Amazing resort

Loved everything about this resort. Friendly staff amazing beach! Lots of shopping and things to do! We swam with dolphins right on the resort. We had an amazing seven day trip and plan to take the family back in the future.

Absolutely Beautiful Resort!

This hotel was beautifully designed. Each space was well thought out to make it amazing ! From the marble floors to the water features everywhere you walked.Beach was so pretty , white sand and snorkeling with turtles ! Service was great, food was delicious. I highly recommend visiting here .I would go back again.

The best vacation spot ever!!

This was the best resort we have ever stayed at. We typically vacation once a year, but it’s only our second time bringing our kids (8&4yo) We all had a blast, it exceeded all of your expectations. The pools were perfect and there were a lot of areas to choose from. The kids splashpads were perfect. The resort was busy, but we always found a spot for the day. The beach was beautiful as well and the sand was soft. We didn’t book any of the a la cartes, (although our friends did and bragged  [... read more]about how good they were) but we stuck to the buffets and we’re very happy with the variety and quality. There was a lot of walking so we definitely worked our big meals off. As if the basics of an all inclusive weren’t enough, we were pleasantly surprised by the amount of extras around the resort. The kids loved the bowling ally and the arcade. We watched the dolphins and the kids got henna tattoos. We are planning on making the trip again with our entire extended family within the next few years. It was top notch in every single way.

Will definitely be back!!

AMAZING resort!! Everything was top notch. Good for all groups from girls trip all the way to family vacation. Resort was impeccably clean. Food quality and variety was great. Staff and room were great. Pools and splash area from kids was so fun! Beach is beautiful! HIGHLY recommend!!!

Quality Family time + Adventure = Goal Accomplished

From the moment we booked our trip until we returned, the trip central team and the resort ensured we were taken care of to achieve our goal = relaxation with a splash of adventure! Knowing we could ask rep any questions with confidence was invaluable. The resort breathtakingly clean and well maintained. The staff demonstrated that they cared repeatedly. The amenities were wonderful and kept our teenage kids moving and shaking when they wished or chilling when they needed it! The food  [... read more]was delicious. Our favourite restaurant was the a la cart Japanese - one word to describe - WOW! Overall, this is a great resort that is beautiful and luxurious, staffed by some of the hardest working people I have ever met, who prided themselves on taking care of the visitors. We wish we had everyone's name Antonio, Joshua, Samantha, Jacob to mention a few!

Fabulous huge Resort

We have traveled different resorts in the Mayan Riviera over the last 4 years and found this resort to have beautiful manicured grounds along with well maintained buildings / walkways. It is a huge resort and enjoyed all the large promenades which were used for walking pedestrians only and not motorized carts. There are numerous large pools and play pools for children so we never felt crowded. The availability of lounge chairs either around the pools or at the beach never posed an issue. Plent [... read more]y of water sports and daily beach activities. We attended 8 A-La-Cartes during our stay and found the Mexican and Japanese our favorites and also found resort staff were always friendly and courteous and picking up a drink at any of the bars was always quick. The night shows in the theater were OK but the sound system there was terrible. We checked in Feb 28th only to discover an electronic music concert called Deja Voom starting up that Thursday night down at the far end of the resort. That was the beginning of 3 sleepless nights due to the bass sound being so loud along with the partying attendees coming back to their rooms and carrying on until wee hours of the morn. When we booked our resort we didn't have any idea of concerts at the facility so that was quite the surprise. Before ever booking again I would be cautious and review any upcoming concerts venues during our potential stay there. Overall 7 of our 11 days were great!

Great resort

Rooms were very nice. Pool was huge. The entire resort was very clean. Would have liked more beer in the room. I could never find the beer delivery guy. Would likely recommend this resort to a friend.

It was okay.

It has become very commercialized since we were there 3 yrs ago. At that time it was a great small resort. That is why we have come back 6 times. They put us in the wrong resort when we got there and it took 2 days before we were put in the resort I paid for. As far as a welcome pkg which I also paid for, it did not show up for 4 days and that was with a daily reminder to the people at Transat. It took 4 different people and 4 days to get what I paid for. The food in the resort was good and  [... read more]the staff as always are very pleasant and helpful. I do not think we will go back there because this past trip felt like a fight trip with the hotel and not the relaxing vacation I am use to having when at the Barcelo.

