Barcelo Maya Colonial: 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.

Occidental at Xcaret Destination: Perfect for any group!!

We had an unbelievable time. Royal plan COMPLETELY worth it. We were incredibly spoiled with luxury everywhere no only in room, surrounding flora and fauna but also by the wonderful staff. Happy all the time it seemed. Incredibly clean resort. Buffets good but restaurants spectacular. Travelled with our 2 girls,10 and 11yrs. Lots to do never, a dull moment if you are looking to stay on the move. But plenty of day beds to do absolutely nothing on other than watch the ocean.

Barcelo Solymar: Very eventful resort

The resort was very beautiful. The food was good, and there was lots of entertainment. Be prepared for a lot of people partying. Most definitely one of the best beaches in the world. Lots of things to do in the town of Varadero as well

Barcelo Solymar: Great resort

Resort was awesome, no shortage of entertainment throughout the day. Food was good even for a fussy eater like myself. The rooms were all you needed and were always clean. The grounds were in good shape and the drinks were nice and stiff!

Barcelo Solymar: 2 resorts in one how awesome! Ask may have changed recently.

Barceló Solymar/Occidental Arenas Blanca - lots of ground to cover which is nice if you like to walk. Our room was in the Barceló, first time didn't have to change rooms had pool view and great maid service! Nice lobby area with bar and lots of place to sit. Buffet had lots of food to choose from even if you're fussy. The beach at Arenas was more entertaining with music and activities though the bar opened at 11:00am, but have someone taking orders on the beach. Tried 2 al la carte restaura [... read more]nts Mexican and Spanish were very good! Being close to downtown Varadero is a plus as you can walk safely and see the popular spots. People at both resorts were very friendly and leaving a peso every once in a while is so rewarding. The beach was extraordinary, we all know you go to Cuba for the beach!

Palma Real: Very very poor

Dear Vicky it was the worst resurt that I have ever seen. Once we arrived no attention lobby in a very poor shape. No indication that we asked to go in our room. Once we did find it it was a dump dirty baseboard eating by bugs the safe didn’t work the door in bathroom would not close and no light in bathroom. Got bug bight. Visited 2 other rooms after the same disaster not one secure safe to put our passport and money. My hubby very hangry and also myself so disappointed. Met with Sunwing age [... read more]nt that was on our time sheet the next day. I was crying just wanted to come home but she did find us a better resort that cost us 20 pesos for the taxi and more then400.00 for a nice resort. I do not mind paying but Vicky told us it was nice. Lots of bed bugs. For the snack they opened at 10pm hot dog and hamburger we were hungry I took a hamburger and the meat was not cooked. The worst experience of our 7 trips to Cuba. The next day taxi and Memories here we come ouf. We did manage to relaxe

Occidental Tamarindo: Costa Rica All Inclusive

This was our second trip to Costa Rica. The hotel is nice, not too busy, clean with some really nice hardworking people. The rooms are nice enough and kept tidy, we had a broken air conditioner so moved rooms once we realized it wasn’t a quick fix. The buffet is typical all inclusive, so gets a bit boring after awhile. The a la carte was quite good with fresh fish options. We went out for some dinners to get more variety. We never had trouble getting chairs by the pool if we got there before 9 [... read more]ish, the beach is lovely if you go swim over to the left of the hotel, especially at low tide. The sunset on the beach is unparalleled! It’s worth tipping the right people early, Carlos works like a mad man by the pool. It always pays to know Spanish in Costa Rica, and this hotel isn’t any different. It was nice to have a real international mix of guests. Overall we prefer smaller boutique hotels but this is a good option if you want to mostly set it and forget it on vacation.

Occidental Papagayo: Great vacation

The hotel is a little dated but the attentive staff more than make up for it. The ocean view premium upgrade is worth every penny. Loved The Grill, the Italian and Japanese restaurants. The buffet had a different theme every night. Alex in first Club went above and beyond to make our vacation perfect. Manuel at the swim up bar makes incredible drinks. Thanks for everything ! We will be back.

