Barcelo Maya Colonial: Amazing!

Loved that I paid for one and had access to all the other resorts except palace unless we wanted to pay a little bit. I loved the variety of the buffet and all staff were very friendly. I didn't want to leave. Will recommend and come back again!

Barcelo Gran Faro Los Cabos: Amazing!!!

The staff were wonderful, very helpful and friendly. The food was great! Our room was clean. The entertainment was entertaining. We enjoyed the different themes each night. We had a great time! Would love to come back!

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Beautiful Beach, Unhappy Staff

Bavaro beach is beautiful in every way. The property is very nice. Not much in the way of entertainment or night life. The biggest downfall was found in the staff. Overall seemed disengaged and not very happy. Rare that they would say holas as they passed by. It's safe to say that 1 in 20 were happy and service minded. Barceló needs to assess the employment engagement level. So if I had lower expectation of the staff my rating for the resort would have been higher.

Occidental Nuevo Vallarta: Great time

It is a great resort, the people were very friendly and the grounds beautiful. We would go there again and highly recommend it. The only complaint is that for a few days there were too many people there, too many kids screaming and people running and screaming in the halls at night.

Occidental Punta Cana: Occidental Punta Cana

The hotel was was ok but we had no TV for 3 days. We had a problem with the door for one day my husband had to stay in the hot heat to wait for the repair man to fix our door handle. No huts on the beach as it showed on picture and my husband and I had no shade and husband has lupus of the skin!! The front desk was not helpful at all. The advisors were more helpful then staff not organized at all just empty promises!!!The rep for Air Trans were not helpful at all!!! No wifi always problems. Food [... read more] was always the same at the buffet.The restaurant were excellent!!!

Barcelo Maya Colonial: What a paradise!!!!

My daughter and myself just spent a week at the Barcelo Maya Colonial resort in Riviera Maya. This being my6th visit to same area of Mexico I would say by far the nicest resort I have experienced. The place was immaculate, the staff were helpful on any issue we came with. Anything we requested came promptly with a smile. The staff were at all times profession and although we were placed on ground level with patio doors, which I was nervous about, never did I feel unsafe there. The restaurants we [... read more]re plentiful, the pools were never ending and spotless. The grounds also immaculate. Our transit representative also extremely helpful and available. There was so much to see and do there we never left the resort. It was also nice to see so many families and children vacationing together in large groups with so much available to keep the young ones busy. It was quiet at night but activities available for those who enjoy the night life. I would recommend this resort to any family and friend of mine.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Barceil Arenas Blancas, Varedero, Cuba

The resort was clean and comfortable but a bit dated. The food and drinks were great. Pools were nice and the beach was beautiful ( and a 2 minute walk from the hotel) Staff were very friendly. Good value for money.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Beautiful Resort!

The hotel grounds were pristinly kept and very clean. Beautiful gardens and beach front. The food was mediocre to good but nothing spectacular in my opinion. Staff was very friendly and overall one of the nicest resorts I have been to.

Barcelo Karmina: great resort

I found the food and resort to be above average. Loved the pool as well as the beach The only thing that I found that was lacking was the drink service. Even when I tipped heavy for the first drink I hardly saw the pool waiters. Always a line up at the bar for a drink.

Barcelo Karmina: Great resort

Everything was great. Only complaint was that the pool was too cold to be comfortable to swim in which was unfortunate. Food was good. Since I am a young mom it seemed like the waitstaff at meals didn't care too much about keeping on top of our table, my guess is that they didn't think I would tip or something of that nature.

