Golden Crown Paradise Spa Hotel

5 readers found this review helpful

We have just returned from the golden Parnassus and have to say that it was the best holiday ever!!!
I was a bit worried after booking the holiday and then reading the reviews on this website, however im glad we didnt change our holiday as i initially considered.
The staff could not be more helpfull and nothing was too much trouble - the rooms were clean and the air conditioning was a god send, the only down side of the room was the fact that there were no fridges in the basic rooms - however we were very rarely in our rooms anyway.
We got a Lagoon view room and did consider upgrading to a Ocean view - however we decided against and stuck with the Lagoon - which worked out better as you get sun all day on your balcony and get to see the most amazing sunsets aswell which you couldnt on the otherside.
The Paradise buffet was always good - plenty of selection and staff always more that happy to help -
The Shangri la - was lovely - really nice food and nice atmosphere
Pier 12 - was ok - we only went once in the evening - but arent great fish lovers so didnt go back at night - however this was open at lunchtime aswell and was a good alternative to buffet as you could get salads,lasagne, pasta etc
Old barn - was great aswell - amazing steak and the chocolate pudding with coconut icecream was to die for .
My personal faveorite was the japanease - was really yummy - with good selection.
We had room service a couple of times - and was delivered quickly, and the trays were cleared away the next morning.
We didnt have a Gold wrist ban either - but always found staff to be helpfull and never had problems getting umberellas.
This was our first experience of cancun and would go back in a second - All in all - brilliant hotel
Fab holiday!!!!

2 readers found this review helpful

Well first all I can say is Mr whoever you are that has rated this hotel a 2/10 must have had a bad holiday and blamed it on the hotel, because I went to the hotel and thought it was amazing!!!!!
The staff are very welcoming, friendly and even knew the guests by their first name. The entertainment was done by the staff but this what made it entertaining, as when it was done by the professionals (which was most nights) it was rather boring and not very entertaining.
I went on holiday with my friend we are 2 girls aged 19 and 20 and we absolutley had the best time anyone could have.
And as for gold wrist bands getting priority its rubbish we had gold wrist bands and we never got a parrasol the whole 2 weeks during our stay, but this didnt effect our holiday.
The entertainment staff go out of their way to make the holiday the best possible. They are up from around 8am and dont finsh until early hours the next morning as many come out afterwards to party with the guests.
I would certainly recommend this hotel and as they say you dont know till you try so dont let other peoples bad experience stop you having a fantastic time
xxxxx

