Recommending for a great time away .....full review so read away:)

We have just returned from Barcelo Maya Beach and are looking forward to our next visit. From Booking with Martine Reid to departure home our trip was a wonderful experience. We spent 15 days at the resort and a few none issue items that we just went with. 1.Arrival in Cancun- easy, no problems with the provided transport other than a longer than necessary wait for a couple who were duty free shopping and held up our bus, I prefer a direct drop off as the 2 hotels we had to stop at added [... read more] about an hour in total to the trip but again that is my preference, Barcelo is about 70 mins away from the airport and the bus had great AC, working toilet and great cold beers and canned Margs for purchase. 2.Checkin- It is at 3pm and onward.. we had requested 2 beds and they had 1 king so it took until 430 pm to get our room, we had some lunch, wandered about to get an idea of where things were and then got our room. Checkout-easy and no issues at all and the bus was direct with no stops to the airport.. 3.Room 1315- it is Tulum building and the room was great, clean, mini fridge well stocked, large towels, quiet and a top floor with the garden view. AC worked great a room key is used to activate it, lots of hot water in the shower and no issues at all. 4.Beach-looks exactly like all photos, kms of white sand beautiful warm ocean... if you want snorkeling head to the opposite end by the Plaza and it is rocky so water shoes are a suggestion. 5.Pools and Towels- huge pools and lots of space to float about, towels are bath sheet size so no need to bring from home and the Pool bar... a fun place to sit and watch or participate with the Activity Team but be prepared as it is loud from 12-4pm 6. Shade, sun and lounge chairs-tons to use on the whole resort so no need to get up early to towel mark a chair. 7. Restaurants/Bars - Main Buffet-hit or miss but there is always something to eat, (they are learning service so drinks are a bit slow to arrive but again its vacation so no need to rush about anyway) -Captain Morgan's for lunch- always fresh pasta, pizza, salads, burgers(as big as your hand) and a great spot for some shade during the day to sit and chill, the Managers, Marayil and Enrique were lovely to speak with and they brought us fresh Mango Margarita's to the pool and they were some of the best Marg's we had the whole time... -Room Service- not included in the All Inclusive pricing but definitely worth the few dollars for great sandwiches and a salad instead of going out for a night -A la Cartes- -Italian was a delish experience , we went a few times as it was fabulous, highly recommend it -Tokyo for Japanese, a great meal and show and again we went a couple of times, highly recommend it -Mexican- it was ok.. we both felt rushed, it was too dark and the food was not what we expected.. It was good but again not authentic feeling or tasting. -Strikers Sports Bar- Great place for some bar food, a fun atmosphere but expensive for Bowling (15 US a person) Arcades games fun for kids and a bit expensive but the Air Hockey was a fun hour! Drinks: The drinks were a hit and miss at all bars we tried as everyone makes it their way.. only a couple that were definitely off the mark but for the most part they were great..they made for some great laughter so again not a big deal as you just order another one if its not what you wanted or like but for the Supreme package you do not get access to anything other than house liquor so be prepared as I did not know this. Beer in room was Corona but on tap was Montejo I think and it was great and cold.. Bottled water at the bars and pool and it was always chilled Spa- Highly recommend it and the coupon at checkin was fabulous.. you pay this on arrival at the spa so credit card is needed and again its in US. Dolphin Show- free and fun to watch or you can pay to swim if you like. Nightly Shows- start at 930pm but good for an hour to unwind, open air and lots of seats and all age friendly. Venture Park: We did the go carts and Zipline and it was fun and scary for a first timer but its on site and no need to leave the resort.. it was 35 US each and a good way to spend and hour and a half. There are great shops on site and a Mexican Market for all your souvenirs including string hammocks and a great Tequila shop that is comparable to duty free and when a taxi to 5th Ave is 25-30 US each way it was easy to pick up what I needed without the Playa craziness as much fun as it is. We had a great vacation and our on site rep Johnny assisted with our PCR test booking and again no issues and his check in and check up on us was appreciated. n We didn't do tours off site this time but many folks did and the prices seemed to be the same as every time we have visited. Masks were mandatory for public spaces (going into restaurants, shops etc but not in the pool at the bar and all staff were masked the entire time... Covid protocols were in place and we felt quite safe and most people were respectful of each others space and if the staff can wear masks, we found no issue in having ours at all times. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions I can answer but again , we had a great experience and Martine's help from Trip Central from start to end was really appreciated.

Wonderful vacation at Barcelo Beach, Mayan Riviera

The Barcelo beach resort is an older resort but it is well cared for, beautiful lush grounds, several clean pools, lots of shaded areas to get out of the sun and beautiful beach with plenty of lawn chairs to relax under the palm trees. The a la cart restaurants were delicious, especially the Japanese one! The buffets had lots of variety, meat was always tender, but tended to be the same foods all week which I didn’t mind. Top notch entertainment at night! There are several Barcelo resorts th [... read more]at we could visit and use their facilities and bus pick up every 15 min to shuttle guests was a bonus. Very big resort! Lots of young ppl there but when they returned from late night outings tended to be a little noisy running through the corridors before getting to their rooms. Otherwise very quiet. All the ppl working at the resort were friendly and worked quietly. I especially liked Susie who led the daily water aerobics class. Even though pandemic is basically over, I still found staff always wore their masks, took guests temperature before entering restaurants. Excellent week! Highly recommend Barcelo!

