Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Barcelo Maya Beach

Great resorts with lots to do. Our rooms were a bit dated but we expected that. They are also using key cards for your rooms, make sure not to have these anywhere near your cellphone. We went day after day because our card would not allow us into our room to the point we were beyond frustrated. It took one of the maids walking by our rooms to tell us "no cell phone" not sure why no one at the front desk mentioned this to us after the third day we went back to get a new card. They change your  [... read more]sheets only on request with a card on your bed, other then that they just make your beds. Same with towels leave them on floor or they will not change them. They never refilled our ridge in our room the whole time we were there, not sure if we had to ask or what but it was never done even on days we wanted our sheets changed. A lot of water parks across each resort for the kids but there was one that they promote most on their sites, I think it was the pirate something, that is located with the flow rider that cost money. I knew the flow rider cost extra but I couldn't find any mention of that water park in particular costing extra. But be ready at least in December, the weather is hot but the pool is COLD. The go karts are also extra $$ but knew this in advance. It is also only for children over 8 years old to ride with an adult, and you will need proof of that. We didn't bowl but they have a great bowling area with the 24 hour sports bar as well as a small arcade. Buffets were good, nothing extravagant. There was no AC in the buffet areas we visited for breakfast and dinner, which we didn't mind since the evenings were cool. We visited a couple of the a la carte restaurants, the Italian and Mexican and both were delicious. Everything else was booked and you either needed to eat super early or late. The night shows get super busy so if you want a seat get there early. Check in took forever as we got there right when a bus full of travelers landed. The front desk also gives you conflicting information every time you go depending on the person you speak to. I went to the front and asked if they would break down our American money for dollars etc. and they said no. My husband went back the next day and the gentleman did it for him. As well, you can only use cash for tipping or in the market. Everything else on the resort is credit card. The only card that would work for me was Mastercard, not sure if that was a me thing or a resort thing. The bars don't have enough bartenders around the pool areas so get ready for a bit of a line up. There was never more then 1 or at most 2 bartenders at each bar area.

Occidental Tamarindo: Not as advertised

Food was okay and room was decent. Beach was more rock than sand. No dive shop on site. Beach had lots of chairs but used more by locals than guest. Great place for surfers. 2nd trip to CR. First time was to Rio Guanacaste. If I ever go back I'll go there.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Fantastic Family Vacation

Family of 3 (mom, 8 yo, and 4 yo) had a fantastic week in the sun. The kids loved all the water slides and the beach. We spent our entire days outside swimming and exploring. The Kids Club (child minding) was a wonderful break for parents and fun social activities for the kids. The food was bland but we always found something for everyone to enjoy (including lots of ice cream!). This was a repeat visit for us (we went 5 years ago). Resort is still in good shape with lovely green grounds. Lots [... read more] of fun and relaxation so highly recommend to all families.

Barcelo Solymar: Hotel review

We did not have a pleasant experience with the hotel, the room smelled moldy and the bed sheets were very old and stained, they provided only two towels for showers, no hand or face towels at all, this hotel is in very good location with beautiful beaches that needs renovation badly, the food also was bad, plates were not clean , low quality service, not following hygiene, no fruits or choice of drinks. as other guest said I also will not travel Cuba again. Very poor condition all over after Co [... read more]vid.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: 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.

Occidental Caribe: Acceptable for the price

Hotel installations were quite dated, a lot of maintenance is required around the hotel. Bathrooms in the rooms need to be improved. Staff is very friendly though. Beach and location are both amazing. No service on the beach, nor pool area. Enough food diversity, options to please anyone. Difficult to get cutlery and coffee and beverages during peek buffet hours… Restaurants a la carte aren’t amazing, difficult to reserve too. If you can get a good deal and are not too pi [... read more]cky I’d recommend. The hotel to me is more like a 3.5 star and not a 4 star hotel. We still enjoyed ourselves, but this review is a heads up for people that are picky for the elements mentioned above.

