Barcelo Huatulco: NOT "All Inclusive" Unless Upgraded to PREMIUM

Our Barcelo Huatulco experience was disappointing. While this Barcelo is nice it lacks the Barcelo branding we are familiar with. Here are a few examples: 1. Booking All-Inclusive at this destination doesn't really mean "all-inclusive." To really experience "all-inclusive" at this Barcelo means one must upgrade to "PREMIUM." The cost to upgrade to "Premium" is $35.00 US per person per day so $70 per day for a couple times seven days equals $490 US, converted to Canadian dollars roughly $650 [... read more]. For this extra $650 we could have had a King bed in an Oceanview room, premium drinks in our room refrigerator, premium drinks at the bars and wine at dinner. It was disappointing to learn the extra costs for wine at dinner, and that the Corona beer at the bars are reserved for "Premium" guests! 2. You have to stand in line EVERY DAY to book the ala carte restaurants. We were only able to get two ala carte bookings because most of the premium supper times are taken by the "Premium" clients. This means that out of the 18 meals we had at this Barcelo, 16 of them would have to be at the buffets, which gets old after 2/3 days. Booking the ala cartes starts at 9:00 am in the morning and several days we were there at 9:00 am, stood in line for 30-40 minutes and couldn't get a dinner reservation before 8:30/9:00 p.m. 3. The food facilities are only surfaced cleaned. The serving spoons in the buffets are not changed often enough. The sides of the tables feel grimy to the touch, as do the arms on the chairs -- seems these surfaces do not get washed which is very unsanitary (take your own disinfectant wipes!). The Barcelo Huatulco was rated 4.5 Stars. Our ratings: facility 4; systems/processes 2; and buffets 3. While the ala cartes were nice (Italian and Mexican) having to pay extra for wine at an all-inclusive isn't the norm.

Barcelo Huatulco: Sun always shines

Another great time. Sun always shines here. Stunning views from our room to the great food. Premium alcohol. Beautiful beach, terrific snorkeling. recommendations when families book please try and keep families together as it took us two days to resolve this problem. Second tip would be to heat the main dishes at the Italian restaurant properly. Food overall was great their main course needed to be heated thoroughly. Love the Japanese restaurant and seafood

Binniguenda Huatulco: Perfecto

We tried Binniguenda for our 3rd visit to Huatulco and loved it. Having stayed at bigger resorts Binniguenda was much more our speed. The room was clean and cozy (no refrigerator). The food was excellent. Staff were helpful and friendly. The grounds are well kept. Pool area relaxing. Would recommend and hope to stay again.

Binniguenda Huatulco: Family like resort

The service is outstanding go above and beyond the call of duty. Help always willing to please and serve you in all department's. Weather always sunny and hot. Lots of activity in Huatulco to kerp your interest or just rest and relax.

Secrets Huatulco: Won’t go again

We felt the resort was okay, but the food was mediocre at best. The resort did a poor job of giving us much detail on where things were located and worst of all we were badgered beyond belief to attend their “time share” crap.

Dreams Huatulco: Great Value & Great Stay

This is my second time in Huatulco and my group and I decided to try Dreams as we saw the grounds had more pools and restaurants than our previous stay at Barcelo. Dreams was definitely a DREAM. Our group had our rooms close to each other and oceanviews! The rooms were large and clean. The 3 infinity pools facing the ocean was fantastic, clean made our trip. The service by the pool were a bit slow but all servers were friendly and did their best with the large groups. The food was good  [... read more]and our favourite spots were the buffet, Mexican and Italian restaurants. I also enjoyed the lobby entertainment which kept the nights lively past 9:30pm!

Las Brisas Huatulco: Totally enjoyed our stay!

We really had a great week, the only thing that we did not appreciate was the dirty floor in the room. The floor was not washed properly. Walking from the shower to the bed our feet got dirty. Otherwise no other issues.

Barcelo Huatulco: Nice resort

Enjoyed this resort..very clean and friendly. Comfortable beds, food is good. Long lineups to book a la carte. Had the Italian a la carte, it was terrible..was fried mozzarella with tomato sauce, chicken parmesan and dessert..the fried mozzarella was cold and sits on tomato slices (no sauce), the chicken was so tough you couldn't cut it and the dessert was so hard it was like a rock. The food on the buffets is good, lots of variety. The beach is ok..the sand is hard to walk in. The pool is n [... read more]ice, not too crowded. If you want a lounge chair you have to get up real early to put your towels out to save your chair. This resort is fairly quiet..had a good time.

Barcelo Huatulco: Good Resort

The grounds are very well maintained. The beach was good but hard to walk due to the slope and sand you sink in pretty much up to your ankles. Staff are very good and very clean rooms. Downsides were you need to get up at 5:30 a.m. to put your towel out on a chair or you are not getting a spot. Also, line ups to book an a la carte restaurant are ridiculously long.

