Barcelo Karmina: Beautiful!

Clean, wonderful grounds, fantastic pools - overall great! Great restaurant locals, service above par, frendly attendive staff. Hotel itself is beautiful- rooms are huge, however,furnishings, drapes, bedsheets need replacing! Also, more hooks in bathroom to hang things. Stunning hotel, needs lol to stay in the 5star league.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Amazing resort

The grounds and pools were beautiful. The beach was very nice. The staff were very welcoming & friendly. Lots to eat, drink & do for the family. The a la carts were exceptional. The rooms were very nice & the beds were very comfy.

Allegro Cozumel: Best Family Resort on the Island!

This was our 4th time at the Allegro, we have been to other resorts on the island but the Allegro is hands down the best. The grounds are beautifully landscaped, spectacular beach with great snorkeling, the staff are always so friendly and energetic. Good food, clean rooms and lots of stuff for the kids to do. The resort is located away from downtown and surrounded by nature. When you walk along the beach or outside the resort you sometimes see more iguanas and Coatis then people. Hands down the [... read more] best resort I have ever been too, cant wait to go back.

Occidental Caribe: Picturesque

The grounds of the hotel are beautiful. However the resort was understaffed.There were many cups left in and around the pool. It was too much for one person to keep up with. The shower and tub in the room had mold growing. There was a drink spilled on the wall in the room prior to us and was still there when we left. Check in sucked because there wasnt enough staff. Rooms weren't ready either. The food was just ok. Pizza restaurant was great. The resort was pretty it just needs some updating and [... read more] staff!

Occidental Punta Cana: A little misleading and not a 4 star but all in all a decent vacation.

Checkin is as described - Brutal. 2nd in line at the Transat private checkin and it still took 45-60 minutes to get a room and not a renovated room with a king which was what we asked for. Not all rooms are upgraded. They are under construction so one building was closed and being worked on. We were in an older building and despite asking several times to move we finally gave up as it was ruining our vacation stressing about it. To be fair the older room was not that bad, but a newer room w [... read more]ould have been nice. Our first time in Punta Cana and likely our last. The country is dirty and the people do not seem to have any pride so they throw their garbage anywhere and everywhere. Although nothing happened we never felt very safe off the resort even in the day time. The hotel had been purchased by Barcelo and part of the renovations took out all the palapas which we saw on the pictures and since my wife needs shade that was a bit disappointing to find out they were gone. They also advertised a casino but that does not exist yet. The hotel appeals to the Russians and although we met a few Russians that were nice the majority are pushy and want to always be served first, so this is an annoyance that I can do without when I`m on vacation. The majority of the staff were all friendly, but their was an expectation pretty well everywhere. At the lobby when getting change a tip was expected. Twice I asked for change for a $20 and both times I was shown $19 in the right hand and $1 in his left hand, the assumption being $19 for me and $1 for him. Probably would have tipped anyway, but don't like the expectation. Our Transat rep Antonio was only interested in what you had to say if you were booking an excursion. Other than that he had no time for you. A couple we met there went on an excursion to Saona island booked through Transat rep and she came back to the hotel crying that evening. worse day ever they said and unfortunately that was their last night so it leaves a sour taste in your mouth for vacation. They spent 5 hours on the bus going from location to location, dropping off, picking up, then the Rep let merchants onto the bus to try to sell them stuff and they hated that, they felt cornered, then they went on the boat and the Catamaran, both boats were so packed that they had very little space for them to sit and then when they got to the island the whole time they were there the merchants kept coming up to sell them stuff. Now the good The food at the buffet was quite good and 4 of the 5 a la cartes were also very good. We chose Lasagna at the Italian and that was not good at all. The pizza place was good, the Tacqueria was also good. The snack shack by the pool is also quite good for fast food and drinks. There was plenty to drink and even when there were lines, they moved pretty fast. The water at the beach is beautiful. There was a bit of seaweed which I hear is a problem but we did not really have an issue. The place never seemed that crowded and in fact they have a large pool that very few people use because there is no bar nearby so that pool which is likely the length of football field by about 30 yards wide is quite empty. Entertainment is as it is at most places and that`s ok. There is a disco that opens at 11pm but after midnight you have to pay for the drinks which we found odd. After my complaining they did offer to move us to another hotel but at this point we would have lost a day and we may have been moved to a worse place, so we decide 'better the devil you know'. We met some very nice Canadians (Punta Canada as they call it) and a few Americans and spent the majority of our days hanging out with them. The beach chairs and pools chairs were new which was nice.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Great resort!!!!

