Occidental Arenas Blancas: Great combo resort

Resort was well managed. Rooms were a little older inside but kept clean. Resort was undergoing construction when we were there. Its nice to see them improving things, but it was annoying if your room was by the construction due to noise and worker traffic. Real asset that the resort is larger as they offer more activities. It is also great that there is a 4 star and 5 star resort on the same property and that you are allowed to use the facilities and food buffets at both places. Best resort fo [... read more]r walks to town as it is very close.

Barcelo Solymar: Party Resort till 11PM

We've been to several Cuban resorts, so were used to the small things like bathrooms not fully stocked, bars running out of booze. So we come prepared my wife always carries napkins and were not picky drinkers and will just try another. The thing about this place being so close to all the nightlife is they shut down all the bars after 11, the Disco is a joke with the DJ in an elevated inaccessible booth that u can't request him/her to play a half decent song other than the gangsta yo yo stuff pl [... read more]aying. And the resort practically forces u to go out if u wanna have fun. There is a cafe where u can grab a beer, if they don't run out. We went out several times and had fun, but we spent a lot more money than we wanted. The food was great, never understood the widespread misconception that Cuban food is bad. We had lobster and steak twice at the Spanish restaurant and always filled up my plate with a wide variety at the buffet. The pools, grounds were constantly being cleaned. This resort is very lively with a lot of younger guest whooping it up.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Barcelo Maya Beach

We had amazing days in this resort. Everything was perfect. Just a couple issues, I couldn't sleep at night because the hallways was noisy every night by some drunk people 😉And the second issue was about room service, the wet towels was in our room after they clean our room. And our fridge didn't full every day. Thank for everything Colleen.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Fabulous resort

This resort had the best food, wonderful entertainment and delightful people. Very clean resort and very comfortable beds. The staff were always helpful and the tour guides on our excursions were more than amazing. The only thing I didn't appreciate was the staff who were tricking us into signing up for time share. I had a full day of travelling and was very tired when we arrived. Arrived at the resort at 12:30pm and had to wait for our room to be ready at 3:00pm. We had no problem with  [... read more]our day of travelling and were trying to wind down before dinner and were approached by staff trying to sell time shares and forcing us to sign a meeting schedule. The next morning our villa, we then had a concierge bugging us to see if and what kind of deal was given to us for our excursions. I advised that I was not interested and was pursued for most of the week to buy time shares. Quite bothersome and annoying. Other than that we had the time of our lives. Thank you,

Barcelo Solymar: Our amazing paradise that we look forward to visit.

We love everything about it . The security, the lack of vendors in the beach. The people trying to do their best for our comfort, their friendliness and caring is unbelievable! They make you feel among friends.

Barcelo Maya Palace: Fabulous time!

This was our second time to the Barcelo Palace, so it's alwasys going to be a comparison to the first time. Two changes that I didn't like: the bedding, and the pillows. Honest to God, the sheets felt like they were plastic, and the pillows were so large they were hard to sleep on. Other than that we enjoyed everything about this resort. I loved the ocean, the on site shopping, the friendly staff, and a la carte meals. The french restaurant was our favorite and we went twice (like we did last ti [... read more]me) A huge shout out to Fernando and Garmi at the French restaurant. Fernando, in my opinion, was the best server on the property. He asked my name, and treated me like we were great friends. Another shout out to Ulises at the adult pool. He made fabulous drinks and was so friendly. We also love the Tokyo restaurant in the mall, and the chef put on a great show.

Barcelo Maya Palace: Great Value for the Family

Desserts start to get repetitive after 7 days, same with shows. Kids loved the Barcy club, and water park with waterslides, crafts, facepainting, movies, games and all sorts of activities- available 9-9!!, and even take kids to dinner or lunch. No hot Jacuzzi on site, just cold built into the pool. Really only 3 bars. 2 Buffets, but mostly only 1 open at one time ( or staggered only for a short time) Waiter service in the restaurants and buffet, outstanding Buffets have 4* quality, Resta [... read more]urants are 5* quality, selection Walking to other resorts was fun, more water parks and pools and bars to enjoy. Short walk to Dolphinarium, Spa Spa$$ was well worth it- gorgeous hydrotherapy pools, and massage was great Rooms were nice, some tile work is grouted terribly, but well cleaned and supplied amenties were nice. AC in rooms, restaurants and some community areas good. Snacks at the Lobby bar nice. Beach was nice, able to swim with fishes and sea turtles within 50 ft of shore. Lots of lounge chairs around pool and beach, hammocks too, always a place to lay down. Gardens around grounds were nice, but needed more shrubs and plants planted around the grounds. Sister resorts have lots of gorgeous plant beds in addition to the gorgeous palm trees. Cleanliness of the resort was OK, but not spotless. Private photos on the resort are way overprices. Really 1 picture with a bird around the pool for the kid is $15 - 1 picture, and a family/couple/single sitting fee with pictures is 20/picture. Bus the mall, mini golf was great, quick. Bowling Alley area was kind of moldy smelling. Room was a King Bed, with 2 Day beds, which could sleep adults, but kids took them. They needed new mattresses, but Kind was great. Bedding; crisp and white. Flight and transportation were good!

