Crown Paradise Club Reviews

After booking our all-inclusive holiday at the Crown Paradise Club we checked the reviews of it on this site and were surprised to see such a mix of ratings from poor to excellent. Our review lies somewhere between the two, but closer to excellent than poor.

We booked thru Thomas Cook and were more than happy with their service from the flight crew to the resort staff. Flight times were spot on and the flight itself virtually turbulence free (although Thomas Cook canÂ’t really take the credit for this!).

We had a few reservations about Cancun airport and the customs & immigration problems some people had experienced in the past, but we sailed thru immigration and customs with nothing more than 1 case being searched for less than a minute. Transfer time to the hotel was about 15 minutes.

The hotel is not 5 stars, regardless of what some brochures might tell you. ItÂ’s probably about a 3 and a half star accommodation. We stayed in the old building which is in need of a bit of refurbishment; a lick of paint here and there. There were a few minus points about our room. There was a slightly damp smell in our room (and everybody elseÂ’s apparently), which you do get used to. We also had a few tiny ants visiting our bathroom vanity top surface on a regular basis and the air conditioning was the loudest IÂ’ve ever heard, again you do get used to it after a while. On the plus side, the room was spacious and regularly serviced to a high standard with plenty of storage space and a king kong size bed. The view from our balcony looking out over the pools and the Caribbean was tremendous. I watched the sun coming up on our first full day and it was beautiful.

The hotel pool areas (and there are quite a few of them) were always kept clean with an abundance of sun loungers available (whether this was due to the time of the year we went I donÂ’t know). The pool area bars and snack bars also provided decent drinks and snacks with very little queuing. The gardens are well laid out and very well maintained. The beach is a narrow strip of white sand and the red flag flyÂ’s a hell of a lot, but when the waves do die down a bit, itÂ’s well worth a dip into the warm sea.

The buffet restaurant is always clean and tidy with an army of waiters and chefs on the go. There is a wide choice for breakfast, lunch and evening meal with separate Italian, Oriental and Mexican counters as well as a deli counter. There is also lunchtime Japanese restaurant with a wide range of fish, rice and meat dishes including sushi and sashimi.

There are 5 a la carte restaurants, which require pre booking to ensure you get a sitting. The Steakhouse offers decent size meals with a mechanical bull competition while you eat. The Italian and French restaurants serve authentic cuisine to a high standard while the Seafood restaurant has all the fruits of the sea, my favourite being the shrimp and scallop kebabs.

In all the restaurants, the staff are well educated in what they are giving you as well as being friendly, funny and courteous. You donÂ’t mind tipping them but on the occasions we forgot, their standard of service never changed.

We spent most of the evenings in the 'Trafalgar' adults only bar which boasts a couple of pool tables. There is also a 'Collage' family bar and a popular 'Lobby' bar both of which we also frequented now and again.

Cancun itself is a purpose made tourist resort so you’ll have to book a trip to see a bit of Mexican history. There are many shopping malls, restaurants and bars and a couple of golf courses in the hotel zone and downtown areas including international establishments like Hard Rock Café and Planet Hollywood. Prices aren’t too bad in any of the bars or eateries. We spent one night in the Hard Rock Café watching a live Mexican rock band who were fantastic.

Taxis are cheap enough but fix a fee before you get in. The drivers are friendly locals who love to talk and tell you all about the area and about themselves. You can also get a bus from the front of the hotel (sometimes with a busker on board) to anywhere along the hotel zone or into the downtown area for 7 pesos (about 35p).

Keep an eye out if you are walking about for lizards. We saw some big beasts hiding among the greenery at the side of the roads. They are a bit shy though and theyÂ’ll scarper if you get too close.

Overall the holiday was very good. If you are prepared to overlook the fact that the hotel isnÂ’t as posh as they make out youÂ’ll be fine. Every Mexican we met, whether it was in the hotel or out and about was friendly, not even one token miserable sod! If someone would move Cancun a bit closer to the UK we would go back more regularly, as it is we will go back again someday.

This was our first long haul holiday, and we were anxious, as we had read some of the reviews, but we neednt have been, Because it was the rainy season, we were concerned our weather would be dissappointing. This could not have been further from the truth.

Our hotel was fantastic,rooms were huge and spotlessly clean, fresh towels every day. Food was excellent but if you are looking for tradional british meals (cooked breakfasts etc forget it) we liked this fact. You could have room service at anytime of the day or night, and could even have your breakfast delivered. There were other restaurants on the complex, and the french was by far the best Our experience of the italian was not good - (food cold twice after being sent back- maybe they were having a bad night, but we did not go back)The staff were the friendliest we had come across, even the sellers on the beach, were polite and took no for an answer. Bear in mind that the staff work extremely hard and for the eqivalant of £15 p week!

Weather was fantastic, and there is no need for the family to take it in turns to get up early for sunbeds! there were always plenty, and towels were provided. Hotel did not tolerate the reserving of sunbeds, which was great.
We did have rain more or less every night but it only came around 11pm, which did not effect us. The Shows that the entertainment team put on at Club Nitro are fantastic, but unfortunately they begin at 9.30pm and finish at 10,30pm, if you have kids you have to leave the club by 11pm. Obviously there are still bars open on the complex, but no other entertainment, that is probably the only negative comment we could make about the hotel.

We will definately go back