Occidental Tamarindo: Beautiful Resort!

Hotel was clean and had ALL the amenities that you would want. Staff are friendly and reactive. Every staff member looked you in the eye and said hello no matter where you were on the resort. I would highly recommend this resort!

Royal Hideaway Playacar: Incredible Resort

The Royal Hideaway is the perfect adult all inclusive resort for relaxing and recharging. The grounds are impeccable, the staff goes out of their way to ensure you are looked after and the food is excellent. This resort has a very large, white sand beach that is never crowded and beautiful green water. Rooms are located in villas and each villa has a concierge to attend to your inquiries, make dinner reservations and help you with whatever you need. It is indeed heaven!

Barcelo Solymar: Great resort

Hotel and the grounds were very clean, close to the beach great location minutes from town food was ok lots of things to choose from, Shows at the hotel at night we’re very good , friendly staff lots to do

Barcelo Solymar: beautiful resort

the beach was beautiful and clean, pools were nice, food was ok the tables were not always clean or sat up, nice 5 min walk to town, bedrooms were clean and always gave us fresh bottled water and beer and pop..

Barcelo Maya Palace: Still our favourite

We just returned from a week at the Barceló Maya Palace. We had stayed here the first year the Palace opened & we were pleased that not much has changed. Grounds are beautiful, beach is lovely although a seaweed problem is plaguing the entire Caribbean. Has a problem with a leaking fridge which we mentioned to the fellow who delivered our luggage & he immediately got on the phone to have it addressed. Within 30 minutes another person arrived & had it working perfectly. Rain shower was great  [... read more]particularly when the shower in the tub did not work (we didn't care). Rooms getting a bit worn around the edges but still very nice & clean. Mattress & bedding was very good & A/C more than sufficient. Loved the buffet & actually cancelled reservations for the a la carte restaurants we had booked. The gym is by far the best gym we have experienced at a resort. We will be back again next year! One complaint....slow check-in but we were okay with it.

Barcelo Karmina: OK

NO GUACAMOLE! Sad because it is available and expected every other resort I stayed at. The resort itself is nice but has a limited number of English speaking staff which can be challenging at times. Easy to find a beach or poolside lounger, even at 10 or 11 am. Buffet was quite repetitive but lots of variety. Considering Manzanillo does not have as much tourist development as other parts of Mexico, not much to see outside resort.

Occidental Caribe: Friendly Staff and Fun resort

The hotel is very big, it has a lot of good amenities such as sports bar, kids zone, kids pool, and the best part is pool bar:) The buffet is ok but the alacarte was really good. The staff works hard and friendly. The entertainement in the theater was great. However, the day entertainment by the pool area can be improve. They have pool bubble party every Saturday and Sunday night beach party were both amazing. The grounds keeper worked the hardest and unfortunately dont get the credits they dese [... read more]rve. The room we have was oceanfront but gave us a double bed and our room was above the French restaurant and you can hear pots and pans at all times in the room. We requested a new room with a king but the view isnt as great. The room is clean they maintain the room everyday and fresh towels daily. Our last day the we didnt have hot water we called the front desk but we were checking out anyway so we ended up just having a cold shower. Guest Services were all very accomodating with the dinner reservations and booking alacarte is never a hassle. The beach is pristigne, clean, and no seaweed compare to other resorts beside it. We walked about 3 miles along the beach to the market and we found that Occidental Caribe had the best beach and sand. Also, the beach isnt very crowded because the beach area is big. The buffet workers and chef are so friendly, but I wish the coffee and water can be a bit hotter in the morning. Overall experience in this resort was amazing. Both big pools are kept clean and maintain. Love the pool bar and the bartender is super friendly.

