Ocean Riviera Paradise
Playa del Carmen
As a family travel blogger, providing truthful reviews is a priority for me. In this article, we will share our experience during our recent 6-night stay at Ocean Riviera Paradise and give an honest review of the resort, restaurants, rooms, swimming beach, entertainment, and safety. We hope that this post will give you a clear idea of what to expect when staying at Ocean Riviera Paradise, including the good and not-so-good aspects.
.
.
To reach Ocean Riviera Paradise, you will need to travel internationally with children as it is situated on the Riviera Maya coast in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Many guests opt to fly into Cancun, Mexico and then take a ground transfer to the resort. There are direct flights available from major cities such as Minneapolis, Atlanta, Phoenix, and New York, making the journey to Cancun very simple.
We traveled from Cancun International Airport to the resort, covering a distance of 40 miles. The ground transfer was arranged through Canada Transfers and took 50 minutes. We felt safe during the ride as the shuttle service was clean and the drivers were friendly. The customer service was also excellent. Based on our experience, we would recommend using this shuttle service again as part of our Ocean Riviera Paradise review. One planning tip to keep in mind is that the resort is a 15-minute taxi ride (not recommended to use Uber in the area) away from Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. There is no airport in Playa del Carmen.
The Ocean Riviera Paradise has a lively and mixed atmosphere that caters to different age groups and guests. It’s worth mentioning in our review because the resort offers poolside and beachfront activities, as well as fun music that adds to the party atmosphere.
The Entertainment Staff is effective in engaging guests with the entertainment activities. Yet, it’s worthy to note that there were instances of intoxicated adults in the vicinity. Thus, if such an environment is a concern for you, please take note of it.
Ocean Riviera Paradise all-inclusive has a total of 974 guest rooms that are tastefully decorated with a combination of contemporary, retro, and glam. Some rooms come with special features such as direct pool access, rooftop terraces, or terraces with private hot tubs and ocean views. The rooms are clean and trendy, with colorful tile designs.
The Ocean Riviera Paradise resort offers a variety of great amenities in each room, including flat-screen TVs, free Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, personal safes, complimentary minibars, and bottled water.
The resort has four different areas, namely Daisy, Privilege, Eden, and El Beso, each with its own unique features. Daisy caters to families with children while Privilege is meant for high-end travelers who are willing to pay more. Eden is located closer to the beach and provides direct pool access, while El Beso is an adult-only section.
Planning tip: For a convenient and family-friendly stay at the Ocean Riviera Paradise Daisy family club, we recommend booking a room on the main floor in the Daisy Club building. The location is perfect, right next to a great family pool and swim-up bar. Plus, having a patio with no steps or elevators makes for easy access. It’s worth noting that the rooms may be damp and have a mildew smell, but given the resort’s proximity to the jungle and ocean, this is not uncommon.
The check-in process at Ocean Riviera Paradise resort was not as luxurious as we had expected. We did not receive any welcome amenities such as champagne or a cool towel, which we have enjoyed at other all-inclusive resorts. Additionally, we had to find our own way to the lobby desk for check-in, unlike the usual practice of being escorted in a new and unfamiliar place.
During check-in, we faced a problem as the number of people staying in our room was wrongly recorded. Although the issue was resolved later, it was troublesome to search for our initial booking to confirm that we had booked the room for 4 guests. We had also requested beforehand to have our group’s rooms located near each other, although it was never assured.
Despite resort’s ample capacity to accommodate the request, it was not honored to have two rooms on the same floor and one room two floors down.
There are 5 large pools available, which provide ample swimming and lounging space for all guests. The unique aspect of these pools is that each one has a distinct atmosphere and offers a different experience. There is a pool designed for children, another for poolside entertainment and music, one for relaxation, and one that offers stunning ocean views.
I quickly found a comfortable and entertaining spot by the pool to spend the day. Make sure to bring all the necessary things for the beach or pool, so you can stay here for hours!
The Ocean Riviera Paradise resort offers a water park area that is ideal for younger travelers in your family. The water park boasts slides, sprayers, and a large climbing area. Additionally, there is a nearby small playground and soccer area which are also great options to keep kids entertained.
The swimming beach at Ocean Riviera Paradise all-inclusive has a major issue with sharp rocks that can be harmful to your feet and require the use of water shoes. Multiple reviews on different websites have pointed out this problem. Despite our initial belief that we could avoid the rocks or there wouldn’t be many, it turned out to be true.
