Good week at the Barcelo

Resorts is very clean. I found the quality of the food in buffet has declined over the past two years. Ala carts are very good.Kyoto and Brassiere were my favourites. The beach area is best in front of the Maya Beach. The Nexus transportation was poorly organized upon arrival. We waited for over an hour for a shuttle to leave airport. The return trip was perfect timely and comfortable.

Beautiful grounds; rocky beach

The grounds of the hotel complex are beautiful and very well maintained. The lobby is very spacious and clean. The swimming pools were clean. The sports facilities including the paddleball and tennis/pickleball courts were in good condition. The swimming area in the ocean was quite rocky, although there were a couple of areas where one could attempt to thread one's way through back to shore. I had a Premium ground floor "ocean view" room, although one can see the pools from the room, rather t [... read more]he ocean. It had a bit of a musty smell to it, but not overwhelmingly so. The room had two telephones, neither of which functioned upon arrival. These were finally repaired on the second day. The toilet was constantly flushing and then stopped working altogether. It took two days and three repair people to eventually repair this, with the toilet ultimate repaired at midnight on the second day (I was asked if the repair could wait until the morning of the third day, which I declined). A hot shower was non-existent during my entire stay. I was told to let the water run. After doing so for 15 minutes each time, the water temperature never even reached lukewarm. One day out of seven I once managed to get warm water in the sink. The luxury did not extend to the shower. Housekeeping made the beds and changed the towels, but the floor was certainly never cleaned. The main buffet offered a wide variety of options and food temperatures were usually quite good. Service was good on two mornings (when Daniel took care of our table), however the rest of the time, service was barely minimal. When we were forced to go to the Tropical buffet on two occasions, we received no service whatsoever. The à la carte dining experience was better, with the exception of the Italian restaurant at the Tropical. The Kyoto teppanyaki was excellent, as was the Brasserie restaurant at the Palace.

Absolutely loved it!!

Barceló Colonial was excellent!!! The resort is super clean, loved all the pools and the beach. The employees are so helpful and friendly. The food in the buffets were great, something for everyone and the Ala Cartes were excellent. The theatres provided fun entertainment in the evenings. Our rooms were great and kept very nice!! Beautiful resort and so much to there. Will definitely be visiting again.

Good hotel

Overall great experience until after 1100 pm Became Noisey in hallways due to unruley guests. Room next to us was loud until 4:30 a.m. made 4 complaints to front desk and security. They did little to resolve noise issues. With noisey room, no offer to move them or us was made, only told us to call security. Security did show up 2 times, but as soon as they left it continued. In all years of travelling, including 2 previous trip to this resort have never had to sleep with earplugs and  [... read more]still awakened. Very disappointing. It was our last trip there.

Wonderful Vacation

The location of the hotel is very beautiful. We enjoyed all the services and facilities surrounding the hotel. The beach is very clean and well-maintained. The staff at the reception were friendly and accommodated all our wishes. The resort offers many restaurants for dining. We would suggest that the food could be improved by offering more international and healthy options, as it was the same every day. The room service was amazing; the cleaning staff were nice and family-oriented. The resort a [... read more]lso offered many activities for families, which were all very well-organized, and we felt very relaxed.

Great resort

We had a family trip to this resort last week and had a very positive experience. We booked a room at Barcelo Maya Colonial but were given a room in the premium section of the Barcelo Tropical (with privileges that Colonial guests have) because the Colonial part was all occupied when we arrived. We liked the room very much. It was very close to the beach, clean, spacious and tastefully decorated. They also provided robes and slippers, which was convenient. The balcony had a drying rack, which wa [... read more]s also very convenient. The resort is huge, but it was quite easy for us to find everything that we needed. Grounds of the resort look great. One can tell that money is invested in keeping grounds in good shape. The beach was amazing. No seaweeds. Sand is like powder. There were strong waves the week when we were there, but these waves were clear and looked very beautiful. Of course, swimming wasn't possible, but jumping into waves was fun, and just being in the crystal clear warm ocean felt great. One absolutely need water shoes there though because it is easy to hit toes against rocks at the bottom of the ocean. The beach has plenty of beach loungers so we haven't had a problem to find a spot under the palm tree. Swimming pools are beautiful and water there is very clean. Food in buffets was fine. Nothing extraordinary, but we were always able to find something tasty to eat. We have also booked three restaurants (Kioto (Asian cuisine , Santa Fe (stakes) and Marenostrum (sea food)). All of these restaurants have very beautiful décor and tasty menu. We enjoyed them. Staff at the resort is also pleasantly attentive and polite. They try to help with everything that they can. Evening entertainment at the resort is great. They offer decent quality shows each evening. Overall, we are very pleased with our vacation to Barcelo Maya Colonial.

