Andy James, co- owner of James TravelPOINTS, an American Express Representative office established in 1957, recently visited the Iberostar Paraiso Grand All-Inclusive Adults Only Luxury Resort located south of Cancun Mexico along the Riviera Maya.

The Iberostar Grand Paraiso, is a unique contrast among its other branded peer properties situated on the same complex.  As you enter the gates and drive past the other Iberostar resort properties (Paraiso Beach, Paraiso Del Mar, Paraiso Lindo, Paraiso Maya) you will notice this beautiful large complex.  The Paraiso Beach & Del Mar are aimed for the budget minded all-inclusive guest.  Both properties provide standard dining amenities.

The Lindo claims to be a 5 star property, but it’s my opinion to be more of a nice 3 ½ – 4 star family friendly hotel.  It appears to be a party atmosphere  with over sized pools and beautifully landscaped gardens. The main pool, the wave pool, the lazy river pool all connect  to a large swim up bar.  Music and entertainment is always “on-tap” with many activities available all day.  The pools are large and great to swim in, but it can be noisy and alive.

The Mayan, a nice intimate  property. I would consider this property to be a 4 star property. The Mayan  has its own unique features and is very family friendly but  seems to be quieter than the Lindo.  Both the Lindo and Mayan have a good selection of  restaurants and bars from buffets to ala-carte dining.   The hotel staff  is friendly, helpful and ready to serve you.

The Grand Paraiso, the “Parthenon” of the Iberostar complex,  is  a true 5 star adult’s only exclusive property, geared toward sophisticated quiet adult relaxation.   Guests staying at the Grand have multiple dining options and privileges at the other four properties as well.  Guests staying at any of the other three properties DO NOT have privileges at the Grand Paraiso it’s exclusive to  Grand guest only.

The Grand Paraiso is luxurious.  As you enter the lobby you will notice a large indoor terrarium in the center.   Surrounding the terrarium,  is a nice lobby lounge bar. This bar plays soft music during the evening hours, and is a nice quiet intimate  evening get-away.  Other guest amenities include a computer room, billiards/game room and a cigar bar.  As you pass through the lobby you’ll experience  modern spacious hallways en-route to your private room. Each floor  has its own concierge, who is ready to set up your dining reservations, excursions or activities.  The Grand Paraiso rooms are spacious and contemporary with a separate sitting room and outdoor patio.  In your luxury room, you’ll find a  comfortable bed with beautiful linens, a fully stocked mini bar with snacks which are included and stocked daily and  a nice flat screen T.V. with all cable channels you need.  To accommodate your clothing attire, there are  2 large separate closets and plenty of drawer space.  The bathrooms are large with a walk in shower, large whirlpool  tub, toilet and two separate vanity sinks.

The Grand Parasio has all the modern conveniences and exclusive privacy the resort touts.  It’s luxury and it is quite.   You’ll find a large Spa which includes  a 20 meter indoor pool and exercise room.  Other pools on the property include a large “quite pool” where lounge chairs and guests are spaced for intimate conversation and relaxations in a manicure  landscaped setting.   The largest pool approximately 100 meters in length is a “salt water” pool with a refreshing swim up bar.  This  pool has great views of the ocean with plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas.  The ocean is only a short walk away on a beautiful stretch of beach.  From your lounge chair under a palapa, on the beach you’ll find staff members ready to take your drink or snack order.   The ocean is a beautiful turquoise color and is a mild temperature. Swimming is a must and quite refreshing.  The ocean surf is mild and the bottom is sandy.  Snorkeling is not great in this area, you’ll need to go to Akumal for some this.

For all Iberostar guests who want more than sitting on the beach or lounging around sipping a tropical drink, there is a 18-hole golf course, 8 tennis courts, miles of walking paths and a shopping complex on site.  Most guests are content spending their vacation absorbing the sun and relaxing.

The Grand Paraiso has 6 restaurants on the property and all are very good.  The service is top notch and dining reservations are recommended.  There are 5  ala carte restaurants and 1 international buffet.  A nice house wine selection is included with the meals in all the restaurants.

How would I rate the Grand Paraiso.

It’s exceptional, a true 5 Star property with originality over conformity. This luxury all-inclusive resort has a refreshing array of character and ambience and it is big.  The Grand Paraiso  brings the highest standards without being standard.  They have a nice variety of dining and guest service amenities which are unique and distinctive.  This is the kind of hotel you can lavish and pamper yourself and guest with, if you can afford it.

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Secrets Maroma, Riviera Maya, Mexico is truly a slice of heaven on Earth. Everything about this resort is there to spoil, pamper, and awe you.  All of the rooms are beautiful suites.  Each one equipped with canopy beds, Jacuzzi tubs, balconies, and privacy boxes (this is where your 24hr room service will be delivered if you are too “busy” to open the door).  Do not forget to tell your concierge which pillow you desire from the pillow menu. Since this is an adults only resort, you never need to worry about your pool time being interrupted by splashing children.  On the contrary, you will be lulled into a state of calm by the tranquil spa music that you hear throughout the resort.  As you lay by the pool, gazing at the turquoise color of the ocean, don’t be surprised if you are interrupted by a man with a platter of sushi, asking if you care to try some. While you are busy working on your tan, the staff is busy bringing you food and drink.  The food is as good as any gourmet restaurant and the drinks are made with top shelf liquor.  Last but not least, the beach! It is a beautiful white sand beach that seems to stretch forever.  My husband and I were in disbelief of the quality of service, ambiance, food, and drink, from the time we arrived and well into the time we left (we are still in disbelief).  It was truly a romantic retreat, our second honeymoon. 

