Paradisus La Perla Adults Only Riviera Maya

We really loved our stay at Paradisus La Perla

For part of our honeymoon, we had booked three nights at the Adults Only (Reserve) section, in a junior suite. As we got closer to the date, we decided to add another night, but since we would arrive later in the afternoon, booked one of the cheaper rooms for that night.

When we arrived at the hotel, we were pretty much immediately given the opportunity to upgrade (for a smaller fee) to a Master suite for our whole stay, including the first night - this would mean we would have a much bigger room for our stay, and wouldn't need to move rooms. A great start!

The hotel has a great location and it's beautiful inside and out. Rooms were beautiful and the way they decorated both inside and outside really is something I've never experienced before. There's a small bridge going through the jungle to the beach and everything feels so thought-through and luxurious. We also had access to the family side, and there's a small "water park" for families as well where we also spend some time going down water slides.

We had booked the Reserve room to have access to the "VIP" pool, pool bar, bali beds and restaurant, and by far our favourite perk of the reserve was the Sante Restaurant. Staff was amazingly sweet and the food was absolutely delicious. We ate breakfast and lunch there almost every day, only skipping to try out the buffet once.

During our second day (which was originally supposed to be our first), our dedicated concierge, Carlos, had prepared a super sweet honeymoon surprise for our room while we were out enjoying the resort. We were super surprised and thrilled and definitely felt cared for. A few days later, a bottle of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries also appeared in our room, with rose petals all over the entrance. The staff had also closed the curtains and put on cozy lights, really setting a romantic atmosphere.

During our stay, we did have a few smaller challenges, which were very unfortunate and not up to the standards that the resort brands themselves on. Not big things, but small stuff that added up and just gave a bad feeling in our stomachs. Fortunately, Carlos was easily available on WhatsApp and helped solve everything in a way that made us feel seen and heard. The guest concierge at the reception and the resort manager (or at least I believe it was him) also did a great job in making up for the unfortunate things that had occurred. Among other things, Carlos arranged for a bottle of Mescal for my husband (who is a Mexican too, and had mentioned to Carlos earlier that he loved mescal). We also got some credit from the manager that we were able to spend on a wine tasting and the gift shop (which has super cute things btw). The Spa Experience included in our reservation was not fully available during our stay, so we were compensated with a free couple's massage instead.

The staff in the resort are all super sweet, attentive and caring. If you look confused for 2 seconds, someone will magically appear and help you out, and they all bring an energy and vibe I haven't met anywhere in any hotel before. Maybe it's the Mexican friendly culture on top of the clearly service minded staff - from cleaning staff to waiters to reception, everyone met us with a smile, always. We ended up talking with a lot of the staff when we were out and about, and had so much fun doing so. The waiters in Sante greeted us by name on the second day already, and the bartenders of the South Bar, where we had drinks the first evening and ended up talking with them for a while, always waved us over with a smile when we passed by for the rest of our stay, and we had a lot of fun talking and joking with them. All in all, all the staff were super sweet, caring and attentive, and there is no mistaking that they are completely essential in making Paradisus La Perla the great resort experience it is.

The one thing that dropped our opinion from 5 to 4 stars, is the way The Circle, Melias VIP/special club, treated us. We were invited for a sales pitch which they promised would take 45 minutes and we'd get $200USD to spend at the hotel. The pitch from the sales guy was great and the price was very tempting, but the timing for us to make the purchase is super bad. The sales manager ended up taking over from the other guy and trying to convince us for ANOTHER 30 minutes that we should purchase, even when we continuesly said no, and explained why. He dismissed our reasons and told us they were not valid, pressuring us to go with his offer and several times straight up told us that we were lying about how our situation impacts our finances and that we should be able to buy. We did talk to both Carlos and the guest concierge at the reception about this afterwards, and they took it very seriously so I believe they were trying to resolve it with the person involved, but this was by far not acceptable and something Melia should look into on a bigger scale.

All in all, we had some challenges but our concierge especially, made sure that those unfortunate events did not put a damper on our honeymoon, and the solutions he came up with made up for everything. He even wrote us little notes that we found in our room, which again made us feel personally cared for, especially in a resort as big as La Paradisus. In the end, we felt like we made friends and left the resort wanting to come back. If they solve their issues with The Circle, I even imagine us being club members later, when our situation allows.

We had a wonderful stay at Paradisus La Perla Riviera Maya – Adults Only and thoroughly enjoyed every moment of our vacation as a couple. The hotel is modern, beautiful, and exceptionally clean. Before arriving, we expected the food to be very spicy, but we were pleasantly surprised. Everything was delicious, with a great variety of options, and the restaurants were excellent. Our favorite was Flora – we highly recommend it! A special thank you to Eleazar at the front desk for his kindness, professionalism, and outstanding service. He made us feel truly welcome and was always happy to help. The only small downside was the amount of sargassum on the beach in July, but this is a natural seasonal issue and not something the hotel can control. Overall, we had an amazing experience and would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a relaxing, high-quality adults-only vacation. We would love to come back!