Fantastic resort

The resort was very clean. The food was amazing, specially the French restaurant at the palace worth to pay an extra $20.00. The service on the resort was very good as well. This a great resort for families to enjoy a holiday. The rooms are a little dated but very clean. The only problem we had was the key card was not working periodically. This was our first time in Mexico and the resort was fantastic. We would come back again.

Fabulous resort

We really enjoyed our stay - good food, lovely accommodations, gorgeous beach, friendly and helpful staff. (Suggestions: Have more rooms with 2 beds available & turn down the painfully loud volume of the band in the theatre.) My second stay at Barcelo Maya and we're looking forward to our next visit.

Everybody loved it!

The Barcelo Maya Colonial was excellent. The room was comfortable, the restaurants were very good, and the amenities were first class, especially the pools. The drive fro and to the airports took about an hour and 30 minutes travelling at a very high speed. If you’ve got the stamina and energy, you can the three other Barcelo resorts in the area.

Best Resort Ever

The entire experience at Barceló Maya Colonial was excellent. I highly recommend this property. We travelled with my family including a 4 and 2 year old. Rooms were cleans and very well maintained. Food was great. Staff very good. Grounds perfectly clean. The water features for the little kids were great. No hassles on the beach from vendors. The entire complex was so well set up you never have to leave. There’s shopping, the arcade and bowling alley (arcade and bowling are extra cost but in th [... read more]e facility it’s in your wristbands cover the food and drinks). There is a Mexican Market right on grounds also. There is also an Escape room you can book (you have to pay). The spa is great and the hydro therapy area is so relaxing and was included in our wristbands also. You literally never have to leave this property ! It is just over a hour from airport but we booked private shuttle so the drive seemed much better than a bus that stops at every resort. We used Happy Shuttle. It was 279 USD for 8 of us. Return. Including a car seat and beverages

Trying not to be negative but will be honest.

The Barcelo Maya Colonial is one of three other Barcelo properties on the stretch of Puerto Aventuras Beach. Our family of nine booked this property with requests for two double beds for all but two of the four rooms back in July 2023 and re-requested this upon confirming with the balance of payment in early November 2023. Upon arrival, we were told the hotel was at capacity and we would have to take what was leftover. My son and his grand mother had to share a room with one king bed and a co [... read more]tt even though we had paid for two adults sharing and requested two double beds. In general, we found the hotel and staff very in-flexible to our requests such as putting a couple of tables together in the main buffet so we could eat together as a family. They just would not do it. Also, since the resort was so busy, we would have to get up every morning by 6:15 a.m. to get beach chairs. The beach was extremely rocky and treacherous. The rooms and especially the bathrooms were extremely moldy. It seems the hotel tried to camouflage the overwhelming moldiness in our room by doucing it with too much bleach. Had to sleep with the balcony door open six out of seven nights to be able breath clearly as an Asthmatic. This is supposed to be a 5 star resort and definitely had a lot of interesting amenities. However, due to the lack of flexiblity/service, moldy rooms, treacherously rocky beach, insufficient beach & pool chairs, we will never return. I rate this a 3 star property at best. We've stayed at another 5 star Barcelo property in Playa del Carmen and had the opposite of this negative experience.

