JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar: Really nice but.....

We have stayed at 3 Mexican Secrets resorts (Maroma, Akumal, Playa Blanca) over the last 4 years but decided to try JOIA this year. They are all adults only, and highly rated and similar priced. We stayed in the beach view Butler so it was higher rated than the cheapest Secrets rooms we stayed at Beach - Certainly all 4 are comparable but I do give the edge to JOIA as there is a better effort to control sargassum with a 3 mile long floating barrier to try to control it. It made going into [... read more] the ocean pleasant Room - JOIA is the smallest of all the resorts although that was not really an issue. Secrets did a better job in comfort and convenience. The bathroom is where JOIA is really weak. Too small. The tub was old and the had lots of small cracks, we did try to use it but when the jets were turn on, black dirt came out and it was gross. The shower had only the rain shower and it was noticeable plugged so not a great experience. Cheap quality soaps and shampoo. Secrets Playa blanca was the clear winner although all of the Secrets were better Grounds - JOIA easily won this one. All of these resorts are beautiful, but the ship, and plants, and size was a winner here. No crazy stairs to the lobby like all of the Secrets. The lobby is really nice, and lots of things happening at the lobby too. Maroma was a close 2nd, Food - Now this one is certainly interesting. Akumal was the best for us, but JOIA had both pluses and Minuses. One thing we like it to go to the specially restaurants at a resort, to enjoy a specific meal. But the buffet at this resort was the best meals we had. Better than Secrets too. Especially Thursday night Gala where it is seafood night (lobster and crab). Do not miss this. The Italian you would think is great, but it was not. The French was way better, and the Steak/seafood Gallion was good but not great. (although the steaks were really good) The Asian is basically a teppanyaki which every resort has, if you like that. I think an update on menus is greatly needed and perhaps updating the restaurant/buffet itself is needed. The buffet room looks like 70's banquet room, although we certainly enjoyed breakfast and lunch here. It is puzzling as the ship is in the centre of the action and feels like a European dock side. The outdoor buffet is just ok but the seating has a nice view of the beach Drinks - ok but not great. Too often they served us poor quality spirits even when we asked for the premium stuff. Right in front of us too. Why do they even have the poor quality stuff there. This is a premium #1 resort, act like it Activities - Golf course right on the resort, tennis is excellent but could use a dedicated pickle-ball court (do not try to convert a tennis court to that, it will only fail. (Maroma tried and failed miserably) a dedicated pool volley ball court is nice touch. But organized activities is weak. Secrets does a way better job and certainly more interesting. Pools - Just ok. Too many cracks and damage around the pool. Missing and damaged tiles everywhere. The temperature of the water was a little warm and hot tub was nice but really too hot. The really great thing is that the resort does not charge extra for the cabanas. Nice touch and kudos to JOIA for that. Akumal and Playa Blanca do charge for cabanas. To be honest, even with the extra charges, the pools at these 2 secrets really blows this resort out of the water. (not Maroma) It would have been cool if the ship was part of the swimming pool instead of just a prop. An adult water park of sorts, with the swim up bar in the ship. (ok I am dreaming now) Spa - disaster. The water therapy was included so we tried it. It was located inside our building facing the ocean. Sounds great right? wrong. It is a hot tub in a room with 2 chairs, steam room and sauna. Showers not working. The fitness room is here too. It feels like a joke or something. Come on JOIA. Even a cheap Dreams kids resort we stayed at had better facilities. Don't even offer it as it cheapens this beautiful resort. Overall - While we did enjoy this resort, Beach, buffet, grounds, tennis and poolside cabanas, there were too many negatives for us. Bathroom, spa, restaurant choices. There are so many choices to go to at this price point (high end cruses, high end resorts). We won't be back sorry to say.

Iberostar Selection Riviera Cancun: Great Resort!!!

