Barcelo Maya Riviera: Worth booking

This is our 4th trip to this resort and it doesn't disappoint. The service is incredible. The grounds are maintained daily. The food is great and always available. The entire resort is modern and clean. You have use of 5 other resorts but they cannot use this adult only location. There is absolutely everything on the chain including a shopping mall and even a double decker bus that can drive you from each location.

Barcelo Maya Palace: Amazing resort

Everything is good, clean, good food, good environment, no flies, no mosquitoes, no bugs. The service is very good, nice people, good transportation to the aeroport, good beer, good wine, the resort is very close to the beach.

Allegro Playacar: Our go-to resort!

This was our 4th visit and we love the intimate feel of it as it's a smaller resort. The villas are close together and the rooms are small but have all the amenities. The food at the buffets is great, with a different theme each night so we never bother with the a la cartes. Beach is fabulous, and the pools are clean. Usual loud music around one pool but the other one is quieter. Plenty of loungers and beach towels available. We love seeing the animals that live on the lush grounds. We went [... read more] with Air Transat Vacations and our only complaint was how long we had to wait at the airport for the transfer to the hotel (90 minutes). We took a taxi back for $75 USD and slept in a couple more hours.

Barcelo Maya Tropical: Last time

This was our second time at Barcelo tropical. We again did not get the rooms we hoped for we were travelling as a family and we didn’t even get in the same building let alone the room we want we were on the third floor, which gives you a lovely view from your balcony of a concrete wall. We were located right near the theatre where the entertainment takes place meaning you couldn’t go to sleep till 1112 or 1 o’clock in the morning, depending on when they stop the entertainment, we had to call dow [... read more]n to get coffee delivered to the room because for some reason the maid didn’t leave it. The ground of the hotel are beautiful. The pool is perfect. The beach is lovely. It was December that we went in extremely hard to get a seat near the pool or anywhere else for that matter the buffet is always great. The restaurants are mediocre to terrible except for the Japanese restaurant. It’s a good 45 minute bus ride to the hotel from the airport if you check in late in the evening you definitely will not get the room you want.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Swimming with sea turtles and reef fish

We just returned from a family vacation at the Barcelo Maya Beach. We stayed in a premium king suite it included two single daybeds, which were perfect for my two girls ages eight and 10. Staff were attentive. The resort was spotless, and the food was amazing. I highly recommend this resort or any of the other Barcelo resorts on this property.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Barcelo Maya Beach

We've been to this hotel many times and it never fails to make us happy. The staff are always happy and accommodating. Pools are huge and clean. The food like pretty much all AIs, is fine. There is so much variety that you'll always find something you like. Had steak at the Japanese restaurant and it was really good! This was our first time there over the Christmas holidays, and for the first time in all of our visits, we had to play pool/ beach chair game. If you weren't up and getting a  [... read more]chair by 7:45, it was really hard to find a chair. We had a great time and will be back again.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Barcelo Maya Riviera

The resort is huge. It’s modern, clean and grand. Rooms are a great size & beds comfortable. The adult section can be quiet in the evenings, but a short walk or shuttle to the other hotels at the resort and you will find plenty of activities. The big problem is not enough chairs around the pool or the beach.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Major sewage issues

This is my second time at this resort and probably the last. The first time, we stayed at the Maya Palace. Everything was great, except for the rooms with paper-thin walls. This time, we stayed at the Maya Beach. The bathroom was dirty and smelly. There would be a very strong smell of sewage when we turn on the tap water. There was no water in the toilet tank to flush it in the middle of the night, and it would make a lot of noise in the early hours when the tank was filling. The rooms ha [... read more]ve the same paper-thin walls as in the Maya Palace and the other hotels in the complex. My niece had to call security two nights in a row because the people above her room were partying all night. You can easily hear the conversations of your neighbours. There’s also the constant door slamming, and it’s really loud. This gets bothersome at night. The beach is beautiful with lots of palm trees, but the sewage smell is also in the ocean. I stepped on something one day (probably raw sewage) and I was immediately surrounded by a nauseating aroma. Another day, it was impossible to swim without having the smell of sewage all around us. Sewage tanks are located near the adult only pool bar El Cielito. The smell was unbearable some days. The pools are really nice. My only issue is with parents who think that’s it’s ok to let their kids play with their inflatable donuts in the lap pool. There’s only one, so leave it to the people who want to swim laps. There is a huge pool right beside it for kids to play. We enjoyed the fact that the complex wasn’t overcrowded, and we were able to reserve at some à la carte restaurants. I highly recommend the Mexican and the Traditional Japanese (and the French if staying at the Palace). Nevertheless, we made the most of our vacation. Will I come back for a third time? Unless the sewage issues are resolved, probably not.

