TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

We come to Riviera Maya every summer, and the Grand/Joia checks all of the boxes for us! We can’t say enough about the wonderful staff who really make this resort special. I was looking forward to seeing Mirna at the pool again this year, and was sad when we didn’t see her on our first day. We were overjoyed when she walked by the pool the next day, recognizing US and stopping to greet us! It was truly one of the highlights of my trip! We are so happy for her and her new role as butler. She is a beautiful person and we look forward to seeing her again! Adriana, at the quiet pool, is the best! She works hard all day long and always made sure to check on us to replenish our drinks! We were happy to see another Adriana at the omelette station again this year! She’s the best…. go to her for your made to order eggs/omelette! The new Star Café, located near the lobby, was a wonderful addition to the resort this year. It opens at 5 AM and serves coffee, desserts, ice cream, and quiche. This is a real plus for early risers or people who have to leave the resort early and are unable to go to the buffet for breakfast that morning. A special shout out to Monserrat for always serving coffee with a happy “high five” and a smile!! We love the specialty restaurants. If you like sushi, I highly recommend trying all of the sushi at the Haiku. My husband and I look forward to our sushi dinners every year! We always seem to receive the best service at the Italian restaurant. This year, we want to give a special shout out to Eusebio for his excellent service. We went back to the Italian restaurant later in the week and we asked for him. He was so happy to serve us again! Try the pistachio profiterole for dessert! You won’t be disappointed! (My husband asked for a scoop of vanilla ice cream with it! Good idea!) Another shout out to Daniel at the lobby bar. He makes an excellent pistachio martini! Lastly, please give a shout out to the female cellist who played in the lobby bar one night. She was great! As for shows, we thought the fire show was quite impressive! After coming here for the last four years, I can understand why this resort has a high return rate. We look forward to our return!

My husband and I went to Joia for 5 nights to celebrate his 40th birthday, and felt it was the trip of a lifetime. We’ve previously been to Live Aqua Cancun and to another AI in Puerto Vallarta, which were also enjoyable, but this trip was the best. We did our first 2 nights in an oceanfront beach access butler service room, and then upgraded to a villa for our last 3 nights. The beachfront room was lovely and the view was amazing, but sargassum (seaweed) is bad this year. The smell (similar to rotten eggs) and inability to comfortably swim (it felt like the water was full of plastic brillo pads), bummed us out, and for the price of $255 to upgrade for 3 nights, we happily switched to the villa. I considered booking a villa to begin with, but didn’t realize from the pics online just how much of an upgrade the villa would be. It was stunning. The pool was amazing, we used it multiple times per day, and the ability to both spread out (lots of closet space, places to hang wet things, etc) and have total privacy both in the room (no shared walls) and on the patio was fantastic. The butler service is also upgraded in the villas, with the ability to contact your butlers via WhatsApp and request basically anything you want/need. It felt luxurious in every way. Our butlers were fantastic, particularly Fatima, but the whole team was great. They drew us baths while we were at dinner, brought fresh cream for our coffee every day, gave us rides, and were just lovely to interact with. The buffet was outstanding. Gorgeous fruit, freshly baked breads, bakery-quality desserts, and a wide variety of prepared and “watch the chef prepare it” foods. Gala night was particularly fabulous, but Mexican night may have been my favorite. We had passion fruit and mango mezcalitas mixed tableside, and a tableside bananas foster with tequila, in addition to all the amazing food on the buffet. We also enjoyed the sit down restaurants, but honestly preferred the buffet. We did go to the Iberostar Club presentation (their version of a timeshare, you pay a subscription fee and then get deeply discounted trips and special perks at all Iberostar locations), mostly because the gentleman who approached us about it was SO lovely and friendly. It took 2 hours and included eating breakfast with a salesman (just the 3 of us.) He was friendly and professional, and there weren’t any shady tactics used, but it is very tiring to say No for 2 hours straight while remaining polite, and while I realized we were trading our time for a perk (we got $250 off the $325 couples massage), I didn’t realize how much it would zap our energy. I left feeling drained and like it wasn’t worth our time. The massage was great, though, and for some folks the Club is probably a great thing. I would advise NOT to go to the presentation just because it sounds like an easy way to get a free thing, but only if you are truly interested in spending $30k+ at Iberostar over the next 10+ years. The yoga classes were one of the highlights of our trip, we went to 3 and they were the perfect way to start our days. Cynthia and Django were wonderful, and both my husband (who had never done yoga before) and I (who have been doing it on and off for 15 years) were totally pleased. We were charmed by the wildlife at Joia—there are iguanas everywhere, coatis, geckos, birds— the place has jungle on the property and it feels like you’re in both nature and a stunning built environment. In the villa, the thatched roof let us hear all the nearby birdsong, and when one would perch at the peak it almost sounded like it was in the room! We love birds so this was a huge boon for us, but if you hate birds, this may aggravate you in the villa. If you are scared of iguanas, you may want to reconsider this resort; we saw at least 10 every day. We enjoyed them a lot but it could be a bit much if you’re afraid of them. We are hoping to come back to Joia someday, and/or bring our kids and stay at the Maya or Lindo (on the same property). The only thing I’d change when we come back is to stay 7 nights instead of 5, and to budget/bring more cash for tips; the staff is so outstanding!

The JOIA Paraiso by Iberostar is an absolutely beautiful resort! If you love the beach and great food you'll be happy here. The customer service is outstanding. Atalia the concierge went above and beyond to help with anything I needed. It really made my stay nicer that I could always ask questions or get a ride (it is a very large place)! Try the Punta Sal restaurant for tacos el pastor and ocean views. Only negative was the pool was heated. Not an issue for me as I prefer the beach. Great activities at the main pool and a quiet pool. I loved seeing the monkeys and flamingos and was able to play tennis and do yoga in the jungle! Would return!

Highly recommend this adult only resort. Great food and beverages. Nice suites. Clean rooms. Friendly service everywhere. Very friendly service from our concierge, Magda, and our coffee barista, Montse! Fun variety of entertainment every night. And we loved the different pools; quiet, spa and fun party pool with swim up bar.

This is our 10th plus year (maybe more) of coming to Cancun. We love it down here. We have stayed at various places - El Dorado (various ones), Zoetry, Secrets, Riu and Excellence and we really love coming here for various reasons, Some resorts are large and it takes a while to get around, whether walking or waiting on a shuttle. Here, everything is walkable although golf carts are available. Get out early to claim your spot on the beach or by the pool, especially if there is a particular area you prefer. There was never a problem getting our same chairs on the beach. A butler is assigned to you and we had the best in Angel and Marianna. The rooms are wonderful, from the bedding to the pillows to the bathroom amenities. The bathroom is huge with 2 separate sink areas and a large jacuzzi tub. Shower is small and water pressure is low. Beautiful and serene. Check it out. Great choice of restaurants with access to hotel next door. This is an adult only resort and the one next door is kid friendly so keep that in mind. They also have a gym which was small but well equipped. There is a much larger gym next door. There is also a clinic and ambulance on site. If you go to the beach, there will be people trying to sell you stuff. Politely say gracias and they won't bother you. Also, collecting seaweed is a never-ending job so expect that noise daily. After a while you tend to ignore it. Staff goes out of their way to be accommodating. Plenty of activities and entertainment throughout the day. The buffet is always a must. We ate breakfast there daily and a few dinners. Simply wonderful . Clean, organized. It's not Golden corral! And Adrianna is the best at the omelet station. P.S. Take mosquito spray.