Paradise Beach

[JustUs275]

18 minutes ago, JustUs275 said:

I thought I read a post from you where they did send you a pic for #22, but I cannot find that post again to see the view. #14 and #22 are both available for our date, as well as #16. Decisions, decisions!

@OCSC Mike - never mind, I found the post 🙃

[georgiacat]

Thank you for all the advice concerning Paradise Beach.  We are planning a cruise in January and will plan to go there.  A couple of questions.  How early did you reserve your day at Paradise Beach?  This is July; visit is in January.  

 

I read the article about tipping, but.... Who, when and how much do you tip?  We are 2 adults, not much alcohol drinking:  $68 pp entry, $70 daybed.  What do we tip?  thanks

[OCSC Mike]

1 hour ago, georgiacat said:

A couple of questions.  How early did you reserve your day at Paradise Beach?  This is July; visit is in January.

 

Not sure if you were asking someone specifically but we'll be there a week from today on July 17th and booked back in November. If you want a specific daybed, I'd book sooner rather than later but you can probably wait a little while if you prefer to. I saw the daybeds begin filling up for our day about 2-3 months out or so (though they didn't sell out until a bit closer to the date).

 

1 hour ago, georgiacat said:

I read the article about tipping, but.... Who, when and how much do you tip?  We are 2 adults, not much alcohol drinking:  $68 pp entry, $70 daybed.  What do we tip?  thanks

 

I haven't been there yet and I'm not sure exactly how much I will tip but I am not including the cost of the daybed in my decision. I'm also not going to tip on an itemized bill if I receive one. As mentioned earlier in the thread, I'm paying a flat fee for AI food/drink so my cost is $134 (it was $67pp when we booked). I don't care if an itemized bill says I ordered $300 worth of stuff; that just doesn't make any sense to me. I'll tip some % of $134 depending on the service to the two servers I expect to have serving us all day.

 

Tipping is of course a personal decision so don't go by my thoughts; just tossing out what feels right to me since you asked. I'm sure some people tip more and some tip less than whatever amount I decide on once we're there.

 

Would love to hear anyone else's thoughts on tipping who has been there if they feel comfortable sharing. No judgment from me, just curious.

[georgiacat]

Thank you OCSC Mike for responding.

[georgiacat]

Well I made reservations for Paradise Beach yesterday.  I had wanted a daybed toward the beach, but they were all sold out.  I can't believe that much changed in a month when I started looking at them.  I got one at the other end.  Our cruise is in January; there are 7 ships at Cozumel that day.  Tip:  if you want a certain location, book daybeds early.

[OCSC Mike]

On 7/21/2024 at 11:28 AM, georgiacat said:

Well I made reservations for Paradise Beach yesterday.  I had wanted a daybed toward the beach, but they were all sold out.  I can't believe that much changed in a month when I started looking at them.  I got one at the other end.  Our cruise is in January; there are 7 ships at Cozumel that day.  Tip:  if you want a certain location, book daybeds early.

FWIW, not only did we love PB, but my wife was figuring out which poolside daybed to get for future visits.

 

Nothing wrong with the beach daybeds but the view isn’t great no matter which you choose & we wound up taking quick dips in the pool to cool off. So we figured next time we’d just skip the sand.

 

The pool daybeds really vary. Some have benches in front, some don’t, the table layouts are different, some get more shade, etc.

[georgiacat]

OCSC Mike,

How do I know which daybeds get more sun vs. shade?  We prefer shade (burn too easily).

Thanks for making me feel better about the beach daybeds.

[OCSC Mike]

7 hours ago, georgiacat said:

OCSC Mike,

How do I know which daybeds get more sun vs. shade?  We prefer shade (burn too easily).

Thanks for making me feel better about the beach daybeds.

You ask my wife who was paying attention and has a functional memory unlike mine, lol.
 

She said the ones in the #1-6 side of the pool were shadier than the other side. The new #20-21 looked shadier also. There are some decent YouTube videos out there that will pan around the pool if you want to look for other differences.

 

Caveat: I’m not going to factor in the astronomy behind the differences in the earth’s position relative to the sun in January vs. July. Just being there in Winter in general should make it much more pleasant wherever you wind up.

