Barcelo Puerto Vallarta: We'll Be Back!

We have been to PVR.... hmm about 17 times and this time we decided to try the Barcelo. After arriving at the airport in Puerto Vallarta, we located our West jet agent outside and they quickly had us on our way to the Hotel. It was about 35 to 40 minutes from the airport. Once we arrived at the Barcelo we were greeted with two cool glasses of Champagne and the check in took about 3 minutes. The Hotel is a bit older but kept in great condition. The rooms are huge and all come with a balcony. The [... read more] grounds are well manicured and staff are continuing cleaning the area. There are two pools, one for Adults only and the other for kids. We never had to worry about not getting a chair during our stay. There is a small beach out front and well manicured and safe. We found the 4 restaurants adequate and the main Buffet was totally Awesome, morning, noon and evening. They have a small bar outside of the Buffet so you could come early and have a drink before dinner. Yes they do have a Pickleball court ;-). Nightly entertainment was Great! This was a Great hotel for families, singles and older Seniors. The staff were always there to help and very very friendly. Our booking was all done through Nicole Deforest at Trip Central.ca she did a Marvellous Job. Thank you Nicole.... We will be Back!

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Everything was perfect.pure paradise

it was one of the best resort experiences I’ve ever had. The property is absolutely stunning .surrounded by palm trees, turquoise water, and beautifully maintained pools. There were so many places to relax, from the beach loungers to the swim-up bars. The pools were always clean, spacious, and perfect for cooling off under the sun. The all-inclusive package made everything stress-free. The food options were fantastic — plenty of variety with different restaurants and buffets. The drinks were  [... read more]top-notch too, with bartenders who were always friendly and generous with their pours. I especially enjoyed sipping cocktails by the pool while watching the waves. The staff were amazing — always smiling, attentive, and ready to help with anything. The entertainment team kept the energy up with fun activities during the day and great shows at night. My room was spotless, comfortable, and offered a lovely view.

Barcelo Solymar: Worst hotel ever!!!!

I don't know where to begin, worst hotel ever ,first we had the 4th floor room washroom was disgusting the shower had a bathtub with rust,they changed our room to a bungalow we had creepy centipede's crawled into our room even in our bed and ant nest , dirty towel stinky beach towels only 2 bath towels per room bring your own toilet paper the lobby bathrooms have np paper and no toilet seats, ack of food and terrible food, drinks hilarious no fancy drinks all watered down pita Canada w [... read more]as the only drink that was close to normal, staff was very friendly except the cigar bar tender very rude ,if I asked for a fancy drink he laughed at me!!! Good luck booking this place is garentee you will hate it here!!! Don't waist your money

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Great Family Resort

Overall 7/ 10 Grounds 10/10 - very clean Beach - 8/10 - no seaweed, some rocky bits Food 6/10 - repetitive , not a huge selection but plenty of fresh fruit Pools 10/10. - several pools and splash pads Amenities 8/10- lots to do for every age group Distance from airport: 70 minutes

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Lovely Resort!

Hotel was beautiful - still under renovations but very modern. The room and beach were beautiful! The staff were especially polite, hardworking and friendly. Only area of improvement would be the food. I think the buffet could use more variety. In addition, could have more options at lunch and possibly have the buffet as a dinner option.

Occidental Punta Cana: Average

Grounds Beautiful Rooms Clean and above average Buffet Average and service not so great Ala Cartes Some good one bad-Asian Pools Well kept - Main pool bar tooooo busy on weekend. Couldn't get to bar. Four deep of people and nobody letting you through.Should always have a lane open for orders. Beach Above average for the Dominican. Very nice

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Barcelo Maya Colonial, Riviera Maya

We enjoyed our stay at this resort. Everything was just fine! Great customer service, room was spacious and clean, food was delicious. Thanks a lot to everyone. We would be happy to visit this resort again.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: All you need at Barcelo Maya Riviera

