Paradise Beach — Attraction in Tulum

As you read this review you need to understand that bottom line if you are a person that is into all-inclusive resorts, then this is the place to stay. We came here for Christmas vacation and it was our first time as a family staying at an all-inclusive. The property is massive and considering how many people work at the different hotels on this property, it is very well run. It is the people that make this resort special. The rooms are very clean and comfortable. We stayed in just a basic room. There is plenty to do here during the day. There's a schedule with multiple activities ranging from dance classes to tennis lessons, basketball games, fitness and exercise, parties and the different pool and beach activities. Make sure to download the Iberostar app which has the daily schedule on it. Of course you get free food and beverages, including alcoholic drinks while there. Go easy on the alcoholic ones, because they will catch up to you later on in the day. The pools are gorgeous a nice way to spend part of the day and depending on which hotel you stay at you are allowed to go to other pools that are on the property. There are many buffet restaurants offering a variety of food from seafood, vegetarian options and of course meat for those carnivores. There are also a few specialty restaurants to choose from, but you need a reservation. There's a shopping center that has a taco stand, which was excellent and an ice cream and crepe place. There's a hamburger shop that is open late night. The coffee shop is great to get your coffee during the midday and there is also multiple different shops in this area, including the pharmacy. Speaking of the pharmacy make sure you take your own sunscreen, because you will pay a lot on the resort for sunscreen. The beach on this resort is gorgeous the water was warm and of course there's many activities to do from snorkeling to skin diving to scuba diving and parasailing and jet skiing. There is a bar on the beach and a place where you can get snacks and fast food. There's a gym which is quite big and offers programs such as yoga, Zumba, Pilates, and spin classes. Do make sure that you take some time to talk to the concierge about trips that you might want to take outside of the resort. Caution though, do not get taken into going to the presentation there about a vacation club. We went to the presentation, it was only supposed to take 90 minutes. It took over two hours and then we were promised a two-day car rental for free. The car rental was not free and I ended up paying over $100USD for the car. Would I stay here again if I wanted an all-inclusive? The answer is yes. If you are not an all-inclusive person, then it is better to stay in one of the towns or cities located in Cancun, or Playa Del Carmen and get a hotel in...

TL;DR This has become a tourist trap, avoid - not worth your money.

Maybe it was once good and we were really looking forward to it but, like many other recent reviews, they now charge a rather hefty MX$415 (about £16) per person fee to enter the natural "park", likely not since long as the wrist bands still show MX$60. It wouldn't have been so bad if they actually spent the money to keep the beach clear of sea grass when it's in season - they're not keeping on top of it as there was loads of it everywhere.

There was also still a lot of pollution from plastics and small parts of the ropes for the boats on some parts of the strip and around the entrance, making you feel like the money you've spent isn't exactly going where it should.

The majority of the sea immediately in front of the strip is full of boats and people offering boat and snorkeling tours. The swimmable parts of the beach without boats are the small minority.

Note: Anything you have in a single use plastic bag or bottle is not allowed (reusable bottles and containers are).

If you want to visit the archaeological site and the Maya ruins that's another MX$100 (£4) on top - you can't avoid the park entry fee. In contrast, Uxmal costs MX$580 (£23) and you can't even compare the two.

All in all, for MX$515 (~£20) per person it felt like a ripoff and a tourist trap. It's not cheap even for tourists, and for this price tag the value is simply not there and they don't seem to be making any use of the proceeds either. Unlike many other paid places we visited, this one left a rather sour taste.

Do yourself a favour and go to Playa del Carmen instead. A return bus with ADO from Tulum costs MX$260 (~£10), takes about an hour each way, and the beach there was free and immaculate. We even saw them pick up all the neatly packed bags of sea grass. Much...

Not even sure where to begin. I give 3 stars because the place itself is awesome BUT there are some things you have to consider...

I start saying that if you want to see a more real part of Mexico, don't even bother coming here. There are so many places that are more beautiful and treat tourist in a respectable way: bacalar, Merida, Valladolid, even Cancun (not in the zona hotelera). Everything here is a legalised tourism scam - from parking to tours, and from entering ruins and national parks to beaches (that are dirty and nobody cares to clean). The government is closing both eyes to make everyone eat this cake - on the shoulders of tourists.

Talking about the beach(es), the Caribbean paradise long dreamt is just it's bad version. Public beaches are hard to find because everything has been privatised - even though under federal law, mexican beaches should be free. When you find one (like this one), Sargasso is ruining everything and sometimes makes it impossible to go in the water (smell and colour of the water are aweful). There are at least two meters of algae ashore that nobody cares to clean - because it is easier to ask for an overpriced sunbed and ombrella than actually do something.

If you decide to come here (but I'm general on the riviera maya), at this point, it is better to go to a resort and do everything there. At least there they will take good care of you. Otherwise, if you wanna explore Yucatan,...