Call James TravelPOINTS to book your escape 1-800-274-0436/303 442-2340, www.travelpoints.com

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What a great vacation and great value.  Secrets Maroma, a 5 star Adults Only All-Inclusive Resort and Spa located south of Cancun along the beautiful Riviera Maya beaches of Mexico.  Andy James a travel agency owner for the past 30 years with James TravelPOINTS just spent 5 nights at this all-inclusive luxury resort.  With all the media hype about the swine flu prior to going, we decided to go a head and check out this property along with 2 others which were also exceptional, Secrets Silversands and Zoetry Paraiso De La Bonita.   After we arrived into Cancun and transferred to the Secrets Maroma Resort, (no swine flu in Cancun) we saw a beautiful resort hotel feeling the direct effects of the media over sensationalizing the flu crisis.  The resort running around 35 – 40 percent occupancy at the time we arrived was eager and ready to make every guests experience a memorable one.     This resort is for couples who want to get away from the day to day and enjoy the ambience of a relaxing vacation, without the kids in a luxury, stylish and fun atmosphere.  The resorts sits on a beautiful beach called Maroma Beach, considered one of the “Best Beaches” in the world with its powder white sand and warm ocean currents and vibrant coral reefs.  If you like to walk or swim in the ocean, this is an ideal location, the surf is minimal and swimming is safe or you walk for miles in either direction. No worry about ocean currents unless you try to swim over to Cozumel. As you enter the main lobby you are greeted by a large water sculpture and friendly hotel staff ready to assist.  All the rooms are suites with ocean views of the turquoise ocean off in the distance.  Rooms located on the ground level have their own swim out pool area.  Each room suite has a large private walk out patio with is own “splash pool”, a large king size bed or twin queens if you prefer, a large Jacuzzi tub, nice vanity and shower and of course a large flat screen TV with multi cable channels.  The mini-fridge is fully stocked with all sorts of beverages and if you have a preference, they will stock it for you, free of charge.  If you prefer to up-grade your stay, you can use the Preferred Club, an exclusive lounge area providing concierge service, daily continental breakfast service, afternoon hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, a great bar, desserts & fine liquors along with 4 computers for easy access to the internet.  The resort has 2 large swimming pools, lots of umbrellas for shade, easy access to the beach with plenty of palapas with towels, lounge chairs and a nice ocean breeze.   Around the pool is the pool restaurant which serves a la carte local fare, the pool bars and attentive wait staff ready to assist.   If you are wondering about the bars and lounges at this resort there are plenty, 8 bars and lounges serving unlimited premium beverages including pool and beach wait service.  The main lobby bar in the evening is delightful gathering spot before and after dinner.    The dining option are fabulous, they have 7 different restaurants to satisfy your appetite.   All the restaurants are a la carte menus.  The El Patio restaurant serves authentic Mexican fare which was good.   The Seaside grill located near the pools offer a selection of fresh fish and steaks (the tenderloin served here is marvelous and superb).  The Asian restaurant Himitsu located in the main lobby serves up Pan-Asian specialties and sushi.   Bordeauxthe French cuisine restaurant and Portofino’s the Northern Italian restaurant also located in the main lobby are nice elegant dining options.  All excellent dining venues with a good selection of house wines from Chile. The only buffet we saw was in the morning for breakfast and it was good.   Evening attire in the main lobby requires men to wear long pants and a nice polo or button down shirt.      If you are a golfer,  Secrets Maroma has a relationship with Playa Mujeres golf club with complimentary green fees.  A Golf Cart fee of $35.00 U.S. per person is required and if you need to rent clubs plan on paying an additional $35-$40.  The golf course is in great shape, tight scenic course with various water hazards and bunkers.  The back 9 has good views of the ocean, local beaches and the island of Isla Mujeres.  The drive from Secrets Maroma to the golf course is approximately 1 hour, and its north of Cancun.  You will need to rent a car to drive up their, or plan on paying for a transfer which could run around $100 or more roundtrip.  It’s definitely worth a golf trip if you like to play golf. Other day time activities include sitting in your lounge pool chair around one of the (2) swimming pools or swim-out pools watching the clouds and sipping your favorite beverage.  If you are a lap swimmer, the 2^nd pool is approximately 125 yards long and is great for lap swimming.  There is a fitness room, (2) tennis courts (good courts but play early in the morning) pool volleyball, water aerobics and other low key events.   On the beach safe swimming in the ocean, windsurfing, hobie cats, kayaks, snorkeling, diving clinics and beach walking.  The resort offers daily snorkeling and dive trips at an additional cost.   The Spa by Pevonia is over 13,000 sq feet of sublime atmosphere and very impressive.  Amenities include hydrotherapy and indigenous treatments.  Multiple massage styles indoors and out, Jacuzzi baths, sauna and steam rooms.  Worth a visit if you are into Spa treatments, from what I hear.  They also do nails. This resort is very attentive to their guest well being while on vacation, the staff is very friendly and customer oriented.   Another pleasant feature is they do not require guest to wear a “wrist band” like all the other all-inclusive resorts.   I would rate this hotel a 5 star property with originality over conformity.  This is a luxury resort with a refreshing array of character and ambience.  They provide the widest variety of dining and guest service amenities that is unique and distinctive.  This is the kind of hotel you dream about and pamper yourself with over and over and over.   

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