Basic basic basic – no frills

This was the first time to a Barcelo property and will probably not return. This complex is often compared to the Iberostar but there are distinct differences. The Iberostar is made up of 5 different categories of amenities. The Barcelo main 4 properties are all the same amenities, but diffenent vibes. I will focus on the Colonial as that was the one we were at. 1st, we had multiple issues that needed attention but at no time were we compensated or even received an apology. We arrive [... read more]d late in the evening. There was no welcome cocktail. Bad map and the buildings not well marked ended with us lost in the dark. Our travel mates had an issue with the safe when they arrived and front desk staff said they would send someone at 9 am. The next morning we headed to the buffet and as we were returning to the rooms, I commented how it was 8:40 and they would be in time for the security to fix the safe. However, no one arrived and for the next 2 hours, they called the front desk every 15 minutes to no avail. So by 11:30 they left the room to enjoy the beach. The next day, I approached the desk (as our travel mates were too upset) and after what I would describe as an “apathetic attitude” from Alexander, the supervisor, I was able to get him to call the security to meet me in the room. Which they did. The next evening we had a huge downpour and our room was flooded (6343). So back to the front desk to speak with “Alexander” again (with the same attitude) and after they sent someone, we needed to change rooms, but we could not even move rooms until 3:00 pm. I wanted to be near our travel mates and suggested that they upgrade or compensate us for the inconvenience. NOPE. We were moved 4 blocks of rooms further away from the beach and travel mates, when we were promised we would be closer. This resort is BASIC, no frills resort. There is little attention to details, like rooms missing remotes, no coffee, coffee pot broken, no creamer, no toilet paper. We only saw people serving drinks around the pool or beach 3 times. The bars and restaurants are understaffed. There is no entertainment team going around inviting you to partake in activities. The Colonial side is very quiet…I mean really quiet. The Tropical at least had some music playing. The Beach side was much more active with music and activities. The food in the buffet was basic buffet food, some staff members would go out of their way, but most would not. There was a theme, but most items repeated. There is no coffee shop or Ice cream bar or any of the little extras we are used to. As for the A La Carte, we had absolutely no problem booking 4 dinners at 6 pm. However, on the Colonial side…men need to wear long pants and closed toe shoes. They sent our 80 year old friend away with formal shorts and closed toe shoes. On  the Tropical side, formal shorts are allowed and one of them is a “steak house” which we highly recommend as the Lamb and Beef Tenderloin was delicious. The Management on the Colonial needs to take the stick out of their ***. We ate at the Colonial side: Kyoto (where they sent an 80 year old away). We ate from the menu not the teppanyaki, The food was ok. The Tempura vegetables were way over cooked. The meal was fine. The deserts were lacking. Marenostrum  - sea food – it was again, only ok. Two meals of salmon, mine included, was actually cold. Desert we had the apple pie, it was ok. We ate at the Tropical side: Capri – Italian – I am Italian so I did not order pasta, however, ordering steak was a mistake. It was tough. Santa Fe – Steak house – The best meal we had. We all LOVED it. From the antipasto bar to the steak to the desert and outstanding service. We were not offered any meals at the Beach or Caribe side, but it would have been nice. The Mall is EXPENSIVE and only accepts Credit Cards, stick to the small markets, you can bargain with them. The Go Carts – only accepts credit cards also, this is a “Hotel” policy that is extremely annoying. The Beach was absolutely beautiful. The pools are nice but nothing fancy. The drinks are plentiful and if you ask, you can get “some” better brands of alcohol. I could not get the Beefeater Gin.  Don’t ask for lemonade, you will get bottled water. WEIRD. We got a good price on the trip and for that I am thankful as you get what you pay for. We only went here because we had already booked this hotel (beach side) through Air Transcrap and they cancelled our holiday one month before. We did not want to fly out of Toronto, so this was our only choice.

Great resort

All bases well covered! Absolutely gorgeous compound, beach, restaurant, pools, food, rooms, service. You in the middle of all attractions and parks. Perfect experience will come back for sure!……………….

The Barcelo Maya is perfect.

The place is massive, with that comes an endless number of possibilities for dining, activities and beaches, you know you are in the right place when divers come to your resort to dive the reef just off shore.

The Barcelo#1

What an experience The Barcelo was highly recommend taking a trip there! The resort was very clean the staff was extremely friendly and the resort was up to date and impeccable! Highly recommend taking making it your next vacation destination

Barcelo resorts were amazing!!

The hotels, all 5 of them were clean and lovely! Staff worked so hard and almost of them were very helpful and friendly. I'd definitely recommend to anyone. So much to do . Never a dull moment. 5 STARS BARCELO 🌟

Beautifull resort we have been there at least 10,times ,rooms were clean, bed was comfortable.

Grounds and room were well kept , great buffets and a la cart dining was great ,only one miner problem , the room bar fridge in our room did not work , but was replaced with in a couple of hours ,only negative was long delays at baggage pick up at the airport waiting almost 2 hours for my wifes,s walker.and lack of decent food for purchase on the flight.

A super fun time!

A really clean and beautiful resort! Beaches were nice, pools were fun, and service was friendly and always willing to help. Food was actually pretty good too! There’s tons to do here, AND it’s literally walking distance to two famous and beautiful cenotes. Right between Tulum and Playa, there’s a lot of opportunities for fun excursions too. It was a wonderful trip—especially for the price!

Great vacation. Huge resort.

The grounds at this property are very well cared for. The property spans 6 hotels with many large pools and lots of restaurants. The a la cartes are very good with interesting food at each one. The room we had was musty and our clothes always felt wet. I guess that’s to be expected in a hot humid area.

Amazing resort

The resort was excellent and we would go again in future. One thing that spoiled the holiday was the but driver that took us back to the airport took us to terminal 4, we asked him if this was correct for the Swoop airline and he said it was, it turned out that the correct terminal was #2. We and all the people on the bus had to get a minibus taxi to take us to terminal 2 (about one kilometer. There were about 12 people in the taxi, the driver charged us 80 dollars American. I think that  [... read more]the bus driver and taxi driver were operating a scam. I should also mention that the paperwork provided to us did not say which terminal we were to disembark from.