Barcelo Maya Grand Resort: terrific vacation destionation

A wonderful resort. The rooms, staff, food and service were spot on. It is rather large, so walking is required for almost anything. The dining was excellent. We tried all 4 of the available buffets, all were great. My husband did miss beef. It wasn't well prepared - usually tough. Everything else was delicious. We always found pool lounges, beach chairs, beach towels in generous supply. Drinks were good. Entertainment was good. The last nights of our stay were a bit spoiled by the "ove [... read more]r flow" of college age people, on March break. Check travel times to avoid these few March weeks, and you will have an enjoyable, restful stay.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: 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!

Occidental Caribe: Prefect trip!

This hotel was absolutely amazing, super clean, huge resort, good food, beautiful beach, two huge pool and staff was even better! Had a great time when we were away and would definitely go back and would recommend!

Barcelo Solymar: Good resort

This was a quiet resort with good but older rooms. Day one we had to change room because of construction all night long with a new resort being built directly out our balconies the charged cost us 260 CAD. Upgraded rooms were nicer and within sight of pool. Beach was clean an spacious. Entertainment at resort was small and little of it. Good food. Good staff. Clean resort.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: 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

Barcelo Solymar: Pretty Decent Resort

Barcelo Solymar was a pretty good resort for the price we paid. It is known for being a party place. However, we learned that from Jan to March it is more of a family season. So there were way less young folks this time around. Food was pretty good, we had outdoor bbq everyday. We also got a complimentary bottle of rum from the manager and a complimentary dinner for being repeat customers. Also, Barcelo visitors can use the facilities of Arenas Blancas, which had a couple of good features. Gonna [... read more] mentio a couple of issues - they were not changing towels for the first couple of days but then they started giving us small towels instead of bathing ones. This is beause they are having difficulty with their laundry company. Im sure it will be resolved soon. Also the hotel is worn out, you could see it needs a bit of maintenance. Other than that the everything was great. Staff were great. Access to the beach was convinient. Barcelo is also close to the city.

Barcelo Bavaro Beach: Amazing resort !

Great resort! Food was great! Grounds were well manicured. Rooms were clean. Excellent service. A good variety of activities. A la cartes were delicious. Enjoyed the steak house and Hoyo 19. Golf was excellent.

Occidental Cozumel: All I hoped for!

We had a lovely time at Occidental Cozumel. It was everything we hoped for. Quiet, peaceful with excellent service by everyone from check in and restaurants and activities. The grounds were very natural and beautiful. It felt more personal than going to a massive resort. I would recommend this hotel and island to anyone and I have since being home. The food was really good at both the buffet and the ala cart restaurants. Thanks for a great holiday!!

Barcelo Maya Colonial: 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.

Barcelo Maya Colonial: 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.

Barcelo Maya Caribe: Yes to Barcelo

Staff were very friendly, grounds appeared to be very clean and exceptionally well kept, food was excellent with lots of variety. Only slight criticism was the bathroom in our room had some mold/mildew around the handles in the bathtub.

Barcelo Bavaro Palace: Way Way Too Busy

The grounds were beautiful, the beach was nice and the weather was gorgeous. However, the food was just okay. We couldn’t always find something appetizing at the buffet and the a la cartes food was worse than the buffet. The room had a great view of the beach but no privacy on the balcony, even though each had a jaccuzzi you had to deal with parting neighbours staring at you. The bathroom in the room did not have a private door- just a frosted glass slider with a hole in it as a handle. The se [... read more]rvice unfortunately was one of the worst parts. We could head to the buffet for breakfast and not one server would acknowledge us or offer water. We did stumble across a couple friendly staff, but that was not the norm. We also decided to stay at the palace because we were told you could stay at one and “play” at them all, however when we tried to go to the the adults only “beach resort” for some much needed quiet to relax at the beach, we were told we were not allowed to get drinks at the bar. And the front desk confirmed this. If we were just looking for warm weather and ocean breeze we would have been happy. However we wanted a quiet romantic getaway with great food- and this wasn’t it.