 

We sail almost exclusively when school is out since my wife is a teacher so it is what it is but I’d love to be there when it’s not as hot. Even Cozumel last October when we snuck in a short cruise was so much nicer than June/July.

 

BTW, put an @ symbol in front of a poster’s name if you want them to be notified of your post. I would have seen this and responded sooner @georgiacat. If you have other questions, fire away.

[georgiacat]

thanks @OCSC Mike

[cdoc29]

@OCSC Mike Thanks for your review and info, we are going next month and have booked a Day bed (#4) based off your reviews. Quick question about the daybeds. Do they have a place to store your items? I couldn't tell looking at videos. Thanks in advance

[OCSC Mike]

8 hours ago, cdoc29 said:

@OCSC Mike Thanks for your review and info, we are going next month and have booked a Day bed (#4) based off your reviews. Quick question about the daybeds. Do they have a place to store your items? I couldn't tell looking at videos. Thanks in advance

 

No, no storage at the daybeds. I believe PB may offer lockers somewhere (i.e. if you're gonna go in the ocean for a long while) but we only left our daybed for short periods and were comfortable leaving our stuff there in a bag under a towel (I also have a waterproof wallet to keep on me for sea passes, ID, cash, etc.).

[n6uqqq]

On 7/10/2024 at 11:26 AM, OCSC Mike said:

 

Not sure if you were asking someone specifically but we'll be there a week from today on July 17th and booked back in November. If you want a specific daybed, I'd book sooner rather than later but you can probably wait a little while if you prefer to. I saw the daybeds begin filling up for our day about 2-3 months out or so (though they didn't sell out until a bit closer to the date).

 

 

I haven't been there yet and I'm not sure exactly how much I will tip but I am not including the cost of the daybed in my decision. I'm also not going to tip on an itemized bill if I receive one. As mentioned earlier in the thread, I'm paying a flat fee for AI food/drink so my cost is $134 (it was $67pp when we booked). I don't care if an itemized bill says I ordered $300 worth of stuff; that just doesn't make any sense to me. I'll tip some % of $134 depending on the service to the two servers I expect to have serving us all day.

 

Tipping is of course a personal decision so don't go by my thoughts; just tossing out what feels right to me since you asked. I'm sure some people tip more and some tip less than whatever amount I decide on once we're there.

 

Would love to hear anyone else's thoughts on tipping who has been there if they feel comfortable sharing. No judgment from me, just curious.

In March they did at the end bring an itemized bill showing the "value" of your included food and drinks. They are hoping you will tip based on this. Our guys took good care of us and we each gave 20 dollars for a total of $40 for the day. We did keep them busy with the drinks 😉 .

[OCSC Mike]

30 minutes ago, n6uqqq said:

In March they did at the end bring an itemized bill showing the "value" of your included food and drinks. They are hoping you will tip based on this. Our guys took good care of us and we each gave 20 dollars for a total of $40 for the day. We did keep them busy with the drinks 😉 .

Similar experience for me a few weeks ago but I didn’t feel pressured or harassed… and our service was excellent as well.

[n6uqqq]

Just now, OCSC Mike said:

Similar experience for me a few weeks ago but I didn’t feel pressured or harassed… and our service was excellent as well.

I liked the fact that no peddlers were bugging me! I am booked again for next Feb.

[c-leg5]

2 hours ago, n6uqqq said:

I liked the fact that no peddlers were bugging me! I am booked again for next Feb.

Not sure where you have been in Cozumel but we have rarely been approached by vendors at any beach club/bar - an occasional mariachi perhaps but you get to know where they will be.

[c-leg5]

2 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

Similar experience for me a few weeks ago but I didn’t feel pressured or harassed… and our service was excellent as well.

So they are still bringing an itemized bill? I wonder why, makes no sense if you have paid for AI. Are they still adding on a fee for credit cards?

 

Glad you seem to have enjoyed your day after your intensive research. I guess your wife was satisfied with food and drinks?

[n6uqqq]

2 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

Not sure where you have been in Cozumel but we have rarely been approached by vendors at any beach club/bar - an occasional mariachi perhaps but you get to know where they will be.

