Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar reviews
8095 TripAdvisor reviews
Horrible stay - the hotel prioritises money making over experience
Gary P on Apr 15, 2026
We had a horrible stay at this hotel in April 2026. Here are the several reasons that we feel let down by this "five star" resort, and did not enjoy the stay as a result: - It took 1.5 hours to check in after a very long day, with Concierge sales pitches such as going to the posher hotel next door for breakfast, in return for a 1.5hr sales pitch, which we cancelled when we realised what it was. I stated several times we just want to get to the room... it was a brutal check-in - During this check-in we were gifted 2 free Balis Beds (nice), however they were on my bill at the end of the stay and staff would not believe me that they were gifted and tried to force me to pay - One of the Bali beds we had on the beach had a used Condom next to it, which my children discovered whilst playing in the sand - I get we stayed during Spring Break, but it's a family hotel and I would expect better security and beach cleanliness (see pic) - The room we were given smelled strongly of Mold due to old AirCon not being maintained properly (stagnant water), and when I reported this the day after arriving, I was told "sorry" there are no other room options. A handyman came and said it was okay (which it was not). It took 3 days to convince Reception to move me to a different room. - My daughter is Celiac, which I emailed the hotel about before we arrived, and they said they could cater. Every meal we had to re-explain how Gluten cross contamination works, and after negotiations at each mealtime, GF meals were prepared in the back taking 30-40 mins (which for a simple omelette every day caused frustration for us, and emotional upset for my daughter) - We were told there is '$250 hotel credit' included in the stay, however I wasn't directed to the App, which has T&C's saying that each credit is $25, with a minimum spend of $100 (for example) so a rip-off It's a shame as the hotel grounds are beautiful - although VERY big with infrequent bus services. When we raised all of this to the staff, they seemed more interested in making sure I paid for the Bali beds than taking on board the complaints seriously. For a 5 star resort, we were left bitterly disappointed, as this was our splurge during an otherwise amazing trip in Mexico. I honestly would not stay at an Iberostar again in the future.
Amazing week
Helena H on Mar 29, 2026
From the pool parties to the night life, there was always something going on. Jireh made mine and my groups week with his lively dance moves, wonderful humour and great energy. Thank you Jireh!!
10/10
Joe H on Mar 29, 2026
A week at this resort was not long enough. Jireh made the trip wonderful with his great energy and fun entertainment. Will miss him and everyone there so much
Do Not Recommend
Megan N on Mar 28, 2026
I had high hopes with all the positive reviews but we had negative after negative experiences the entire time we were there. For starters, unless you own a timeshare you have very very little access to what is available at the resort. The waterpark is only for timeshare members unless you sit through hours long time share presentations they quote will only be for 2hrs but won’t let you leave even after 3.5+ hours and threaten to take your waterpark voucher away. The pools are also very limited based on membership and the water was absolutely disgustingly dirty & murky. It was so foggy we couldn’t see our feet at the bottom and had to feel around the floor in order to find large bright pool rings in the 4ft pools. Our air conditioner also went out the 3rd day and they didn’t move us into new rooms until 6hrs later at 9pm (not ideal packing & moving everything with 2 toddlers that late). The various meal options meant each meal was at a different location (usually opposite ends of the hotel) and some only open on certain days of the week. They do have golf cart shuttles since the place is so big but expect to wait 30+ min usually without shade for one to arrive, maybe longer if they don’t have enough space. I typically let a lot of things slide and understand no where is perfect, but on top of their issues they constantly try to upsell you with the notion that you’ll get better treatment if you get a timeshare. Basically a lot of it was false advertising in hopes you’ll pay for a timeshare so you can have access to everything else. I’ve stayed at other Iberostar resorts and had much better experiences. I do not recommend and will not be back.
Excellent
John B on Mar 22, 2026
Everything was excellent Jose the concierge from the club was out first contact and was very friendly and kind