We vacationed from 7/6-7/11/08 with our family of five, parents and my brother's family of four. We had absolutely NO problems. Bottom line is the hotel is wonderful, people are lovely and there is non-stop activities. I hesitated booking here because of the reviews but I focused on the ones with families. It is not a spot for college students looking to party or necessarily ideal for a honeymoon. There were many families like us who met up with their immediate family. They are incredibly organized in everything that they do. We had no problems making reservations for restaurants but the last three days we just kept enjoying the buffet with the different themed specialties. The grounds are well maintained and the staff is courteous and works very hard. The beach is small as mentioned by other travelers but sufficient. We stayed on the ground floor in a duplex that slept seven for our party of five. We heard no noise at night and we were in the center of everything. We did tip when we are on the beach as we got friendly with the locals and they were very gracious. They went out of their way to make us happy. Again, no complaints, I could really point out a few obvious, but this is typical of a hotel with open air. There are no smells, so ignore those comments. Our money was well justified and if you want a five star, go down the beach to the Ritz. Would definitely travel here again. I already miss the entertainment!!

Considering our budget, I really didn't think we would be able to afford a trip for a family of 5 to Mexico, but after speaking with Suzie at Vacation Kids we quickly figured out that we could.

She gave us choices for our family and then helped us choose the Crown P according to our wants/needs as a family.

Since Suzie handled everything for us, all we had to do was arrive in Cancun, be shuttled to the airport and check in. Our check in was smooth (but watch out for the "staff" who want to help you get settled because they really want to sell you a time share) and our room was just fine. It's an older hotel, but having no expectations and just being thankful we all got to go to Mexico on our budget, I was not disappointed.

Our room was clean, and the housekeeping service throughout the week was excellent. Our housekeeper always had a smile on his face and tried his best to communicate with us although his English was limited.

The food was just fine....we had no problems with it at all.
The dining staff bent over backwards to help us at each meal.

Kids club was awesome....if you are nervous about leaving your children there, stay at the indoor pool and stand at the wall to watch them. You can see everything and they CAN'T get out. Believe me, I drove Suzi crazy with concern of the safety of the kids club and she was right all along....it is safe and so fun the kids won't want to leave. My little girl cried the last day when she had to leave.

Since Suzie's company specializes in large family vacations, she had organized our trip perfectly, down to sending us to the Apple Rep for any tours or information we would need while at the hotel.

So, by simply communicating effectively with our travel agent, respecting the staff by saying thank you and tipping, and having an open mind, we were able to experience one of the best vacations ever.

Going back for the 3rd time coming in October. We have 3 girls, ages 5, 10 and 12. They love this resort and so do we. Since we are traveling on a family vacation, what is most important to us is that the kids are having fun. That way everyone is happy.
Now, when my husband and I need to get away, we go to Vegas alone or to Hawaii alone. When we want a great Mexico vacation we come to the Crown Paradise.
We have been to Mexico 9 times in the past 8 years and have chosen to go back to Cancun for the last 3 times.
You can't beat the kids club, art activities, pool activities, wave jumping at the beach (with adult and safe condition) and smoothies for the kids all day! And they meet friends there run around with which is always a bonus.
The staff is always great. We do tip here and there for drinks which I think makes for a better stay for all. A few dollars a day here and there for the drink guys/gals makes everyone happy.
As far as pool chairs are concerned, I will have to say that we did go down EARLY (really early...about 6-7am) to get lawn chairs by the pool. My husband is an early bird, so for him he liked to go down there and read in quiet and talk to the pool guards. It was worth it to us to have a good home base for the day for all of us. Now, I think the pool chair problem is probably very sensitive to spring break, Thanksgiving, Christmas Break etc.. and maybe not so much other times. We have been at both Thansgiving and Spring Break and have had to get down there early to get a spot. This October when we go it should be better during a non peak time. (The pool was cold in Nov. when we went before and perfect in April when we went)
Restaurants: Waynes Boots is a KICK for hilarious people on the mechanical bull...so funny and the guys MC'ing are fun. Italian Place is great for lunch when it is HOT outside and you want to run and sit down at a nice really cool (cold) place with good food. They are a little slow at service for some reason.
The Buffet is good for breakfast and occasional lunch to run in and grab something. Did not eat there for dinner.
The adults only French Restaurant is our favorite by far. Great food, great dining experience. We look forward to going back there each time to eat. You have to follow the dress code (no shorts, only long pants for guys and no sandals. so bring some closed toe shoes for the guys and pants for a great dinner). Put in the kids into kids club if you need a babysitter. They will take them to dinner, activities and the show.
The Mexican place (don't recall the name, the one in the main lobby) is just OK for me.
The BEST place for us is the terriyaki place by the pool. People start lining up about 15min. before they open and there is always a line. But worth the wait. We had lunch there almost daily it was so good. (the cook staff is a little cranky in there)
The Tuesday night Fiesta is ok...the food was not very good. But the dancing was fun for the kids to watch for a bit.
We went one time to the waterpark up the street a few miles which was a very fun day for the family. Also another trip we went to Chichén-Itzá. WARNING: If you go on a "bus tour" you will spend the first hour plus picking up other guests at other hotels. So you might want to look into other travel ways other than the "tour bus". It was a very long 3+ hr drive there.
This next trip we plan to go to Xel-Ha and Talum. We are getting a private van since there will be 9 of us going this time. Also, we would like to get out to Isle Majures too. But it is hard to leave an all inclusive resort where everyone is having fun and everything is paid for!
So, in conclusion and sorry for the long review, we LOVE this place. It is not the Ritz or a Westin so don't expect that. Also, we did stay at the Westin in Cancun for a couple of nights and it is not like the Westin in Hawaii. Mexico doesn't primarily meet up to US standards with hotels from what I find. So, remember its Mexico and there are different conditions (heat, humidity etc..) than other places.
Have a great trip if you go and remember this is a kids and family resort and geared just for that.