Occidental Tamarindo: Beautiful property but***

I love that this was a beach front property and you can catch the sunrise/sunset. Most of the staff were friendly, I find some of them to be either very shy or afraid of people. My room had it's challenges from a leaking sink to a shower glass that covers nothing, so I had to stand very close to the wall not to flood the room. There was entertainment but I was too tired at the end of the day to stay up for that, yes I am an early riser. The food was alright, I didn't starve thanks to all the fre [... read more]sh fruits but otherwise the buffet was average. Same thing was served at dinner with a different sauce. I am a a moderate picky eater, but I always found something to eat. It was impossible to get a napkin even after going over to ask, they would continue to put napkins on the table where no one was sitting. Made no sense to me. The A la carte is impossible to book, you have to be at the restaurant between 3-6 to make a reservation. Went 3 times and just gave up as there was no one ever at the restaurant. Alejandro made a great omelette in the mornings so I was fed at least one good meal a day. Drinks were good, I am not a big drinker. Gustavo made a great mojito. This is definitely not a 4 star resort, I met others who have been there before and they were very disappointed with this trip. There seems to be no proper system in place to manage the guests. The only way I would recommend this place is if they price is cheap, otherwise go somewhere else. One last note, please have your room key when you check out. I had left mine in the room and had to go back to get it cause they wanted to charge me for a stupid key card. Yes, the know how to ruin the end of your trip. :(

Occidental Arenas Blancas: Resort is Ok but definitely not a 4 star rating by "world" standards

Beautiful beaches, wonderful people, majority were very congenial, one exception at the front, check in perhaps it was an "off" day for him. Food, considering the difficulties as expressed by the locals, it's difficult to be objective about the food but you do not get good value at the buffets or a la carte! Excelent fresh bread! Hard to get beach towels and bottled water in the room was very scarce! Wine is not available (looked like a few guests had taken their own) frequently run out of b [... read more]eer even ron (rum) seemed to be in short supply! At one of the a la carte restaurants, the head waiter was very clear there was no wine or beer but he would gladly provide us with the beer glasses for us to go get beer at the bar by the pool (he was not allowed to do it), definititly not getting what we thought we paid for! The day trip to Habana was paid separate, the airline rep. re-iterared lunch and drinks were included, at lunch we were allowed one small glass of beer each and paid for drinks at the stop on way there and mid afternoon downtown Habana! Please keep going to Cuba, these amazing people need our support and you will enjoy the beaches...

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Excellent family vacation place

This resort had everything for our family, ages 6 - 70. It is large but not too big. It was full during our stay but not crowded. The a la carte restaurants were the best we have ever eaten at. The resort went all out to celebrate New Year's Eve. We don't smoke but the smoking areas are very tastefully done. On the cool, cloudy days, there was still lots to do with Strikers, mini golf, the fitness centre and the mall. Our only negatives are: The wifi wasn't consist around the resort and the ro [... read more]om temperature was not easy to control. Transportation form the airport in Cancun took many hours but the return trip was smooth.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Mexican Paradise!