The hotel is very well designed. One of the best features is how they lay out the infinity pools. All of them nudge right up to the beach giving you nice views of the beach and ocean while relaxing in the pool. The beach is large with many areas to sit in the sun or shade. The entrance to the water was rocky but with some water shoes it was no big deal. These things don't personally bother me - its nature - like going up north or anything else you will have to deal with some environmental factor [... read more]s. The food was great - The buffet breakfast was all you could ask for and the lunch and dinner was on the mid - higher end of the scale when comparing buffets. The restaurants were all very good, our favorite being Agave (Mexican cuisine) specifically the taco bar where you sit around a bar table and watch them prepare you all the tacos you want. Sapporo (Japanese) was also great - the teppanyaki grill is like every other - a fun show and great food. The other one we tried was the Italian which was good- the pasta was decent but i enjoyed the pizza more. One fun perk is the ability to go to all the other resorts, we walked around the first couple of days and you can grab a drink anywhere and explore. We did have dinner at the steak and pasta restaurant at the palace and it was one of our favorite meals and we found even the service amazing that evening. The other resorts have some small water parks (kid friendly resorts) we used the mini golf once for a little adventure (free) they also have bowling and other things in the mall at your own cost. Overall all the staff was amazing and friendly and worked very hard. However the resort as a whole doesn't seem to accommodate or give you that feeling of being "treated like royalty". Don't get me wrong they do a lot for you and are great but I found the premium level did not have many perks besides 24 hour room service. We never used the premium lounge as the lobby bar was significantly better in the evenings and nights. I never got premium drinks, even when i asked for cans or corona i was told no. We were celebrating a honeymoon and asked if they did anything for that. We were told yes they would have something in our room or set up something nice but all they gave us was a dessert at dinner. Nice of the recognition but a little ironic at and all inclusive. Again this is me finding issues to complain about, in no way did this ruin my trip at all. The resort is beautiful the staff is great and i had an amazing time. I enjoyed it more then the Hideaway at Royalton i previously stayed at.

Occidental Papagayo: Amazing

What can we say....our stay was over the top!! Enrique, Carlos plus The kitchen staff made our stay! So accommodating with someone that has celiacs disease. The food was great. The beach was awesome. Loved seeing the whales in the bay. We have nothing bad to say!!

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Not a 5 star experience

Where to start. We booked for Beach but were moved to Caribe with no explanation. Reception spoke no English and didn't explain anything. Bellhop left our bags by the road and disappeared. Buffet is freezing cold and loud, food was consistently bad. Not a single quiet spot to sit, loud music everywhere. Had to get our toilet fixed 3 times and it still made a loud whistling sound at night. Some staff were nice, others were cold and unhelpful. Not worth the price. They advertise the bowling alley  [... read more]and the wave pool but none of it's included and the prices are extortionate. $50 USD for some sunscreen at the shops. The mall as well was a nightmare. You walk into the lobby and immediately are faced with a gigantic screen playing ads 24/7. We spent our whole vacation at Colonial which was leagues better.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Wonderful resort but very poor customer service

We enjoyed the resort, the food, the cleanliness, the animals and all the surrounding nature however what makes this hotel a lower star is its customer service. Some people are barely speaking English, while others are rude when you ask for help. Let’s not mention the booking of restaurants… that was a total mess, so if you come for 3 days forget about a la carte, the staff always says that all is booked and you cannot book in the next couple of days. Another disadvantage is that they don’t have [... read more] an actual access to the beach. That is missing too.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Barcelo Maya Palace

Beyond words, absolutely awesome., amenities, services and personnel., of all resorts gone to i would say the best ever, originally booked @ Maya Beach later notified not available no effort with option moved to Barcelo Maya Palace , no additional charges, thank you.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Barcelo Maya Palace

Beyond words, absolutely awesome., amenities, services and personnel., of all resorts gone to i would say the best ever, originally booked @ Maya Beach later notified not available no effort with option moved to Barcelo Maya Palace , no additional charges, thank you.