2 readers found this review helpful

May I first say that my wife and I had a great time in Mexico. The people are really nice, friendly and helpful. The vast majority of the staff in the Golden Parnassus Hotel was absolutely fantastic; especially Pasqual in the Paradise Food Court.
On the whole we were very disappointed with this hotel and would not rate it as beyond a 3 star in the context of our experiences of hotels.
The arrival at the hotel was smooth and staff were there to greet us and take our luggage. No problems there then. Try to avoid the time share brigade in the lobby. They con you by saying they are going to give you a run down on the hotel procedures and they then attempt to get you to go to a time share presentation.
When we got to our room it was refreshingly cool from the air conditioning. However, we discovered there was no refrigerator. This may seen trivial but we were of the understanding rooms had a fridge as one would expect in the very hot and humid climate of the Yucatan. To receive movies on the TV you had to pay a premium and phone calls phone calls were expensive. There was no coffee making facility neither. Now, I am not apportioning blame here because perhaps I should have done a more in-depth research because when we booked we assumed (after enjoying these facilities in other hotels we have stayed at) all these would be included after reading the adverts and our travel agent didn’t advise us otherwise. Afterwards we found out that other guests had similar expectations too so it was not just us. The rub was that you could ‘upgrade’ for an additional cost. This does seem to a little suspicious here “put the guests in basic room and hope to get some more money out of them through an ‘upgrade’”. The moral here is to have your expectations checked before you book your holiday and have it in writing, that is, if you decide to stay here.
The hotel itself is very dated and is in dire need of major investment. While the main reception area does look impressive the floors to the rooms look more like prison landings (really, they do). The inside of the hotel is very hot and humid, there needs to be more air conditioning in the public areas. Due to the open structure there is much, echoed noise that rises right up to the fifth and I assume sixth floor (we were on the fifth). In the Paradise buffet restaurant flaked paint was peeling and hanging from the ceiling in the cooking area. In addition, tiles were missing from around the edge of one of the food islands exposing the bare concrete beneath. These are places for bacteria to get a grip and create a health hazard.
The cleaning of the rooms was ok, I suppose, but the times were very inconsistent. Often we would return to our room well into the afternoon and find it had not been cleaned, this is very inconvenient. Also, often you would see food trays left outside of rooms still there hours later. In the interest of hygiene this is unacceptable. On one occasion we saw a dead cockroach (if there’s a dead cockroach then there must be many more live ones) on the landing outside our room; this was removed swiftly. On the same note another couple had a live cockroach on their balcony. We worked out that the ‘Gold Standard’ rooms had all the priorities for services. It is clear that there is not enough cleaning staff employed to be able to perform expected services efficiently and consistently. If we could just add here, the vast majority of the staff (waiters, bar staff, cleaners, porters etc) work for the Mexican minimum wage, which is approximately 52 Pesos (around £2 04 $4US) per eight hour day. They work six days per week and get one week’s holiday a year ( these poor people really do rely on tips). So it would not cost the hotel much to hire more staff.
The food, on the whole, was very good. We tried all the eateries except one, the Japanese restaurant, but we were told by others that it was very good. The service was very good and you didn’t have to wait long for the food. So no problems with the food. Well, not quite. The ‘snack bar’ was very disappointing and the ‘hot’ snacks were more often than not, cold. This was the only place that you could get a late snack. It was a disappointment that the Paradise buffet restaurant was not open later into the night. Instead it closed a 4.00pm. This would have been great, especially if you had been on a long days tour and didn’t feel like getting ready to have a formal meal in one of the restaurants. We must add here that when the buffet was open the selection and standard of food and service was excellent.
The drinks were one BIG CON!!! There was very little choice in what I would call proper drinks. For example, there was only one type of beer available, a brand called ‘Dos Equis’. This is the cheapest beer in Mexico and is certainly not the Mexican people’s first choice, the main ones being Corona and Sol. Dos Equis is basically cold, fizzy, yellow liquid. The ‘cocktails’ are a joke. Anyone with a knowledge of cocktails and how they should made and how the should be served would agree. Basically, cocktails were crushed ice (what we call slush in the UK) flavoured with the sickly, flavoured sugar syrups and given a kick with mostly cheap vodka. There was no fruit garnish and all drinks were served in the same, small glasses, these were plastic if you were drinking outside. In our experience a Pina Colada should be made up of three parts fresh pineapple juice, three parts coconut milk and two parts either Bacardi or dark rum shaken with some crushed ice and garnished with pineapple and cherries. Here it was a glass of crushed ice with coconut flavouring and some cheap, white rum in a Barcardi bottle. Other drinks were similar. So, if you think you’re getting a good deal here then we can definitely say you are not!
The entertainment was appalling, full stop! Reading the advertising you would expect professional, well organised artistes etc. Wrong, the entertainment was done by the staff and included bingo, karaoke, quizzes, water volleyball, table tennis and other pathetic forms of ‘adult’ entertainment. If you’re from Britain all I can say is that it was more akin to a working man’s club and Skegness type ‘fun’ rather than a supposedly 4+/5 star hotel.
There is very little beach. However, this is not the fault of the hotel ad a hurricane a couple of years ago wiped out the beaches. They are gradually building back up though. As for the sun-loungers. There is no apparent hotel policy of preventing ‘claiming’ a sun bed and there ought to be. People were coming down to the pool and beach areas at 7.00 am and putting towels etc on the loungers and then going back to bed only to return some five hours later to take up their claimed loungers. This is unacceptable and the management should do something about it. Guest wearing ‘gold’ wrist bands get priority for the umbrellas, which are taken down each night. On one occasion a large area around the pool and the beach was made unavailable to guests due to a wedding being held. Is this right?
What about the other guests? Well, on the whole there were some very nice people from all around the world. However, there are always the ones who are going to spoil the enjoyment of others. We had more than our fair share of loud-mouthed, arrogant Americans whose sole purpose seemed to be a desire to let everyone else know that they were around. Then we had the cohort of chavvy, Neanderthal Brits with their annoying antisocial behaviour. One particular has-been Brit for the whole of the stay advertised the skills of the her plastic surgeon by flashing her grotesquely remodelled breasts for the best part of the day. Again, this is the fault of the hotel in failing to maintain and enforce decent, acceptable behaviour and standards.
To go back to the hotel in general, it seems that the problems here lie within the senior and executive management. The senior hotel management are incompetent and have no idea nor perhaps the inclination to raise and uphold standards. The executive management don’t appear to have the desire to invest in the hotel to bring it up to modern requirements expected of ‘4+/5’ star hotels. Perhaps, they have become complacent because the majority of its target clientele (or apparent target clientele) have lower expectations and satisfaction threshold than the minority. If that’s snobbery then we are snobs. However, when you pay costs you do for this hotel (and it certainly wasn’t the cheapest available) then you really should have higher expectations.
Make your own mind up.

