Barcelo Maya Colonial: What a wonderful resort!!!!!

The hotel was exceptionally clean The workers really take pride in there jobs from the grounds keepers,Maids,The Entertainment Teams,The servers from Breakfast to Lunch Dinner at the Buffet warm wonderful staff The El la Cartes were Mmm Good Great service All the food was delicious tasteful

Allegro Playacar: Wonderful week, Great Resort.

Thanks Debbie for suggesting the Allegro Playacar. Beautiful setting, first class resort, great staff. We would highly recommend it . Great beach, close to the Playacar Plaza and a $7 cab ride to 5th.Ave. Took one tour to Talum/Coba, cenote swim and Mayan village booked thru Air Transat rep. really first class. Thanks again.

Barcelo Montelimar: Enjoyable Experience

Nicaragua, a very poor country, just now putting a greater impetus into their tourism industry. We were not expecting a great deal beforehand but we were pleasantly surprised. There were challenges of course; very little English spoken at the resort, disappointment at the level of knowledge and experience by our guides on our side excursions, some problems with daily room maintenance (late bath towel delivery, missing bath mats, and a missed room cleaning altogether one day). Overall, however, t [... read more]he pluses outweighed the minuses. The property is large, beautiful, and well maintained. It has a beautiful uncrowded beach, the weather was great, the food was 'acceptable to good' (buffet and à la carte), on a par with most resorts we've stayed at in the Caribbean. Our 'bungalow' (one of a 4 unit building) was comfortable although quite noisy when our neighbors were active. We were visited by a some friends (bugs) a couple of nights, but no big problem. The A/C was also noisy and you WILL want to keep it on most of the time. The king bed was absolutely great - slept like a log. But a precaution - the area outside the main hotel is not well lit at night and we actually got lost on a couple of occasions - you may want to use the shuttle (please Montelimar, provide a better, more detailed map of the resort grounds for guests). All in all, a great 10 days, quiet, very reasonably priced, friendly staff, and all expected amenities - Hola!

Barcelo Puerto Vallarta: Hot and cold

This hotel would be great for a couple on their honeymoon. The facility is beautiful and very secluded. I felt safe, the food was great and all the serving staff was fabulous. The front desk staff were borderline rude very unprofessional. I’m certain that they never smiled. They refused to deal with me on two occasions. There is either a tower of speakers or a nightclub playing mariachi music loudly all night and early morning. It’s very difficult to sleep through. This is off the si [... read more]te and out of control of the hotel (I think). So, don’t stay in building 1. Apparently, building 2 is quieter.

Occidental Punta Cana: Amazing Beach and spotless resort

We arrived at the resort and found it very clean. When we arrived it was 6pm and were were starving. It was the change over for diner and nothing would be available for an hour, so we sat down for a drink and ask the waitress where we could get something to eat,she came back and told us the taco venue doesnt open till for another house but she got the chef to make us something. They were the best chicken tacos every. It was a nice quiet resort no rowdy people which is what we wanted. We did  [... read more]have one issue with the A La Cart Restaurant (seafood) all A la Cart restaurants require reservations. We placed our order and notice the table beside us were served and 20 minutes later they realized that they gave our order to someone else and picked it up and gave it to us. We told then that we wont accept the food as it was at another table. We waiting another 30 minutes and not service. We decided to go and told the Wine Stewart our reason, He was very gracious trying to fix it for us but we decided to go to the buffet. The following evening for dinner we had reservations at the oriental restaurant and we walk up the Wine Sttewart (jose Sallamon) was waiting for us. He came and said I want to make it up to you for yesterday so Im going to take care of you. We walked in and they had our table ready with a bottle of Champagne chilling for us. We were so impressed that they made sure they fixed there mistake. To me that is a 5 star resort. All Restaurants were amazing food, beach absolutely beautiful, I am going back

Occidental Arenas Blancas: FAIL! FAIL! FAIL!

