Crown Paradise Golden All Inclusive

The hotel is older, though clean, and it looked like some renovations were underway. The food was decent rather than outstanding, but I liked La Piazza and Paradise best. The buffets were okay, and you won't go hungry. Service from the waiters was very good. The Japanese restaurant captain seemed quite grumpy, although our waiter was good. The captains at Salvador’s, La Piazza and Paradise were good too. Getting a restaurant booking was frustrating. Reservations only opened at 9 a.m. on the day, and you had to book one person at a time. I was with three others, and by the time I tried to add them, the restaurant was already showing as full. Pool loungers were another issue. Guests put towels on them at dawn, then left to eat or do other things, so it was hard to find a place by the pool. The resort didn't keep an eye on this, though I've seen the same thing elsewhere. My friend accidentally left some belongings in her room at checkout. She has tried calling the hotel but hasn't heard back, which is very distressing.

The rooftop bar was a lovely spot for the gorgeous sunsets. I also want to commend Cesar Castenada at the concierge desk, Carlos and the other Spa staff, Oscar at front desk check-in, and the restaurant team. They worked incredibly hard, and I wish them and their families well. We were there during the gang violence in February. Staff stayed calm, friendly and professional while they were in lockdown with us. Many spent 36-48 hours looking after us and one another, and they did a great job. The hotel itself was clean and nice. Our room's air conditioning could have been cooler, but it was still comfortable. The French and Japanese restaurants had to close for the last few days because staffing was limited during lockdown. That's not the hotel's fault.

The beach was beautiful, the sunsets were amazing, and the beds were comfortable. Edith also did a wonderful job taking care of our room. The service throughout the restaurants was great, and we enjoyed the mixed drinks. Still, I wouldn't stay here again because the food was such a letdown. We tried all the restaurants, but the buffet was consistently cold and things weren't cooked properly, including hard vegetables and cold meat dishes. My husband had stomach trouble twice before we found the family side, where the food was hot and cooked through. It also seemed cheaply prepared. Desserts had no flavor, and the meat lasagna tasted like canned corned beef. The pool is quite small, with several rows of chairs around it. If you want a cabana, you'd better be up early. One woman said she got up at 5 a.m. The resort is supposed to be adults-only, but we woke to children screaming on the beach every morning, which wasn't what I expected, especially since they have their own beach. There was a wedding last night with screaming and loud music past midnight. My husband and I made the best of what we could.

The Italian restaurant was the best part of the food for me. Try going around 4:30 to see if they have a table. They looked after me, and the food was a 10, so good. The buffet, though, was horrible, with basically the same food at lunch and dinner. The resort is close to the airport and beach, but it doesn't look like the videos I saw, and I don't know how old those videos are. The rooms feel old, with lots of broken or nearly broken things. The air conditioning didn't cool the room, the small fridge froze up, and some light bulbs were burned out. Getting in and out of the shower was difficult and dangerous because you have to step about two feet up into the tub. There wasn't much information or anything exciting to do, and I didn't see shows. The bars were okay. You do see cats wandering around and a family of raccoons. The staff weren't too bad, and a few people were friendly, but I definitely won't go back.