Barcelo Maya Palace: Barcelo Riviera Maya resort the greates
I was very satisfy with the hall trip, flights were on time without any issues. The resort Barcelo Maya Palace was amazing, more than what I expected. Since I was at the Palace, I was able to visit the other Barcelo hotels in the resort, they all were great, though I believe the food buffet option at the Palace was the best. The beach access was good, really enjoy swimming in the ocean, I even got to see a turtle while in the water. Saw the dolphins in the resort and went snorkeling on the reef[... read more]s right at the hotel beach site. Room was beautiful and staff were all very friendly, accessible and polite. I did enjoy all their pool activities, I was doing aquaerobics and Zumba almost every day.
I went to the different theater options in the resort. And was able to find nice souvenirs at the Mexican plaza and their retail store. One night I went to the disco and we did enjoy the Latin music in there. All was an amazing and safe trip.
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Jeffrey JDS -
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Barcelo Maya Riviera: A great time in the riviera maya
We went to the Barcelo Riviera Maya on the last 2 weeks of august. We stayed 14 days and had 2 rooms with 4 people. Overall, our trip was great, the facilities are great and the food and service was great.
Food
Our group love the fact there are only sit-down restaurants in the evenings. The variety of choices are good, and the quality of the food and service was great. We tried the taco bar, sit down, seafood place, Brazilian steak house, Italian, French, asian sit down and Asian tep[... read more]panyaki. Enough variety for 2 weeks of stay. The buffet was great too, even if it shuts down at 6:30pm. The 1 complaint we had was that room service is an extra charge (e.g. a $20 cheeseburger) and aside from very minor snacks there is no food at the complex after 6pm. If you miss your reservation, or come back late from an excursion you are stuck hunting at the other hotels attached to the complex. The buffets shut down at 11pm at the other complexes and if you have to take 45min to travel on the shuttle, take that into account ff you arrive late. The food at the buffet at the Riviera is better quality and more varied than at the other facilities. If you are looking for good food, good service and variety this is the place to go.
Overall score: 4.5/5
(-0.5 for lack of food options after 6pm)
Pools
The pools are 4 side by side pools with stairs and a walkway to go from pool to pool. There are several design flaws. The pools could have been connected so people can move around the larger pool area without getting out. This was a missed opportunity. Instead 99% of people congregate around the bars and those areas can get crowded. There is also no place in the pools with shade. This means if you are going during a very hot time of year you will not have places to get out of the sun while being in the pool. They easily have room for such and could add some large sculptures, trees or other features to resolve this issue. The pools are decent. Large and with a variety of temperatures, water features and 2 pool bars at either end of the facility.
Overall score: 4/5
(-1 for lack of shade and crowding in 1 pool)
Beach
This ranks as the lowest quality feature of the facility. The sand is more like fine pebbles. The beach is full of rocks and there is no way to get into, out of or around the beach area without dealing with an excess of sharp and prickly rocks. It's a 500ft walk in the ocean to get to water that is deep enough to swim in without touching rocks.
You can go to 1 of the other complexes for a better beach experience.
Overall score: 1/5
(-4 for unusable beach area)
Facilities
The bars, restaurants, activities and entertainment are good. Also, there are 5 other complexes (hotels) to explore. There are better beaches, different food options and activities to find at these other places. As an example, the palace was a nice change of pace with a much different pool setup. The pools at the other 4 hotels is nothing special. The food at the other 4 hotels and their buffet is not worth the trip from the Riviera.
The "mall" is hot and just an opportunity to sell you stuff (as the name implies). There is a doctor on prem at this location, but he lacks even the most basic facilities (e.g. ability to treat swimmer's ear) so it's just an excuse to funnel you to a Mexican hospital.
There is a double decker bus that takes you from hotel to hotel. Expect to spend 45min+ to get from end to end. Expect to be hot and uncomfortable as you travel. The driver does not open both sets of doors which means you have to wait for everyone to get off and down the stairs from the 2nd floor before boarding and It's at least 5-10min to load and unload passengers from the bus because of this. You end up wasting a lot of time. They should consider putting smaller vehicles or a 1 story open air vehicle for travel. It would be far more pleasant.