I haven't had this problem per se in Cozumel, it is just in general that I am tired of being hounded to buy junk. It can be a real gauntlet in Cabo, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and Ensenada. Only read about some hard sells at one of the Cozumel clubs for their store, back rubs, hair braiding etc. This one was closer to port, don't remember the name. 

[n6uqqq]

2 minutes ago, c-leg5 said:

So they are still bringing an itemized bill? I wonder why, makes no sense if you have paid for AI. Are they still adding on a fee for credit cards?

 

Glad you seem to have enjoyed your day after your intensive research. I guess your wife was satisfied with food and drinks?

They did it in March for me just to show us what the cost would be and wanted a tip accordingly with how much the "value" was. 

[c-leg5]

1 hour ago, n6uqqq said:

I haven't had this problem per se in Cozumel, it is just in general that I am tired of being hounded to buy junk. It can be a real gauntlet in Cabo, Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and Ensenada. Only read about some hard sells at one of the Cozumel clubs for their store, back rubs, hair braiding etc. This one was closer to port, don't remember the name. 

OK I am aware it can be a problem elsewhere but very uncommon in Cozumel, in my experience. I don’t think it is something that sets Paradise Beach apart in that respect. Not even sure which club you refer to close to the port, but then again there are three ports so that may be significant. 

 

Probably best you avoid Costa maya and mahahual, where it is certainly a problem.

[c-leg5]

1 hour ago, n6uqqq said:

They did it in March for me just to show us what the cost would be and wanted a tip accordingly with how much the "value" was. 

I know it was happening when they first started to push AI, I find the concept very strange.

[OCSC Mike]

16 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

So they are still bringing an itemized bill? I wonder why, makes no sense if you have paid for AI. Are they still adding on a fee for credit cards?

 

Yeah, I don't get the policy either but whatever. No idea about a CC fee. There was no fee for the 50% deposit I paid online when I made my reservation. I paid the balance in cash upon arrival and also tipped in cash.

 

16 hours ago, c-leg5 said:

Glad you seem to have enjoyed your day after your intensive research. I guess your wife was satisfied with food and drinks?

 

Yes, we really enjoyed it. She barely drinks alcohol but had several of one flavor smoothie (I also had a couple when we first got there since it was before 9am and I'm not that hard core and agreed they were good). Later on she had a banana daiquiri or two and was fine. She's also not there to stuff herself like me, she's just picky so as long as she likes something we're all good. She enjoyed the pizza and I forget what else. I was busy eating fish tacos and coconut shrimp and drinking something frozen that was tasty. It wasn't gourmet and the drinks weren't strong but when you order street tacos and just want something cold that tastes good, it was exactly what I hoped for. If it wasn't so darn hot I likely would have eaten more.

 

We don't currently have another Western booked but we'll definitely go back when we call on Cozumel again.

[serene56]

On 7/10/2024 at 12:56 PM, georgiacat said:

Thank you for all the advice concerning Paradise Beach.  We are planning a cruise in January and will plan to go there.  A couple of questions.  How early did you reserve your day at Paradise Beach? 

we went last year the last week in January.   It was very cold.    Windy too.   I would think a floridian woulda thought it was frigid.      We are cruising again this January and worried the weather will be just as cold.  

[c-leg5]

On 7/10/2024 at 11:56 AM, georgiacat said:

Thank you for all the advice concerning Paradise Beach.  We are planning a cruise in January and will plan to go there.  A couple of questions.  How early did you reserve your day at Paradise Beach?  This is July; visit is in January.  

 

8 hours ago, serene56 said:

we went last year the last week in January.   It was very cold.    Windy too.   I would think a floridian woulda thought it was frigid.      We are cruising again this January and worried the weather will be just as cold.  

+1

 

The pool at Paradise purports to be the only heated pool in Cozumel. We went to  Cozumel one January and went to Paradise for that very reason. We also had a cool day and the pool was much too cold for me to enjoy. 
 

if an El Norte comes through, which is not the predominant wind direction,  it can be very cold and windy.

[wolft927]

We have been to Paradise many times, and will be back February on our Norwegian Getaway cruise. Tipping, I never even look at the itemized bill lol, if the waiter is good he gets a good tip.