Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Beautiful Resort

Recently spent the week of April 20 - 27th, 2019 at Occidental at Xcaret. What a gorgeous resort! Not only was our room great but the entire resort is breath taking. It felt like we were in the jungle as the hotel is thoughtfully built amongst the natural vegetation. The grounds have monkeys, many species of birds and animals that are indigenous to the area. The resort staff were friendly and helpful and everywhere was clean. This resort was very family friendly and the children in the "kids [... read more] club" seemed to be having a blast, just my observation. The were a good varied of restaraunts and there was no lining up to reserve dinners, you just walked in to any one whenever you wanted to. No limits. Great pool as well as a nice beach with a private adult only area which we enjoyed the most. Only aspect that was disappointing was the night shows and adult entertainment... The evening shows were no where near the quality we experienced in Cuba. The resort seemed to shut down by 10:00pm. All in all I would go back to the Occidental and as well Xcaret Eco Park in itself was a wonderful experience! Next time though definately 10 days NO LESS

Barcelo Solymar: Okay resort

I’ve been to Cuba a few times and Barcelo was not too bad in my opinion. The only complaints I have are that they lack entertainment at the beach and just in general the entertainment was not as good as other resorts. The hair dryer in my room was not working, I called them everyday and even went to the fromt desk to ask for replacement. They continuosly promised me that they will send smebodg but never did. Aftee a few days of complaining I gave up. Our housekeeping was not as good either, we [... read more] had stuff go missing from our room. One day our room was mopped however the bed was not made, and one day it was not cleaned at all. There was also a lack of towels, imagine wiping urself down with face towels, not good.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Great Resort

Overall, the resort was amazing! Rooms were nice and spacious, clean pools and beaches, food was diverse and tasted great. Lots of activities to do such as kayaking, tennis, windsurfing, bowling etc... open bar 24/7

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Great resort

Been to this resort a number of times. Grounds and beach are beautiful. Plenty of things to do around and never get bored. Kids friendly, lots of kids slides. Good Snorkelling right of the beach. Always recommend this place to my friends.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Fabulous vacation!

The hotel was fantastic! Such a large area between 5 hotels, with variety in food, pools, but well layed out that it was easy to orient. The staff were all so welcoming, always with a smile on their face. Everything was very well maintained. The food was really good!! buffets, al le carte, and you could find something at any time of day. I never had to think about anything or worry about anything, it was absolutely fantastic!!

Occidental Costa Cancun: Amazing Resort

Occidental was a great resort for us. It was not very big. You came down from your room and the pool, beach and restaraunts were right there. Food selection and flavour was excellent. Distance from the airport was only 20 mins and rooms were spacious and clean. Enjoyed our short trip thoroughly. Will definitely go there again!

Occidental Cozumel: Incredible Resort

This resort was very well maintained and the staff was top notch. Pool side you will find a few iguanas that love to lounge around just as much as the tourists. Water was very clear and calm, and there were a lot of activities/water sports available each day. No shortage of lounge chairs either, we were always able to find a spot. Rooms were fresh and clean, well sized as was the bathroom. Royal level was well worth the upgrade. Every day, the concierge made sure everything was perf [... read more]ect. Highly recommended!!

Palma Real: Interesting

This was my third stay at the Palma Real. I have been to Cuba many times and don’t expect nor go looking for anything extravagant and welcome simplicity. I don’t mind this hotel for its location as it’s close to many amenities. The walk to the beach is not too far and it’s beach bar is pleasant and offers the drinks I wanted. The snack area there is also very nice. Probably the nicest bartenders and servers from the whole hotel were at the beach and snack bar. Unfortunately, the food [... read more] at the beach was not great. Although is free to the hotel guests, the bread/buns were so stale that it wasn’t edible. The rooms are aging but quite comfortable if you were lucky enough to have the air conditioning working properly. The rooms have refrigerators but again, you’re lucky if they actually work. The grounds are very well maintained and workers are out there every day attempting to keep it clean and tidy. The staff are quite helpful and pleasant. The food was good and plentiful unless droves of locals came to stay for a few days (which is their right because it is their country) but then there was slim pickings left for anyone else and lineups to get into the dining room. Garbage just tossed onto the ground and in the pools rather than into the trash which was readily available. Some are very bold/rude when there are lineups at the bar. Many times they were served before anyone else because they pushed through people. Very little manners or respect for others staying at the hotel. After three straight days of that, I was a bit fed up but then they left and things were back to normal. In saying that, not only locals were rude. Other groups of tourists staying at the hotel were beyond obnoxious. These people were also pushy and had no regard for anyone else. Blasting their music in the lobby for everyone else to suffer through. I don’t go to Cuba to listen to Russian Techno or French Canadian whatever it was but sure had enough of it by the time I left. Nobody could sit and have conversation over a drink at night because of other tourists and their behaviour. Glad they were having a great time but for everyone else it was over kill. None of that was fault of the hotel though. My biggest complaint when it comes to the hotel itself would be the terrible condition of one of the pools. Filthy and dirty. Literally falling apart. Mouldy and just plain gross. The hotel needs to fix this pool or shut it down because it’s a safety hazard! Would like to return to the hotel again sometime in the future but at this point I’m not too sure. All in all, I really liked my stays there including the staff but after this time I’m not sure if I will chance returning in the future. 🙁