The rooms were amazing. Large, clean and everything functioned well. The common areas always kept clean and the vegetation well maintained and trimmed. The water filtration system is fantastic, available throughout the resort. Every bar also has water dispensers with fruit infused cold water. The food was great everywhere. The restaurants did not require reservations or limits. At some there was a very short wait and at some no wait at all. The wait staff was amazing. Highly recommend Daniel a [... read more]t the Spanish restaurant. The activities provided at the hotel were numerous and diverse. James is amazing at the Archery and Rifle Shooting classes, as well as other events too. The equipment in the fitness room is quite new and the atmosphere was great. The beach is fairly small, but it was not very busy. We always were able to find lounge chairs available. One drawback was that you cannot walk along the beach for longer than the hotel width as the water comes all the way up to the retaining walls of the adjacent hotels.

JOIA Paraiso by Iberostar: Good resort

The level of service has dropped somewhat.Nobody cleaned the sun loungers on the beach.There were often not enough towels in the room. the evening entertainment is very boring.There were no towels in the quiet pool in the evening.

Iberostar Selection Paraiso Maya Suites: Beautiful resort

Just returned from a 7 night stay at parisio Maya Suits. The resort is stunning and massive as you have access to the 3 resorts below the Maya level. The grounds are meticulously maintained and beautiful, the attention to detail is evident. The food was abundant and always a great selection in the buffets. We had 3 al la carte bookings and enjoyed them all. The beach was nice but going in sargassum season you can only expect it to be ok, the resort had installed sargassum barriers to help and [... read more] it has bit the water didn’t have the turquoise colour that we all love. Sadly Mother Nature rules here, having said that the resort is constantly cleaning the beach for everyone’s enjoyment. The staff are friendly and more than accommodating for any requests.

Iberostar Waves Rose Hall Beach: Lovely resort

Every thing about this resort is absolutely beautiful from the entertainment staff to the cleaning staffs everyone was great to deal with I would for sure go back and also recommend this resort to friends and family five stars for sure

Iberostar Selection Riviera Cancun: Perfection !!