Occidental Punta Cana: Great Location!!

Not sure what some are looking for but this resort was great for us! Stayed in building 24 which was renovated and perfectly located. Very central, room was beautiful, always cleaned and stocked well. Group grounds were kept clean. Staff was amazing and very friendly. Food was good always a variety to choose from. Never went hungry. Beach was amazing. Had a wonderful, and well rested vacation.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: we shall return!!!

Overall it was a wonderful experience for both of us. First visit and definitely not our last Entire Barceló Resort was absolutely beautiful, spotless grounds "manicured". Restaurant staff were friendly but obvious language issues made conversation challenging but that wasn't unexpected. Always greeted pleasantly by a hostess for dinner Staff at front desk and other guest services were very helpful. Nighttime shows were okay but not that exciting. Our room was suppose to be "oceanview" It w [... read more]as at groundlevel but obscuring our view was the childrens pool area and water apparatus. Our room was very spacious and more than comfortable.

Barcelo Huatulco: All good!

Returned Tuesday April 25th from a relaxing sun filled week in Huatulco Mexico at the Barcelo Huatulco. Wonderful service, extremely clean resort and very helpful staff in all aspects. Great food at all restaurants though the Mexican restaurant was more authentic Mexican food than we expected, the Spanish and Italian restaurants were very good, both evenings we visited. True the beach is steep and the situation on the bay can result in some surprising wave activity but a great place for relaxing [... read more]. We had an upper level premium room that provided wonderful Ocean views. Again we wish to extend a very sincere thank you to Robyn Murray at Tripcentral for her efforts in making every aspect of our vacation memorable.

Barcelo Huatulco: Very nice resort!!

Enjoyed the week tremendously. Staff, food, services, entertainment, hotel facilities all are top notch. Area needs improvement is check-in. Not enough personnel to handle a large group of guests. Internet access should be available in all buildings not just in the lobby.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Beautiful Resort

My family came here on a group trip from April 17-24th, 2017. It is beautiful and I love that nature is all around with the monkeys and iguanas and deer everywhere. However our room was wrong as we are a couple and wanted 1 bed not 2. It was unable to be changed but we made the most of it. There is tons of walking and stairs. My mom has 2 replaced hips and it was a lot for her. It rained a couple of days and it was insanely slippery. It took them a long time to put down mats to keep from falling [... read more]. I ended up falling more than once and actually hurt my foot pretty bad. The beach is beautiful. The pools are great but I wish there was more than one with a swim up bar. The a la cartes are great but the buffet gets a bit boring after a while. Also in many areas of the resort there is a terrible smell. I dont know if it's sewage or manure but it is fairly overpowering. Also while we were there one of the buildings roof collapsed onto the balcony below it. Very scary. Overall though it was great. The employees were super friendly and helpful. Just a few things would have made this a near perfect resort.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Amazing trip

This resort was so big and beautiful. Everything was very organized, clean and well managed. The staff was so friendly and nice. Nothing but great things to say about it. The check in was very slow but other than that there we're so many people and things to do we were never bored! Also gorgeous beach!!

Barcelo Gran Faro Los Cabos: Great place to stay!

I went with my boyfriend and we had a great stay are Barcelo! The breakfast buffet was our favourite and we enjoyed all of our a la carte dinners (seafood, mexican and sushi). Dinner buffets were also delicious. The lunch buffet was our least favourite (but still enjoyable). Most days we were satisfied to eat guac and chips at the snack bar though! Note about the a la cartes - you can book days in advance and they do fill up! Our room was great, service at the pool was wonderful and the be [... read more]ach was great to walk on. My only negative experience with the trip was with the concierge. I didn't find them overly helpful with a few issues (booking a la cartes, wifi, booking shuttle back to hotel etc). They have a strange policy of photo copying your ID when you buy wifi (also you can't charge it to your room, you need your credit card). When I asked them why they only responded that it was their policy. They could not explain why they needed it, where it was stored or how long it was kept. A small thing maybe but it certainly bothered me. Also it's an inconsistent policy since one time they didn't photocopy ID and one time they did. Overall a great week and if I was the type of person to go back to the same place twice I certainly would!