Barcelo Solymar: Great resort

The hotel was okay, poor lighting in the rooms, but the beds and pillow were very comfortable. The food was okay I always found something I enjoyed. I enjoyed the location of the hotel. I read reviews it was a party resort there was lots of activities if that was what you were looking for but a number of areas where you can get away from that and relax

Barcelo Solymar: Do not go there

My husband and I went there for four days and I could not wait to go home. Room had no hot water, no blankets, leaking toilet. For two days we were requesting at least to fix hot water, and every time the answer was “we took your request “. On the third day my husband forced management to give us another room and we finally had hot water. Needless to say, the service was just awful, everyone from service desk to cafeteria staff were very rude. Greasy dishes, cockroaches in a restaurant, old  [... read more]lipstick on napkins. I can honestly go on and on. This place need a change. Don’t waste your time and money.

Palma Real: We love Palma Real!

This year was our 4th time to Palma Real. It was great to see returning guests we'd met over the years and awesome to see the employees of the resort. The easiest way to give an accurate review, is to say, 'you get what you pay for'... it's fantastic for us, works with our budget and we definitely love Varadero. It's dated, the food is okay, the bar drink choices are limited and the rooms are satisfactory...but for our family, it's what we can afford. It's walking distance to fantastic entertain [... read more]ment and the markets and the ocean is a two minute walk. The best thing about the resort is the staff, they're awesome

Occidental Cozumel: Great Resort

Wasn't sure what to expect. We were welcomed as soon as we got in with some punch. All staff extremely friendly and helpful. They all wanted to make sure we had a pleasant stay. Loved the rooms,clean, big, lots of water . No complaints on the food Lots of choices as I stay away from gluten and dairy. Al la carts were all delicious. Spend the day at the beach. Absolutely breathtaking. I honestly dont have anything negative to say. We'd return and recommend.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: A little piece of paradise!

Just back from 10 day stay at this hotel and we wish we were still there! We were surprised at the size of our room and enjoyed the facilities offered. The food was excellent, offered a wide variety and everything was fresh. There were plenty of chairs both around the pool and on the beach which was very close to all rooms. The staff were courteous and security was present at all times. The only thing we were disappointed with was the fact that the hotel did not offer free wifi on the adults-onl [... read more]y complex. Wifi was available only in the casino at the Barcelo Grand Palace. We would definitely return to this hotel.

Royal Hideaway Playacar: Good Resort. Not Great

This resort was good, not great. The beach was amazing although very little shade and canopies over the chairs were often broken so had to jury rig up a way to make it work. All pools were amazing especially the pool by the spa. Always quiet and bar service was close by although sometimes no one there to serve. Food was good. A couple of lunch choices were horrible. Don't get the pork rib burger for lunch. Really weird consistency and taste. Wings and spring rolls at lunch really good. L [... read more]imited selection of restaurants and food choices made some meals feel less than expected. Some meals also incredibly rich. Overdone with sauces but might be my personal choice. Got room service one night. Burger was ok. Keylime pie was the size of a small petrie dish and ordered a bottle of wine. He forgot the bottle of wine so had to run back for it. Although a concierge at every building sounded like a good idea, they were completely useless. That was the opinion of everyone I talked to. Most of that was unsolicited opinion and was from other buildings as well. We met with Erik the first day and he promised to get us into all restaurants starting the next day and we asked for a bottle of white wine in the mini bar everyday. All was promised, shook hands and we went on our way. We were to have reservations the next day at one of the restaurants. Looked all over for him that next day and was no where to be found. Finally went to another building concierge and they called Erik so he came running from who knows where. Guess what??? No reservations made, no bottle of wine. Next day no water in the mini fridge. I helped myself to water behind concierge desk because he wasn't there again. One final thing. One day I had to go up to the room before the maid got in there. Had left money on the bed and separate money in the fridge. Got in the room, found mini fridge full again (thankfully) , money gone from fridge and money also gone from the bed. I was disturbed by this as the maid hadn't been in the room. Looks like fridge guy took the money off the bed. So, left money in the bathroom next day so fridge guy wouldn't see it and was only gone after the maid was in there. Now maybe it's the same person so have to give them the benefit of the doubt but none the less disturbing. If they really want to make this a luxury resort, hire new concierges that do actual work. I will say that at all restaurants greeting and wait staff were amazing. Thank you to all of you for your great service. If it weren't for them, I rate this hotel much lower.Overall experience was satisfactory but not wowed like I should've been.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: Stay at one, play at all!

