even brought in someone else to help her convince us it was a good idea. We asked if we could think about it and they said no. Who in their right mind goes on vacation thinking they would drop $20k-$130k USD on a timeshare right then and there. Not us. That put a bad taste in our mouths.

The resort is absolutely beautiful! I loved the vibe and the décor of absolutely everything here. Simply WOW!

It’s NOT a true “ADULTS ONLY”. The sushi restaurant (Bana) allows kids from 6-8pm but we were sitting at the South Ave Bar and we saw families walking around even past 10pm. They should enforce the rules. If I pay for Adults only, that’s what I expect. I don’t want to hear crying kids at 10pm while sharing a drink with my husband. For the price we paid, I don’t think it’s that much to ask for.

We ate at the following A La Cartes: Bana, Passions, The Market, The Grill and Mole. The food and service was good for the most part. We did find the meat to be on the fatty side. No matter what we tried.

The POOL was extremely cold, which was odd as it was relatively hot that week… We weren’t the only ones who thought that. However, On Christmas day, they had a pool party with a live DJ and electro cello player. It was great ambiance and the music was pretty good! The pool was a very happening place and everybody was having a great time! Unlike anything we’ve ever seen at any other resort!

There’s not much of a BEACH. Most of the chairs were on a slanted hill, which I wondered how comfortable it was to lay out there. We took one walk along it and it’s very rocky and at some parts, it’s full of garbage. Total downside for beach lovers…

MASSAGES at the spa were nice. I would definitely recommend the spa, although I found it quite weird to have an attendant there the entire time. While I was in the sauna, steam bath.. she even scared me when I got out of the shower. Creepy. Unecessary.

The resort has a lot of ACTIVITIES for everyone. Yoga, spinning, water aerobics, wine tasting (which was a lot of fun with Carlos), Tequila tasting, etc. There’s something for everyone.

Try not to forget anything as the gift shop is very expensive. I paid $12 for cold mends, $4 for Vicks lozenges and $32 for sun tan lotion. 5th av in Playa del Carmen is only a short cab ride away if the shops are too steep.

My last and most important tip is to TIP! I know it says that gratuities are included but that does not mean the employees make more. If you receive good service, which I can promise you that you will, then tip to show your appreciation!

We did not do any excursions as this was our 5th time to the area. We did take a cab to Playa del Carmen's shopping zone, which is $10 US each way.

All in all, it was a great vacation and I would definitely go back here!

Absolutely stunning resort from the lobby, to the grounds to the restaurants and most importantly the suites. One of the first resorts I can say in all honesty that photos of the resorts are not glorified... what you see is what you get.

Luxury JR Suite Tropical View
Highly suggest asking for a pool view I believe there are suites that face the exterior areas of the resort which wouldn't be as pleasant. We had room 1167 which was on the second floor with a decent pool view. Room was immaculate- new modern furnishings and very clean. For 2 adults the room is quite spacious. We did however see some of the 1 Bedroom Master Suites and those looked amazing. There was a swim out suite directly below our room which looked nice- beware that the water in the pools is a little cold (more on that later). A lot of the swim out suites were in shaded areas so I imagine those pools to be especially cool during the winter months.

Beach
We are not really beach people but from the little time we spent at the beach it was quite nice. Do bear in mind that it is a long narrow strip of beach so the loungers are quite close together. There are two sections of beach for La Perla and La Esmeralda. I also noticed an exclusive area for "Family Concierge" and "Royal Service" even on the beach.

Pool
We spent most of our time around the main pool at the La Perla side. Waiter service was attentive constantly checking if you need the refill and will even deliver lunch to your lounger. The pool water is a little bit cool but only takes a few minutes to get used to. The "towel reservation" system is definitely in full affect at this resort and we did have to get up early to reserve a spot in the sun. During our stay there was a music festival going on that brought a DJ and entertainment to the pool. This was great for us as otherwise I imagine the pool would be a little too quiet.

Dining
The 24 hour room service menu is great... having stayed at other 5 star resorts I must say the menu is a little more limited in comparison to counterparts such as El Dorado Resorts by Karisma. The service however was quick (30-40 mins) and always hot. We ate at the breakfast buffet at the La Perla side each morning and there are no complaints there- great selection. For dinner we ate twice at Bana (excellent sushi and Japanese), Vento (wasn't impressed with the menu but the truffle risotto was very good), La Palapa (New Years eve dinner consisted of an excellent surf and turf) and the Market buffet (we especially enjoyed the 'make your own pasta' station). For lunch we generally ate around the pool area on the La Perla side- highly recommend the guacamole, burritos and the caprese foccacia. Around the main pool on the La Perla side there is always hot dogs/hamburgers/chicken burgers being prepared on demand as well as Spanish paella which was very good as well. We also dined at the The Grill for lunch on our arrival day- there is an excellent salad buffet there.