Occidental Punta Cana: Occidental Rating? - 5

Okay, we booked a Superior Ocean View Room. Arrived at about 4 pm on Sept 26. Changed clothes, turned A/C down cause room was warm and went to have a drink and dinner with friends. Came back to room at around 9 pm. Floor in front of room door was soaked, roof was dripping, and a freshly installed piece of drywall on the ceiling was saturated with water. I slipped on the floor when I went in. Went to the front desk and complained, #1 Ceiling was leaking condensation from A/C unit in our ro [... read more]om which wasn’t working #2 wet floor was a safety hazard as I had slipped on it People at the front desk told me there was nothing they could do about it tonight And I’d have to wait till tomorrow. I told them it was a safety issue and the A/C not working was unacceptable and I wanted a new room for the night. This argument continued for 2 hours until I got a lady from Guest Services to come and look at it. She called someone and we were moved into another room at 11:30 that night. A huge thank you to Yugeisy Castillo for all of her help! The rest of the week was mediocre. Food was okay but the staff were not serving anyone. Definitely wanted you to get it yourself. DO NOT BOOK THIS PLACE

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Barceló Bávaro Palace: Don’t Be Misled by the 4.7/5 Google Rating

My Personal Rating: 7.5/10 for groups, 7/10 for solo travellers or couples. My opinion: The Barceló Bávaro Palace in Punta Cana presents itself as a 5-star resort with a wide range of amenities, but guests should approach with measured expectations. While the property offers multiple pools, varied dining options, golf courses, kids’ zones, shops, and evening entertainment, it is no longer at its peak. Signs of aging are noticeable, and some facilities have declined in quality. A major draw [... read more]back is overcrowding. The buffet, for example, is extremely busy, which negatively impacts service speed, cleanliness, and food safety. Coordination between the front desk and bellmen is often poor, and at times can even feel disingenuous. For group travelers, the resort’s extensive activities and entertainment options can be enjoyable. However, couples and solo visitors may find the atmosphere too hectic and the service far from personalized. On the positive side, families will appreciate the theater, pools, and child-friendly activities. But the experience is far from the polished luxury one might expect from a high Google rating. The 4.7/5 score online is misleading—this is a large, lively, family-oriented resort that thrives on volume, not on detail or refined service. Here’s my bottom line: It’s a fun, activity-packed option for groups and families, but not the serene, high-end 5-star escape many expect. Balance your expectations before booking.

Royal Hideaway Playacar: Incredible Resort

This resort is absolutely stunning! We were very pleased with the cleanliness of our room, the overall maintenance and care of the grounds and the warm and inviting staff. The food was delicious, restaurants were alway busy. The drinks were well made too. We truly have nothing bad to report!

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Amazing resort

I am a repeat customer at this resort. I was there Sept 13 - 20 and the food, in my opinion, was so much better than the last time I was there in May. The wait staff as well as the front desk staff were great always there to help and same with the wait staff. The location is right downtown Varadero which is a great feature. The rooms are dated and need updates but as ar as cleanliness and the room itself it was great I had no issues with the resort.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Amazing service.

Very good care, a cordial and respectful treatment, excellent supply and abundance, in all senses, in the breakfast, the amuerzo and the meal. Very attentive staff. Only many mosquitoes at dawn and dusk. I repeat my visit and will recommend this hotel to my friends and family. I am sure to return soon with friends and family.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Amazing Resort

Everything was fantastic! Clean rooms, wonderful grounds and restaurants were well kept with great service and food. Loved the pools and beach areas! Highly recommend this resort and definitely will return again! Thanks for making our vacation special!

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Don't waste your money

It's the worst hotel on the peninsula. I don't recommend it. The buffet has no air conditioning and all the windows are sealed. Not to mention the terrible food. Be prepared to eat ground beef; that's what they offer every day: fish with tons of bones and chicken bones. The staff does everything in their power to provide you with good service, but the place is ready to be shut down. If you don't want to waste your money, don't go to this hotel.