This hotel is defiantly grand! Where can I begin. I will start off with all my PROS seeing I have way many more pros then cons. 1st pro being my biggest one, is the Kids club (BARCY CLUB)!!!!!! we only tried the "big" kids club, the one by the Caribe pool. Jazmin, Samantha, Dolce, Yoali, Andrea were the staff at this kids club and I cant not say enough great things about them. My kids ages were 6 & 8 which is an ideal age for the kids club. I originally drop my kids off for a few hours aroun [... read more]d 10am, and said Id be back by noon to pick them up. When I stopped back at noon they didn't want to leave, they begged for a few more hours. I even seen one boy being picked up by his mom crying because he didn't want to leave! All the kids were treated with so much love and respect you could tell the staff at this kids club loved there job! The kids club did so much stuff with the kids from crafts, to face painting, hair do's, to trips to the spa to get there nails done, taking them skating, to the pirates water park, the Mr.cook cook off, and so much more. Although all the kids club staff were top notch, I just want to give a special shout out to Jazmin. She created a special bond with my girls which is hard to find. we even talked to another mother who told us she was at this resort 3 years ago and her daughter remembered Jazmin and was asking her mother if she thought Jazmin would still be there. Sure enough she was, the little girl was thrilled with joy with seeing her again after 3 years, and told us Jazmin even remembered her. We also attended the mini disco a few night at 8:30pm at club ONE, where the kids would dance and play games for prizes. My kids even made up a song about how much fun they had at the kids club! I would come back to this resort just for the amazing kids club! Another pro was the Spa. We had a 50 mins couples massage on the beach by Cindy and I'm sorry but I forget the other girls name, we both left saying it was the best massage we have ever had. Then after our massage we were offered a free visit to the spas therapy room which gave you access to hot tub, cold tub, dry sauna, steam room, and an outdoor pool with jets. It was the icing on the cake! Passion Photos: we met Luis Puc around the resort and he stopped by every day he seen us to chat. he was very friendly and easy to chat to. He booked us in to get our photos done. We did book for 1 day but due to a sunburn on my daughters face I had to change the date and it was very easy and they were very accommodating to change the date. Our photographers were Melina and Bradly. I am still blown away at how amazing these two were, first they did the family photos, then Melina took the kids (because we know when parents are looking, kids get silly) and Bradly took the adults to start a video, then we switched. I wasn't expecting a video, but man oh man it was that added touch you didn't even realized you needed! now of course everyone least favorite part is going to look at the photos because you know your going to want to buy them all. they did offer a range of packages which we did settle on a mid range package that gave us some photos our video (which I'm still blown away by) and a photo book. Oh, and because my daughters face was still burnt, they edited all of the photos of her burn for me! Being Canadian the exchange kills us, so I did find the prices a bit high but that was mainly due to the poor Canadian dollar right now and the exchange rate! Now on to the food: All of the buffets are pretty much the same. Same food, different atmosphere. So just go to the one that is most convenient for you! For the ala carts we tried the two teppanyaki's, the steak house, the Mexican and the Spanish. The Mexican and the teppanyakis were amazing, the Spanish I wasn't a fan of, and the steak house the only thing I actually liked was the steak ( the white wine was warm, and the soup was cold) As for the pools: I noticed that the Caribe pool seems to be the "party" pool where all the young adults hung out, we started off at that pool but the people at that pool were there to party, so we spend most of our time at the Colonial pool which was the family pool because that is the pool that had the big waterpark for the kids. At the Caribe pool however Id like to give a shoutout to Teresa M, she was an amazing pool server. The days the kids were at the kids club we ventured up to the adults pool which is a hidden gem! The Beach: Down by the Palace there were sea turtles swimming right off the beach. There was also a lot of seaweed, but they did a good job of raking out swimming areas for people to swim Dolphins: we did swim with the dolphins, we went with the middle package that gave you a belly swim (you can negotiate). I was a bit hesitant at the beginning to do it, but glad I did. It was fun, the trainer that worked with Alex the dolphin was great. she answered all our questions and the kids had a blast finding out information on dolphins and touching there skin. Younger kids are aloud to swim with the dolphins on there parents back if they are a bit afraid. they took photos of us, but the photos were way overpriced, the photos were actually more expensive then the swim. Air Transat desk: My daughter was playing some games on my cell phone in the shuttle ride to the hotel which is about an hour, and put it in the cupholder on the side of the van. When we arrived at the resort we were so excited we hopped out the van and forget about the phone, when we realized the van was gone. Of course my first though was my phone is gone! I will not see it again. We went to the Air Transat desk and told them what had happened. They had made a few phone calls for us and sure enough in my disbelief they had found my phone and the driver would bring it back to the resort by end of day. the Air Transat desk called my room around 5:30 and told us they had my phone, they waited for us to run down at the end of his day to get it! Now for my biggest CON is a particular staff member named Jose. He worked at Strikers, the carousel, and the skating rink. For working in the kids areas where people are coming to spend there money he was absolutely horrible. I don't even really want to get in to it because I would be writing a whole book but he was the one person on the resort when I seen him I would actually walk away.