You do have to make dinner reservations for the a la carte dinner reservations. We stayed over New Years and the hotel was at 100% occupancy and we never had a problem making reservations. Also, a lot of the restaurants are shared between the La Esmeralda (family side) I did notice that they tried to keep the couples seated all together and families seated apart. There are however, many options that are adults only if that's something that's important to you.

Bars and Entertainment
All the bars do indeed have top shelf liquor (Grey Goose etc)- I didn't always see the bottles being displayed you just had to ask for it. There are plenty of bars available around the resort... you will not go thirsty. The "Gabi Club" by the beach had limited entertainment that usually wrapped up by 10pm or so. The set up at the Gabi Club was quite chic yet it's a shame they don't utilize the space properly or at least play some sort of music for dancing. Unlike other all inclusive resorts the set up for when they actually have entertainment is very poor and pretty much all the seating is some sort of obstructed view causing you to stand to view the entertainment. One plus is the proximity to Playa Del Carmen- $10 quick cab ride and your right in the heart of Playa for night-life or just people watch.

New Years Eve
We dined at La Palapa (adults only dining) and had a wonderful meal. Having stayed at other resorts during New Years they really didn't go out of their way to decorate the resort accordingly. I do believe the did put on some sort of party/entertainment for New Years Eve. We spent New Years Eve at Coco Bongo and noticed many other guests were also leaving the resort to go into Playa Del Carmen. Perhaps this is why they didn't go out of their way to hype New Years Eve? On the contrary, the did throw a decent pool party with a DJ for New Years Day by the main pool at the La Perla section.

La Esmeralda (Family Section)
The resorts are basically 2 "U" shaped resorts that share a lot of central dining, entertainment and bars. The pool area looked great for children- pirate ship mini water park and other inflatable water activities for kids. The Family Concierge pool is definitely heated as it was significantly warmer then that of the main pools.

Excursions
We spent Saturday at XPLOR and it was excellent. I'm sure the park was extremely busy due to the time of year. We did not book through the hotel's excursion desk as they were asking for $175USD per person with round trip transportation (where you waste time going to other resorts doing pick ups). A taxi to XPLOR was roughly $30USD and the entrance was $120.00 per person. Although the savings were minimal I recommend it this way so you don't have to be in the lobby at 8am and don't have to wait until 5:30pm to be brought back to the resort. We arrived at roughly 10:30am and stayed until about 3:30pm. The highlights were the Amphibious vehicles, cave swim and the zip lining that ends in the water. Also be aware that you may only utilize each activity maximum 2 times which was somewhat disappointing. The park also provided non alcoholic beverages and buffet lunch with admission- the food at lunch was very fresh with plenty of selection.

We spent New Years Eve in Playa Del Carmen at Coco Bongo. We did reserve a table with bottle service on the second floor for approx $750.00 USD (entrance, bottles and basic mixers). The shows were great as always and the service was attentive throughout the evening even though it was New Years and it was jammed. Be aware when pre-reserving your tables that some of the tables are just a "ledge" on the balconies with some stools and enough room to put your drink down. Upon arriving this was first where they wanted to seat us but at a rate of $750USD this was unacceptable and they moved us to an actual table.

Staff and Service
The staff by the pool area especially were all great and very attentive. Service at the dinner restaurants were fine but lacked at the buffets. Much of the wait staff at the buffets seemed to speak limited English compared to their colleagues at the other bars and dinner restaurants. My significant other speaks fluent Spanish so this definitely came in handy. It seemed a little strange to have to wait in line to be seated at the table even at the buffets. Service at breakfast was very slow for simple things like juice and coffee sometimes we were even half through our meal before we were even offered coffee.

Although we had a great time and liked the resort we would possibly think of returning and perhaps upgrading to Royal Service.

My husband and I went to La Perla in April of 2012 and it was the best vacation we've had! This was our 6th trip to Mexico and we typically stay at 4-5 star all-inclusive resorts (others we've stayed at include Secrets Maroma, Aventura Spa Palace & Live Aqua). The food quality was absolutely the best we've had at any resort. Our favorite restaurants were Bana, (DElicious sushi) and Fuego. The rooms (love the balcony hot tub) and grounds were gorgeous (we had ocean view suite, not Royal Service). The evening entertainment was excellent and NOT the typical cheesy shows you find at other resorts.The beach is beautiful, but very rocky in some areas especially on the adults side, better beach can be found on the family side of the resort. The service was so-so, although some workers were really wonderful (especially by the bar areas), service overall was inconsistent and can be improved and hopefully will over time as this is a relatively new resort. All in all we had a great trip and will be returning this month (something we don't usually do, we like to try out new places but La Perla was that good)! Can't wait to go back , my mouth is watering just thinking about it;)

We stay in this hotel for New Years , was the best ever... Very very good food , personal is very nice educate and helpful , for adults is excellent beautiful people , for kids is the best a lot of activities for then and many place just for then, I stay many many hotel in world always 5 stars , and this is the best by far... It is expensive but worth every Pennie ... Super recommend