Barcelo Montelimar: Relaxed because of deficiency’s

I am a female 58 years old with my 79 yr old mom, we both have traveled , understand that a star system is per country and not a universal system. We left from Toronto Ontario on Air Transat, flight uneventful for us BUT YOUR PASSPORT MUST NOT EXPIRE WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF YOUR TRIP TO NICARGUA OR YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED ON PLANE. There was a young lady who did not get to go on her trip as well as 2 other people on a plane going down when were to be picked up. There has beenn only 10 loads of  [... read more]Canadians this year brought to this resort (this includes Toronto and Montreal guest.) as Air transat just started to offer this resort this year. Going through customs is a two stage process, easy. You are met outside of customs by the air transat rep who will direct you to the bus. On the bus you will be given your hotel room package, towel cards, room cards information about beach , map of resort. Be forewarned the bus ride is 2 hours and if you have motion sickness take a gravel or whatever you need to survive the ride. There is no bypass around the city where you land . The city traffic is congested at any time as population of city is 1.35 million people. It will take just over an hour to get out city to highway which is cobble stone.. another hour to resort . The air transat rep will be on the bus with you and telling you about the area . You will arrive around 5 30 - 6 pm local time. You loose an hour upon landing. It is a long day to get there . The next morning you are invited to the air transat talk, this will be up at the entertainment area (the big tent area that you can see from the beach) When you finally get to resort you will be met with dancers and a drink and you are on your own to find your room (you are given resort map in your package) your luggage will be sent to your room apparently in 20 minutes.. Good luck on that … You can take a shuttle to your room , if you choose to do that you can get shuttle out front of lobby. It will be a white shuttle bus .. Our room was a bungalow , if you thinking of booking an ocean view bungalow - you will see the ocean a) if you can find an open spot in the beautiful vegetation, b) if you jump up and down but only if you are in the right spot. simply don't waste your money.. Just book a bungalow and go with that. If you want a bungalow near the main pool book in the one hundred or two hundreds section. In your room you will find flat screen tv, mini bar,, first day you will find beer pop and water, rest of week you will only be restocked water and pop only. In bathroom you will find facecloths and other towels, with soap , shampoo in a dispenser. There will be a tooth brush and tooth paste bundle, razor package, q tips and make pads package . Closet will have iron and board, umbrella your digital safe is there, extra pillow and blanket. Four pillows on bed . There is an alarm clock, ice bucket. (where you can get ice from one of the 5 lower bars , or hotel that has ice machines on every floor, or use the ice from the pop machines in buffet. There are small water glasses and coffee machine, if you look in the casino pamphlet you should find $10 casino money … outside of room are two chairs, small table and a hammock over looking the beautiful vegetation. If you go down to the furthest part of resort (500 section) you will find a bar close to beach, quad, surf board or horse rental.. The beach in front of resort is over ½ mile long and goes on further past resort… Past resort there are T shirt shack, shack shack own by locals who live behind their shack. If you go to the last shack you will get a better price on t shirt going price is $4. Lower level Section 400 you find bar near beach Main pool in front of hotel has bar and snack bar ping pong table, corn hole game , volley ball and basket ball (pool) store, massage . Beauty salon and photo store. Stair case that will take you to hotel area, lobby has internet cafe, bar and pay phone, just off lobby is pharmacy , doctors office and a bank ... just off main pool you will find an adult only pool and fitness equipment hotel has bar from the grounds you have to go up an elevator to top floor to lobby buffet is by the 100 section ocean front it is open and if you have an issue with birds well you will still have your bird issue there past the 100 section going towards Casino is the kids area with a pool , bar, book lending library (mostly religious books), ping pong table any you get boogie boards there across the road there is a baby pool with a very tiny adult type pool area. Close by is a mini golf area which needs some tender care as it is in very rough shape. Here you will most likely find a herd of white tail deer peacocks and cage parrots .. Note if you are going to play mini golf wear bug spray. The bugs are thick in this area. Upper Level The casino, disco, pool table, bar, al cartes and entertainment area is close by but requires going up lot of stairs, if you walk the road it is very steep. You can get a shuttle up to here. Please note from the bottom of the stairs to the end of section 500 it is ½ mile and it you are walking back to your room in high heels , you are in for a very rough road. Please note there is a shuttle that runs down two roads of the resort and stops at the bus shelters every 20 minutes and does not run past mid night. All the bars in the lower level including lobby are only open from 10 am to 7 pm if you want a drink after that you must go to the (upper level) the bar by the entertainment hours are 7pm to 11 pm and then you can only get a drink in the casino after that The Entertainment needs a huge improvement . It truly was not worth wasting the time to go to it. It was loud and poor. Two nights in a row of karaoke. A trany show and a few others, there was one night worth going to and it was a local band who played . The Disco was another waste of time. No one went in unless it was on week end , the local would use it . There are slot machines, and pool table and very few chairs .. To get to disco go through casino. Casino is on second floor is played with either US$ or local money. All the al cartes are very good , you can not go wrong with any of them, you get to choose two for every week you are there, To enter any of the al cartes you must enter through the Italian and they will take you the Seafood or Japanese. Note: if you are Canadian on the weekends you are offered to have lunch in the italian restaurant as the resort get very busy Wifi works on and off , it cost I believe it is $12 a day $35 for a week , you can get some free stuff, BUT it is Slllllllooooowwww .. If you become a Barcelo member you should be able to get you Wifi for free.. but you get the