Barcelo Maya Palace: Not a 5 stars, not for couples.

We have been to many all inclusive such as DR, Mexico 4 times, Cuba, st-Lucia, Antigua, Hawaii etc... we have been to the barcelo maya caribe which is part of this barcelo palace resort. It is also part of 3 other barcelo but they cannot use the palace’s facility but if you are at the palace you can use all other resort as you wish. The good...beautiful resort and lots to do for families. Service was pretty good but not great, especially the lobby desk staff. The grounds are kept immacula [... read more]te and the a la crate restaurants are very good and this is where service shines above the rest of the resort.. The bad... kids, kids, kids. Nothing there for couples. This whole resort is catering to families. The few couples we seen there appeared a bit disappointed as you are surrounded with toddlers with temper tantrum throughout the day and night. Parents today don’t seem to understand how to raise kids. They take them to the pool at 7-8 am and by 5-6 pm, the kids are drained, tired and pissy. Then the parents want to go to a nice dinner but since they don’t Have babysitters, they take the kids to fancy dinners and then some even take them to the shows at 8:30-9:30 till 11 pm. At which point the kids are screaming, crying and you get the just. The buffet is the worst I have ever had. Mexico and can’t find any guacamole or salsa anywhere at this resort. Food was weird and mediocre at best. A la cartel are a different story. Great. The shows...what a farce. Don’t waste your time in there. Once you find a seat amongst all the strollers everywhere, you’ll be disappointed. The pools are nice and well maintained. The main one is huge. The one pool is adults only but only has 30 loungers so you gotta get there pretty early. I don’t understand how trip central and all the airlines can advertise this place as a 5 star. We’ve been to many 5 stars and not even close. The grounds are 4.5 at most and the food when you consider the buffet is not close to 5 stars. Maybe a 3-3.5. Rooms where musty and damp the whole week, they never replaced the fridge after 3 request as it did not cold anything. It takes a lot to make it to a 5 star rating and this place doesn’t have it in our opinion. If you are a family with kids, you’ll enjoy this place as there is a lot to do there but if you are a couple looking for some romantic all inclusive, this is not for you. Go somewhere else.

Barcelo Maya Grand Resort: Great vacation

This was a large resort but I never felt crowded as it has a very spacious feel and the grounds are immaculate and well designed. The beach was lots of fun jumping waves and seeing fish and there is snorkeling off the beach closer to the palace section. There were a few days with seaweed problems due to windy weather but it was no big deal. The buffets had a large variety of food and the beach grills had great lunches. The a la cartes were great especially the Italian and the Kyoto. I loved  [... read more]how large the pools were. We went to the Michael Jackson show and it was just OK. There is lots to do here or you can just relax. Very clean and beautiful resort!

Barcelo Maya Palace: Great resort

Haley from trip central was amazing, very professional and super pleasant! She was so helpful to book a great trip! She is the best!!! The hotel had Great food and service! The rooms are nice with great cleaning service. This is a very big resort so there is a lot of Walking but the grounds are impeccable. There is a lot of activities to do for all ages!

Barcelo Maya Grand Resort: Always happy to return to this gem!

Our 3rd visit and it keeps improving. * the grounds are beautiful and even the buffet had fantastic features ie. the back wall ceramic tilework. Worth a close look, in both buffets. * the beach is vast and beautiful. A rare resort where you don't see cigarette butts or straws in the sand. *the food selection was great and as we love mexican food we were happy. Nopales at the buffet. *the room was kept very clean. *the staff was outstanding. Always ready to help. I seriously don't know  [... read more]why there are negative reviews. The only peeve is that the last 2 times, after finding a space on the beach with nice resort music, we had to listen to other people's music as well. The same happened at the pool.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Very nice resort!

Beautiful resort located within a jungle. We saw monkeys from our balcony! The beach is beautiful. There is also a beach pool which is also nice and not super busy. The pools are well maintained and a close walk from all the buildings. The staff was excellent. They are hardworking, always smiling and will say “hola” when they walk by you. The food was ok. The buffet had a lot of options however our stomachs were a little upset after each meal so bring extra pepto/Imodium. The AC in our roo [... read more]m didn’t really worked even after they fixed it however the fan was enough to keep us cool at night.