From the moment we arrived at the resort we knew it was going to be a great week! The staff are very helpful and friendly and had us checked in very quickly and our dinner reservations made that same day. The grounds are kept immaculate with gardeners taking great care of water features, plants and trees. The rooms are very spacious and clean and stocked with beer, pop, water and chips daily. Always enough fresh towels and beach towels available in the room on day 1. The buffet restauran [... read more]t has a large selection of food and was themed every night. Breakfast always offered fresh omelettes at the egg station! The lunch beach grill had a good assortment of selections for lunch as well and you didn't need to leave your beach chair for long. The a la carte restaurants for dinner were amazing. We tried the steak house which was our favourite, the Italian which was very tasty as well and the Japanese which provided a show during dinner. The chef did an amazing job preparing our food in front of us. Try the surf and turf, it's delicious!! The beach was absolutely stunning. Crystal clear water where you could see the fish in knee deep water! There was never a rush to save a beach chair at all as there are plenty of them. We were never bothered by beach vendors and there is plenty of room to walk the beach daily. The pool was a bit on the chilly side however once you got in it was fine!! The swim up bar was a bit under staffed while we were there and you did have to wait a while for your drinks. We did find it faster to go into the beach grill and get served much faster in there. The one feature that I've never experience on a resort is the Dolphinarium. I got to have a close up encounter with dolphins!! They also offer a dolphin swim too. All of this is at an additional cost but worth every penny in my books! The onsite shopping is incredible, not only are there the regular resort shops, there are market vendors offering many local talents. There is also a mall that has some high end shops as well. Overall this is a wonderful resort, from the people to the rooms, to the meals, to the beach and pools!! We will definitely return to this resort the next time we visit Mexico!!

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Great Place to Vacation (if you can deal with a few things)

We returned to the Occidental Xcaret after having a great experience in 2015. This time was terrific too - food is always amazing, staff couldn't be nicer or more helpful, rooms are VERY clean and the grounds are keep near immaculate. A few things that didn't make a good grade would be the HUGE snake we ran into twice during our visit (two in our group have serious snake phobias), the ever present pressure to sign up for the Vacationers Club (time share racket), the very loud noise in a couple o [... read more]f the restaurants (you'd think that would be a relatively easy fix) and some sketchy guests (there was a domestic dispute including violence in our building - would be nice to see a greater presence of security staff to actively tone down the stuff you wouldn't want your kids to hear). Some of those criticisms they could easily fix, others probably not. Overall the place is awesome and we've never experienced better food, facility or staff. You just have to navigate the stuff that isn't quite as perfect. Just like life, lol.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: We love this Resort!

This resort is large with five properties but it doesn't feel too big. You can stay in your own area and have everything you need, or you can eat, play, swim and have fun at all the resorts. We stayed at the Colonial which is right in the middle. Rooms are well maintained and very comfortable. You don't need to bring shampoo or body wash as it's provided and plentiful. The beach is varied - some all sand and other areas with rocks. I brought my water shoes but never used them. If you like [... read more] to walk on the beach you have almost 1.5 miles of sandy almost flat area to walk The buffet meals are excellent with lots of fresh fruit and a large variety of excellent quality food. We ate at five or six a la carte restaurants and our favourite was the Tokyo at the Caribe resort (Japanese Teppan meal). This was our second time at this resort and we would go back again for sure.

Occidental Cozumel: 2nd trip back 14 days

we have returned twice, and the improvements improve. Barceló bought out in oct 2016 with an intensive upgrade to the property . Examples .new pillow top mattresses , linens, pillows, usb ports...wifi on the way.. wine/cooler fridge, block out drapes, bathroom fixtures, additional loungers at the pool and planted beach palms for shade, This is a 4.5 and are returning march 20th with a 90 yr young mother...the small 250 rm complex is easy too navigate and has beautiful grounds...not children in [... read more]tensive as the sister property Allegro with family orientation. You will be surprised.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Lots of fun at this resort!

There were 15 of us at the resort ranging from ages 4-75 and we all had a great time! It was especially good for the 6 kids who participated in the surfing, mini golf, snorkeling, sailing, water biking, stand up boarding, scuba diving, water polo, basketball, kayaking, paddle ball,tennis, soccer and tennis as well as lots of swimming. The bonus was listening to the Dave Matthews band on the beach without paying for the concert. I like that even though the resort was fully booked, there was  [... read more]still lots of room at the pools, the restaurants and the various activities. We went to the Kyoto restaurant twice and the kids loved watching the chef prepare the food. It was delicious. On the down side, I was surprised that there were no yoga classes considering how popular that activity is. And the spa prices were way too expensive! The price for a 50 minute massage is at least twice the price it is in our home city. It is little wonder that the beautiful spa at the resort sat almost empty much of the time. Four of us were planning on going for a massage but quickly changed our minds at those prices. And the other services at the spa were very much under used because of the high costs. I am sure that many more local people could be employed if the prices were more reasonable! We had no problem with the extra charges for the surfing and the boogie boarding but the extra cost for the attached water park with the slides meant that it sat almost empty the whole week. Checking in our group was tedious especially after flying and bussing to get there. More staff at the front desk would be appreciated to get people to their rooms sooner.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Not worth it