Due to a bad experience where the kids suffered injuries from stepping on a sharp rock during their first time at the swimming area, we hardly went back to the beachfront. We were worried someone else could get hurt again. Additionally, it’s important to know that the ORP beach is not private and so we often encountered beach vendors selling various items such as purses, dolls, and even massage services.
Although Ocean Riviera Paradise resort has 10 themed restaurants and 11 bars that don’t require reservations, the quality of the food was disappointing, and the service was lacking, especially during busy times. The food was bland overall, and we couldn’t identify a standout restaurant as everything was just average.
While there’s a large selection of restaurants at Ocean Riviera Paradise, we found the food quality to be disappointing. However, we did discover a fantastic wood-fire pizza stand next to the beach that we ended up having for lunch every day.
While there are designated sections for adults and families, the Ocean Riviera Paradise may not appeal to everyone due to its immense size. The resort is arranged in a long and narrow layout, with the main lobby situated at one end and the ocean at the opposite end. The central hub of restaurants and shops is located near the lobby, surrounded by extensive paved trails that link different guest buildings. These trails lead all the way to the beach.
The availability of a complimentary shuttle within the resort, covering its entire length, suggests that the resort is quite large and can accommodate many guests at once.
Many visitors of Playa Del Carmen resorts enjoy taking part in nearby excursions that are outside of the hotel area. Along the Riviera Maya coastline, you can find various activities such as snorkeling, exploring underwater rivers, visiting eco-parks, and going zip-lining.
At the Ocean Riviera Paradise, the Daisy Club has a variety of supervised activities for kids ages 4-12, such as pirate day, aqua kids, eco-day, kids Olympics, music quiz, kids shows, and dancing games. Additionally, the Teen Club offers a range of sports, games, and activities designed for teenagers between 13 and 17 years old, including a video game area, movie room, table football, mini pool, and board games. These options could potentially serve as childcare, though we didn’t utilize them personally.
The Ocean Riviera Paradise all-inclusive resort is a popular and lively destination that attracts a variety of guests. While the resort offers many amenities and activities, the food may not meet everyone’s expectations in terms of taste and service. Although we enjoyed some aspects of our stay, we will not be returning and I am hesitant to recommend this resort to other families, especially those who prioritize high quality food and ocean swimming.
I recommend these travel resources for Mexico that I personally use:
🏨 Hotels: I have found that Expedia and Booking.com consistently have the best deals on hotels and resorts in Mexico. If you prefer to stay at a vacation rental, check VRBO that is usually cheaper than AirBnB’s added fees!
✈️ Flights: To find the best flight deals to Mexico, I always use Kayak. Remember to subscribe to their price alerts for the travel dates you want. Another great alternative for flight deals is Expedia.
🚗 Rental Cars: I always use and highly recommend Discover Cars because it allows me to compare several car rental companies and view ratings on various factors such as overall value, pick-up procedure, agent efficiency, car condition, and total time taken.
🚙 Cancun Airport Transportation: For the fastest and easiest way to travel, I suggest arranging a private transfer with Cancun Airport Transportation. Honestly, no better way to travel from the airport to your hotel or resort.
🤿 Tours & Activities: For tours and activities in Mexico, I highly recommend using either Viator or GetYourGuide. These websites offer a full refund if you cancel your booking 24 hours before the start of the tour, and they also provide excellent customer service in case of any issues.
🚨 Travel Insurance: I always suggest purchasing travel insurance as a precaution before traveling, especially after a recent accident in a taxi in Mexico. For short trips, I recommend Travel Insurance Master, whereas for digital nomads, Safety Wing is a better option.
📷 Best Camera for your trip: I always carry with me a GoPro, It’s light, compact, takes great video and pictures, and most importantly, it’s waterproof! You just can’t go wrong with one. If you are interested in higher quality video and photography, I always carry with me on my trips and highly recommend the Sony A7IV which I think is the best travel DSLR Camera out there.
☀️ Biodegradable Sunscreen: Remember to include a good sunscreen to protect yourself from the summer sun. I always use and suggest Sun Bum Sunscreen, which is vegan, reef-friendly, and cruelty-free.
© SmartXpat All Rights Reserved 2022