We just returned from a 7 day trip here at iberostar selection riviera cancun …. We were in building 1 - with swim up , outside jacuzzi and inside jacuzzi. The room itself was beautiful and larger than expected. from speaking with neighbours we learned that some have 2 double/queen beds and some have 1 king size bed. The outside jacuzzi was not often hot, however the water temps were never cold even in the main pools. the jets were nice , and if we wanted a HOT jacuzzi we had the option to u [... read more]se the one in our room which the water got really good and hot in there. Building 1 swim ups attach directly to the main pool area where the swim up bar is , and where most afternoon activities were held. We discovered that the swim ups in building 2 where not attached to the main pool , and were directly infront of the Members only swim up pool/bar. Building 2 - as mentioned lots on this page gets the most sunshine during the day… it often was over building 1 by noon or shortly after.. which was no bother for us bcoz we could easily swim to main pool area to chase the sun if we wanted. building 2 is more “private and quiet” with more sun. it was still plenty warm without the sun however. Now onto food - The buffet was surprisingly good! there are daily themes (asian , mexican , even a steak and lobster evening) which kept the options flowing and changing throughout the week. The À la Cartes did not require reservations, or pre-planning .. but there was sometimes wait periods depending on what time you chose to go. (they take your phone number and text on Whatsapp when your table is ready so you don’t have to stand around if you don’t want to).They have several à la carte options open each evening from 6-10pm. Options include Spanish, Mexican , Caribbean, Italian. There was also a fire oven pizza “shop”, pop up bbq , pop up taco stand , and other random pop up goodies like popcorn , civeche, ice cream. During our stay only 2 main restaurants were open each evening and rotated back and forth while buffet and pizza where open everyday. I personally give all dining inc buffett an easy 5 star. i was beyond impressed by the food quality and options. There was also room service from 11am-1030pm , we had that several afternoons and it was also fantastic ! (chicken fingers and fries, club sandwiches, quesadillas etc) which were all yum yumm as well. desserts were also plentiful at all options. Entertainment- There was daily entertainment during the day and evening . And in the entry of the buffett you would find a daily calendar listing all events for the day. Also when you turn on your TV the main screen would list all event schedules for the day/week. The evening shows were absolutely amazing from circus to fire show , live music etc .. All that we attended surpassed my expectations!! The afternoon entertainment staff at the pool were so fun ! foam party was a great time ! The beach - As mentioned lots the beach is long , but not very wide.. It’s deff plenty to enjoy if that’s you’re thing. The seaweed was deff in full force though, and bcoz we’re both from “beachy” areas we were overly worried about missing out on a massive beach. it was certainly enough to enjoy . Overall service was incredible, always smiling faces and willing to help staff. Building 1 had a “butler” who walks around all day long offering drinks - special shout out to Mario ; he was our guy !!! pushing margs at 9am LOL, we didn’t argue often haha ! When you check into your room your provided 3 large glass refillable water bottles and there are several drinking water refill stations around the resort. The room key saga ; NO MORE .. bcoz this resort uses bracelets that get you into your room so no need to ever wonder if you’ve forgotten it behind you when you leave, or searching your pockets as you arrive. Animals - There are some raccoons , coatis (soo cute) and lizards. but they mind they’re own business. saw a raccoon climbing in a trash can , but what do you expect from a trash panda ?. We were super impressed by the lack of bugs. we only had mosquitoes one night and it was after a good rain , i usually get eaten alive all week long on vacation and only came home with 2 bites and never once had to dose myself in bug spray ❤️. only saw one spider all week , and he was outside so no biggie there either. Shower pressure and temp was good, and spacious. i could go on forever , but i think i’ve covered a lot of important parts for now . there is a convenience/ souvenir shop in the lobby as well as a “high end” bikini and sunglass store. we ended up negotiating a good price for some versace sunglasses ❤️ Lastly ; and something i had not seen posted prior to my trip. there is a TATTOO parlour right on the resort ! I got a beautiful tattoo of a sea turtle on my arm , he was insanely fast and talented. Prices were very fair as well. my ONLY downside to this resort is how PUSSSSHHHY the “time-share” , “members club” people are in the lobby , from the moment you check in they harass you to attend a breakfast which is 1.5 hours of them trying to convince you to sign up for a membership. I highly recommend you be assertive with them or they will harass you everytime they come in your vicinity for the entire week. They mostly linger around the lobby , but sometimes float out around the main grounds as well… They were literally relentless, but other than them i have ZERO negative to say about this place, or the staff. Rather than photo bomb a bunch of pics - please ask and i’ll be sure to share … i took a GAZILLION photos , so there’s a good chance i have anything you want to see. Most definitely will be returning there again in the future !! ❤️

JOIA Aruba by Iberostar: Beautiful resort, but guest disruptions need more consideration

There is so much to love about JOIA Aruba. The hotel is clean, new and well laid out, with spacious rooms, comfortable beds and lovely amenities, including quality shampoo and conditioner. Housekeeping and turndown service were excellent. The pool area is beautiful, with amazing views, comfortable loungers, cabanas and daybeds. Service was excellent, and we appreciated the towels, sunscreen and water provided. The beach beds and beach service were equally wonderful—and Eagle Beach is hard to  [... read more]beat! The breakfast buffet was another highlight, with an amazing selection. There were, however, two significant disappointments. The spa was under renovation, and construction around the pool brought noise and fencing that obstructed the views. None of this was disclosed when we booked, which would have helped us make an informed decision. During our stay, a private wedding also closed the entire adults-only pool section, including the bar and lounge, for the full day and evening. We were relocated to the family pool and offered an ice cream for the inconvenience. Our beach day was also shortened as we were asked to leave our chairs so they could set up for the wedding. We’ve stayed at many resorts that host weddings, and this was a much greater disruption than we’ve experienced elsewhere. I would still recommend JOIA Aruba—it’s a beautiful resort with excellent service and many thoughtful touches. But management needs to give more consideration to paying guests when planning construction and private events. Advance notice, reasonable access to amenities and a more meaningful gesture when guests are displaced would make a real difference.

