El Paraíso Tulum | Restaurant & Beach Club — Restaurant in Tulum

Try not to pay the tips! You will be treated almost as if you were a criminal.

In Mexico, as in Brazil, tips are not obligatory. In this case, I assume that the value of the service is already included in the consumption price, and I choose whether I will or won't pay the tips if the service exceeds expectations.

We traveled all over Mexico (seven states and D.F.). Everywhere we've been we always chose when and if we would pay the tips, according to our degree of satisfaction with the services. Nowhere I felt constrained to pay tips... only at this restaurant.

When I said I didn't intend to pay tips, the waiter demanded that I explain it. I wasn't entirely satisfied with the service, but I wouldn't want to discuss it with the restaurant staff (I just wouldn't want to pay the tips).

The attendant then said that we were in Mexico and that it was practical to pay 10% to 15% tips, or to explain why not want to pay (a practice that I have not seen anywhere in the 20 days I was in Mexico).

Then I said that I wouldn't give any explanations other than expressing my desire not to pay the tips, and I would only pay if it was mandatory.

The waiter finally said, in order to compel me to pay the tips, that he would have to pay my tips himself (which, I believe, would be a lie, or if it were true, it would be a practice that I consider illegal on the part of the restaurant).

Finally, exhausted from the argument, I insisted that I wouldn't pay the tips unless it was mandatory.

It was an extremely embarrassing situation, and that's why I don't recommend this...

Very fitting name! We used this restaurant and it's hotel grounds after a snorkelling tour and it was amazing for the entirety we spent at it.

The menu had both Spanish and English and the English was easy to understand, definitely no mistranslations. Myself and my girlfriend had many fruit smoothies and piña coladas, all of which were perfect. As for our food, we had the fried calamari which was very nice, crispy batter and the calamari wasn't stringy or mushy. Make-your-own tacos were great, you had a sizzling dish of your chosen meat and vegetables with guacamole and pico de gallo on the side. You also were served a green sauce (salsa verde(?)), a very spicy black-ish sauce and lime wedges. The corn tortillas you got with this dish were great and we were offered a refill on them when we began nearing the end of them. We also got a stuffed fillet of fish, a fillet of white fish stuffed with prawns, octopus, squid and clams, covered with a tomato sauce with vegetables on the side. This was very nice also, I made sure not to leave anything.

Food aside, the location of El Paraiso is fantastic, right next to a public entrance to the Playa Paraiso beach. Palm trees cover all the sun loungers outside, security are situated at a few different spots on the grounds which is good for peace of mind. Staff clear the sargassum too which is good if you wanted to have a dip. Staff were friendly and attentive, we were really treated very very well, it felt strange being treated so well! Very strange to see all the poor reviews for this place, our experience...

Our experience at Playa Paraíso was a complete disappointment. The waiter was inattentive and careless — we had to remind him multiple times about our orders, and even then, he either entered them incorrectly, forgot them altogether, or simply didn’t bother to put them in. On several occasions, we had to go find him ourselves because he disappeared for long periods. When confronted, he admitted he hadn’t entered the orders but acted confused about whether we still wanted them — despite there being no language barrier whatsoever. This was pure negligence.

The food, once it finally arrived, was mediocre and uninspired. The drinks were even worse — poorly mixed, watered down, and completely lacking any quality. For the prices they charge, this level of service and product is unacceptable.

On top of everything, you’re forced to pay a national park entry fee plus an additional fee for the so-called “beach club” experience, which is absolutely not worth it. You’re better off spending a little more at a real beach club on the south end where the service is professional, the food and drinks are top-notch, and you don’t have to chase down your waiter just to get basic service.

Save your time and money — Playa Paraíso is no longer the paradise it...