Paradise Found

Large resort, spotlessly clean, comfortable beds, great service from courteous staff. Generous a la carts (5 per wk) and well prepared, tasty food with a good variety. Lovely sandy beach with just a few occasional rocky areas, plenty of palm trees, lounges and cabanas to provide shade- endless sculpted pools. We found the “colonial” was centrally located to everything ( buffets, theatre, shopping mall, etc) and by far had the better beach! Would definitely return to this resort!

Awesome Resort

Food and staff were great. Beautifill grounds and amazing facilities only 2 complaints too long to walk to the beach was promissed a bottle of tequila in my room. It never arrived even after requesting it 3 times

This resort is HUGE!

The grounds are very large, bring comfortable shoes to get around. The food was great for the most part; the chicken wings in the pool buffet were excellent! Xavier, the Yoga instructor at the Gym, was just terrific (9:00am) and the spa water treatment was great too (we did a day pass). The only irksome thing we found was people putting towels on the lounge chairs and never coming back to use them. This is NOT acceptable people. If you are going to reserve a chair you must also leave a perso [... read more]nal item (book, hat, etc) to indicate that you WILL come back, otherwise the towel doesn't count. Generally the staff are great, the shows are actually really good (the singers and dancers are the best I've experienced at a resort). The rooms could have been re-stocked better. I went with 2 other couples and they had amenities (bathroom stuff) that we never laid eyes on. Also, asked for a face cloth, got it, but didn't ever get a new one. The above are just cranky comments, otherwise the place is great and would recommend.

Amazing resort.

Just returned from our 7th visit to this resort. I think this says it all. We are beach people so cannot really comment on the pools. The beach is wonderful and we never have problems finding a lounger on the beach at any time during the day. On most days seaweed washes up on the beach (seems to be a problem at most resorts in the Mayan Riviera) but resort staff diligently clean up the seaweed daily and it does not pose any problems. One can always find something good to eat at eith [... read more]er the buffets or a-la-cartes. Service is generally good and rooms are spacious and comfortable. The only negative is the nightly entertainment at the theatres. The entertainment staff work hard but the quality of the shows seems to be worse every year.

Amazing Resort - Operational Goals Very Suspect

We have enjoyed the Barcelo Maya Resorts four times in the last ten years. We enjoy the beach, the buffets are good and and a la cart are okay. Holidays are for relaxing - our last stay was NOT. Between the PHISH Concert and The HEADBANGERS - Electronic Music (EMD) Concert we were woke up FIVE nights of the nine nights by roady drunk rude concert participants roaming the halls of our building once the performance(s) were over. Multiple calls to front desk to send security were placed each [... read more] of the five nights . I was told by Miranda the PHISH concert was happening after our booking was confirmed - NOT HAPPY. Why would you subject two people in their sixties to this scene. Staff told me that events are booked like this through out the whole season. Trip Central and Barcelo are both suspect in their business dealings in subjecting clients to this scene. The resort was really empty compared to other times we have enjoyed the facilities. I will be posting on trip advisor and writing to both Trip Central Management and Barcelo Mangement about our lousy experience.

Third visit to Barcelo Maya Colonial

This was our third time staying here and we continue to enjoy everything about the resort. The rooms are clean and spacious. There are so many chairs on the beach and around the pools to choose from. The beaches are very clean and beautiful to walk along. We enjoyed all of the restaurants also. We had a premium package so we had dinner every night for 2 weeks in all of the restaurants. The restaurants in the Palace are excellent also. It is worth paying extra for them. We love the French  [... read more]Bistro the most. A very elegant atmosphere. We enjoyed using the spa and gym as they were both well equipped and spacious.