Mexican Paradise with some suggestions for improvement Check-in- we arrived around 2 am. There was one person working. There was no one else around. The check-in was smooth. We weren’t asked if we wanted a bell-person to bring our luggage but that was fine with us. I didn’t like that I couldn’t pay the hotel tax with Mexican pesos. I believe that local currency should always be accepted. Chairs- I woke before 7 am each day to reserve a chair at the pool or at the beach. The first day,  [... read more]I saw that all the chairs were taken by 9 am! We were at the resort during New Year’s so this might not always be the case. The Reservation System for the La Carte Restaurants could be improved. The second day, I was unable to book an a la carte. I was told to reserve for that week and return on Saturday to book for the following week. I woke up early and arrived 15 minutes after the 7 am opening. I was told that there was no availability for the Italian restaurant because people had booked the night before. That’s ridiculous! The staff need to tell people the correct information. Also, we asked about the New Year’s Eve Gala. We were told to just show up. Then, my husband said why not check again after being misinformed about sign up times. I went and asked at Guest Services. They signed me up for New Years. When I asked why they said it wasn’t necessary previously, they said they just learned that themselves (2 days prior to the big event). I’ve been to other all-inclusives where reservations weren’t necessary or ones where you can book on-line or through an app. Restaurants: The Buffet has an excellent selection of food. Salt and pepper shakers were almost non-existent at this resort. I did appreciate that the Buffet didn’t close between breakfast and lunch. It did close in the late afternoon until 7 pm. There are no snack bars. The less expensive Barcelo property had beach grills. We went to four a la carte restaurants. We liked the service at the Brazilian Restaurant at the Palace the best. We weren’t impressed with the food or the service at the Agave (Mexican). We both had the Snapper and it was dry and overcooked. We enjoyed the show and the food at the Japanese restaurant and the service was okay. I have seen better Hibachi shows at other resorts but I’m sure it depends on the chef. I loved my grilled salmon at “La Comedie” the french restaurant. The service declined as the restaurant got busier. For example, the service became slower and my husband had to ask a couple of times for his dessert when it wasn’t brought out with mine. Rooms: We had a quiet ocean room view. The room was clean and spacious. The bed was huge. I took advantage of the balcony hot tub. Pool: Beautiful, expansive, infinity pool. Beach: Lots of shade. Chairs reserved early. The communication could be improved. On the other properties, there were signs with schedules and maps. Some guests didn’t even know that they could go to the other properties for the nightly entertainment. At the AO, there were digital displays with schedules that flashed up and QR codes. I opened the QR code and made a screenshot of the schedule. I feel the front desk should give you a map not a QR code where you could look up a map. I would have appreciated being able to access the menus for the various restaurants ahead of time. At other resorts that I’ve been to, the reception and guest services display the schedules and menus. There could also be print copies of weekly schedules for guests who wanted them. This is a beautiful resort. I appreciated being able to visit it.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Not the best resort but descent

Resort and sleep quality was amazing, rooms were great! Food was bit repetitive and the restaurants need some different flavours while cooking! Also booking the ala carts should not need reservations now a days, it’s 2024 we need to be able to book online or on an app it was a pain to meet with guest services I’m on vacation and don’t want to work to book my dinners. I’ve been to several 5 stars and this one was a bit behind the eight ball on a few things.

Allegro Cozumel: Great holiday

Nice small resort. Shout out to Fernando at the pool bar and Sandra and the other young maitre d. Thank you for your big smiles every single day and for accommodating our big group of 12! The oriental a La carte is fantastic! Unfortunately they only guarantee you one a la carte during your visit. This was disappointing as we noticed they were never full. Front desk staff were ok. The manager should help out when he can though. Overall nice resort.

Allegro Cozumel: Beautiful resort!

We loved this resort and thought the size was perfect for our group of 13. The rooms are comfortable and clean and the hammocks are a nice touch! The food is very good, the only problem is getting into the specialty restaurants. We could only get reservations at 1 of them the week we were there. The pools and beach area are beautiful and it’s never a problem getting lounge chairs. The drinks are great and bartenders are friendly, especially Fernando. The grounds are kept immaculate and check in  [... read more]and check out were fast and easy. I would visit this resort again!

Occidental Arenas Blancas: I'd Never ever go again. In fact Occidental I think it turned me off Cuba for good.

The Good - the beach, the pool, some (just a few) of the staff. The Bad - No coffee in the room. I brought my own but the coffee pot won't work and several trips to the desk with no results. The stage is right at the pool and right in front of the rooms, way to loud all the time so you can't relax at the bar or the pool. Yes it's Cuba a Spanish Colony but 90% of the games, entertainment and announcements in Spanish so no-one has a clue what they are saying. The Hotel is old. The rooms are [... read more] OK and Lobby areas OK but our 3rd floor hallways were VERY much in need of repair. 2 Elevators at our end of the building out of order 2 weeks we were there. 1 of the 2 main Elevators in the center core also down for 2 weeks. Most of the coffee I got was Luke warm and usually full of coffee grounds in the cup. No Coke for 10 out of 14 days. Butter only 2 out of 14. Ran out of many things. No orange juice or pop at any meals. TV remote broken and no results from attempts to get one. No face cloths or shower mat and same 2 towels for 2 weeks. You do tramp sand and dirt into the rooms but never cleaned the floors for 2 weeks. Food, not too bad but we both lost weight after 2 weeks of Buffets so go figure. Actually there were 2 or 3 days of pretty good food. Entertainment started at 10 and after a day in the sun we wanted to sit on our balcony and rest but way to loud to relax. They offer free Hobie Cat sail boats yes, but can't take them out yourself without a Captain who wants $$$ to go. They use flimsy plastic cups for beer and drinks and garbage 1000,s a day. Should switch to washable hard plastic glasses. Yes more washing to do but very bad for the environment with what they have. The Sister resort, Barcelo Solymar, that we could use was much better and the 3rd resort we could use was shut down. No spoons at counters or tables! If you get soup or Ice Cream etc. good luck getting one. We got a couple and kept them and washed them and used for most of the trip. You could wave down a waiter and they go find one for you. Why not have spoons where the soup is?