Good resort! disappointing rooms

The hotel beach was very nice the pools were great and there were lots of chair options id recommend walking the whole beach to get the best parts. the food was very good and i am a picky eater there were lots of options the Italy was not very good the rooms were old and the air was not good nothing dried and everything was always damp masks were mandatory at bars and restaurants the took you temp when going in to buffets and all the workers were in masks the whole time. we liked everything bu [... read more]t the rooms we even switched rooms because are air was not working and it was still not good in the new room i also had to fight with front desk to move us when are room was set and stuck at 26 it was 28 out side for reference this made the first two days very stress full.

BCCT acceptable, Rivierra stunning

Hi. First, our travel agent was absolutely amazing. She did save our trip. We went to Mexico Barcelo resort at the end of February. Barcelo is split up into 6 resorts. The 4 in the middle, Beach, Caribe, Tropical, and Colonial (BCCT) are just typical. The BCCT are all connected and does not matter which you stay at. It’s one big resort. If you’re only there for the weather, then the BCCT is for you. The Palace is an upgradable option. My experience there was limited and can’t comme [... read more]nt accurately. The Rivierra is the adults only portion and it is definitely worth it. We had booked at the Beach resort of the BCCT. I always start with the bad. No fault of the resort, our neighbours stayed up til 5am everyday. They were students and kept me awake with with various noise. The other bad, Our room was cleaned every other day, not that we’re merry, but it feels good to have it cleaned during COVID. The good. The resort is beautiful. The gardens were immaculate. The beach was stunning. The pools were amazing and different. There are lots of animals to see. Everything else at the Beach resort was a typical all inclusive resort. Food was ok, room was typical, nothing too much or memorable in comparison to the many other resorts I’ve stayed at. Due to no fault of the hotel, the neighbours caused me not to sleep for 3 nights. The hotel could not do anything for me. My travel agent somehow did and had us moved to the Adults Only Rivierra resort. It is connected to the BCCT so it’s more of a different section than a different resort. The Rivierra. First with the bad. At 5:30, the sun goes behind the building and the pool doesn’t receive sun. Another bad is the building is located or one side and my steps went from 11k a day at the BCCT resort to 21k a day at the Rivierra. So be prepared to walk if you want to see all the resorts. The good. The Rivierra was stunning. The entrance will make your jaw drop. The corridor is constructed so there is always a sun beam coming in. The room was breath taking and every room has a jacuzzi on the Balcony. We watched the sunset while in the jacuzzi. Our room was cleaned twice a day. This buffet was nothing like I’d ever seen before. I had a porter house steak made to my perfection in this buffet. The pools were very large with more than enough room and the beach had way too many chairs with a lot of space. Note- due to the sun setting in the back of the building, the premium rooms with a swim up pool are not worth it in my opinion. The rooms view the sunrise and not the sun set, so sometime early afternoon, its in the shade. The grounds themselves are amazing. There is a lot to do. The bad. With all the activities it is very poorly advertised. Only on the last night did we find a piano bar where someone would play. The good, there is a lot to do if you go searching for it. Mini golf, bowling, zip lining, shopping. Kids water parks, various shows at the theatres, casino, finding the elusive monkey, etc…. I would recommend the BCCT to those that just love the weather, beach or the pool. If you want that jaw dropping wow factor and be pampered, the Rivierra is the perfect resort for you.

Limited food choices, great place!

Vacationed for 7 days and only allowed 4 restaurants to dine in while the rest of the days are the buffet. The beach and the pool is top notch but limited in food. The room floors could use some scrubbing, its similar to Cuba but this is mexico, it could be better. If your a sushi person, look else where as they have no to limited sushi. You have access to sushi on your dinner but sushi is limited to 8 pieces. The steak is sometimes chewy or dry. I went to Mexico for great food but very disappoi [... read more]nting due to limitation. Atleast the kids have fun. Look else where if your into food. But this is the spot if you want the beach and pool.

Don't expect to much... Beware!

The overall experience is great, but not the best. If your looking for a nice beach and venue. This is it. If your a big food person, this place is not for you. If you miss your breakfast at 10am, you won't see another food closer to 1pm which is hard when you overslept with kids. I love food but they will limit with what you can eat. I'm vacationing for 7 days and only allowed 4 places to dine in and the rest are buffets. Sushi is terrible as the sashimi are limited for 8 pieces only, that alre [... read more]ady counts for other sushi. You can only have 8 numbers of sushi in total and the rest kinda disappointing. Buffet are a *MeH* and repetitive. Nothing to exciting or new. I would definitely recommend another place if your into food. They don't tell you that the food is limited until you are there. The rooms are old and the floor could be scrubbed. I rate the rooms 5/10. The only thing that saves them from good graces are the pools and the beach areas. BEWARE!