Where to start... I had stayed at this ‘resort’ last year. It was not quite up to snuff then, but this year was very sad. I have been to Varadero about 6 years in row (at some other resorts). Usually a 3 to 4 star hotel is relatively fine. I had booked through Tripcentral, as I was able to have an agent arrange my booking and let them know what I was looking for in a room. Getting in late, I found my room - musty and dingy, balcony overlooked 4 charming, whirling AC units. Got hotel to [... read more] change the room, unfortunately where I was last year - over the kiddies pool. This, again, is why I used an agent so this would not happen again. THIS WAS NOT THE AGENTS FAULT. The hotel is decrepit, lobby paint peeling with water stains. The lobby bar/espresso bar closed for reno’s. Why on God’s earth would they close something like that, and not do it off-season. Admittedly, they had opened the pool bar which was under construction the previous year- quite nice. The Arenas Blancas was associated with Barcelo Solymar, where you had the use of both hotel facilities. The AB was bought out by an outfit named Occidental, and at their whim, you could still use the facilities of both but, AB guests could no longer use the buffet at Solymar - just out of the blue. HMMM All and all, the star rating for ARi is extremely false. I’m well aware,you do not go to Cuba for the resort food, but every lunch/dinner was identical to the day before - 1/10. Some of the grill cooks had major attitude!!!!!! The 24 hour snack bar had discusting dried out weiners and hotdogs and mayonnaise with a scum on top and not refrigerated! The guests... mostly Long Term Care and couples with children, many under 3 or 4 months old being pushed around the paths in double-wide strollers. Just like a nursery. One thumbs up were the well kept grounds. Honestly, I could go on, but I think you got the drift. STAY AWAY!!!

Occidental Tamarindo: Great Respite from Canadian Winter

The Occidental, Tamarindo is a lovely, compact, resort located on the south west coast of Costa Rica. It's most outstanding feature is the beach which was expansive, full of soft white sand and ever changing with the tides. The resort itself is beautifully appointed with palm trees and gardens. Given that it is not as spread out as many others, it was very easy to navigate and lent itself to meeting people by the one, large, pool. The grounds are well groomed and the main building offered wonder [... read more]ful views of the pool area and grounds. The rooms are comfortable and while they are clean, the décor is beginning to look a little outdated with some small details in need of repair. The balconies, however, are all new glass and very welcoming to sit and enjoy a morning coffee. The best part in regards to our unit were the beds...they were incredibly comfortable which goes far towards a restful holiday.The staff are all very friendly and accommodating. The bar staff in particular were fast with service and made the day most enjoyable. The town of Tamarindo is a 20 minute walk away with lots to see en route such as monkeys, restaurants and stores. While we made the most of the all inclusive aspect of the hotel, the food was not always as appetizing. We enjoyed one evening of the a-la-carte restaurant which offered better quality fare but otherwise, the main restaurant on sight did their best to serve a variety of meals that were reasonable. Nevertheless, plan on a couple of restaurant visits in town to broaden your choices. We would return to this resort again and will certainly recommend it to our friends.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Beautiful Barcelo Colonial

This is at the top of our list of amazing resorts. The hotel is beautiful with everything you would want or need. Staff are super friendly and helpful. Pools are huge and an amazing pool area for kids.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Absolutely breathtaking resort!!

The service was great....right from the bus that brought us to the resort from the airport, to the check in, to the food,to the amenities....everything was top grade. Personally, I do have a problem with the language differences. It is my opinion that since Barcello has so many English speaking guests, they should put more effort and attention to teaching their staff to speak that language. Some of them could not speak/understand one word....this makes it very difficult to communicate!!  [... read more]Beyond that, our stay was wonderful and my grandaughter's wedding venue and ceremony was amazing. Thank you to Wendy and trip central for facilitating the whole event!! I will recommend you to my friends and family from here on.

Royal Hideaway Playacar: Wonderful vacation

We were at the Royal Hideaway for 11 days and loved the resort. The weather wasn't on our side that week but it made no difference to our enjoyment. The staff were amazing. We were treated royally by everyone. We had a luxury room and it was very comfortable with all our needs met. Especially loved our patio that we could retreat to at the end of the day. The a la carte was first class. Loved all the restaurants. The grill was my least favourite, however still good but we didn't repeat.  [... read more] There was some renovations going on at the resort at the time of our stay which is to be expected I suppose, however the inconvenience was short lived. A suggestion to the resort - bring the Mexican buffet back on the Thursday fiesta event at the Club Royal. Most people we spoke to said it was fabulous and better than the a la carte fixed menu. We will definitely be returning. First class resort.

Barcelo Huatulco: Great resort

Hotel is small and a little dated but very clean. Staff are very friendly. Location is beautiful. The resort is very quiet with few activities but relaxing. Food was good and the drinks were great. Service on the beach and around the pool was fast and frequent. For the price point, it is definitely the best bang for the buck.

Palma Real: Our Vacation

The staff were great. The food over all distasteful, and the majority of the food was cold. How can you eat cold soupy mashed potatoes? Two nights there was hot roasted ham. "Delicious"! Over all there breads were grand, deserts were delightful, and even had ice cream. Our room was alright, really basic and no frills. The maids did do a decent job cleaning. My biggest disappointment is from one province. "Quebec"!!!! Why can't the resorts make persons who are so disrespectful rude lack of mano [... read more]rs and extremely foul mouthed and do not give a dam about know one except for there ignorant behaviour! They scream, yell, swear, spit, do not pick up after them selves. It is a shame to say they were/are Canadians. Such an embarrassment to even be around so most of us would say Manitoba, Wpg., B.C., etc. Ocean grand.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Awesome!!!

