TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

This is a very large resort. The grounds are very beautiful. The rooms are nice .. food is average for these resorts. Now for some things to be aware of :: There are no elevators -- have to carry luggage up the stairs if you don't have a ground floor room It is about 1 kilometer from the lobby to the beach .. fairly frequent golf cart rides circulating After 6pm only the lobby bars are open

Stayed at Iberostar Waves for a week in March. The location was good. The hotel itself was pretty decent. Atmosphere was good, everyone had a good time it seemed. The food at the buffet was hit and miss. The first night we ate at the buffet it was not very good. I think the best food we had was at the Star Rock Cafe on our last night there. Best steak ever!! Most of the staff were friendly but there were a couple that were not so nice. The waitresses in the lobby I found overlooked my daughter and I everytime so we would have to go up to the bar for our drinks. I do want to note that they do not do pool service for drinks. You have to actually go to the bar/swim up bar to get them. The rooms could be updated a little more especially the showers and the water pressure in them. The hotel and the rooms were kept pretty clean which I liked. I also discovered that the resort does not take US currency at their shops so be sure to bring pesos instead. I also found that the shops were insanely expensive, a bag of chips and a can of pringles was over $30 and the souvenirs were pricy as well. They had a wide variety of activities throughout the day whether it was at the beach, the pool or the lobby which I found was nice.

Rooms are dated but fairly clean. They don’t do a thorough job cleaning but adequate. Buffets are okay but was disappointed with with the burger restaurant. We stayed here 2 years ago and we were looking forward to the smash burgers which we loved but they are just frozen burgers now. Also the Rock Star cafe which you have to book supposedly has smash burgers but they are not. Only other issue we had is with the Europeans that smoke on the beach even though there are signs everywhere no smoking. Love the new wristbands that are the key to your room and the app to book the restaurants and they also tell you when your room is cleaned. Good value for this resort.

I visited the Iberostar Waves Paraiso resort from March 7-14 on a golf holiday. At check-in, we were offered an upgrade to a junior suite for an extra fee. We agreed to this, and the room was no different from what we had originally booked. Of course, no refund or other allowance was offered. Lesson learned… The resort is large! Bring comfy walking shoes. Shuttle runs regularly, with marked stops. There are gardens, lawns, and forests complete with many animals and birds. The peacocks are pretty but loud and seem to live in the area closer to the main buffet area. They are loud at night, too. The rooms are clean, nothing fancy, and a bit outdated. More hooks and storage would be appreciated. The rain shower was okay, as were the provided shampoo/conditioner/body wash. Our room lacked outlets for charging. I wished that I had packed a power bar. Our air conditioning never seemed to actually work and did break down. Once we called the front desk, they confirmed that they control the actual temperature, so ask them for adjustments. The food at all restaurants that we ate at was okay. Nothing really was great, nothing was awful. Probably the best meal was at the French restaurant. Some restaurants required reservations, but you cannot make them on the app. Drinks at any bar were generous with the pours, but no top-shelf liquors were available even at added cost. The pool was huge! Lots of space, and the water temperature was perfect. One side of the pool was more energetic with music and games, the other more chill. Chairs were challenging to come by; people put their stuff out early, and many are empty for hours. The beach was very pretty, despite the sargassum which the tractors try to keep up with. Some days were a bit more clear than others. There are some rocks which are hidden; maybe shuffle in to avoid getting hurt. The staff, with the exception of the front desk girl who upsold our room, was friendly, helpful, and engaging. Bring small bills for tipping. We golfed at the attached course, and it was in excellent condition. It was challenging with narrow fairways and difficult approach shots. Bring extra balls—if they go off the fairway, it’s hard to spot in the forest, plus you may not want to go in too far. The coatis are also going to steal any food that you may have! The gym was awesome, a top-tier facility with a nice layout and new equipment. Classes are available. We have stayed with Iberostar before, and I would definitely come back to this area but I would probably prefer to stay at a higher level resort.

This is our 7th visit to the Paraíso property (stayed at the Joia adults only 3 times) but 4th visit to Waves Beach. We actually prefer the more relaxed and less expensive part of the resort! It’s become our home away from home and plan on returning again next year. For context, we’re Iberostar Club members and have had stayed at various Iberostar resorts over the past several years. This is our 21st stay in total and have visited all the resorts in Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica and even one in Cuba. This is the one we keep returning to year after year because of the spa facilities, food, pool, beach, and mostly the staff. SPA: The spa here is a gem. The massage therapists and supporting staff are incredible. My favourite massages this trip were done by Norma, Martha, Teres and Camas. The juice bar is such a treat! All the support staff at the spa are super friendly and helpful. RESTAURANTS - Favourites: Our favorite restaurants for the food and staff are the French, Mediterranean, and Italian. Brazilian Restaurant – DISAPPOINTING Experience We have never been particularly fond of the food at the Brazilian restaurant and only decided to go during this trip because we were travelling with my friend’s husband, who had never been there and wanted to try it. Unfortunately, he was not impressed either, and it ended up being everyone’s least favourite meal of the trip. Because of this, we will avoid this restaurant in the future. What made the experience more disappointing was the service. The staff were surprisingly unfriendly on this visit and came across as unprofessional. Our server did not explain an issue related to our wine order and simply chose not to bring it. When we asked about it, he sent the manager over instead of addressing it himself. When we explained that we were disappointed, particularly because the wine could have been opened and enjoyed at the restaurant, the manager dismissed our concern rather than acknowledge it. This left us feeling confused, blindsided, and extremely embarrassed in front of other guests. We were not impressed at all with the way we were treated. Fortunately, the Star Prestige staff later took the time to clearly explain the situation to us in a professional and courteous manner. It’s important to note that this experience was not typical of the service we’ve received at this otherwise amazing resort. In fact, it was the only time during our stay that we felt uncomfortable or disappointed. *STAR PRESTIGE EXCELLENCE* Finally, the most impressive part of staying at this resort, is the amazing Star Prestige staff. They are all very friendly and extremely helpful. Allan, the manager, must be commended for being a great manager as the staff seem to be very happy and well supported. I missed seeing some of my old Star Prestige friends as they had moved on to different roles or resorts, but the newer staff to replace them were all great. Special thanks to Ausel (the original long time man on this job!), Yisell (lovely, professional, and smart young lady) Scarlett (congratulations! I hope to still be able to see you during my next visit!), Josue (nice young man learning the job well!!), and sweet Jonathan (our amazing pool concierge). It was also nice to meet Omar and Angel the very friendly ambassadors!! Thank you Omar for patiently answering all of my questions and for the very nice goodbye letter. We really appreciated that!! We definitely recommend this resort. Don’t hesitate to DM if you have a question about this resort.