Overall score: 4/5
(-1 for terrible transportation)
Rooms
The rooms are the highlight of this property. Clean, up to date, the bed was comfortable, lots of space and the balcony hot tub was very popular during our stay.
The very minor item of the AC being limited to 21.5 which was at the limit of what my family was happy with. Would have liked to be able to bring it down 1 degree.
This was 1 of the best rooms we have had in our vacationing.
Overall score: 5/5
The Service and Staff
Overall staff were fantastic. Service was great, communication for the most part was good and we generally had a great time. There was 1 issue we have never encountered anywhere else (never seen it at even all inclusives in Cuba, Dominican Republic or other hotels).
Key staff such as those at check in lacked the ability to speak English or actively seemed put out to speak in english. 2 examples: The guy at the front desk when we checked in spoke enough English to hold VERY basic conversations. However; it became evident that was it when we asked him if the unexpected “tax†charge he was asking for was mandatory or optional. He answer yes to both mandatory and optional. The whole check-in experience was very frustrating. The 2nd example was with those running activities at the facility. Such as, the Animation staff (such as at the pool) who genuinely seemed put out to have to speak any english. To the point of “huffing†when anyone spoke English to them. Strangely enough when we visited the palace several times we did not see the same problem at these facilities. We do not expect everyone to speak English but the front lobby staff should at least speak enough English to resolve issues and answer questions. We have never encountered this type of issue anywhere else (never seen it at even all inclusives in Cuba, Dominican Republic or other hotels).
Overall score: 4/5
(-1 for lack of English)
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Veronica -
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Iberostar Waves Quetzal: Best Staff Ever!!
The Iberostar Quetzal is a beautiful family resort. The food is amazing, lot of options from vegetarian to meat lover, from kids to adults. Any cocktail you ask for they make it. Beach is amazing, hug pools and jacuzzi. Parties at the beach were incredible. And the best was the staff. Staff was the one exceeded our expectations. There is Chef Alejandra who was table by table asking and taking suggestions from guests. She listen and offers diets accommodation. She gives the best welcome that make[... read more]s you feel at home. We received a free pass for the three of us to Iberostar Cozumel, unfortunately, it was as great as Quetzal.
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Private -
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Generations Riviera Maya: Worst resort
It was the worst experience I have ever had. Had a 2 year old grandson with me no food choices for him. No buffets only 2 restaurants open. West jet was the worst no pick up no drop off. No reps available at generation resort to talk to had to book a ride to airport as no one could help us. Generation resort is nothing like they post on Instagram or you read about. I recommend not to go. Rooms beyond outdated. No drinks for children. Never again . No night life and it's around a swamp the smell [... read more]is terrible
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Vajira -
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Barcelo Maya Tropical: Very Nice Hotel
Very clean, Beautiful hotel. Room service is very good. Food is great and delicious. Beach is very clean and adorable. My family really enjoyed the stay at the hotel. Without any hesitation, I would like to recommend this hotel any one traveling to Mexico.
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00Luna00 -
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Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Nice resort!
Friendly staff, nice rooms and affordable price! Right beside Xcaret park, the hotel sells unlimited pass for Xcaret which is a deal you can't miss, especially when travelling with young kids. Overall very happy with the experience!
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Private -
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Royalton Hideaway Riviera Cancun: Amazing resort
Can not say enough about this resort, incredible, great food, and staff, clean, has a bit of everything to see and do, would go back in a heartbeat, stayed at hideaway adults only side, swimup was so worth it
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Travelling aliens -
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TRS Yucatan: Amazing resort
Absolutely amazing holiday our room was breathtaking we saw so much wildlife monkeys ,lizards ,birds fish etc. Food and service 5 star
Beach is small but clean .staff are friendly. We would definitely recommend TRS
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Vee74 -
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Riu Vallarta: Palm Tree Paradise
We had a wonderful stay at RIU Vallarta. Excellent food, endless entertainment by enthusiastic and friendly staff and the rooms (adjoining) were well stocked, immaculately clean and serviced every day.