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Great but not perfect vacation

We were in Punta Cana between March 22 and April 5th. Our vacation between airports experiences (arrival and departure) was amazing at this resort. Punta Cana "International" airport is NOT what I expected for a high volume tourist area. Lined up as cattle to go through both security checks, took forever to get to hotel (3 hours after landing). Watch out for the words "included" and "complimentary" as at first you think you are getting something for free but they always have a way to get you to [... read more] pay for it. We were given "complimentary" golf but ended up we had to pay for the golf cart which was not included and was mandatory. Free golf, right' yeah but the golf cart cost us 75$ US each!! so our game ended up costing us 150$. The 7 games I planned on playing ended up being 1 game and my clubs stayed in the room for the remainder of the vacation. Complementary 1000$ is not cash you can spend but a % taken off various items such as higher end wine, room service etc.. all the stuff you basically would not take advantage of being in an all inclusive resort.

Barcelo Solymar: below expectation

I am a regular traveller and rather easy going but I must say the Barceló Solymar in Varadero was a disappointment. It is extremely rundown and unkept. We arrived only to find out that the bungalow we booked was not available till the following day. When we got our bungalow is was rather scary looking, six huge patch holes in the tub and no shower curtain, huge crack in the wall a couple of inches away from the patio door, so large that you could see outside. Railings to the stairway to sec [... read more]ond floor of bungalows were loose and made it difficult for the elderly travelers with us to support themselves coming up the stairs as the railings literally shifted as you touched them and screws were not sticking out of deteriorated concrete. You had to look down when walking as there were many potholes from crumbling walkways everywhere on the resort. One of our travel companions' foot went through the grid of the pool and she fell through and injured her leg. The hotel lobby washroom was out of order for 1.5 week that we were there. Food was below standard and most of the 6 travel companions were sick throughout the trip as a result of the food, often only ate buns or rice, as you were afraid of having anything else. Staff tended to give service to latin speaking clients and serve them first regardless of the order you arrived at the front desk or the bar. Beach was nice but water was rough. Temperature was good while we were there. I was told it was a lively resort but found the entertainment boring. The one advantage is you are a five minute walk from local bars and the area seemed very safe and secure when you ventured off. Overall, very disappointing, I will not recommend Cuba to anyone, nor will I ever return.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Nice Grounds but Food is just OK

Nice resort, a little big for my taste. The beach area was nice, great for small kids. The food was not at all what I expected since I heard from many people that Mexico always has good food. I will not be going back to this resort. The rooms were nice and clean.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Amazing resort

Amazing place with lots to do. Service was wonderful and always greeted you and helped if needed. Night shows were fantastic and also has a disco opened till 2am. You'll see monkeys hanging out in the trees, deers in the bushes, iguanas and geckos on the paths and also koatis. Tons of good food options and Paco tacos was opened till 2am also. The beach was large enough and water was also deep enough also. The beach had lawn chairs, hammocks and beds. Which you would need to reserve them before 9 [... read more]am or earlier or they may be taken. Our rooms were beyond our expectations, comfy king size bed, TV cable, an and a full mini fridge. The xcaret Park was cool to see if you haven't gone before, the package doesn't include most activities the park offers however, each are an additional cost. Our shuttle bus was an hour and a half late (not the resorts fault) but the resort offered to pay for all our cabs to the airport. Hope to come back to the same resort someday!

Occidental Cozumel: Nice Resort

This a nice small resort. Pools are good the beach is excellent. The alacart restaurants are good. Friendly staff. Poor service at the buffets though. No utensils or napkins on the table while your food gets cold. No offer of water or a drink most of the time. I think it's understaffed. The shows are from 9-10 then you can go to disco if it's open. It is a nice disco.

Occidental Cozumel: Great Week

Got there at night and it was kind of hard to find our room. Room was very nice and roomy with good air conditioning, a very comfy mattress and a large bathroom with separate bath and a big shower with good water pressure. Hotel is small to med sized so never any big lines for anything. Grounds are kept beautiful. Beach is wide and clean and there were lots of lounge chairs available. Pretty good snorkelling right from the beach. Food was above average at the main buffet and the beach buffet [... read more]. The three individual restaurants were nothing special. After 9:30 the only food you can get is at the Pizza bar and quite frankly the Pizza is not good. Ladies at the front desk need to be a little more friendly but the rest of the staff (especially the great bartenders) were very nice and they work very hard whether you tip them or not. Overall a quiet and relaxing vacation at a nice resort.