I'm sitting on my balcony at Iberostar Paraiso Beach, nestled amidst a thick forest of tropical foliage and cooled by an ocean breeze. It's the week after Thanksgiving in America, a time when many Mexican and Caribbean resorts have low occupancy rates until the Christmas rush. Yet I found out that over 90 percent of the rooms at this Iberostar enclave of five hotels south of Cancun in the Riviera Maya are occupied. Not concerned with the barrage of news about Mexican crime that has hit the American airwaves recently, a mix of American, Canadian, European and South American families are catching waves in the warm Mexican surf, grabbing banana batidos (milkshakes) at the swim-up bar and filling up on tacos and guacamole at the snack bar.

If you have any concerns about heading to Mexico because of the surge of crime by Mexican druglords, rest assured that the Yucatan remains a safe haven. Not only do you feel safe at Paraiso Beach, but you're immediately embraced by the nature of a tropical paradise. Swans and flamingoes swim in the ponds just off the elaborate lobby. Peacocks and Mexican raccoons wander the trails under the thick brush of palm and banyan trees.

Iberostar Paraiso Beach and Iberostar Paraiso del Mar share the same restaurants, pools and beach. Iberostar Paraiso Beach has its own lobby and the three-story villas have a darker color scheme than Paraiso del Mar, with more blue and red stuccoed walls. Besides that, there's not much difference. Paradise beckons whether your room is in the southern half of the property (Paraiso Beach) or the northern half of the property (Paraiso del Mar). The highlight for many will be the landscaped grounds, overflowing with tall palms and tropical flowers. The addition of flamingoes and graceful swans is an added bonus for both kids and their parents.

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