The beach was nice. Not enough lounge chairs. Pools had no shade in the day. Pool bar not open. Lobby bar always had a line. Beds were hard. Towels not changed just folded and put back. Beds just made and not changed with sand left in the sheets. When checking the room before we left under beds had lots of dust bunnies. Ran out of hot water. Door lock broke took 4 hours to temp fix. Remote for TV was changed on the third day for one that did not work, not sure why. Called the desk sent u [... read more]p a man who said he would replace it tomorrow, didn't see him again. Late check out requested for 8pm only available til 4. Had to sit in the lobby for 3 hours. Food was good lots of selection. Our tour guide was sick for the drive from the airport to the hotel.

Occidental Punta Cana: Occidental Punta Cana. beautiful resort

The Occidental is a beautiful resort that in undergoing a refit, Air Transat rooms were in the newer part and were large and modern, King sized bed and balcony, bottled water was available throughout the complex and in our room. The beach was amazing and you could walk for miles in either direction. The food is quite good although by the end of the week it was getting repetitive. The evening entertainment was excellent and we looked forward the the live singers in the bar and the show later in [... read more] the evening. There are not enough places to get drinks by the water and there is always a line-up. Service is slow and there never appears to be anyone in charge. Do not pay for express check-in as it does not exist. We paid and after waiting 45 minutes for the 3 people in front of us to check-in it took another 30 minutes once we got to the counter. Service in general at the resort is hit and miss. If you fly Air Transat, be warned the line-up at the airport is atrocious. The 4 hours they say you need to catch a flight is needed and the Air Transat lines were incredibly slow. That being said we enjoyed the holiday, but ended up with travelers diarrhea. If we go back we would likely stay at another resort.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Barcelo Bavaro Beach (Feb 2017)

My wife and I had a great time and did a dune buggy trip as well as 4 rounds of golf. The Buggie trip was a lot of fun and we got very muddy but were taken to a beautiful white sand beach to clean up. There was a lot of hard sell of products, trinkets, etc. The golf course was fantastic. Although the check-in staff could be a little more friendly, the starter and staff were very friendly and helpful. The bartender at the course was also very helpful. ;-) My wife and I were surprised by smoking [... read more] being allowed almost everywhere at the resort, but it was airy enough not to be too much of a problem. There was even an ashtray in our room, but we couldn't smell any residual smoke. The bathroom in our room was a little dated and could have used some grout cleaning, but the water pressure and temperature was excellent. The attached Barcelo Bavaro main resort seemed a little nicer (but with kids) with more activities and we had access to that. The food was as good as any resort we've been to. The a la cart restaurants we went to had good service - the buffets were also good.

Barcelo Solymar: Great beach

The hotel was nice. It was clean, the maids came in everyday left clean towels. There was a day we had no running water, but it was fixed by 8 o'clock in the evening. Never run short of hot water which was nice. Beds were a bit hard, could have been a bit softer for the body. Changing money at the hotel was a complete ripoff. Was very inconsistent, they just charge whatever they feel like, no rhyme or reason as to what the exchange is. Go to the bank to exchange money. Pool was beautiful, we [... read more]ather was great, beach water was beautiful, part of the sand beach did have some garbage on it, sharp cans, straws, plastic glasses etc. but overall it was nice. Entertainment was good, bars were loud, fun and happening, lots of fun activities to do. My family had a good time.

Barcelo Maya Palace: THE BEST!

The detail and thought the went into the design of this resort is world class. Second time there. Feels like home. An amazing place in every detail and aspect. Cant wait to go back again....which we will.

Occidental Cozumel: Excellent

Great resort Great staff We found the staff to be very friendly and accommodating. I would definitely recommend this resort to anyone traveling to Cozemel . The pool and beach area were very good with lots of events every day.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Great Trip

Had a wonderful time at the resort from Feb 17-23. The service, food and accommodations were excellent. Would definitively go back in the future. Weather was great but there are some rocks near the shore.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Barcelo Maya Colonial Beach

Barcelo is an amazing resort, beautifully kept, rooms were spacious and very up-to-date. Lots to do, food was excellent. Staff and all their services were absolutely superb. Would definitely go again and would recommend to everyone!

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Great Resort

Overall, this resort was a lot of fun. I would definitely recommend to a younger crowd. Good drinks, nice rooms (the bungalows), beautiful beach. Came with a few friends, and we had a great time. Very close walk to the city centre near havana club etc

Allegro Cozumel: Great Resort

Rooms are nice but not overly large. The grounds are immaculate and the beach is 4 star.The food was very good in all restaurants but not 5 star. We found the resort very good value for the money and will go back.