1 reader found this review helpful

This was an excellent hotel with good facilities and friendly staff, the biggest plus is the lack of children here.
The hotel is slightly dated and 'ugly' in comparison to the surrounding hotels, but it has everything you need.

4 readers found this review helpful

I am writing to give fair warning about the Golden Parnassus and the parent company Parnassus Resorts. While my wife and I believe that this is an adequate hotel for your traveling needs, a true test of a good resort is the way management handles situations and their commitment to you, their client, when something goes wrong.
This was our second time at the Golden Parnassus, as last year we traveled with friends and reserved our rooms well in advance. However upon our arrival (with our friends already receiving their room) we were asked to stay at another hotel a few miles down the beach because the Golden Parnassus overbooked (this should have been our first clue). To make a long story short, the hotel offered to pay (only after I complained) for a weeks stay (excluding flight) for a return trip in 2007/2008.
So we decided to give the Golden Parnassus another chance and booked our flight and returned late Dec. 2007. To make a second long story short, on our second night at the hotel, someone broke into our room while we were at dinner and stole an assortment of our items including; camera, cash, Ipod, watch, perfume, track pants (who steals track pants?), etc. Upon identifying that a theft had occurred, the front desk refused to call the police until I became visibly upset and demanded that they do so. Suffice it to say the Cancun police were ineffective (when I went to the station and made my report I did not even speak to an officer but filed it with a secretary) and the police did not arrive on to the resort to “investigate” until 2 days later. But what was even more surprising was the treatment I received from the hotel and from the general manager Mario Davila. Not only did he refuse to take responsibility for a theft that occurred in his hotel (there was no sign of break in so someone must have had a key – and we had all of our keys) but we had several screaming matches where he made me feel like the criminal. One exchange became so heated in front of his employees that his secretary came up to me a couple of days later and said that she was embarrassed by his behaviour and that she wanted to apologize on his behalf. Please note that we were not the only room to have been broken into that night – another family from Guatemala had their items stolen on the same floor and same night as us as well. A second note – the hotel blamed the theft on fellow guests (what guest would steal track pants???) to deflect blame from its own staff and/or locals in general.
My wife and I spent the next 5 days of our vacation in a horrible mood; the hotel did absolutely nothing (other then to change our hotel room for safety precautions) to make our remaining stay at least bearable.
Upon our return to Canada, I contacted Salvador Ornelas, owner of the Parnassus Resorts, to tell him our story and to seek compensation. As of today (4 months later), Salvador Ornelas refuses to settle any insurance claims or provide me with compensation. On top of that, and most important, I received absolutely no apologies (other then the one from the secretary) for what transpired at the Golden Parnassus from anyone at the Parnassus resorts. I find this incredible as I know if I were owner, I would bend over backwards to apologize and make things right to anyone who was wronged while being a guest and therefore in my care at my hotel.
To sum up, any resort can provide a good holiday if all goes well and the sun is shining overhead, but a truly good resort is measured by their actions when things go wrong. You may think that I am a bitter man for my experience by writing this travel review, but ask yourself this, given the choice, would you really want to stay at a place that shows absolute zero commitment to you as a guest in their hotel in times of crisis? In addition, while I love Mexico, it is a pity that it is being so poorly represented by the above individuals. Unfortunately, my next trip will be elsewhere.