Excellent vacation

This was our second stay at this resort. We chose to go back because of the amenities - lots of pools, great beach, great restaurant choices and wonderful food selection/quality. This stay, we experienced weather that was much more humid than our previous stay - as a result, the rooms smelled a bit musty and everything (clothes, towels, bed linen) always felt damp. This did not hinder our vacation at all - we just happened to notice it. 2 things to consider if booking this resort - 1) week [... read more]end concerts: the resort occasionally hosts concerts; these run Thurs-Sun (from what we could tell) and can be found on their website or through a Google search; the hotel fills up with concert goers around the weekend and you can hear the concerts quite clearly in your room well past midnight; our stay straddled 2 such concerts; it did not hinder our enjoyment of the resort at all, but our last night had rowdy hotel guests/concert goers staying in the room below us who partied loudly til the wee hours of the morning; when selecting dates if you think that might affect your vacation, try selecting alternate dates; 2) specialty dining: the restaurant selection is good and the food is great; their system for booking and accommodating guests is somewhat frustrating - we booked the restaurants we wanted on the first day we arrived and were given some very late (8:30, 9:30) dining times; what is frustrating about that is when we presented to the restaurants, even at our other earlier times (6:30, 7:00) the restaurants were half empty and remained that way during our meals; we would have loved some earlier times, and it seems as though we could have been accommodated (space wise) but for some reason, they only book their restaurants to half capacity (it was like this our previous stay as well); again, it did not hinder our enjoyment, it was something that we just had to work around. All in all, we would very much like to stay here again - it is a great vacation destination for our group and what we look for in a vacation.

Simply beautiful!

This is a beautiful grand resort. Family friendly but also lots of space for adults to truly enjoy a relaxing vacation away from the chaos. The grounds were impressive, rooms comfortable and clean and the staff (everywhere) welcoming and friendly. Air Transat staff were fantastic from the beginning to the end.

I would go back again in a heartbeat!

The grounds are lovely. The beach wonderful. The pools amazing. Sergio at the one pool doing pool aerobics is awesome. I think he draws the biggest crowds! The food at the buffets is plentiful. I took a video walking and recording all the food at a breakfast on the buffet. It's just under 5 minutes long! The fruit looks amazing (I can't eat it sadly), the breads and pastries looked good (again, sadly...not for me). They have pretty much everything you could want. I am on a very spe [... read more]cialized diet and so I had a bit of difficulty eating the same things everyday for breakfast (eggs and bacon). The restaurants in the evenings I had more success with finding more variety of what I could eat. I was not thrilled with every restaurant we tried but that was mostly due to my restricted diet. My sister seemed very happy with it all. The rating I gave for food is only what it is as I did not try much due to my restrictions. It looked good...but I think at some times some of it was a bit dried out on the buffets. The rooms were spacious and I loved that I could sit on the balcony. The pools right outside the buildings. The buildings having the open concept was very neat. There seemed to be a LOT of walking to get around the buildings to the lobbies. I thought this was great (the buildings are big and the property seems massive) as it offset the time I sat on my butt poolside and the calories of the food I ate. The entire property was beautiful. There seemed to be a lot of smaller maintenance activities going on. Replacing pool tiles, repainting marking on streets and sidewalks, removing what I am guessing were cracked ceramic tiles on the walkways.....but I thought this was great as well. Nothing was inconveniencing anyone as none were massive jobs that shut anything down. It shows they take good care of the property replacing/fixing things as they need it, not waiting for things to look worn and old. It took 3 days to get a extra blanket for my bed. Front desk referred to housekeeping. Either they didn't answer the phone or when they did they said they would send one but did not. On the third day I used my translation app on my cell and requested one...handed it to the room maid. A few hours later...ta-da!! I'm always cold and so needed the extra blanket. You can control to a degree the temperature in the room but when one likes it cool and one likes it warm....a blanket comes in handy. I did not come across many staff who were not helpful. The Grills....around the pools....the staff there did not look like they particularly wanted to be there and were not helpful. But everywhere else....enthusiastic staff and great service.