Secrets Huatulco: Great resort

We have done plenty of travel and as far as All Inclusives go this resort is great. Travelled Jan. 22 - 29, 2019. Pros; Weather stays the same 30- 34 degrees Celsius and sunny with a light breeze. Snorkel right from your own beach with a reef and all kinds of sea-life. Food was very good for an all inclusive. House wine was decent red and white. Service was friendly and done with a smile 95% of the time. Stayed in room 4316 which had an amazing view and is on the top floor of the mid lev [... read more]el building on the right side of the complex if you are looking at it from the ocean or beach. Our room was great as was the maid service. Room service was handy and decent. Preferred club gets a few perks - a la carte breakfast and lunch at Castaways and some premium drinks and snacks and in a subtle way they give you some preferential treatment without having to wear coloured wristbands. The crowd is mostly 40 plus so it isn't full of cussing and yelling spring breakers. We hired a local boat tour right on the beach and they took us on the tour right from the beach the next day. Jose L. Santiago at Calamardo Fishing and Tours is wonderful and provided us an unforgettable experience. Cons; The seating in the lounging areas are sparse and most have no backrest so not great for an older client base. Our in room air conditioner made some strange noises that woke you up often and they were unable to fix it. The mini fridge keeps drinks cool but not cold. To get ice in your room you had to call room service and it takes a half hour to arrive or doesn't arrive. The beach sand is very course and extremely hot - water shoes are very helpful. Avoid the condo and membership upsells as they will try to take up your time. Overall I think this was the best value I have received at a resort.

Barcelo Huatulco: Beaufiful but some challenges

Huatulco is a beautiful area, safe with amazing people. The Barcelo is clean with wonderful people who work there. The challenges were lining up every morning at 8 am, as hotel services opened at 9am to book an a la carte dinner for that night. Reservations are only made day of for the a la cartes. This is really a waste of your morning as sometimes the line up ran through the lobby. The second challenge is there are no towel cards. You can take as many towels as you want. So people cover mul [... read more]tiple chairs around the pool and beach area with many towels. If you come down at 8 am to find a chair they are all taken with a towel. Sometimes nobody even shows up all day. This is very frustrating and should be monitored by the resort. The food was ok at the resort. Not great but ok. Sometimes items ran out like, butter, cream for coffee, jam and guacamole etc.

Las Brisas Huatulco: Amazing place for a family

Second time in this beautiful resort. This is a gem. Lots of vegetation lots of amazing views. Food is good maybe can improve in more selection but food is good and fresh Lots of guacamole and Mexican food yuumy!! . People is amazing super friendly and helpful. Rooms and clean and super spacious we stayed at family junior suite super comfy. The beach is why we love this place ! You want a beach vacation this is the place the 3 beaches are amazing very safe for kids not undertoe !! Very shallow [... read more] and can snorkel right there as they have a coral reef!! Will back here for sure! Want a pool vacatuon go to Dreams or Barcelo their beach is rough and undertoes and deep right away!! want the best beach in Huatulco Brisas it is! I traveled to many places this is for sure the best place . Huatulco us super safe for family. I am from Mexico and live in Canada I will avoid Cancun area /Puerto Vallarta very dangerous right now!

Barcelo Huatulco: OK RESORT

The resort was ok .. It didn't really meet our expectations . My wife and I have used the Barcelo hotels for the past 5 years and we both agree that this hotel didn't stand up to the Barcelo standards . It was disappointing to stand in line every morning at 8 am with half the guests to book an a la cart only to find out at 9 am when the desk opened that there were no more spots available for that evening. Apparently from talking to the other guests everyone had the same issues. Usually you co [... read more]uld book 3 sittings all at once and have done with it for the week. This is the way we have done it at the other hotels. The other issue we had was trying to find a chair at the pool or beach in the morning .. People were going down at 5 or 6 in the morning and putting towels on 4 to 6 chairs then not showing up till noon to claim them ? Sometimes not till the afternoon when they returned from there day excursions . Apparently from talking to other guests the management was aware of these two important issues and were reluctant to do anything about it . I guess the rooms were full so they were happy !!! With the exception of the wonderful staff we were overall disappointed . We would defiantly return to the area but would choose a different hotel for sure

Hotel Castillo Huatulco: Amazing Staff

The intimate nature allows you to meet fellow travellers and the staff. You can still be alone when you want or mingle freely . The Lobby can get cramped when performances are on stage or a large group is playing pool. The swimming pool at the Hotel provides shade which is great for families. The pool at the Beach club is fabulous for both families and those who want to tan! The beach is not usually swimable as it has a heavy undertow but very gorgeous to look at. The food wonderful and the di [... read more]nner at the beach very glamourous. I most definately would recommend to fellow travellers

Hotel Castillo Huatulco: loved it.