Barcelo Ixtapa: First Time at Resort: Okay at Best

Having read multiple reviews prior to writing this one, there appears to be a common theme. The Manager of this Hotel responses have definitely not fixed any of the problems the customers have stated in previous reviews. Check-in: Although quick, more information needs to be shared as to what types of services and activities are available throughout your stay. This was not communicated. Staff: I found that the service provided by the staff was generally well done and they were very frien [... read more]dly. Wi-Fi: Wi-Fi is pretty much nonexistent at the Resort except if you are in or near the lobby. I will remind that Resort that the year is now 2025 so fix the problem! How do you expect people to book or plan anything without it? Dinner Reservations: Long line ups at the Concierge Office starting before the 9:00am scheduled time slot made it very difficult to get any proper bookings. Meals: Outside of the dinner reservations, we found the food very basic especially at the two buffet style restaurants. Both my son and I got food poisoning which was not very pleasant. We have been to many places in Mexico in the past and have never experienced this. I spoke to several other families who also experienced the same issue. Bottled water instead of glasses of water should be mandatory on this property. You only have a couple of bottles supplied in your room, otherwise you have to go to the local store to get some which is totally inconvenient. The other beverages that are offered are subpar at best. Accommodations: We stayed in one of the family villas which was very pricey and although roomy enough was quite dated. The windows are single pane, so you hear everything coming from the outside, which made sleeping very difficult. A great example of this is that the onsite bar which is located directly across the courtyard from the villas and is open until 2:00am! The music is so loud none of us could fall asleep properly. To top it off, most nights are karaoke where you have a bunch of rude drunken people who can't sing and have no respect for others privacy. I can only imagine the people who had rooms directly above the bar, what a nightmare. This is completely the fault of the Resort; shut things down at 11:00pm. Pool Area/Chairs: Having to get up at 6:00am and put a towel on a chair just to have somewhere to sit during the day is absurd. The first couple of days when we got to the Resort, we had to figure this out. I watched as some chairs sat vacant up until 1:00pm in the afternoon! Again, this is completely on the Resort. Make the towels available at 9:00am only and make it a policy that they have to be returned later that day. Make it a minimum of 2 towels per group. Private Tour Company on Site: To all people, please avoid and use an alternate solution. Javier cannot be trusted. $85.00 U.S. per person for a 45-minute kayak trip, seriously? The Resort outside area is well kept and the location is very good. The views of the bay area and sunsets are quite spectacular. New Years Eve: The Resort put on an amazing show. Final Comments: This is definitely not a 5 star Hotel and it is in desperate need of an update.

Occidental Cozumel: Highly Recommended

The hotel grounds were beautiful, lush and well maintained. We were located in building 19, a short walk to beach and activity pool. The adult pool is located directly across from building 19. Hotel room was clean and spacious. Check in/out was quick and efficient. Hotel staff were courteous and eager to make our stay positive. Despite the receding shoreline, we enjoyed the warm and calm waters of the ocean and were able to snorkel right off the beach. Buffets were good and a la carte restauran [... read more]ts were amazing! Our family would highly recommend this hotel and will definitely return.

Occidental Papagayo: Beautiful Resort with some drawbacks

This resort is beautiful and the staff is great but there are many hills and stairs to traverse. There is a shuttle to take you around the resort if you’re willing to wait. We found the food to be very bland with not much western style food selection. They offer a lot of cheap foods…..beans, rice, potatoes. Not much for meat selection. Never once saw bacon for breakfast. We had a bay view room in building 17. While the view was spectacular we had several critters in and around our buildi [... read more]ng. Raccoons, rampant throughout the resort, will try to get in through your patio door so keep it locked! In our room we found a scorpion, salamanders and crickets. The rooms themselves (in building 17 anyway) are a bit dated. Our shower leaked but someone promptly fixed it. The people that stay at this resort are on the older side so if you’re looking for parties you won’t find it here. I for one preferred that! Entertainment was very boring. One night they had a violinist and another night was a guitarist. We did pay about half of what we would have to go to a different resort so I can’t complain too much. Overall we still had a pleasant time. Shout out to Larry Ulate who we booked our excursions with. Super friendly guy who was very accommodating. The catamaran excursion was amazing as well as river rafting and the rain forest tour! We took the hotel shuttle one night ($40 US) to playa Coco and then took a cab ride back ($25 US). It’s a lovely beach town with shopping, restaraunts/bars only about a 10 minute ride from the resort. Coconutz bar/grill has karaoke every Tuesday which was a lot of fun!! I would recommend this resort to people on a tight budget. Bring snacks!

