Iberostar Selection Paraiso Maya

When we visited the Iberostar Selection Paraiso Maya, it was because we had been moved there at the last minute from another resort that suffered hurricane damage before we arrived. We got pretty excited when we read the reviews, though: a wave pool, a lazy river, and four connected resorts with a huge amount of walking paths?!

It’s a little farther from the Cancun airport, but that extra 10 miles really puts you in another world! This is one of the only times we felt like the resort really showcased the part of the world we were in. It wasn’t just a Caribbean resort but a Mexican resort with Mayan-themed decor.

• The guests are mostly Mexican with many Texans and a smattering of Russians.

• The staff speak perfect English, from the buffet to the pool bar.

• No one seems to tip, but we found the staff to be extremely appreciative of a small show of gratitude. (We would tip $1 for a drink at the beach and a few dollars for service at dinner and everyone was very thankful.)

• Service is excellent everywhere, and the staff are super friendly. Almost everyone you pass on the sidewalks will greet you (in Spanish and then English when they realize you’re a gringo who can barely pronounce “hola” correctly).

• The water has some rocky areas that surprised us on the first day and caused us some stubbed toes and bruised shins. They’re very evident on days when the sun is shining, but they can make getting in and out of the water feel like a minefield. We found that water shoes really helped for protection!

• The water is a beautiful green-blue, clear with soft light tan sand and big waves that are fun for jumping.

• There was some floating seaweed from a hurricane when we arrived that cleared out after a few days, and there’s no sea grass nor seaweed on the sea floor, just sand.

• The water is very shallow very far out, chest-deep at the very most.

• Vendors on the beach walk by selling everything from photography sessions to jewelry to hair-braiding services but are very polite and will just pass by if you ignore them or say “no, thanks”.

• Check out towels on first day at the hut by the pool with your room number (there seemed to be no limit per person) and then exchange them every day without needing to give your room number again.

• Peacocks, iguanas, and coatis (like a cuter raccoon with a big, fluffy tail) roam the resort freely and were a constant topic of conversation for us. The coatis are used to humans and will try to steal your food at the beach, which is either cute or a menace depending on how many free piña coladas you’ve had!

• There’s a bit of jungle between the pool and the beach, so if you’re the type of person who likes to go back to your room often for the beach, expect it to take a few extra minutes.

• Because the resort has some swampy areas scattered around, it does have mosquitoes; the resort provides repellent in the rooms, but we still ended up with bites!

• We were able to get an a la carte restaurant reservation every night we wanted one.

• The buffet is just as good as the a la carte restaurants and has similar kinds of food nightly (a pizza station, pasta station, taco station, seafood station, etc.) but the actual selections change daily.

• There are activities throughout the day at the pool and on the beach, from crazy relay races to exercise classes. The entertainment staff also visits palapas to chat with guests and give the place a really fun atmosphere. There’s often a live band at the pool in the late afternoon, too.

• For kids, there’s the Star Camp with different group activities for different age groups. They focus on learning while playing and want to help your kids make friends from different parts of the world.

• The lazy river was one of the things we looked forward to most (we spent most of our time there at the Excellence Riviera Cancun), but it was so lazy we didn’t bother getting in once. It’s probably great for kids, though!

• There are 4 Iberostar resorts side by side here, making it a massive resort with many unused pathways perfect for long walks. Guests who don’t want to walk get picked up by golf carts, and everywhere we went, drivers stopped and offered to pick us up. (Another example of the excellent friendly service!)