Tony & Mary's Mexican Holiday of 2003

More about Freedom Paradise...it's billed as a size-friendly resort, and in most ways it does deliver that.  They have large, sturdy, comfortable chairs in the restaurants, and hammocks on the patios and the beach that will support a 400+ pound person.  The showers are roomy (but they do tend to flood the whole room if you're not careful) and the bath towels are extra-big.  The pool outside our room had stairs to get in (rather than a rickety ladder).  There are some nice, wide, comfy lounge chairs out by the pool, and if we were the sunbathing type, we would have felt perfectly comfortable (at 260+ and 440 pounds) laying out there in a swimsuit (something we'd be a lot less likely to do at another beach resort).  The staff we dealt with was very friendly and respectful and tried hard to help with all our needs and requests.  We were told by someone else who'd visited a few weeks before that they weren't so helpful and didn't seem to "get it" when it came to some of their needs (they had no clue how to make recommendations for fat-friendly things to do locally, the hotel's kayaks and paddle boats were too small for big people, and they had what sounds like a disastrous snorkeling trip where the hotel staff left these guests to swim back a lot farther than they liked).  They also complained about some of the advertised amenities-game room, sports bar/internet café, evening entertainment-that either weren't open or were very sub-standard.  We didn't have as much to complain about in that regard.  We'd had their warning not to expect a lot in those areas, and basically, we were looking for a different kind of vacation experience to start with.  These folks had a rental car for just a little bit of their stay-we had one all week.  They wanted the hotel to provide a lot of their entertainment and activities-we did a lot of research in advance, and spent most of our time away from the hotel.  Their complaints were perfectly valid, based on what they were expecting (and what it's probably reasonable to expect from an all-inclusive, supposedly-upscale resort).  They just weren't such big problems for us.

Other plusses and minuses:  The place is gorgeous, and very well-kept up.  There are flowers everywhere, waterfalls, birds (and, unfortunately, annoying little flies that don't bite but swarm in droves).  The view out our room was to die for-pool, palm trees, white sand, blue sea.  The food was good, but not great.  There were two restaurants open, but only one at a time (one for breakfast and lunch, one for dinner).  Occasionally, the inexperience and limited English of some of the waiters cause minor problems.  The rooms are small, with no chair or anyplace to sit but the bed (there was a rickety plastic resin chair on the little patio outside the room, but anybody over 200 pounds knows better than to sit in one of those).  And...the place was EMPTY.  For most of the week, we never saw more than ten other guests in the whole place.  Several of those (we learned from talking with them, or overhearing conversations in the restaurant), were apparently relatives of the management.  It appeared that at least some of the guests were there checking the place out and getting a sales pitch to invest (it's not a big stretch to believe they're having cash flow problems, and our friends who went earlier were told as much).  These folks were very friendly and pleasant, but if we were looking for other like-minded fat folks to hang with (it wasn't our primary reason for being there, but it would have been nice), these weren't them.  On the other hand, if you're looking for a quiet place to get away from it all (or if you're bringing your own fat community with you!), then it might just suit you fine.  And of course, the price was right!  We had a king bed in an ocean-front room, meals and all beverages included for two people, for US$155 a night-not per person, but total for the room (that's the current introductory special).  That made it easier to overlook a lot of little things-and to feel free to eat quite a few meals elsewhere , which kept us from getting too bored with the limited restaurant and menu choices.

All in all, we would recommend Freedom Paradise, with some caveats.  If you're looking for a resort to entertain you-lots of recreational activities and equipment, multiple restaurants with varied menus, shows, lively bars and discos, lots of concierge-type services and options for tours and day trips-this ain't it, at least not yet.  On the other hand, if you never want to move from your hammock on the beach-or you can make your own arrangements for things to do, and you aren't afraid to drive yourself around or tackle the local public transportation, then you can have a heck of a good time there.  Likewise, if you're looking for lots of friendly fat folks who are there to make new friends and party with you, this may not be the place-at least, not unless business picks up considerably.  But if you're going with a group, that will make a difference, of course!

And one more thing we would do:  If you do the introductory special, which requires you to pay for your room when you reserve it, we would pay with a real credit card (not a debit card).  Just in case the lack of business finally does drag them down and the hotel folds, that will make it a whole lot easier to get your money back from the credit card company (you can dispute the charges-if you don't get what you paid for, you don't have to pay).  We don't mean to sound totally negative here-we saw no actual signs that they were going broke, we just wonder how long they can keep it going with so few guests.  We really hope they do make it.  It's a wonderful concept for a resort, totally unique, and they're nice folks who are trying hard to make it work. But we have to admit, it is something we thought about when we made our reservations. We decided to take the chance, and we're very glad we did-but it's still a precaution we would recommend.

If you have other questions, feel free to contact us!

Mary:  marymc@casagordita.nospam.com

Tony:  ttiger@karmatruck.nospam.com

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Copyright 2003 by Tony Gianelli and Mary McGhee.  Photos on this page  may be copied or reproduced only with our written permission.