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Beautiful Resort but lack of friendly servcie/staff

The resort itself was very nice. No complaints about food and cleanliness etc. What was odd was lack of staff engagement and helpfulness. When we arrived after a long flight (it was Christmas day) nobody greeted us at the resort. There was no welcome drink etc. Nobody told us about where things were etc. In addition we couldn't even get into our rooms until 3pm. We were lucky to be able to book 4 a la carte restaurants. We were flexible around eating times. But very little availability. We didn' [... read more]t really get a lot of options for choices. Luckily all of the restaurants we went to were very good. The pool and beach area were likely our biggest issue. There were not enough lounge chairs, no sun umbrella's on the beach.. just trees. People would put towels down and leave for hours - this was not supposed to be allowed. You could not find a spot (despite signs saying this was not allowed - no staff members enforced this rule). In fact good luck finding staff. The pool bar was so understaffed. Huge lineups at the pool bar. Also there were no places where you could take food with you. They would not let you take food out of the buffet. So weird that you could not have lunch at the pool or beach. No lunch or afternoon pool side food. No drink service at the beach or pool. I've never experienced that at an all inclusive resort. Also room service was not included. It felt like staff didn't want to be there. They spoke to you only if you asked them something. At the buffet in the morning, nobody greeted you or had mimosas waiting etc. I could sit for five-10 minutes before I could get someone to take a coffee order or bring water. It was ridiculous. We did have a great vacation but not because of how staff made us feel. It's hard to complain when you are on a warm beach. We made our own fun etc. Did several excursions. I don't think I would choose this resort again.

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Great place

Overall it was a great trip. Quiet hotel, friendly staff. Food was good. Huge spread on Christmas Eve. Obviously there were some shortages of certain food supplies. But this didn't matter to us. We went with the flow and were grateful for such a great holiday. Nobody bugs you to buy stuff on the beach. We felt incredibly safe. Met some amazing people and went on a couple of great trips.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Great Resort

Overall a great resort, pools, beaches a la carte resorts and buffet were excellent, all the staff and workers were very friendly and helpful. No real complains, had a couple of days where you had to search the beach for available chairs

Allegro Playacar: Beautiful resort!

The hotel and grounds were well maintained, spacious, neat and clean. The beach view was breathtaking. Staff were very attentive and friendly. The rooms were clean and air conditioned. It was a little noisy from 8:30-10:30pm at night with the sounds from the entertainment which was amplified far too loud. You could hear the MC all the way from the front lobby to the ocean. It was definitely overkill and unnecessary. Also, the walls in the rooms are paper thin and since there are straw roofs whic [... read more]h are open to the outside, you can hear people talking in other rooms and outside, which was a little disruptive. During the late night though, the entire complex was quite quiet and peaceful. We all got sick from the food and it was not as described by our travel agent. Food was plentiful and varied but bland and it wasn’t easy to get salt and pepper to our table when we ate there. The Mexican restaurant (one of 3 different ones at the resort, which offered seated meals as opposed to buffet, was a big disappointment. The food was the same as in the regular daily buffets except it was served to us. The menu was “fixed”, so we had very little choice and we did not enjoy the food at all. Staff were excellent as usual, however. We expected more from the food since we paid a big amount for the 10 day resort for 4 people. Despite the disappointment concerning food, we would still recommend this resort for its excellent location, safety, cleanliness and easy access to the beach, which was fabulous.

Barcelo Solymar: Very nice resort

Remember it’s Cuba and you need to know that befaure you go lol. In saying this our hotel was very nice rooms were clean staff friendly food plentifull the beach is amazing. But Cuba is by not a country with everything were us to there you can’t just go out to the store and buy apples oranges bone steaks you get what’s available but it’s good and you won’t go hungry. If you go for a walk into Varadero do bring toilet paper with you as there probably won’t be any in public washrooms oh and no toi [... read more]let seats either not kidding but it’s funny lol

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Great Resort

The beach and grounds are spectacular. Always plenty of loungers and shady spots. The food was good. I enjoyed the buffets. Japanese a la carte is a must. The staff were friendly and helpful. I had a great time.