Iberostar Selection Paraiso Lindo: Improved since a year ago

We have gone to this resort 8 times now, and would rate it very good. They have installed a floating barrier well off the beach which keeps most of the sargassum weed from coming ashore. Also, since last year, the coati population is much lower, and they have put simple locks on the garbage cans to try to keep the animals out, but they are smart enough to defeat the locks. Good try, but better locks would help a lot more. Also, they need to have more highly visible signs to discourage people fr [... read more]om feeding them.

JOIA Paraiso by Iberostar: Best Vacation Ever!

Going to the JOIA Paraiso was our first all-inclusive experience, and we loved every single moment of it! The hotel is palatial and beautiful. Our room was huge and well appointed. The bathrooms have two sinks, a spacious shower, and a jacuzzi bathtub. The bed was large and very comfortable. The staff were helpful and smiling all through the day. They were always ready with towels, to take a drinks order, and would even come by to apply cooling cucumbers and facecloths. The best part for us was  [... read more]the food! We specifically wanted to go somewhere with good food and we were blown away. The buffet was always excellent, with a huge variety of quality food. From made to order breakfast waffles, pancakes, crepes, and/or French toast, to made to order omelettes and eggs. We ate so much fresh fish, especially the ceviche. Our favourite restaurant was Legado, the Mexican restaurant. We had a perfect meal of whitefish ceviche, perfectly cooked steak, and the best churro dessert we have ever had. We spent most of our time relaxing at the quiet pool. We could fill our insulated cups with an excellent drink from the main bar and nurse a cooling beverage for hours as we swam or read a book at our beds. This was exactly the vacation, rest, and break from our busy lives that we were looking for. We are making plans for the next time we go!

Iberostar Selection Rose Hall Suites: A very good value-for-money resort

Traveled as a couple in September 2026. The goods: beach is calm, clean, lounge chairs and palapas are readily available. Room is spacious and clean. Just line up for a-la-cart restaurants (except for Samurai which requires advanced booking). Buffet and other restaurants offer a wide variety of tastes, Jamaican theme night even offers fresh coconut water! Quick response (within the hour) to our service requests. Every hotel worker provides service in a friendly and professional manner. Fl [... read more]oor managers knocked on door to check if everything is satisfactory at the end of the day. The gym is adequate and is underused; we used it twice daily after meals. Need to improve: reduction of waiting time to access a room; web check-in [webcheckin.iberostar.com.] prior to arrival did not save us time; we received our room past 5pm, ie. more than 2 hrs later (Btw, confirmation # used by Hotel is different than that issued by Tripcentral.ca, eg. 012345678001 vs 12345678; challenging to web check-in). Iberostar App should have reporting function for room facilities remediation, etc. Tip: Download Iberostar app to your mobile phone to plan your day/week including which hours restaurants are open for the day. While on the beach, you even receive message 'your room is clean' We will book again in the future!

Iberostar Selection Rose Hall Suites: Excellent resort

Hotel is amazing Beach and pool are very close to the hotel A plus to have bars and jerk hut by the beach Excellent service. Workers are very nice and friendly. My room cleaned twice daily. Good food selection. They have something for everyone.

Iberostar Waves Rose Hall Beach: Fabulous Resort

The views from the hotel was amazing. Lots of activities to do like evening jazz in the lobby with popcorn, dancing on the beach or even pool relay during the day. Fun for everyone!!! Every staff was friendly and ready to help you. Can't wait to go back

Iberostar Waves Cozumel: Beach made the Hotel

Beautiful beach clear water no seaweed which made us very happy, Beautiful grounds, eco friendly which was good and bad for me, we couldn't enjoy the lobby due to no air conditioner and no fan, so we were basically drenched in sweat, the food was very good and the employees was very helpful, I wouldn't go back to this resort ,but would choose a more upgraded resort next time...cozumel is beautiful.

Iberostar Waves Paraiso del Mar: Great Resort

Love this resort! A perfect mix of relaxing and fun. I recommend anyone wanting some amazing views, good food and a bit of quiet to go for a visit. My only issue was the lower floors rooms weren’t our preference so we had to upgrade.