Barcelo Huatulco: Horrible 2 star at the most

Lobby and hotel grounds- the hotel lobby, bar and grounds are very outdated and the only place that’s air conditioned is the premium lounge that you have to pay extra for. Not cool when you’re staying at a 4 star plus hotel. Pools- there is only two pools and one bar. The pools are outdated and have black mold. It’s hard to get a spot. We went for a wedding and there was 46 of us. A few morning I woke up at 6:30am to get some spots and someone took 4 of our chairs. We would only reserve a [... read more]bout 12 chairs or so and we all shared. There was no activities in the pool, sometimes music but even that wasn’t good. Rooms- the rooms are nice and spacious, we were on premium level, but some of the guests that weren’t premium had black mold in their shower ( we have pictures) Food- the food was repetitive and always cold. The seafood was always cold which was cooked seafood that was suppose to be hot. All food was cold unless you got it from the grill which wasn’t good. A few morning we had to line up for breakfast to get a table ( 15-20min) The a la cart restaurants hadn’t to be booked and they weren’t all available at all times. We booked Mexican for the second night we were there and when we got there they said we don’t have a reservation. One person in our group went back to the room and got the slips to show them. They did acoimediate us after. Ricardo Cortez The food manager was great and did everything he could to make our stay better. We also went to the Italian which was surprisingly great food. Spanish al la cart was horrible and it wasn’t Spanish food at all. On the wedding day- the bride and groom paid for platinum package but they didn’t get platinum service. The were told the chairs will be beige and they’re were dark brown. The decoration wasn’t what they were showed in pictures. When it was time for them to cut the cake they didn’t have a plate or a fork !! The groom had to put the cake in a napkin and give it to the bride with his hands. Come on now this is common sense stuff. The dinner arrived cold as usual. The appetizer was cold. The main course was over cooked steak I believe it was brisket that was cooked to death. They were promised fillet. It was companied by powdered mashed potatoes not even real mashed potatoes. Bar- one of the 46 guests had 1 year old daughter and asked one of the bar tenders for a bottle of water. The bar tender said since you don’t have a premium bracelet you can only get a cut of water not bottled water ( how is this hotel 4 plus stars) Room service- only premium get room service everyone else has to pay for it. One might I was ordering room service and the gentleman in the phone told me I’m oderering too much and asked if there are more ppl in my room !! I said NO I have a teenage son who eats a lot. Claudia lijehhulth, Flor Martinez form the premium lounge had incredible customer service and were always so polite and ready to help, They are truly great. This resort should never ever be recommended to anyone having a wedding or anyone under the age of 65. I emailed Kevin from there, because the bride and groom were very upset and he still hasn’t emailed me back. I felt horrible for the bride and groom because the most important day of their life was ruined. They can never get that back. I’m so disappointed that you guys would ever recommend this resort for a wedding. Excertions- we booked the 7 bays on a boat excretion with the hotel not Sunwing ( what a mistake ) They told us there would be washrooms both for men and women. They said it’s a boat for 46ppl. I asked over and over again is it a nice, will it be safe? We had lots of kids in the wedding group and elders. They picked us up at 10am in nice cars and took us to the marina. When we saw the boat we were all shocked. They told us to take life jackets that were scattered all over the boat floor. They were all ripped, none of the buckles worked, and they smelled so horrible. They hadn’t black mold on them as well. The sea was so choppy and the boat wasn’t the right boat for those big waters. Everyone got sick almost 90% were throwing up and sick. We had to cut our trip short and come back. When we got back to the hotel we told them and they said that they don’t understand what black mold is and we got a great deal. 49 ppl and we payed $30 each and $15 for kids. The hotel didn’t care that this was a safety issue with life jackets that are ripped and don’t have buckle that work. Honestly this resort is a 2 start at the most in every way possible. Food, grounds, service. Every single person in our group was unhappy. Most important what was suppose to be the best day in their life for the bride and groom was completely ruined by horrible staff at Barcelo.

