This has truly been the most memorable month of my life. From being surrounded by so many family and friends on our wedding day, to spending a week in the sun with the love of my life, I am truly overflowing with ALL THE SMILES. I can’t wait to share weekly wedding posts discussing each vendor that had a part in making our day so incredible. So, stay tuned for that! For now, I’ll recap the most special week in Playa Del Carmen, and our stay at Iberostar Grand Paraiso.
Jordan and I have been together since high school. So whenever we vacationed, it was typically with my family or his. We had never gone a trip just the two of us until our honeymoon, so that truly made it all the more special. Big shout out to our travel planner, Shelly Eaton with The Magic For Less, for taking care of all the details for us!
STAY
We stayed in Riviera Maya/Playa Del Carmen, Mexico in the most STUNNING all inclusive resort: Iberostar Grand Pariaso. Upon arrival to the airport (after making it through customs, bless us), we were met with the most incredible service by Amstar. The staff was truly so kind, and took me and Jordan to our resort in the most comfortable, clean, and WIFI-included SUV. Listen, Jordan and I are used to Ubers, so this was out of this world for us. Amstar is an affiliate with Iberostar Grand Pariaso. That way, you will always have a ride to and from the airport, and other excursions of your liking. Make sure to schedule the ride before landing at the airport, and find an Amstar driver (blue Hawaiian shirt) in your resort before you leave, to schedule your drive back.
Our room was insANE. We stayed in the Elegance with Garden Views Suite. This room offered breathtaking views of the ocean, stunning gardens surrounding the resort, and a walk out deck with a hot tub. All I’m saying is there is NOTHING comparable to sitting in a hot tub with your man, listening to the waves hit the shore, whilst downing pizza, chips, and salsa. A DREAM.
They had the cutest “Just Married” shirts for us, decadent chocolates, cheese and crackers and champagne for our arrival. This was an adult’s only portion of the resort and I was FULLY 12 years old with happiness.
ACTIVITIES
Each day, there are plenty of activities offered by the resort. Morning cycle classes, spa hours, trivia night, you name it. Simply download the Iberostar app, or check the TV in your room for the listings of each day’s activities. Each day around 1:00 was a cooking class near the beach. We used this this opportunity each day to learn how to make a smoothie, ceviche, and more. Our breakfasts were so massive, we typically considered the cooking class our lunch before dinner. (Yes, you eat everything you create in the class. I LUV IT.)
On our third day, we decided to pay for an off resort snorkeling excursion. Amstar worked with Cancun Adventures for an incredible day of snorkeling, lunch on the boat, and paddle boarding. We saw the most amazing sea creatures, touched a turtle, panicked about a sting ray, and didn’t fall ONCE paddle boarding. The lunch on the boat was amazing as well, and we were thoroughly impressed with how friendly and professional Cancun Adventures ran their excursion.
The drive from our resort to Cancun Adventures was a little bit of a doozy that we weren’t prepared for. Our driver picked up three other couples from other resorts, so the drive was around an hour and a half to get there and back. We were a little bummed that we didn’t have a heads up on that, but the actual snorkeling adventure was PERFECT.
EAT
And on the eighth day, God invented All-Inclusive resorts. The restaurants offered at the resort have something for everyone, and we were told to make reservations for each night upon arriving. There’s Italian, Surf & Turf, French, Japanese, and more. The Italian restaurant (The Venezia) truly had me emotional it was so delicious. I still think about it. Each restaurant ensured we had the best experience. If we didn’t order a popular dish, they brought it out to us anyways. (Love that, thank you).
During the day, the buffet is open or you can opt for the 24 hour room service. I woke up one morning and in the foyer of our suite were tons of room service platters. Yes, Jordan ordered chocolate cake and cheesecake at 1 AM for himSELF. We love him. We really love this man.
For more details on the different restaurants and bars the resort has to offer, click here.
We tried to spend most of our days relaxing by the pool, or on the beach. I’m glad we spent one day out snorkeling, but the majority of this trip was for relaxing and connecting. Multiple times during our stay, we mentioned coming back and plenty of other guests have said it’s their “6th, 7th, 8th” time. Jordan described the service as Disney meets Chick Fil A.
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
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