Joia Paraíso By Iberostar

“Another amazing year at the Joia!”

This review is from our stay November 21st thru December 3rd. This was our 9th stay at the Iberostar Joia and our 14th stay overall at this Iberostar property. We had another amazing stay with only a few comments for improvement needed. This trip was 12 days, which is our longest so far and our… more

This review is from our stay November 21st thru December 3rd. This was our 9th stay at the Iberostar Joia and our 14th stay overall at this Iberostar property. We had another amazing stay with only a few comments for improvement needed. This trip was 12 days, which is our longest so far and our first after the renovations they made in August. Arrival/Lobby Services: The welcome home by Ricardo is always our favorite part of the trip. Smooth and easy check in by Marco in the front lobby. They accommodated our upgrade request and we were assigned to Bldg 71. Ricardo whisked us off to our room (after a cocktail or two at the lobby bar). We always received excellent service at the lobby when requesting change (for tips) and especially love seeing Sacnite & Paulina who have always provided us the best service. Bell staff was great accommodating our ride requests and always provided a good laugh or two on the way. Accommodations: We were in room 7151 on the third floor. The rooms are essentially the same and have not really been upgraded in any meaningful way since last year. They could probably use some attention and a bench of some kind in the shower would make life so much easier! Still comfortable with an amazing view and our maid service for both daily service and turn down was great! We also had no issues with our mini-bar replenishment and any requests were promptly granted. Butler Service: Daniel checked us in and did a fantastic job fielding our many requests (more hangers, temperature control, change of coffee maker, daily champagne bucket, etc….) Ana, Tania, Antonio, Benjamen, also provided us with excellent service as needed/requested. We also made a trip to Bldg 70 to see our Butler friends from previous years (Luis and Marcelo)… All the butlers here go out of their way to accommodate any need you may have. Entertainment: The entertainment staff led by Luis is excellent and we enjoyed interacting with them. The addition of live music at the pool in the afternoons was great, and the guitarist/singer (Mr Tacher) was fantastic and played some great music! We missed Oz Barba at the Joia and made a special trip to the Maya to see him. Another amazing talent who never disappoints! Shows are back in the Theatre, and we made it to one, but there was a chemical odor in the building that made it almost impossible to stay. Hopefully that is a temporary situation. Restaurants: Overall the food was very good and I’ll summarize each below: Star Café- New and very welcome addition to the Joia property! Monserrat and our good friend Leticia (previously at the pool) took care of all our caffeine needs. Buffet- Slight disappointment in the breakfast buffet as the temperature of the food (unless you had freshly made) was lukewarm and sometimes even cold. I had never experienced this in previous stays. We only had the lunch buffet once, but it was very good with a great selection and food and better temperatures! Service in the buffet was excellent as always and Wilberth always found us to say hello when he was working. Punta Sal- We love this place on the beach for lunch. It’s a beautiful view, good food, and Eunice (manager) and our favorite server Guadalupe always ensure a wonderful meal! Haiku Teppanyaki- The first time we have done the Teppanyaki tables in a few years. Food was great, show was good, and service was excellent as always. (Thanks to Willams) Legado (Mexican)- Every meal we had here was excellent and the service is impeccable. Menu is much improved over the previous “Mexican” restaurant. Melchor has been our favorite server at Haiku for many years and has moved over to Legado. He ensured an excellent meal with some of the best service in the entire resort both visits to this restaurant. Venecia- Italian restaurant and we had excellent food every time we ate here this trip. Service by Eusubio was outstanding! This was one of our favorites this time around! L’Atelier- This is the gourmet/French restaurant. We ate there twice and the first time the food was so-so, but the second time the food was much better. Excellent service both visits by Sylvino and Emilio! Ember-This is the steakhouse and we ended up eating here quite a few times this trip. Food was good and Alphonso did an excellent job with service on our first visit. We had an outstanding meal our last visit with much thanks to Felix (the manager) who granted a few special requests on our part to accommodate some allergy concerns. Haiku-Bistro- This was always a favorite of ours, but we only ate here once this trip and regretted not making it a priority to eat here at least twice! They have a slightly new menu and everything we had was excellent! Bars/Pool/Beach: Lobby Bar- We love this Bar, especially for a morning or early afternoon break. During the day, Antonio & Janeth keep us entertained and well lubricated with yummy drinks and friendly banter. Dario made us some excellent Espresso Martini’s in the evening and there was always some music or entertainment happening each night and Araceli provided great service! Rhapsody- Always enjoy this bar and some amazing cocktails made by Luilly and Neville. Here is where you can get some of the best drinks on the property. Pool Bar- Great service from Alejando and team! Whether you want a shot or mixed drink, they’ve got you covered and very often it turns into shots for the entire bar! Service around the pool by Consuelo, Letecia, and team was also excellent and quick! And we can’t forget Luis with his cart and fresh fruit cocktails around the pool! Beach Bar/Service- Special thanks to Humberto for his service on the beach this trip! Pool Concierge- Mirna does an amazing job and always greets us with a smile and a hug each trip. Golf: We golfed three times this trip and enjoyed them all. We are not fans of the shotgun start they have implemented on busy weekends and wish they would reconsider reinstating regular tee times. The course is beautiful (and challenging) and the staff there are great! Summary: We love coming “home” to this resort and our friends we’ve made over the years. This year it seems like the food was better in most cases (except breakfast buffet) and the improvements they’ve made are good. Rooms could use some updating, but the most important part of this resort is the staff and the service level which remains outstanding. That is the reason we return year after year.

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“Amazing quality of service”

Beatiful facility. Food ranged from good to great. The service was truly exceptional. It is so hard for places like this that have such large staffs to maintain great service. Every employee was so cheerful and helpful. Amazing they can maintain such consistent great staff.

“Amazing hotel, even better food and service”

Incredible hotel, but the food was spectacular. Armando at the Mexican Restaurant and Emilio at the French restaurant were two of the best servers that I have ever had! They both provided an over the top experience that made the trip absolutely amazing.

“L’Altier at Joia Paraiso”

A must Visit is L’atier at Joia Paraiso. Our waiter Abraham Lopez was exceptional. Very professional and spot on with the recommendations. Food and service was A plus! Additionally the dining room was well appointed and the ambiance was exceptional!