Occidental Papagayo: Don’t go there

Extremely hilly and shuttle only comes if you call it from room lobby or bar. No benches to sit on while awaiting shuttle. Not great as 75% of people were over 60. so basically you had to walk a lot of hills. I changed rooms 3 times. Every time the next room was worse. No hot water patio doors wouldn’t lock Safe not working Bar fridge not working. Always a long lineup of people complaining about the same thing. Sand crabs and bugs galore in room. Gross and large bugs. Raccoon got into my room o [... read more]ne night because patio door would not lock. Do I need to say anymore

Barcelo Maya Tropical: Good Resort

Everything is fantastic except for the beach,if the resort improve also on the beach for swimming the resort have a goldstar.They should put aside some rocks for people go for a swim when you go for swimming becareful you might hit a rock or sting by jellyfish that's what happen to me.

Occidental Papagayo: Old Resort, Poorly Run

The grounds of this resort are beautiful. There is wildlife on the grounds plenty of birds, Howler Monkeys, etc. The major problem with this resort is that it truly is poorly run. Management is non existed and if you have a problem it is never dealt with throughout the week. They blamed Trip central for our booking mistakes and would never address the problem. When we checked in there was no one in the lobby it took over an hour for us to get into our rooms. The resort is big in area and [... read more] they had placed my elderly parents far away from us which was a huge concerns. They kept blaming TripCentral for this mistake. The food was always the same and the booze is all no name if that means anything to a traveler. I speak Spanish and spoke to one of the bartenders he told me the staff changes all the time looking to get to better resorts. The staff looks tired, you see during the week all the issues they have to deal with. The sad thing is the manager Raul (From Spain) will not deal with anyone, he sends out his lower staff to deal with angry customers which during our week was consistent. Sad this resort has a lot to offer just not run well and you see it from the top down as the staff (many of them) do not care.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Amazing landscape, OK food - outdated rooms

Hello, We staid in standard level of the Maya Beach and our rooms (2) were clean but out dated ( humidity smell in one and water flies in the other one!). We were told that Beach romes were renovated, but I think this applied only the Premium level ones! The Landscape around the building is beautiful, and we always feel safe. the beach is nice and clean, but lots the beach is suffering from erosion and lost of rocks, but still beautiful and enjoyable. Great snorkeling right from the  [... read more]beach! Great vacations, good location is you don't want to leave the resort.

Barcelo Maya Riviera: Excellent Choice!!

We were very happy with our decision to stay at the Barcelo Maya Riviera. The hotel was great, very clean, great food and food options. The staff were very good and our requests were meet in a timely and courteous manner. Room was comfortable and clean. Very modern hotel with lots to offer. We will plan a return visit in the future. The beach was fantastic and the pools were awesome. There was lots to take part in from volleyball to pool aerobics or there was always a quiet spot to be found for  [... read more]an afternoon siesta!! The overall complex had lots to offer including the open double decker bus to get you around if walking is not your plan.

Barcelo Maya Beach Resort: Lovely grounds

The Barcelo grounds are lovely...food could be improved in the buffet as the warming trays don't keep anything hot. Very difficult to get reservations in the a la carte..lucky to get a 9pm reservation. Check in took over 3 hours...needs improvement. The wait staff are nice but reception needs to work on their people skills and communication. I've been here 6 times but it will be my last sadly unless things change.