Barcelo Huatulco: Very disappointed

Lobby and hotel grounds- the hotel lobby, bar and grounds are very outdated and the only place that’s air conditioned is the premium lounge that you have to pay extra for. Not cool when you’re staying at a 4 star plus hotel. Pools- there is only two pools and one bar. The pools are outdated and have black mold. It’s hard to get a spot. We went for a wedding and there was 46 of us. A few morning I woke up at 6:30am to get some spots and someone took 4 of our chairs. We would only reserve a [... read more]bout 12 chairs or so and we all shared. There was no activities in the pool, sometimes music but even that wasn’t good. Rooms- the rooms are nice and spacious, we were on premium level, but some of the guests that weren’t premium had black mold in their shower ( we have pictures) Food- the food was repetitive and always cold. The seafood was always cold which was cooked seafood that was suppose to be hot. All food was cold unless you got it from the grill which wasn’t good. A few morning we had to line up for breakfast to get a table ( 15-20min) The a la cart restaurants hadn’t to be booked and they weren’t all available at all times. We booked Mexican for the second night we were there and when we got there they said we don’t have a reservation. One person in our group went back to the room and got the slips to show them. They did acoimediate us after. Ricardo Cortez The food manager was great and did everything he could to make our stay better. We also went to the Italian which was surprisingly great food. Spanish al la cart was horrible and it wasn’t Spanish food at all. On the wedding day- the bride and groom paid for platinum package but they didn’t get platinum service. The were told the chairs will be beige and they’re were dark brown. The decoration wasn’t what they were showed in pictures. When it was time for them to cut the cake they didn’t have a plate or a fork !! The groom had to put the cake in a napkin and give it to the bride with his hands. Come on now this is common sense stuff. The dinner arrived cold as usual. The appetizer was cold. The main course was over cooked steak I believe it was brisket that was cooked to death. They were promised fillet. It was companied by powdered mashed potatoes not even real mashed potatoes. Bar- one of the 46 guests had 1 year old daughter and asked one of the bar tenders for a bottle of water. The bar tender said since you don’t have a premium bracelet you can only get a cut of water not bottled water ( how is this hotel 4 plus stars) Room service- only premium get room service everyone else has to pay for it. One might I was ordering room service and the gentleman in the phone told me I’m oderering too much and asked if there are more ppl in my room !! I said NO I have a teenage son who eats a lot. Claudia lijehhulth, Flor Martinez form the premium lounge had incredible customer service and were always so polite and ready to help, They are truly great. This resort should never ever be recommended to anyone having a wedding or anyone under the age of 65. I emailed Kevin from there, because the bride and groom were very upset and he still hasn’t emailed me back. I felt horrible for the bride and groom because the most important day of their life was ruined. They can never get that back. I’m so disappointed that you guys would ever recommend this resort for a wedding. Excertions- we booked the 7 bays on a boat excretion with the hotel not Sunwing ( what a mistake ) They told us there would be washrooms both for men and women. They said it’s a boat for 46ppl. I asked over and over again is it a nice, will it be safe? We had lots of kids in the wedding group and elders. They picked us up at 10am in nice cars and took us to the marina. When we saw the boat we were all shocked. They told us to take life jackets that were scattered all over the boat floor. They were all ripped, none of the buckles worked, and they smelled so horrible. They hadn’t black mold on them as well. The sea was so choppy and the boat wasn’t the right boat for those big waters. Everyone got sick almost 90% were throwing up and sick. We had to cut our trip short and come back. When we got back to the hotel we told them and they said that they don’t understand what black mold is and we got a great deal. 49 ppl and we payed $30 each and $15 for kids. The hotel didn’t care that this was a safety issue with life jackets that are ripped and don’t have buckle that work. Honestly this resort is a 2 start at the most in every way possible. Food, grounds, service. Every single person in our group was unhappy. Most important what was suppose to be the best day in their life for the bride and groom was completely ruined by horrible staff at Barcelo.

Barcelo Solymar: Don’t book this resort

I'm a season traveller with over 25 trips to Cuba and surrounding islands -- this is NOT a resort to go to. It may have once been good -- but that was 10-15 years ago at best. We experienced cockroaches, cold buffet food, dirty towels, stained sheets, raining down water from bathroom ceilings, key cards that continually didn't open doors or the safe and the apathetic hotel staff could not have cared a single iota!! There was a constant stream of irritated guest reporting room issues, changing [... read more] rooms and simply complaining at the front desk and all they did was tell us they would "log the complaint" -- nothing was done! It's Cuba, you get what you get and we know this full well, but this hotel is just not a good experience. It's few redeaming factors are the location close to town, good coffee and the bartending staff at the pool. If you want to party, drink bad alcohol, hook up and you just don't care where you stay for 7 days -- this is the place for you. Otherwise take your hard earned dollars and go elesewhere.

Barcelo Huatulco: Amazing beaches

Well to be quite honest, I have visited huatulco many times over the last decade. But have always stayed at dreams. This was the first time at the barcelo, on recommendation of our travel agent. Now any other time, we would have been a little disappointed. Unfortunately this was our destination wedding. With a group of 29 that booked with Kevin and another 20 who had come from over seas just to be there for us. Now considering the amount of people in our group and the amount of money that was ma [... read more]de from our group. I expected to be treated a lot nicer than we had. And by nicer I mean I felt like a second class citizen. Myself and all of my guests noticed as well. We will all be writing a scathing review on our own separate blogs about our experiences. We were not impressed at all. The only two respectful people that tried to be a little more accommodating was the food and hospitality manager and our wedding coordinator. But prior to having had an almost all out brawl in one of the a la cartes because there was a system error while booking, when half of our group was asked to leave until we produced our receipts for the booking that they didn’t seem to have. No one even asked how we’re were. Especially since the day of our arrival we were stranded on the highway on a sunwing bus for almost 3 hours while there was a protest happening. Now I understand that may be out of sunwings control but what was not, was to be prepared. So after 3 hours all the passengers had to disembark and walk a km and a half with luggage in hand through protestors over obstacles to another bus. Now I could go on and on but the more I think about the angrier I become. So I will leave with this, thank you so much for recommending this place, I hope you hit quota in sales and just to let you know we have 3 more weddings and a yearly family trip that will have approximately the same amount of people per year. And that business we will be taking elsewhere. And it’s a shame because we have been going with trip central for years.