JOIA Paraiso by Iberostar: The BEST RESORT!

We visited Joia Paraiso by Iberostar from June 3 to June 10 in building 71 oceanfront butler suite , room 7152. It's not our first time here, we're going every year sometimes twice a year. I'd like to mention I'm very picky, but I'm not going to look to any another resort for our vacation. Amazing staff, the best food and cleanest resort! I'd like to say special thank you to our butler Bernardo who took great care of us, and Daniel from lobby bar! Thank you you guys! you're the best!!! Al [... read more]so I'd like to say big Thank You to entire team of Iberostar who's working very hard every day to feel us welkome!

JOIA Bavaro by Iberostar: Amazing resort

This resort had great food, great amenities and really friendly staff. The resort was very clean and spacious with well thought design. The coffee shop was my favourite. The fully loaded gym and the casino were a bonus because we had access to the other Iberostar resorts through Joia. The only part I would say needs improvement is the entertainment during the day and night. The night shows felt very repetitive and nothing special. There was also no dock/live games/dancing/entertainment at the po [... read more]ol during the day.

Iberostar Waves Dominicana: Another Great Stay

This was our second stay at this resort (the first was 3 years ago), and overall we had a great experience both times. The staff were very friendly and hardworking. Communication could sometimes be challenging as many staff members spoke limited English, and we speak very little Spanish, but everyone was always kind and helpful. The food was decent overall. We mostly ate at the à la carte restaurants, which could be a bit hit or miss. The French restaurant was our favourite. We also discov [... read more]ered the beach restaurant partway through our trip and ended up going there several times. The BBQ was excellent and probably the best food we had during our stay. Lunches by the beach were also very good, especially the burgers and steaks. The fresh pineapple was amazing, and the drinks were consistently great. Our room was comfortable and well-maintained. We did find a cockroach on the first day, but given the tropical climate, it can be expected. The beach was one of the highlights. There was very little seaweed compared to neighbouring resorts, and after walking along the beach to check out other properties, we felt our section was easily one of the nicest. Finding a lounge chair could sometimes be difficult later in the day, but if you went early, it wasn't a problem. The gym deserves special mention. It's one of the best resort gyms we've seen, with modern equipment and plenty of variety for a good workout. We also thought the night entertainment was well done! Overall, we really enjoyed our stay and would happily return again.

JOIA Paraiso by Iberostar: JOIA PARAISO IBEROSTAR

Absolutely beautiful hotel and grounds. Food was everything and anything you could ask for especially the buffet. Highly recommend the Italian and French alacarte restaurants. We would definitely return again.

Iberostar Waves Cozumel: Top Notch!

We spent a week here (June ‘26) and it was absolutely fabulous. The staff were lovely, friendly and engaging. The activity crew were amazing, especially Joselyn, who was so outgoing and really took pride in her work. The food was excellent! There were delicious selections at the buffet (we only ate breakfast and a few dinners here) but enjoyed it very much! The Asian and Mexican à la cart restaurants were extraordinary. No pre-booking required and no long waits. The rooms are spread out in colou [... read more]rful bungalow type units. Our room had high ceilings and was well air conditioned. There are fresh water refill stations spread across the resort with glass jugs in the room to fill. The bar fridge was well stocked daily with beer and soft drinks. The beautiful trees and landscaping, with birds singing all day was my favourite part, along with the beautiful flamingos and peacocks roaming the paths. The only small downside was the coral entry to the beach. Water shoes were a must but the beach had plenty of lounge chairs and there was lots of room with nice white sand. There is a long pier with entry to the water which was great. . I would highly recommend this resort. Many patrons staying at the hotel had been multiple times and I can understand why! We would highly recommend the Iberostar Waves Resort!

Iberostar Selection Coral Cancun: Beautiful Resort

Beautiful spot wonderful property and the food was amazing. The golf course and the staff are great. The only thing was the seaweed on the beach, your contract company did a great job cleaning up. Looking forward to our return to the coral resort.