Playa Del Carmen along the coast of Mexico is a perfect honeymoon destination.  A romantic beach location at an all-inclusive resort is on the top of the list for many newlyweds. Like many others, we chose the beach when it came time to plan our own dream honeymoon. There is something romantic about a beach destination and all inclusive is definitely the go-to choice for a carefree vacation. We picked Mexico for the direct flights, quality, and price. You can get a lot of bang for your buck in Mexico. Cancun is known more for partying and the beach. We headed an hour south to Playa Del Carmen and it did not disappoint. We stayed 7 nights at the Paradisus La Perla. I highly recommend this resort and here are my reasons why.

Paradisus La Perla Honeymoon

Playa Del Carmen is beautiful. The beach is gorgeous and the water is crystal blue. You likely cannot go wrong with a stay anywhere along this gorgeous coast. Paradisus La Perla was the perfect resort choice for us. It is an all-inclusive resort that is modern, adults-only, eco-friendly and absolutely beautiful. My husband couldn’t get over how good it smelled, literally the resort smells good. From the rooms to the restaurant’s everything was impeccably clean and maintained wonderfully. The food was simply amazing. It was not at all what we expected for all-inclusive food. We stayed in the Royal Service section and I cannot lie, the extra splurge was more than worth it. To have access to our own little VIP section with a separate beach area, pool, lobby, work out area, and restaurant would have been worth it even if we weren’t on our honeymoon.

Checking In:

When we first arrived off the transfer bus from the airport we were greeted with a cool towel and taken by golf cart to the separate Royal Service lobby. We were greeted again with a glass of bubbly and shown around the property. The royal service area has a small lobby with restrooms, seating area, a snack bar, coffee and a full drink bar. Upon check in they gave us cute hemp bracelets to wear that shows we were guests and I really enjoyed not having to wear a plastic wristband like other resorts we saw did.

Our room wasn’t available until 3 pm. We had access to do whatever we wanted until check in. Our first few hours we spent at lunch and the beach. Our butler, yes in Royal Service you get a butler, came and got us when the room was ready. The bell staff already had our bags waiting for us in the room.

Royal Service Room:

First off the room was gorgeous. Most of the resort is outdoor corridors filled with tropical plants and fountains.  All of the royal service rooms are in the same section. We had a third-floor room with a slight ocean view. The room had one huge king bed, a couch/living area, a balcony with a jacuzzi tub. There was also a coffee bar, a mini fridge that was refilled daily with our favorite snacks and drinks. The bathroom had another giant tub, a large vanity and a dual walk in shower. This room was bigger than my first apartment.

Part of having royal service room included a butler. Their service included daily steamed clothes, turn down service, a refilled mini fridge, bottles of sparkling wine, dinner reservations and just about anything else you can dream up for them to do. They left “surprises” in the room such as drawing baths or a plate of chocolate covered strawberries.

Things to Do at the Resort

The resort is actually two resorts on the same property. La Esmeralda is a family friendly resort and La Perla is adults only. The two are connected in the middle. Adults can do activities on either side. Children cannot come to the adult only side. We didn’t partake in many of the planned activities. The pool or beach was our go to, instead. We did take a cigar rolling class and used one of the free kayaks for an hour. We also visited the spa to use the complimentary sauna, spa, pool and hot tub.

There were numerous other things we could have done. The resort offered cooking classes, salsa, fitness classes, Spanish lessons and more. We were busy soaking up the sun. The royal service area had amazing day beds. Why bother getting up when the pool is 10 steps ahead of you and the swim up bar is within a stone throw?

Pool Bars

Did I mention the swim up bar? Both the regular hotel and the royal service section had wonderful pools. The royal service pool was much quieter. We spent most of our time lounging there. The bartenders were great. They are happy to get you a soda, a water, a tequila, or whatever version of a margarita you think up. You can ask for top shelf liquor at no extra charge. We heard a few liquors are extra. We never seemed to find a reason to get any of them.

The amazing food at Paradisus La Perla

Dinners

I still cannot get over how amazing the food, drinks, and service at this resort were. We have traveled quite a bit. Hands down this resort had the best food of any resort I’ve ever been too. This was not typical cruise style all-inclusive meals. The cuisine is high end and not “typical” Mexican. Actually, the Mexican restaurant was our least favorite. Lamb at the Mediterranean restaurant Vento was my personal favorite. The royal service restaurant,  La Palapa, had a filet minion I loved. Bana the hibachi style grill had a multiple course dinner featuring steak, chicken, and shrimp that was shockingly delicious. The Bana sushi bar was also high on my list.

Breakfast and Lunch

For breakfast and lunch, we skipped the buffet to eat at the pool or at La Palapa. Caprese salads, guacamole, steak and fish tacos stick out in my mind as the best lunch items. Breakfast an international assortment of fruits, meats, and Mexican-style eggs. The buffets weren’t bad, we just found no reason to eat there when we had better options. A few times we ate room service. They said it would take up to and hour, but it was always faster. Hamburgers, not surprisingly, were not their strong suit. The pasta was so delicious we got it on two occasions. Room service breakfast was great.

Desserts

Dessert was on its own level and was the culmination of any dinner. The servers made dessert into a show. At one restaurant our dessert melted into an amazing mousse cake and at another restaurant, it dry ice topping the dessert exploded into a dense fog.

It’s all included, even the drinks.

This is an all-inclusive resort and there are a lot of bars. Even if you aren’t at a bar, you are not far from a drink anywhere in the resort. The cocktails match the quality and style of the food. You can get a good old Mexican beer and we had plenty in our mini fridge, but here the cocktails really stand out. The M Bar, with a fun list of interesting martinis like lavender and rose, and of course the Margarita bar, with dozens of different Margaritas, were my two personal favorites.

Fun Extras

There was also a Moet Champagne tasting and a Don Julio Tequila tasting bar for an extra fee. We went to the Moet tasting one night before dinner. It was a wonderful and romantic experience with a sommelier. He explained the differences not only in types of champagne that Moet offers but sparkling wines, proseccos and cavas. We did not try the Don Julio Tasting. I imagine it is just as wonderful.

Late Night

If you are looking for a party, most of the partying go on at the swim up bar or beach during the day. At night the bars are really more intimate. The cigar and cocktail bars were our favorites. The resort will happily arrange for you to grab a cab to head to the nearby downtown if you want a rowdy beach club scene. There is one bar that turns into a club later in the evening, but with so many specialty cocktail bars, don’t bother. The drinks were not very good and it always seemed overrun with drunk guests or a wedding. After a long day in the sun, we welcomed the calm atmosphere of the specialty bars over a wild party scene. It was our honeymoon and a romantic cocktail before or after dinner was perfect for us.

There are a thousand wonderful things about this resort and our honeymoon. It was truly a vacation of a lifetime and I cannot wait to get back to Playa Del Carmen. We read both amazing and negative reviews about this place. I have always been a happy traveler and very respectful of where I’m visiting. Go on your vacation with an open mind and take the good with the bad. There were hiccups on our trip. I cannot even remember them anymore. I didn’t let them bother me and enjoyed our trip. We tipped for good service, tried to speak Spanish and were thankful to the staff. I believe that was good karma.

Paradisus La Perla is a wonderful place for a honeymoon. The food is amazing, the service is just about perfect and the resort is beautiful. I couldn’t have asked for a better honeymoon. Enjoy wherever you go on your honeymoon or vacation! Cheers!

Planning a vacation to Playa Del Carmen or the Riveria Maya? Check out our Things To Do In Playa Del Carmen!