Crown Paradise Club Cancun

If you are coming to Cancun to relax, the Crown Paradise Club may not be in the cards. All public areas of the resort are fairly to very packed from morning to later on in the night. While you may find serenity in certain areas on the outskirts of the beach, even there, with the occasional microphone-blasted activity (like tug-o-war), it can be loud. On the flip side, if you came to Cancun, like so many others, to have a good time and live it up, Crown Paradise Club may be just the spot. The hotel has a semi-circle shape, with most of the action at its center, where La Palapa restaurant, three pools, the Lobby Bar, College, a few restaurants, and shops are located. With primarily open space and a lot of walking traffic, the hotel tends to feel congested and the constant energy of people either coming or going somewhere can either invigorate or stress you out. Even with so many people, everyone seems able to carve out their own special experience and no one seems too bothered to be surrounded by strangers -- it even adds a nice social vibe to the place, especially in the adult-only Club Caribe pool area and inside the College Bar. Just note that the hotel is mainly full of Mexican and American families and that sometimes the elevators seems to take an awfully long time. 

Located at KM 18.5, toward the beginning of Cancun's Hotel Zone stretch, Crown Paradise Club is just outside of easy walking distance to restaurants and tourism sights. Local seafood house favorite, Captain's Cove, is either a 30-minute walk or six-minute drive, as is the Mayan Museum of Cancun. Just a bit farther than that lies AquaWorld, one of Cancun's top water sports and activities providers. The popping nightlife, glittery shopping center, and collection of American chain restaurants of central Cancun are about 15-minutes drive from the hotel. Historical ruins of Tulum are one-and-a-half hours by car, while both Coba and Chichen Itza can be reached in just under two-and-a-half hours. Cancun Airport is less 20-minutes drive from Crown Paradise. 

Nearly half of the 617 rooms at the Crown Paradise are designated as Standard or Standard Plus rooms, mostly in the main Paradise Tower. Similar in size to many higher-tier rooms, the Standard Rooms' decor tends to be less chic than others and show the most wear. While Standard Plus rooms with a bunk bed are a budget- and family-friendly option, Crown Tower Family Suites have more space to squeeze in a triple bunk bed and semi-private king-size bed area for parents, and Paradise Family Suites take the cake by accommodating up to seven people on two floors (bunk beds and a single bed on the first floor, a king bed on the second), two bathrooms, and a large outdoor terrace . The Crown Club Suites and the Honeymoon Suite come with double whirlpools, fruit baskets, sparkling wine, and a lagoon cruise. All rooms have private outdoor space with ocean views, flat-screen satellite cable TVs, standard coffeemakers, and bathrooms with a tub and shower. Standard Rooms do not have minibars. Note that a slight sewer smell (found across multiple properties) has been reported in some rooms at night, possibly from the ocean.

The top draw at most Cancun resorts is the stunning beach, and the white-sand stretch in front of Crown is massive, complete with loungers and beach volleyball. The resort is also home to several pools including La Concha, a family pool with kids' pool and spa palapa, and main pool Las Brisas, where all the daytime entertainment takes place and music bumps. Running between the Crown and Paradise Towers is the partially covered and indoor/outdoor Coco Loco Pool. And while families and kids have their own pools, so do adults. Club Caribe Pool is located off the first floor and contains a pool bar, two hot tubs, a main pool, and across-the-street lagoon views. If guests aren't by a pool or digging their toes into the sand they can probably be found putting on the mini-golf green, batting balls on the tennis courts, pumping iron in the small gym, or indulging in one of the spa's many treatments. There are also a handful of water sports available via AquaWorld, nightly live theater shows to watch, three market/souvenir shops, a jewelry shop, and clothing store to browse through. As a special daily treat, the hotel sets up a simple tea time between the lobby cabanas and business center. 

There is no shortage of food at the Crown Paradise Club. La Palapa is the resort's main restaurant, and serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet-style. Specialized buffet areas include Mexican, Asian, and Italian cuisine. Seating is available indoor (with an adult-only section) and outdoor, with views of the pools and horizon. This is the only place (besides in bed, via room service) to grab breakfast, although at noon Fujiyama, an Asian specialty spot serving sushi and noodle dishes opens just off the pool. Also by the pool, serving typical cookout cuisine, is Tutuch Snack Bar. All other restaurants are only open for dinner, and it's good to note that Western-style steakhouse Wayne's Boots, Italian-inspired La Piazza, French-style Sans Soucis, Mexican-themed Los Gallos, and seafood house Fisherman's all required reservations at least 24 hours in advance. So, basically, if you want to eat an a la carte dinner, you have to plan ahead, or order room service. And if you are the type that gets the munchies at midnight or even 4 a.m., the fast food style snack bar Midway Stop, conveniently next to the lobby bar, has got you covered. 

Crown Club Paradise is well-prepared for its thirsty all-inclusive guests. With almost more bars than restaurants, this hotel makes sure you never have to walk too far to get a drink. With a welcome drink upon arrival, the hotel sets the ball in motion, leaving guests to meander to the nearby Lobby Bar (open from 10 a.m.). Other bars suitable for day drinking include La Brisas Bar (by the main pool), the adult-only swim up pool bar Club Caribe, and the Beach Bar, though the latter is only open weather permitting. In the evening, there's a fun nautical-themed British pub called Trafaglar's with pool tables and attached nightclub Disco Nitro, only open to those 18 and older, as well as an activity center/bar/live entertainment station, aptly named College Bar. Although the space is open to all ages, much of the younger college-aged crowd can be found lingering here -- day and night. And we have it on good authority that even though opening and closing times are posted, this bar is usually open 24/7.

It's safe to say that the Crown Paradise Club has got family-friendly defined to a "T"; this resort knows what kids want. While many resorts happily offer different versions of kids' clubs, Crown Paradise takes it a few steps further, ensuring that no one under 18 is left to wander aimlessly (and some of their kids-only features are cool enough to makes adults jealous). Crown Paradise has a dedicated baby club (for ages 18 months to four years) complete with stimulating toys, a bounce house, and cribbed nap time. There's also a small and shallow pool out front. Just off of the baby club is the Kids Paradise Club. A mostly outdoor affair, kids ages four to 12 can shoot hoops, get artsy, or watch movies inside of a cave -- but it's unlikely you'll find any fun-loving kid anywhere else than among the fountains and slides of the kids-only water park. To say it's impressive is an understatement. And for the oft-forgotten-yet-difficult-to-please teens aged 13 to 17, Crown Club rises above most resorts by giving them their own space at the Jetix Club, which has video games, ping-pong, darts, and a little (non-alcoholic) bar space. If you are looking for water park fun but can't pass for under 13, look no further than the adults' water park adventure area. Still inhabited mostly by kids, this area has a sand volleyball court, two professional water slides, a rock-climbing wall, two zip-lines, and a small soccer scrimmage field.