This our second time to CPC. Here are a some reasons to stay at Crown Paradise Cancun:

* The price is right for a family of four. Our lodging, food and drinks cost $1,990 for 8 nights/9 days. That equates to less than $500 per person for nine days! When comparing resorts, it is best to compare prices not star ratings. Yes, if I didn't bring the kids or was willing to spend another thousand or so, I would probably pick a different resort. But CPC offers the most family friendly experience for the least amount of money.

* Kids Club. Imagine a relaxing 2 hour dinner without the kids, instead of rushing through a 30 minute dinner because the kids are bored. You drop the kids off at 6pm and they feed them dinner and take them to a show. You then pick them up at either 8:45pm or 9:45pm.

We had a group of 31 people and here are a few of the negative comments. Keep in mind, with a positive attitude everything works itself out.

* The resort was at full occupancey, so a few things (like service) suffered. Face towels/floor mats were not always supplied, so you had to call housekeeping and request them. Some of the safety deposit locks got stuck in the safe and maintenance had to assist and replace the lock. Our toilet ran constantly and maintenance had to completely replace the tank and the insides.

* The Kids Club did not have many activities for the 9-11 year old group. These kids tended to dislike going to the Kids Club and would have rathered to feed themselves at the buffet and then hang out at the arcade in the evening. Unfortunately for them, we did not allow this.

* There is no evening entertainment onsite other than the shows which were more geared towards the kids. Club Nitro was supposed to have dancing but I never saw a D.J. there to play music. It was only used to hold the kids for the Kids Club.
One suggestion would be to have a piano player that sings popular and requested songs, much like you see on a cruise ship. It would seem that this person could make a ton of money in tips.

There are many good suggestions in the previous reviews that I don't want to repeat. Here are a few of my own thoughts:

* Golf - The Pok-ta-Poc course was suprisingly good, especially for free (except for the $35 golf cart fee). This is relevant as the next cheapest green fee is the Hilton at $129 for a twilight round. I think it rained before we came, as the grass was green throughout. The sand traps were hard, though.

* Souvenirs - The stuff they sell in the lobby each night is mostly the same things they sell at the different flea markets downtown, just for a couple more dollars. Decide if it is worth your time to travel by bus for 40 minutes to save a couple dollars.

* Waterslides - When there is no lifeguard on duty (which is often), I saw all ages of people enjoying the big waterslides next to the Sans Souci restaurant.

* Isle de Mujeres - The sand is much finer and nicer at the beaches and the waves are much like Hawaii where you can walk 80 yards and still only be waist deep. This is a good day excursion. If you leave from Puerto Juarez, there are ferries that leave every 30 minutes and only take 25 minutes to get there.

All in all a fun vacation for my entire group. For the money, this one of the best family resorts in Cancun. Please contact me if you need more information.