Our family had an amazing stay at Paradisus Playa del Carmen, and we truly feel it’s one of the best family-friendly resorts we’ve ever visited. From the moment we arrived, we were impressed by the warm atmosphere, the thoughtful activities for kids, and the overall comfort and ease the resort provides for families.
We are a vegan family of 4 and travelled with 3 other families with kids ranging from 8 yo to 11 months.
The staff made our experience unforgettable, and we want to highlight the people who helped shape our week:
- It started with Yoseline from the culinary experience desk who was incredibly patient and kind while helping us arrange our reservations for 14 people for the entire week. She also introduced me to Rodolfo and Roger, when I expressed my
concerns about finding vegan food throughout our stay. She set the tone for how supported we felt throughout our stay.
- Rodolfo, who manages breakfast and lunch services, was helpful from the beginning and introduced us to Gladiola and Roger who took care of us the rest of the week.
- Roger and Angel, the main chefs for lunch and dinner, though we didn’t see them often, when the saw us, they always checked in and made sure our meals at the restaurants were planned ahead.
- Monserrat, the main breakfast chef, brought a warm, motherly energy every morning and made sure we always had what we needed. She went the extra mile everyday - one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.
- Gladiola, working closely with Rodolfo, Monserrat, and Ruth, helped ensure we had the right food prepared at both breakfast and lunch. She made sure to check in with us every breakfast and lunch.
- Chef Ruth from the Naos buffet, though shyer, crafted special vegan lentil burgers that our whole family absolutely loved — a big highlight at lunch.
- Jimena and Yoselyn from entertainment were fantastic. Jimena in particular has incredible energy that kids instantly connect with. Our daughters adored her. The entire entertainment staff was wonderful and truly elevated our experience.
The resort’s nightly shows were excellent, with talented performers who kept both kids and adults entertained. They became something we genuinely looked forward to each evening.
As a vegan family, dining can sometimes be difficult at all-inclusive resorts, but Paradisus made it much easier than expected. They were extremely accommodating everywhere we went, and Flora was the most vegan-friendly restaurant on the property, requiring almost no adjustments.
We also had a memorable and very fun evening at Tokimeku on the adults-only side. Cristhian, the hibachi chef, brought great energy and made the experience engaging for everyone. The food was delicious and the whole experience was a blast.
Finally, the resort had the nicest beach we’ve been to in the Riviera Maya. It was well kept, the sand was soft and the water clean.
However, we did encounter a couple of issues:
1. Air Conditioning Problems: Our room’s AC never dropped below 21–22°C at night. We asked for help multiple times, and maintenance visited four separate times. Each time they said it was fixed, but the problem persisted. They did offer to move us to another room again, but we had already changed rooms once and didn’t want to go through that process again. They brought us a fan that helped a bit. Unfortunately, the issue was never resolved, and there was no alternative compensation offered.
2. Lack of Pre-Arrival Support for Dietary Needs: Before arriving, we tried multiple times to communicate our dietary limitations as vegans and asked for at least one meal (dinner on the first day) to be arranged ahead of time. Unfortunately, despite several attempts, the resort refused to arrange anything in advance. The first evening my family was lucky to find space at a restaurant to eat, but there wasn’t much we could eat. The rest of our group had to wait until 6:30pm for the buffet to open which was tough with their very young children. After that first evening, everything was handled smoothly and without issue as described above.
Overall, Paradisus Playa del Carmen offered a wonderful family vacation with standout staff, great entertainment, and excellent vegan accommodations once on-site. The issues above ended up being minor discomforts that we’ll soon forget.
We would happily return and highly recommend it to families, especially those with dietary needs.