We just returned from the Barcelo Maya Colonial resort and had an amazing week. The rooms are very clean, the food is wonderful and the pool area is huge. There is a wonderful kids pool as well. The beach is beautiful and although rocky in spots, you can find areas that are not rocky. You can also snorkel right from the beach. You also NEVER have to fight for a lounge chair at the beach or the pool which is so nice. The staff is lovely and helpful and the amenities are good. This is one of the  [... read more]resorts that we will be sure to recommend to our friends and we will be going back to. You will not be disappointed! Kelly

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Not the best

This is definitely not the best resort I have been at. The food is not good. The service is just ok but not more. I would not recommend at all. It took us an hour and half to book the restaurants and the stag Do not speak English. I’d yiu don’t speak Spanish, good luck to find someone that would understand your request.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Awesome spot!!

We had an amazing week at this resort! Can see how anyone could give a bad review. The staff was friendly and the service was incredible. The food was great and drinks were top shelf. Our room was comfortable and cleaned spotless daily and once we let the cleaning staff know that we didn't drink juice or pop she made sure we had extra water.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Great Resort!!

The grounds were beautiful. Very well maintained. Family suite had tons of space. Lots of pools with lots of bars and places to eats. We loved the buffet. Probably the best buffet we've had at a resort. Lots of activities to do around the grounds. The gym was beautiful and the spa was excellent. We'd go back but with the kids next time!

Occidental Caribe: Well laid out resort

I really like the way this resort is laid out. The resort is very wide instead of deep so all rooms are close to the beach, pools, restaurants, and Lobbys. The beach has many palm trees so there is lots of lounges in the shade if you want that. The beach is beautiful. Some of the other resorts down the beach had some seaweed problems but not here. This is our second time to this resort and I have to say I found that the food could be better this time. We had a couple of fairly good meals bu [... read more]t all and all the food is ok. The service was good and the staff was friendly.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Family Vacation With Teens

Our first family vacation in a long time and expectations were high! We booked Run of the House but next time will book specific resort. We didn’t like the unknown factor as we couldn’t find out where we were staying until arriving at Cancun airport and speaking with Air Canada Rep. A family of four including my 18 & 13 year old sons. We booked this resort specifically for them. The size and amount of activities ensured they wouldn’t be bored and we were right. They kayaked, rented jet s [... read more]kis and we went on ATV/Cenote excursion right on resort which was priced right at $60/person (that was an unexpected find while walking around resort).Highly recommend! Gym was great and we used it most days. No line up for check in but as expected room wasn’t ready until 3pm so we went for lunch at buffet to fill the time. Rooms were only real disappointment. They were very tired especially bathroom. Public washrooms were more appealing by far!! I realize climate is humid but bed was damp and smelly regardless of turning air/fans on. Been to Riviera Maya before and did not experience this. Very hard to sleep and woke with smelly hair and pjs :( Grounds are beautiful, beach is amazing, pool is cold but refreshing! Resort is 1 hour 15 mins from airport which we were aware of and resigned to just enjoying scenery. Enjoyed convenience and location of lobby bar at Tropical (close to our rooms). Able to have early am coffee/cappuccino before buffet opened and pre dinner drink while waiting for others to dress for dinner. Coffee is amazing BTW! Buffet was good for breakfast but redundant for lunch/dinner. We went to 3 different ones to try and mix it up a little. A la carte restaurants: México Lindo our fav!! La Trattoria italian amazing HUGE portions!! Tokyo Japan fun experience, meal was ‘fine’. Santa Fe steak house least favourite but ‘fine’. Staff/servers were very friendly and helpful for the most part. Some grumpy bartenders at beach bar, and front desk. Overall great vacation and would return to Barcelo Maya again, for sure.

Occidental Punta Cana: A wonderful place to visit

Very clean and modern resort. The food was very good at the buffets and the la cartes. Service was good . The beach front the best on the beach. The crews usually had it cleaned before six in the morning. Only bad thing was the smokers.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Amazing resort!

Had the best week ever at Barcelo! Definitely the biggest resort I’ve ever stayed at. The food was amazing, drinks were great, staff was friendly. My friend got married at the Barcelo palace and it was stunning!! Only complaint would be that the rooms smell so musty but that’s hard to control because it’s so humid and the one lady at guest services was very rude!! We were booking our a la cart dinners and she wasn’t very helpful or friendly.