This past week my husband, 2.5-year-old daughter and five-week-old son had the BEST time soaking up some sunshine at the beautiful Ocean Riviera Paradise resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Overall, we really enjoyed Ocean Riviera Paradise and would definitely visit again. Built in 2016, the resort is brand-new and in pristine condition.

For us, the highlight was a jungle-themed waterpark that my daughter loved.

And, as a parent who also appreciates being an adult, I loved that the resort was family-friendly but nice enough that I’d consider going again – even without kids.

After posting photos to Instagram and Insta stories, I received a lot of questions about our trip. So here’s an overview of our experience – the good and the not-so-good –  in case Ocean Riviera Paradise is on your radar! 

Our Idea of a ‘Good’ Resort

 Different people appreciate different things when it comes to defining their perfect resort vacation.This past week marks the tenth trip my husband and I have taken to Mexico together. So we’re no strangers to the resort experience!

We tend to gravitate to smaller and medium-sized resorts, valuing pretty views and romantic dining atmospheres above all (candlelit, beachside restaurants are our jam). And as much as we love a good deal, we value our time more. So we have no issue paying extra to ensure cleanliness, modern rooms and grounds, well-kept beaches and tasty food and drinks.

Previously, we’ve stayed at:

• Ocean Coral & Turquesa(twice), Ocean Maya Royale,Grand Riviera Princess(twice) and now Ocean Riviera Paradisein Riviera Maya.
• Secrets Huatulco Resort & Spa(twice) and Camino Real Zaashilain
• Occidental Nuevo Vallartain Puerto Vallarta.

For the record, Secrets Huatulco tops our list. The rooftop swim-out room, spacious beach and out-of-this-world spa were amazing. I highly suggest it if you’re looking for a romantic getaway!

Butttttt now that we’ve got two kids in tow, we were looking for family-friendly amenities when booking this trip!

Our Privilege Rooftop Suite

So this vacation was a total last minute decision after finding an amazing deal. We actually received Emmett’s passport on Thursday and left Friday, LOL.

The package we booked was for a standard suite. When we arrived at Ocean Riviera Paradise, we inquired if they had any upgraded ‘Privilege’ rooms available.

We’ve stayed at H10 properties a few times before and always upgrade to Privilege for an extra charge. There are various benefits, including: better rooms, getting access to all the top-shelf booze (Aaron drank Don Julio all week), an exclusive beach area, priority reservations at restaurants and access to a private restaurant and lounge.

We lucked out and they had one Privilege rooftop suite available and it was a DREAM COME TRUE with kids. The room spanned two floors. On the bottom level was a bathroom, outdoor patio, king-sized bed, pull-out couch and seating area, plus the crib we requested. And up a flight of stairs was another full bathroom and a stunning rooftop patio with a jacuzzi, loungers, dining table and full seating area.

This room worked SO well for us. Each day around 2:30 pm we’d head back to the room so Elle could take an air-conditioned nap. Meanwhile, Aaron and I sprawled out on the patio upstairs with Emmett chilling in the shade.

And it was equally ideal at night – while Elle slept downstairs, Aaron and I could take an evening jacuzzi with a glass of wine, a baby monitor and Emmett beside us in the crib. It was the perfect combination of maintaining the kids’ sleep schedules while still feeling like we had an ‘adult’ vacation.

The Ocean Riviera Paradise Resort

With its modern architecture and striking Mediterranean-inspired interior design, Ocean Riviera Paradise was one of the most aesthetically pleasing Mexican resorts we’ve stayed at.

With 974 rooms, it was larger than what we typically go for but not as big as some resorts out there. If I had to guess, from lobby to beach was a 15-minute walk.

There were five outdoor pools in total, including one right on the beach (so cool) and the kids’ jungle play park. When I say kids’, I mean kids’ – adults aren’t permitted on the slides which was a bit of a bummer, but I appreciate them keeping it safe for the little ones!

Beach

Although you can never go wrong with white sand and pristine water, the one area most lacking in my mind was the beach. It was quite crowded, even in the Privilege section.

We’ve been spoiled with spacious beaches in past, so it was a bit hard going back to rows upon rows of recliners and palapas. But – I mean, it was still lovely.  I’d take a crowded beach over no beach, any day!

Ocean Riviera Paradise Restaurants

Ocean Riviera Paradise has 10 restaurants and 11 bars, plus a coffee house and ice cream parlour! Overall, we really enjoyed the food. Amaranto, the resort’s international buffet, had SO many delicious options – especially for breakfast. This sugar-loving gal was in waffle and crêpe heaven, LOL!

Elle’s favourite spot, on the other hand, was the ice cream parlour – which we stopped by each evening without fail.

We enjoyed our dinners at the à la carte restaurants we tried, including the Italian La Locanda, Route 66 diner, romantic beachside Pez Vela and Japanese grill, Sakura.

As I mentioned earlier, we upgraded to Privilege which was ideal as we could make resos in all the à la carte restaurants. This was convenient with kids as some of the lineups outside at dinner looked quite long. I heard some grumbling from guests who had an hour wait ahead of them.

We also received access to Fusion, an exclusive Privilege restaurant and bar that served à la carte breakfast, lunch and dinner and had a rooftop patio.

Located a one-minute walk from our room, we visited this restaurant daily. It was super quiet (and in some cases completely empty), which was great on days we didn’t feel like visiting the bustling buffet. Plus, they made ahhhh-mazing lattes.

Ocean Riviera Paradise Entertainment

From a piano bar to a bowling alley (yes, you read that right), Ocean Riviera Paradise had us covered on the entertainment front.

Not going to lie, during the day we were super happy hanging by the pool and ocean so there were a lot of amenities and activities we didn’t take advantage of – like the kids’ club, spa, gym, tennis courts, water sports and poolside activities like foam parties and water aerobics.

The resort had nightly entertainment in the main outdoor space that we enjoyed including live music, dancing and karaoke.

And, okay, so I have zero expectations when it comes to resort theatres. I swear we once saw a show with less production quality than an elementary school play LOL. But, not going to lie – we were pretty blown away by the theatre. They had performances every night at 9:30 p.m. and we checked out the pop stars, Broadway and Lion King shows. We were super impressed by the costumes, sets and talented dancers.

Given our two kids I can’t speak too much to the late-night atmosphere. However, we did see the piano bar get pretty turnt up. Plus, there’s a nightclub, sports bar, lobby bar and small casino.

Free Wi-Fi

Okay, so this is a minor detail but I’m sharing it so you can save money: there’s free Wi-Fi throughout the entire resort. I actually kept my iPhone on airplane mode the entire trip. I saved on the daily $12 international roaming fee, yet had full Internet access.

Ocean Riviera Paradise: In a Nutshell, We’d Happily Go Back

So, that sums up our experience at Ocean Riviera Paradise in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Man, does writing this ever make me want to hop on a plane and go right back!

As always, I’m happy to answer questions in the comments below.

Xo Holly Hunka

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