slowwwww free stuff. You have to bring all your devices to the internet location in lobby to be hooked .. Food in general is good, I can make a meal out of everything. I had nothing to complain about. Al cartes were excellent service very slow … it may be bland but salt and pepper is on every table and other spice can be found on buffet you must remember what is bland to me is not bland to you they are feeding different nations and different tastes. Tipping not required but appreciated if service is remarkable and the dollar store stuff not required . Tip them so they can purchase what ever they need not what you think they need. Health care and education are free Tourism workers and agriculture workers are the highest paid workers beside doctor and lawyers. You can only use so many baseball caps,,, or nail polish. Cash is King… Note the sun set very early 6 - 630 pm and it is dark bring a flashlight as it is dark around the resort . Deficiency Please note there have been only 10 plane loads of travelers brought to this resort as it just started catering to Canadians this year --- Two plane loads a week one Montreal and one from Toronto , Staff lack of english language. I have no idea most the time what they were saying but we managed. Somehow ... If you have a mobility issue this resort is not for you, roads and walk ways are rough, the step to get into shuttle is high . All the bars on lower level close at 7 pm which forces you to go up to the upper level of resort if you want a drink. Open a bar for later use. Not everyone goes to the al carte or buffet early … Swimming in ocean at this time of year is out of the question , the beach when asking the staff has been red flagged for months. The undertow is really strong ,,, and there is also a warning about stingrays hanging around the beach. there is ½ mile of beach and no activities are done on beach,,, lots of empty loungers There is no lobby bar or an area where you can go beside the upper level to socialize with other guest (the lobby bar closes also at 7 pm ) I would bring a small band down to lobby and open the bar up until midnight . A place to socialize, some place you can hear your self speak … and enjoy the company of other guest. The Buffet opens at 7 o clock for dinner , that is very late if you have young children, they want to eat and just go to bed, The buffet hours of opening need to be changed. One pool needs to stay open past 7 , it is still warm . The lounge chairs are filthy dirt and lots of bird poop on them .. and pool deck area need a very good cleaning. Power washing them would work …. Activity staff need to get things going. Water activities .. water aerobics, water volley ball . They have this great pool and the staff don't really use for any activities. If someone had any chance of doing a business, there is this great runway to land small planes on right beside resort. If someone had a small plane that could land at this runway from the main airport instead of taking the bus at a reasonable cost. When I asked about this possibility I was told $2500 US to do this , there would be a booming business as the two hour bus ride to to travel 75 kilometers is very hard on some people. But it would have to be a reasonable cost. It would be a 15 minute ride at most. Allow any private guide up to the lobby area to pick up their clients. Ask the client to tell front desk so these arrangements can be made so the driver can get past security. The security gate is far walk for the elderly, it is why a private guide has been hired not to be herded like cattle of big bus. The resort pamphlet needs to be typed reset so it is reasonable to be read resort map key is as followed 1 reception 2 stores 3 main pool 4 jacuzzi (adult pool) and fitness area 5 Tennis court there is a bar in this area also (rentals are in this area quads, horses, surf boards) 6 bar area around 400 section 7 buffet 8 kids club 9 mini golf area 10 al cartes casino, disco and entertainment here is the following of excursions from resort. Please note all excursions are 1 ½ to 2 hours from resort . Masaya volcano on a saturday 8 am to 5 pm cost $79 each Granada Day trip on a Sunday 8 am to 5 pm cost $89 please note anyone that went on this tour all commented they did not see much in Granada as most the city was shut down for sundays (religon reason as 95% of country is roman catholic) No over night trip offered anymore just a day trip Mombacho Volcano and canopy “Zip lining” on a Wed cost $100 each Sand boarding Cerro Negro Volcano on a Tuesday 7 am to 5 pm cost $89 and $10 equipment rental Ometepe Island two day leaves at 6 am cost $180 leaving day unknown Coffee Plantation on a Wed. cost $76 Volcanoe's route NOT OFFERED ANYMORE Mantagalpa and La Sombra Tour TBA $150 I used a private company Golocal . I had a driver from 730 am until 5 pm , He was excellent, spoke english very well, informative and catered to my 79 year old mom. I researched this company I was very happy with the service I received. He took us to places that were not on any of the excursion offered from resort …. Would I go to this resort again??? , not until some of the deficiency have been corrected and I would only stay if it was offered as a 10 day trip , 2 weeks is to long , one week is to short.. considering the travel time . The trip home was very long. You have to meet in lobby at 9 30 am and you don't land in Toronto until at least 9 30 – 10 pm through customs and pick luggage up . You are talking about a 13 hour travel day. Worth a one week trip that would be up to you. You will see my handle here on trip advisor is small world traveller.. how small is this world . I live in a village of 6500 (includes chicken sheep ) the next town is 18000 people . there were two couples from the next town and another couple from my village at the resort .. Yes it is a very small world … the two couples know each other and we all booked with different companies ….. PS electricity is the same as here in Canada no need for an adapter kit and if there is a need for hair dryer it is provided

Occidental Punta Cana: Beautiful resort

This Hotel had everything you needed the restaurants were great! loved the live shows and entertainment they had every night beautiful pools the service was great really enjoyed our stay would definitely go back

Occidental Caribe: Fun times at the occidental

The beach is stunning, rooms a little dated and could use a little more entertainment but overall we had a great time. The food is a 7/10 but lots of variety and plenty of fresh fruit and veggies. The foam party and beach party were a nice touch. Overall the staff could be a little more helpful but they do go out of their way for you. Overall it was a nice resort but the beach is stunning and clean.

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.