Allegro Playacar: Great resort and expensive

Few experiences may help the clients: 1) Online booking is set up to pay using the Credit Card number, Name, and Expiry. Nowhere it is mentioned that they are also looking for a phone number that is associated with the Credit card company. The Credit card will not go through, sticker and Invoice will not be issued. Someone from trip central will call you to get the phone number. Suggestion: Clearly mention in the online booking page, the CC info and the associated phone number is required to [... read more] process payment. 2) The booking page flight timing and the flight times at the actual flight info page already shows a different time. This should be fixed in online booking page. 3) On arrival at the destination, where to get the airport shuttle picture will help greatly to first time travellers. 4) The resort charges one time environmental fee and that should be made aware of. 5) Airport transfer to resort was great. 6) Allegro resort requires booking for Mexican and Italian restaurant reservations and that will only in person near the front desk. People wait from morning 8.00 am to meet the reservation clerk who started at 9.00 am. You will lose a day’s morning for reservations. This can be online as well so people can plan and book. WASTE of time of every one. MUST CHANGE 7) The working of in room Fridge and Hot water for bathing always an issue. No HOT water on most days in the morning for taking bath.Must be fixed 8) Excellent staff and waiters at both restaurants and great. 9) Food Varieties are plenty and good 10) Local sight seeing options are very expensive to book in hotel. Better to get it from other online or travels. 40% easily can be saved by booking outside. Once booked, NO CANCELLATION is possible and the tour booking staff won’t attempt to call the tour company to cancel and pay the refund. Simple argument is that, you signed the contract and you were told to read the terms and conditions. So cancellation is always possible with ZERO refund. Be aware of this. The resort claims that the higher cost is due to insurance etc., but no were mentioned about what type of insurance and details. So be-aware 11) There is an Air transat office set up at the resort and no guarantees that they will show up as per timing on the chart. The timing chart and the phone numbers are behind the glass door and you have to guess they are emergency numbers and reachable. You just have to try your luck and on my case it worked. Overall : Great service staff, excellent food options. DO NOT dream of Mexican and Italian restaurant food reservations and no guarantees. Expensive and Expensive to pay in USD

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Occidental Arenas Blancas.

It wasn't a horrible trip, but I will never go back. I would also not recommend this trip to a friend or family member. Guests brought by 'Aeroflot' emptied bars. There was no alcohol. They smoked everywhere. And staff persons were grabbing food straight from the food stations by hands touching dirty dishes. Mornings were even more dissatisfied because a person responsible for making fruit juices just used powder and water for payed guests and for her co-workers she used real fruit like: bananas [... read more], pineapple, watermelon and papaya. So many extra cups were there in the mornings. A la carte restaurants were over booked for me, because management decided to eat at the same time.

Occidental Papagayo: 3rd Visit

Our 1st visit was pre-covid and I fell in love with the resort. All Inclusive - Adults Only ... Love the location of the resort only about 20 minutes from the Liberia airport. Resort is built on a hill so lots of hills and stairs which I enjoy FYI there is a shuttle if you don't like the walking. When the tide is out the beach is great. We prefer the bayview rooms for the view. This past week was our 3rd visit to Occidental Papagayo ... each time we visit the service and housekeeping is [... read more] less & less. The grounds are not as clean as they used to be. The coffee service in the AM is not as accessible as it once was - the only coffee available is at the main buffet and you have to ask for a take out cup. As far as the food, the buffet is the same food EVERY DAY. The restaurants for dinner have to be booked - 2 reservations for the week. GRILL - soup was delicious but tuna was extremely over salted & over spiced. Beef was very tough. ITALIAN - tuna was salty but not as bad as the Grill. Bar service around the pool was hit & miss. Also there is NO service at the pool until about 11am so you have to make sure you have water from the main breakfast buffet. No more plastic cups - CocaCola cups & paper disposable cups for drinks. No more bottle water at the buffets & only one water refill station at the reception. Supposed to get 2 bottles of water each day in your room but NOT always. This resort is getting old and needs some upgrading. NOTE: Keep your patio doors closed and locked due to the local raccoons which go room to room every night - people feed them so they are not shy. Do not leave anything out on your patio. Definitely make sure the safe works in your room and you lock things up. We didn't have any issues but we met a woman who's safe was not working she didn't call the front desk and hide her purse in a drawer under another bag & she had money missing a few days. Like I said, I love this resort not sure we would return for a 4th visit. Happy Vacation!