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Private -
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The Fives Beach Hotel and Residences Playa Del Carmen: AMAZING EXPERIENCE
ROOMS WHERE GREAT AND THE OVERALL ENVIRONMENT WERE CLEAN AND KEPT. NO ISSUES. THE POOLS AND BEACHES WERE A NICE WAY TO RELAX. THE FOOD WASNT THE BEST AS THERE ARENT MUCH OPTIONS, BUT I MADE IT DO!!!!
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Private -
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Riu Dunamar: Awesome Resort
We were there last aug 19-26 2023 and it was a memorable experience. The hotel overall was very good the food was great , I can see that they try to do their best to give people a good food everyday diff. Menu as much as they can!the room was clean and tidy, you will not give the benefit of doubt in giving tips to the cleaner, because they do their job very well, love to swim everyday and sit down on the seashore, satisfy how they clean the seashore even though their is a little bit of sea wids [... read more] but over all it’s all clean, the snack was great , the bar tender was friendly you will not wait long time for your request they do their job well, our kids was satisfy and happy with Riu Land the sliding pool is amazing, and the staff was friendly, the only thing I was looking for was the live show at night hope they will change not always singing dancing it was boring, we are looking for some acrobat show live,
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Ignacio -
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Barcelo Maya Tropical: Barcelo Maya Tropical
It's a big resort of six hotels. There is an adults only (the most expensive) and a premium one (palace). Then, there is the Tropical (where I stayed) and three more. If you stay in any of these four hotels you can enjoy their restaurants, pools and services as It's just one hotel. Good experience in general. The service at the lobby is not good though. The room was okay, a bit humid but clean. The best of all is the food and the beach. It is far from Cancun airport. One hour and 15 minutes by b[... read more]us or taxi.
RIU Vallarta was fabulous!! The hotel is spotless and constantly being cleaned and maintained. So so we’ll run by friendly helpful and energetic staff. We loved our stay and would highly recommend it to friends and family. The food, drinks and entertainment was generous, tasteful and beautiful presented.
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Hesswell -
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Riu Flamingos: Best place to vac
We love the location, sandy Beach and the layout 😠of the resort. The dining was elegant and food was really good. We love the entertainment especially the foam party and all white party. They could upgrade the gym a bit though. All over I will go there again.
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Private -
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Barcelo Maya Palace: Amazing resort cant wait to go back!
My stay at this was hotel was great, rooms are clean, ac works great, food was good, amenities were great! The pool was always a fun time, clean and tidy washrooms and areas of sitting.
Easy to get around on foot or via bus from each part of the resort. All in all a good stay will stay here again in future.
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Private -
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Grand Velas Riviera Maya: Amazing resort and service (minus the beach)
Hotel: BEAUTIFUL! The hotel and grounds were super clean and very upscale. Honestly, very beautiful resort!
Service: AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We were truly treated like royalty, anything we needed, whatever we needed, and very fast. The people who work there are TRULY GENUINE and honestly the NICEST PEOPLE EVER!! A++++++
Food: During the day (breakfast, snacks, and lunch), you can eat at the buffet (mind you this is not your regular buffet, very classy and offered he[... read more]althy food) or order at the pool or beach, and the food there is AMAZING! We truly enjoyed it. Amazing selection of fruits and fruit juices and smoothies! For dinner however, the buffet is closed and you have to go to one of the restaurants inside the hotel. Every night you could pick from 2-3 different restaurants to eat at which you had to make a reservation for. My husband loved it however my daughter and I did not at all and when the evening came it was a drag for us. We prefer to go eat when we want and not be forced to eat at a certain time, sometimes you couldn't pick the time you wanted to eat at because the other times were taken. My husband loved the food but my daughter and I prefer to choose our own food rather than pick from a menu of selected items. The choices were very upscale mixed with all kinds of different foods together and we are a bit more simple so it was difficult for us to find something we liked. We wish we could of had dinner at the buffet.