FAMILIES BOOK ELESEWHERE

I have travelled with Air Transat for years which is why I chose them again. We arrived at the airport to check our luggage ourselves, not having to go up to a counter. This disappointed me as we are entitled to 4 pieces of luggage and only had 3. One bag was 2lbs over and normally this would be an issue if we went to the counter but because we had to do this ourselves I had to unlock the luggage and remove items. We are entitled to 200lbs of luggage and only had about 140lbs. Truly aggravating [... read more] at 5am to be dealing with shuffling for 2lbs. Air Transat again had water issues so no coffee or tea on board, or water in the washroom to wash hands??????? It did leave on time and arrive early on both ends. Cancun airport, our transfer was there waiting, but we spend an extra 30 minutes standing around waiting for no one else to board the bus, again aggravating as to why we had to wait and for what? We finally arrive @ Barceló Maya Colonial; I had sent a request per my travel agent via Facebook and direct email making a few requests. Not one single request was honored. We booked 2 separate rooms, one for hubby & myself, another for my mom & 8 year old. We were put it 2 separate corridors 7 doors down from each other. It’s a family vacation and I was so far away from mom & child. They said check in with us the next day. They did not help at all said hotel was at capacity which was a complete lie. The hotel was not full until Friday the 15th, we checked in on the 10th. We also requested a king bed, instead had to push 2 doubles together. Apparently you had to pay $70.00USD for any room request, no one advised us of this, had this been the case to get the rooms we wanted I probably would have paid. My emails detailed that the 2 bookings were together. Yet no one at the front desk cared. Another family and their friends (3 rooms) had the same issue. All of us were truly disappointed in the upper management. No care whatsoever for our needs, for us to be together. My daughter was ill one night and didn’t want to come down to our room because it was too far away. When we stayed at Bahia last year, every request we made were honoured, we were right across the hall from each other. Barceló also has no communication about activities; dance lessons, mini disco, show in the plaza/mall etc…. My daughter showed up to the mini disco and was the only kid there, how can that be possible with 5 resorts??????? No one walks around saying what’s happening, no weekly schedule upon arrival, and no desire to entertain. Just not family oriented enough for us, they have the facilities and don’t max out on them. At Bahia, they were always around trying to get participation, but not nagging, just asking, it was great. Also, no one advise that Dave Matthews was there for 3 nights which totally overcrowded the one pool. It wasn’t overbearing, just overwhelming. Along with communication there were not enough signs to point to beach/lobby/pool/mall etc…… if in the main part of each building where the fountain was they had signs it could have save some lost time. Overall communication was terrible I was absolutely disgusted by it. OK, rant is now over, time for the good; Our bellhop was amazing Horacio Lopez, got mom coconuts, gave us info that we needed overall his service was amazing. The waiter Noe in the buffet for breakfast & lunch was also amazing, saved our seat every morning ;) The food was great no complaints, the a la carts: our favs were the steakhouse, Italian & Japanese. The beach was great, lots of shade no issues with finding seats either at the beach or the pool. No seaweed until our last day, but they didn’t have anyone clearing it as it calmed down. The resort is very clean, and the maids were amazing, organizing my daughters stuffy’s for her on the bed  Really doesn’t matter where you are located but if you go to be before 11 then ask for the Jalisco building as the other is close to the theatre and that sound travels. Wherever you are located you will be far from either the beach or the buffets be prepared to walk. We chose Barceló because of the food as we had stayed in Punta Cana, but in Punta Cana we had room issues too, I really think this brand does not take into account the needs of family. I save all year for a family vacation; I don’t want to be far from them. Maybe Air Transat shouldn’t do separate bookings, make it 1 booking for 2 rooms, maybe that might work, maybe have a selection of room locations as well. We did have a good vacation but truly disappointed with this brand to the point I’m not sure I will go back, We’ve spent good money and work very hard, not sure I would recommend Barceló to anyone going forward. They offered nothing for the inconvenience, not even an apology just NO NO NO. If you booked more than 1 more, my advice is to book elsewhere unless you want to be FAR APART from those you have booked with.

Nice resort

The beach and pools were great, awesome snorkelling nice clean resort . Buffets were ok but had the same menu every night, no theme nights. No night life and the entertainment was lacking. Lots of daytime things for children

Nice resort for families.

Rooms are nice. But some rooms on main floor have "musty" smell, apparently due to lack of sun, and consequently do not dry properly. Food is good. Beach is nice. Suggest you request a room on third floor, where there is no problem with musty smell. Resort is isolated, 20 km south of Maya del Carmen. We will likely go back, with family (children and grandchildren.