Barcelo Huatulco: Needs Improvement

Though rooms were clean and resort grounds well kept, food was just average. Most hot dishes were overcooked and way too salty. I have had much better quality at other 4.5 star all-inclusive resorts in Mexico in terms of food, entertainment and service. This resort isn't truly all-inclusive as you need to pay extra to upgrade (to become a "gold" member) for WIFI or room service food which is ridiculous. Also booking dinner at "better" restaurants in advance is only permitted for gold membe [... read more]rs. I would rate this resort a 2.5 or 3 at best which is generous.

Occidental Tamarindo: great family oriented resort

We have been back multiple times to this resort as it is not a large resort making everything within comfortable walking distance. Great surfing beach although we just love being bashed by the waves and watching those that surf! The great beach is all yours, not crowded and great for long walks. All the excursions are at your door step so you can explore Costa Rica till your hearts content! The food leans more to Costa Rican food with great selection so you will be sure to find something that p [... read more]leases you. Over the years the staff have made great advancement with incorporating the English language but they should try to do so more on the entertainment side to make all feel more welcome.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Bad food

Had diarrhea every day. Food was bland and nothing special. We ate at every restaurant. Salt water pools were great. There really isn't a beach as it is man made. We attended a wedding and unfortunately the meal was served in a private room which was exposed to the outside and it was very hot and humid.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Amazing family vacation

The resort was everything we could have asked for and more The room was amazing and so was the view. Quick transport from the airport and easy check in. Highly recommended for families. Food was great as were the a la cart restaurants. Beach spectacular. If you prefer a quieter section of the beach request rooms in the 1100 to 1400 section away from the lobby.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: nice resort

Very nice resort. Beautiful grounds with beautiful beaches. Food was excellent. Service was good except at the pool bar where we were ignored but solved that by leaving the pool to go the the bar just behind the pool bar where the service was much better. Coffee bar was excellent for coffee and service.

Occidental Caribe: Nice Resort

Clean grounds, lobby, restaurants and bars. Rooms were nice for a 4 star, everything worked well ! Maid service daily was great and most staff very friendly. No pushy time-share folks like Palladium and Hard Rock that we visited in 2017. As much as the dune buggy (Polaris Rzr's) look exciting, they are a bigger rip-off than previous times as you spend more time stopping at 'family vendors' than you actually do any driving. Overall, we would return to this resort someday and currently looking to [... read more] go to Cayo Largo, Cuba for Nov 2018 So if any of you reading this have suggestions for Cayo Largo, please let us know a decent place you have visited, thanks.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: amazing resort

We have been to this resort 10+ times... have never had a bad experience. highly recommend ..................................................................................................................................................

Barcelo Solymar: Gong Show

We arrived to be told at 2am that they had no room for us and had no offer of alternate accomodations. Then they came up with one room and a king bed to two male occupants which was not acceptable. After providing some alternate options that staff put us in the adjacent hotel in a handicap room for the first night. The next day we were moved but it took away time from our holidays to move. After this the room service was missed on one day and required follow up each day after for the room to  [... read more]be made up. The hotel also had laundry service problems and did not have full linens for the room so we had no change of sheets and a small towel for the bathroom which were not changed until the last few days of the trip. The hotel had no beach towels for the week until the second last day so what we had had to be used regardless of the condition at the end of the week. We have been at this hotel last May and service is definitely declined in many areas. There was of course staff that were exemplary but they were overshadowed by the issues we dealt with. Food was limited in options compared to our last visit but acceptable for Cuba.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Beautiful Resort!

This resort is huge so expect to do plenty of walking. There is a train for your convenience. The grounds are very nice and the workers are constantly working to keep the grounds looking lovely. The beach is amazing!! No problem getting lounge chairs but not much shade. There is an adults only pool, kiddies pool and two other large family pools. At times lounge chairs are hard to find. Lots of pool bars, regular bars and even a coffee bar. A la carte restaurants were very nice and meals de [... read more]licious. Even at the buffets there was always a variety of foods so you always found something to your liking. There was also a sports bar which was open 24 hrs. Staff was very friendly but very few spoke English. Entertainment at the theatre was typical for a resort but it didn't start until 10 o'clock. The casino was also a fun place! The only negative about resort is check in isn't until three or later and wifi is not free. Wifi in casino is limited.