Ocean Riviera Paradise
Ocean Riviera Paradise is a 974-room all-inclusive at Playa Xcalacoco, on Highway 307 at km 296, which puts it a few miles north of Playa del Carmen rather than in town. It is organised into four sections, which is the single most useful thing to know before booking: the main Paradise and family areas, the adults-only El Beso with its own swim-up bar, and the Privilege tier, which adds a lounge, a private beach area, 24-hour room service, brand-name spirits and, by independent accounts, better food. The physical plant is strong for the money. There are 10 restaurants and about 12 bars, four or five outdoor pools, a water park, a second children's water park inside the kids club, a bowling alley, the Despacio Spa with sauna and Turkish bath, and the design leans glamorous rather than beige.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +974 generously sized rooms split into four distinct sections, so a family, a couple and a group of friends can all book the same resort and get a different experience
- +10 restaurants, counting the Amaranto buffet and eight themed a la carte venues (Sakura, Bluemoon, Route 66, Margarita, Steak House, Pez Vela, La Locanda and La Terraza), plus Mike's coffee shop and a creperie, with about 12 bars including four swim-up bars
- +An included water park, and a second smaller children's water park inside the Daisy Club, which means families do not need to buy excursion tickets to keep kids busy
- +El Beso is a genuine adults-only area with its own swim-up bar, so couples get quiet space inside what is otherwise a loud family resort
- +Swim-up suites in three categories, including Privilege tiers, and the Privilege section adds a lounge, a private beach area, 24-hour room service, brand-name spirits and a kitchen that independent reviewers rate above the main resort's
- +The Despacio Spa Centre has a sauna, Turkish bath and treatment rooms, and the activity list runs well past pool volleyball to a bowling alley, a sports bar with a disco, and a piano bar
- +Staff rake seaweed off the sand daily, and with four or five outdoor pools plus the water park the resort has a real fallback when the ocean is not cooperating
- +Close enough to Playa del Carmen for a Quinta Avenida evening by taxi, and about half an hour from Playa's ferry to Cozumel
Cons
- −Food quality is the complaint that repeats most often, including in independent hotel reviews, which describe poor food and slow restaurant service despite the 10-venue line-up
- −Service is uneven rather than uniformly bad, so your week swings on which staff and which venues you draw
- −Noise carries across the property, which is a real issue if you booked hoping to relax, and the family sections in particular are loud
- −At 974 rooms it can feel crowded and impersonal in high season, with waits at the a la carte venues and for room service
- −The beach is narrow and rocky, confirmed by independent review, so bring water shoes. It is not the wide soft sand you see on Riviera Maya marketing photos
- −Sargassum is a seasonal risk here, broadly May through October, and the June and July 2026 peak was bad enough that some guests gave up on ocean swimming entirely
- −Several guests feel the price does not match the experience, which is worth pricing against the Privilege upgrade before you decide the resort is poor value rather than the room tier
- −Quintana Roo's environmental sanitation fee is collected at check-in and is not part of the all-inclusive rate. The resort is in the Solidaridad municipality, where the charge is per guest per night, 35.19 pesos for the first guest and less for each additional one, so a couple pays roughly three US dollars a night. It is re-priced every February 1
Where it disappoints is the kitchen. Independent hotel reviewers and guest reports both land on poor food and slow restaurant service, and having ten venues has not solved it. Service generally is uneven rather than bad, and noise carries across the property, so this is not a quiet-week resort. The beach is the other thing to go in knowing about: it is narrow and rocky, water shoes are the standard advice, and sargassum is a seasonal risk on this coast from roughly May through October. The June and July 2026 peak was heavy enough that some guests stopped swimming in the sea, and crews raked the sand daily throughout. Through the risk window the pools and the water park carry the resort, which happens to be where it is strongest anyway.
Book this one if you want a big family resort with a lot of included activity at a mid-range price and you are not treating dinner as the point of the holiday. If food matters, either buy the Privilege tier, which is the one upgrade here that reliably changes the experience, or spend the same money at Paradisus Playa del Carmen or Dreams Jade. Couples who want quiet should book El Beso rather than assuming the resort will be calm, and anyone who wants to walk to Quinta Avenida should look at a hotel in town instead, since this is a taxi ride from the strip. The all-inclusive runs 24 hours and Wi-Fi is free throughout.
Common Questions
How many restaurants are there, and is the food any good?
Where exactly is it, and how far is Quinta Avenida?
Can you swim in the ocean, and how bad is the seaweed?
What are the four sections and which should I book?
What is there for kids and teenagers?
How does it compare to the big Barcelo and Iberostar complexes nearby?
Restaurants (8)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Buffet | Amaranto Restaurant |
| Mexican | Margarita Restaurant |
| Italian | La Locanda Restaurant |
| Teppanyaki / hibachi | Sakura Restaurant |
| Steakhouse | Steak House Restaurant |
| Seafood | Pez Vela Restaurant |
| American & grill | Route 66 Restaurant |
| International & fusion | Bluemoon Restaurant |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown. All are covered by the all-inclusive rate, per the resort.
What's nearby
25 min drive · 10 mi
15 min drive · 6.0 mi
Playa Mamitas13 min drive · 5.2 mi
20 min drive · 9.4 mi
Xcalacoco Beach4 min drive · 0.8 mi
El Camaleón Golf Course10 min drive · 3.0 mi
More things to do (15)
- Xenses · adventure park20 min drive · 9.4 mi
- Playa 88 · beach11 min drive · 4.1 mi
- Punta Esmeralda Beach · beach15 min drive · 3.8 mi
- Museo del Chocolate · museum12 min drive · 5.0 mi
- Parque La Ceiba · nature12 min drive · 5.4 mi
- Frida Kahlo Museum Playa del Carmen · museum13 min drive · 5.3 mi
- Playa del Carmen Fifth Avenue · town13 min drive · 5.3 mi
- Voladores de Papantla (Parque Fundadores) · historic site13 min drive · 5.7 mi
- Xplor · adventure park20 min drive · 9.8 mi
- Playa Maroma · beach20 min drive · 8.6 mi
- Cenote Chaak Tun · cenote20 min drive · 7.6 mi
- Iberostar Playa Paraíso Golf Club · golf25 min drive · 10 mi
- Delphinus Riviera Maya · adventure park25 min drive · 11 mi
- Puerto Morelos Botanical Garden · nature30 min drive · 17 mi
- Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marín Botanical Garden · nature30 min drive · 17 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Room upgrades
Seaweed & sargassum
Playa del Carmen gets sargassum, typically worst May through August.See the month-by-month guide →Google Reviews★ 4.7 · 48,915 reviews
“BlueMoon Restaurant delivered one of the best dining experiences I’ve had anywhere — and that’s not an exaggeration. From the moment we were seated, Misael Nayeli was exceptionally attentive, professional, and genuinely warm. He anticipated our needs...”
“My family and I loved our stay here. We were here from 12/29-1/4/26. The rooms were clean, the staff were amazing. Heydi was one of the staff members that stood out to us she was so friendly and accommodating she helped us with all our reservations s...”
“Margarita ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Our experience at the steakhouse was absolutely fantastic, and a huge part of that was thanks to our server, Margarita. She was warm, attentive, and made us feel genuinely welcomed from the moment we sat down. Her ser...”