Pool: The pool area is wonderful, we always found lounge chairs without any issues at all however we were told that during the time we went (mid-end August) it's an off season (hotel was at 30% capacity) and maybe that's why we didn't have any issues, not sure how it is during a busy season. We didn't have to get up to get any drinks or food, there was always a server around you if you needed anything which we really liked. One thing we didn't like is that in some parts of the pool on the bottom, it felt a bit gooey algae like and a lot of the bottom tiles were rusted or a bit broken.
Beach: The beach is one thing we weren't too impressed with. Since there wasn't many people at the resort, we didn't have issues finding a lounge chair. There weren't too much loungers so I assume when the hotel is full that it might be hard to find a spot. For the price we paid, we expected the lounge chairs to represent this. The ones at the back were white and comfy and nice and were of quality, but the ones at the front of the beach looked like ones you buy at walmart. The beach was super clean and they cleaned it every morning. The sand is white and beautiful. The water however, we had to walk slow and watch were we stepped because there are small and medium sized rocks. My husband hurt his foot a couple of times. I wish I had brought shoes. They also installed a bunch of large cement blocks inside the water which ruined the view but we were told that they are there because of the seaweed and waves, which is understandable, just wish there was a better way as it looks REALLY ugly.
Transportation: I would HIGHLY recommend upgrading to a private transfer in order to avoid time wasted waiting for other people and going from hotel to hotel, as well as due to the brutal traffic during the afternoon weekdays (easier to maneuver with a private smaller car than large bus)
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Krekro -
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Grand Palladium Select Costa Mujeres: Great Resort, Amazing staff!
Everything was amazing at the resort minus the last day when I was leaving. I was five
Minutes late which was my fault to meet my bus transport to the airport and when I came downstairs no one informed me who the bus driver was. I was outside next to the driver and he wouldn’t even speak with me. He ignored
Me and took some pictures and left. This made me very upset. Anyway I asked the bell boy to arrange private transportation and the transportation cost me $147 US dollars. Unbeknownst to t[... read more]hem, I saw the driver give money
To the bellboy for a referral I guess that I technically paid for. It’s really unprofessional to trust a high end resort to arrange something for you and you become a victim of this scheme. Anyway the fault was
Mine but to top it all off, the nexus transportation company when contacted said the driver was late picking us up about 15 minutes. When I advised the lady that driver came and left “no show up notice†she was shocked and told me that the driver has to contact them for no shows but he never did. She even tried to get me to triple check to see if my info was on the “no show notice†because she was shocked about this situation. Anyway it left a really bad taste with me and made me feel the whole thing was a setup.
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Private -
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Grand Sirenis Riviera Maya: Good for Snorkeling
The resort overall was nice. It was big so there was a lot of walking. The room (jr suite) was very nice but the air conditioning did not work very well - not great in the middle of August! We asked them to fix it but learned from other guests that this is an ongoing problem and it depends on what room you get. Also we discovered if we left any open drink or food out tiny any climbed out of cracks in the furniture and were swarming. I guess you can’t get away from bugs but might be a bit infes[... read more]ted. The beach was disappointing as I was expecting a long sandy beach. This was rough sand, fairy short and rocky. Water shoes are a must, but it was ideal for those who enjoy snorkeling. If you enjoy wildlife it was great. Lots of monkeys, coaties, iguanas, and Sereques. I’m the water we’re so many colourful fish, sting rays, and squid. The food was ok. I couldn’t eat much as I am allergic to onions and dairy. They put onions on everything and dairy in all the desserts. My child also got food poisoning. Good points were the big pools, lots of shaded spots to sit, the lazy river was great, not too many people smoking (but there was a man on the beach every day selling vapes and drugs). If you like to exercise they have a nice gym but it is at the far end of the property so be prepared to run or walk out. The shuttle services were almost non-existent. We didn’t run out of things to do. The staff were all super friendly. A nice week relaxing. Would I go back? No I don’t think so.
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Private -
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Riu Dunamar: Decent Resort
Nice property, nice rooms, great entertainment, but poor quality food for a Riu resort. The A La Carte restaurants are actually just buffets with lower quality food than the main buffet. The hotel staff are polite and friendly.