the hotel Castillo is a little gem from being there just a few minutes we fell in love with the place.The check in was very easy the bags taken up to our room ,and opening the curtains to a lovely view overlooking the pool. The staff are really friendly and they cannot do enough for you a lot better than the bigger resorts .The food is not your typical north American fayre ,but we are in mexico to enjoy their culture ,and that's what we did .The resort is spotless it is cleaned constantly no gar [... read more]bage around and drink glasses cleared away quickly . The beach resort is great with palapas loungers etc the dining area looks out over the ocean, and is a lovely place for lunch or just sit for a drink .The theme nights are well done ,and the staff again work very hard to get everything ready for our enjoyment . The area Santa Cruz is not big ,but has a lovely beach ,and plenty of shops and restaurants dotted around which we ate at a couple of times lovely seafood.If you like walking you can walk to the beach club in about 15 minutes which is what we did or you can take the half hourly shuttle ,about a hundred and fifty metres from the Castillo is a park which takes you up over a hill to crucacittas stand on the top and you look over the mountains turn around and look over the ocean a really lovely view ,but do it before nine oclock boy this place is hot .Huatulco is now my favourite part of mexico ,and we look forward to returning

Barcelo Huatulco: A charmed visit in a stunning setting

A great choice for those who like a more moderate sized and intimate resort as opposed to the 1000 room plus mega properties. Standard room was very comfortable and view was great. The buffets and a la carts very well done. Service was very efficient, friendly and personal overall. The beach service really had to work hard... to our great appreciation. Catamaran sailboats are well looked after and I got in lots of sail time. Saw a turtle while sailing and watched the pelicans diving for fish a [... read more]ll day. Full moon, total lunar eclipse and even a 6 am minor wake up earthquake that gave us all lots to talk about the next day. Competition for palapa shade and chairs was a bit over the top week 2 when it got busier. This should be fixed along with busier weeks a la cart booking system as mentioned in other reviews. One thing I'd like to mention is the acoustics of the property was very well done! Water fountains, water walls, foliage and thick concrete stucco finish on the building walls, along with the birds, really helped break up the harsh echo you so often get from all the flat surfaces at even the most expensive resorts. This really helped the atmosphere.

Barcelo Huatulco: Amazing ocean view

Very clean, staff very friendly, bartenders around the pool were very prompt. Nice having the kids pool and the adult pool. Variety of different foods, each night. The el la carts could be managed better.

Barcelo Huatulco: Fantastic Resort

We would highly recommend staying at the Barcelo Hualtuco. The staff were friendly and efficiant, the room was clean and comfortable and we had a beautieful pool and ocean view. The food was great and the ala carts were also very good. The grounds were beautiful and very well maintained. The beach was clean and amazing. We will definitely be back!

Dreams Huatulco: Great Holiday

Great resort. Safe clean with good food. Everything is fairly close so there is not a lot of walking like in new resorts. Beach is great for everyone. Staff great. Safe to go into local town by cab as well. Would definitely go back. If you are young and looking for night life this place is not for you.

Camino Real Zaashila: Small and intimate

We've done a lot of travelling and resort vacations are no longer high priority for us. We hadn't been to a resort for a few years, so thought we'd do something simple for a winter break. Camino Real is different from most - very small, no buffets (other than breakfast) and only one choice for where to have dinner, both choices a la carte and one requiring a reservation. The reservation system is lovely - just a simple phone call from the room at 7 AM will guarantee you the time you want. If you [... read more] wait until later to reserve, your choices will be limited. One of my pet peeves at most resorts has been the reservation system, but this one was perfect. Huatulco is more authentically Mexican than other spots we've visited and the cuisine reflects that. You can even have grasshoppers in your omelette if you like. If you crave lovely bread, you won't find it here. If you want less spice (chile) and no onions in your guacamole, you only need to request that and you'll receive a fresh made-to-order batch. There's lots of seafood and all of it was excellent. The prawns are large and lovely. The rooms are perhaps outdated, but maybe that just lends more charm to the Mediterranean feel. The king bed was comfortable and the room very spacious. The maid did not always leave the required toiletries, perhaps 2 of something and none of something else like shampoo. The toiletries were of good quality though. The pool is absolutely amazing. The drinks are better than those in other resorts we have visited. You don't wear a bracelet at this resort to show that you are on the all inclusive plan, and some folks don't like the signing that is required for each service rendered. This really didn't bother us. Some folks don't like the climb up to the rooms that are at the top, but we requested upper rooms and enjoyed the exercise. Tripcentral made the request for nearby rooms for our group and that request was honoured. We received adjoining rooms with a door which we could open between them. Tripcentral was also very diligent about communication and documents. I've often priced trips on their website, but this is the first time we've actually used them for the booking. There is no entertainment at this resort, no lessons of any kind, no evening shows. The website mentions beach volleyball, but we asked and it didn't exist other than perhaps during student breaks when more younger types are around. There is a tennis court. The beach drops off dramatically so swimming for young children is pretty dangerous. Some people snorkel by the rocks at the end of the small beach, and there are lots of colourful fish to see. The rocks there are barnacle covered though, very limited bits of coral. That said, we paid for an excursion to go snorkelling and were promised the second best coral in Mexico (after Cozumel) and the amount of coral there was much the same. It was a larger area to snorkel, but not that much different from the resort.