Great resort

The hotel was clean (5/5), friendly and helpful staff (5/5/) buffet was fantastic and inviting with tasty and verity of selection, meat, fish, veggies and fruit (5/5). my biggest complain was the music and entertainment it was a HUGE Disappointment (0/5). Another low point was the Transat Agent on the site, SHE WAS JUST NASTY

Amazing Resort

Can't think of one aspect of this resort that we didn't like. Everything was great. Very well maintained and beautiful resort. Loved that we could eat and play at all 4 resorts. Resort is great for couples and families.

Great stay!

We booked our holiday with Amanda Garlough and want to thank her for the recommendation. We were very pleased with the resort and really enjoyed our stay. We would recommend it to our friends and family and hope to go back there. Grounds were beautiful, beach was great. The food was very good and staff were awesome, everyone was very helpful. We had a great holiday.

Fantastic Getaway

From the moment we arrived, our vacation was perfect. The staff were very friendly and helpful. I have a lactose allergy and the a la carte staff were excellent in recommending safe foods for me every evening. We celebrated our 6th anniversary during our stay and appreciated the hotel acknowledging our special day! Housekeeping kept our room spotless and the bartenders and servers made sure our glasses were never empty for long. We enjoyed a few rounds of mini golf and loved all of the a la [... read more] carte dining options. Our favorites were paella at La Fuente (Spanish), lobster at Marenostrum (seafood) and the lovely atmosphere at Brasserie (French). The evening entertainment was also very good - our favorite was the Circus show. We were repeat guests and will definitely be back again. Thanks to O'Neil for taking care of our booking and making arrangements for us to have an overnight accommodation in Toronto when our connecting flight was cancelled.

Barcelo - really good!

Almost everything about this trip was perfect. The staff was all outstanding and all very friendly. The food at the buffet and the al a cart restaurants were really good - not out of this world good, but very good. The beach is outstanding! lots of seating and lots of sunny and shady spots too. The only complaint has we had was headphones were stolen from our hotel room. I didn't follow up on this with staff as I knew what the answer would be. Make sure you use the safe. Our room [... read more] was really good - no complaints at all. And the bed was super comfortable too, which is not always the case in Mexico. The nightly entertainment was very good too. I would recommend this hotel to anyone.

Amazing resort

We have been to this resort 10+ times... have never had a bad experience. highly recommend ..................................................................................................................................................

Beautiful Resort!

The rooms are not fancy but extremely clean as well as the whole resort. My sister is Celiac and they were amazing making sure she had her own meal three times a day and she had absolutely no problems. There is something for everyone on this resort and would definitely recommend it to anyone. It was rather windy when we were there so we were unable to snorkel or use any of the beach non motorized equipment but did not have a hard time finding other things to do. My only concern is the way th [... read more]at they do the check in because it was not very efficient. They need to prebook rooms before the night before and speed up check in.

Fantastic spot

The hotel was beautiful very clean great service huge resort but tons of space to just relax and not be bothered by others. Food was very good service was excellent but our room had a terrible view. Lots to do and the whole family had great experience.

Incredible Resort

Beautiful hotel on a large property with plenty of activities and restaurants in the complex. The staff are friendly and accommodating, the food is delicious at every location and there are plenty of loungers at pool and beach in sun or shade. Can't wait to return!!!

Great resort

This is no doubt one of the nicest resort we ever go. Just one suggestion buy rooms directly from hotel not through agents. We go there with kids and two rooms and promised by Trip Central agent that rooms will be close one to another. Sadly we were placed on the different flors acrossed in the building and moved to different resort as well. We contacted Trip Central but they informed us that have nothing to do with them and ask us to contact Air Canada vacation hotel agent. This agent can’t  [... read more]help us and informed that Trip Central can’t guarantee nothing from Canada and only help will be if we buy package from hotel directly. That was rough start but after that we have awesome time with outstanding food and services.

Most amazing resort

The grounds were meticulous, the rooms were nice and clean, the resort was big and spacious, the beach was fabulous. We never felt crowded. This is the most beautiful resort we have ever visited in all of our travels.

Visit Jan 29 to Feb 8th

The resort is great good for families and couples. I loved the 25 meter pool and the gym. The resort is exceptionally maintained, staff are very friendly and helpful. ala carts were good my favourite was the Tokyo and Santa Fe restaurants.

Fab resort

All areas were fantastic........except our room! It was in need of a makeover,so we spent another $2300.00CAD to upgrade to the Premier section The new room was great. We would have had a depressing stay had we stayed in the first room allotted. The resort was great. All staff were very helpful. I would recommend to a friend with the caveat that they book Premier as the regular class of rooms just don’t fit the bill for an expensive holiday.

Barcelo Beach resort

Very good overall--excellent maintenance on grounds, pools, beach. Food very good, coffee a bit of burnt taste. Many staff have very limited English skills, but most friendly and make attempts to communicate. Room very good in all features except floor cleaning--always grit left as if floor was not swept. Dirt on floor in corners, under desk, etc. Otherwise well cleaned daily.