The Crown Paradise is the best hotel I have ever visited. We went for two weeks and you really do not need to leave the hotel as they have everything you require.
Food and drink available 24/7. Several restaurants offering gorgeous food. 50's style restaurant which is served a la carte, with a personal waiter for the evening!
John Wayne Western style steak house (Wayne's Boots) offering mouth watering steaks!
This is a hotel which really caters to your every need!
If you want a hotel with the edge, visit Crown Paradise!

3 readers found this review helpful

We decided on this hotel for our honeymoon after reading many reviews online.
We arrived and were given a cold flannel while we waited to be checked in. We were then showed to our room which was on the lagoon side of the hotel. Although we requested a sea view we were not disappointed, as the balcony had constant sunshine on this side.
Our room was decorated with rose petals, and we were given a bottle of champagne and a basket of fruit.
The room was cleaned everyday to high standard.
There are four restaurants at the hotel Pier 12, (seafood) Old Barn, (Steaks and traditional Mexican) Sumo, (Chinese) and Shang ri la (Gourmet Cuisine).
Our least favourite was Pier 12. We like all of the restaurants, however, it really depended on who served you on the night as to the service you received.
The staff in the buffet restaurant where we had breakfast and lunch were superb. They always had a smile and nothing was too much trouble - providing you left a small tip!
The only staff that I could complain about would be the shop staff at Kashba who were rude and unfriendly when they were asked for change. Out of principle I did not return to this shop.
The beach was lovely especially the jacuzzi which looks out onto the sea! The facilities at this hotel are fantastic.
We had an excellent time and would definitely return to this hotel in Mexico for a relaxed break with no children!

Brilliant! My girlfriend and I (27& 30) went with my parents to celebrate my dad’s 60th birthday.
The hotel staff were great from our arrival to the day we left, friendly waiters and bar staff.
A good entertainment team, who will not pressure you too much to join in the games if you are too busy relaxing by the spacious pool, or on the white sandy beach where I proposed to my wife to be!
The sea is a bit rough but ok to swim in as long as you pay attention to the flag system, but it is a wonderful turquoise colour which is worth the upgrade to a sea view room.
There were 4 restaurants to choose from when we were there all good, the pick is the Shangri - La which served a la carte food which looks really fancy and tastes fantastic. I would definitely recommend getting dressed up and treating yourself.
Back in England a meal like that would put you back at least £50 quid each, I know I used to work in an award winning restaurant who's food does not come close and its all included in the price!
Clubs are good and worth a visit, although it's very Americanised, we brits just aren't used to all the whooping and a hollering, American college students drinking equals boy testosterone, it was like watching an adult version of Grease!
I was offered drugs outside daddy-os at 5 in the morning I declined and the bloke just walked off to his next victim. But on the whole Cancun was safe.
Any way the hotel is brilliant and although not the fanciest in Cancun is certainly has the great friendly service and food of a 5 star hotel. The adult only was great for us and the rooms are large and very comfortable.

What can I say about this hotel apart from it’s out of this world.
After returning back in October the first thing I did was book up for 2007 it was only meant to be a one off holiday, but it was so good. I can see myself and my boyfriend going back every year.
We tried all the restaurants and every one of them was as good as each other. I personally enjoyed Pier 12 and the Old barn.
All the staff treated you like a King and Queen and there was good entertainment during the day and at night.
I would recommend this hotel to any adults looking for a romantic holiday.

There was 5 passengers booked on this holiday with 2 rooms that should of had 2 double beds in each room, after a 5 hour delay at Gatwick airport we arrived at the hotel and checked in.
When we got to the room's there was only 1 double bed in each room, we went down to the reception at the hotel and they said that was the only rooms available which resulted in 3 people having to sleep in the same bed. We all went to see the rep the next day who took us again to the reception only to be told there was no bedrooms with 2 beds, we were told to come back later on that day. When we went back again there was no room available and basically the rep told us there was nothing he could do.
Basically we had 1 bed for 3 people for 2 nights until the room we had booked was available the rep just didn’t do anything to help us.