Address - Ctra Federal Chetumal, Km 266,3, Puerto Aventuras 77750, Mexico
Location - Beach
Distance to airport - 75 km
Reviews posted on this page - 16 review(s)
Description: Tropical and Colonial are under the Barcel Premium banner. The Barceló Maya resort complex is located right on the best beach in the Mayan Riviera, on the Mexican Caribbean coast.
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Cathi >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Jul, 2010 | Leisure | Family
6 people found this review helpful
We arrived later than we wanted to due to airline problems. The first room we had was hot we went to the desk and went to dinner. When we returned to our room the problem was not fixed. They moved us to a temporary room for the night. The next day we were moved to a cool and comfortable room. We went to the pool which is very nice. I got out of the pool to go to the restroom and fell on the slick tile around the bathroom area. I broke my left arm and dislocated my shoulder. I had surgery and spent 2 nights in the hospital. The hotal I believe did not show any compassion, concern or care that I had fallen at their hotel. The manager told my husband they were not responsible because I did not have shoes on. Be very very careful around the pool we saw people fall with and without shoes.
Arrival
1 hour 25minutes from the Airport!!!!
Rooms
cool and comfortable
Restaurants and Bars
The was very good!!
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Be very very careful There is SLICK tile in some areas!!!!
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
many things to do without leaving the hotel
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Our first night we stayed at the barcelo beach we had a room that didn't have any A/C so we were told it was being fixed so we slept on it to wake up and find the a/c was still not working so we were switched to another room that also didn't have a/c. We then found out the whole building we were staying in didn't have a/c. the font desk staff was rude about the whole thing and made jokes in spanish to the other staff which i could understand. Long story short, after 6 nights we finally got a hotel room with a/c, but spending 6 nights with out a/c in 35 degree weather was hell. We never received a single apology from barcelo staff and we spoke to every manager in the building trying to find answers. I have been to mexico 6 times and will NEVER stay at the barcelo and highly recommend people to choice another hotel.
Arrival
Open arrival we found the front desk staff rude.
Rooms
Rooms was large however I think the some people's idea of clean is different that the housekeeping staff. We found the room very dirty. the A/C was not working for 6 nights out of our stay.
Restaurants and Bars
buffet and bar staff were very friendly and welcoming. If you stay for days then the buffet needs to have a little variety as they only had 3 different food styles.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
beach was beautiful, water was very clean.
Pool was very dirty with straws and cups on the floor of the pool.
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Wonderful Family Vacation - something for everyone!
excellent - no line ups - efficiently moved rooms. Down time so we upgraded upon check in to a deluxe sweet for a third of price. Well worth it when travelling with 2 little children.
Rooms
Spacious - club room - master king room - with living room - one single bed, and a futon bed - comfortable for 2 kids. Very clean. Stayed at the Tropical - room was directly close to waterpark ****
Restaurants and Bars
Only did the buffets - this is the second time at the resort and we felt the a la carte restaurants offered same food as buffet but took 2 hours to complete dinner. Easier with kids to remain at buffet
Beach/Pools/Grounds
smooth sandy beaches. Pools were great. Grounds were wonderful. Water park is amazing for kids. never a moment when there is nothing to do
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Barclay kids club - kids spent 1-2 hours each afternoon doing an activity or craft. This was good as it got them out of the sun for a couple of hours and allowed the parents to read/swim by the pool
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Stay away!!!!
Barcelo Maya Beach
User Rating:
Rusty >
1 contribution(s) United States of America
Jun, 2010 | Leisure | With Group
3 people found this review helpful
The worst family vacation ever. Made the mistake of staying at the Beach with no air conditioning. Upgrade to Tropical/Colonial as their lobby bars and buffet's are air conditioned but stay away from Beach/Caribe. Just spent the last seven days sweating and no where to cool down. The A/C's in the rooms will only cool the room slightly in the heat of summer. After vsuffering through the first night to moved us to another room that after three days cooled down to 79 degrees. The staff at the desk and bars should be fired and replaced with someone who wants to be there. They treat the so called "stupid Americano's with so much disrespect compared to the other tourists. The beach is great as is the snorkeling and the majority of the buffet staff was pleasant but speak very little english. The food was warm at best as was the drinks. I paid extra for the premium wristband which is a complete waste of money as the bar service was the worst. The bar tenders would not even acknowledge you if you were the only one standing there and then would insult you if you said something to them.
Your Arrival
The arrival went smooth until we made it to the front desk where they put our family of four in a king bed room and blamed our travel agent even though we had a copy of our reservation showing two full beds. After several minutes they said there was nothing they could do. Even though we paid for the upgrade we did not recieve anything we were promised. After checking in I went to the bar for a drink only to be told the only whiskey they had was scotch. That was the first time the bar tender made a very deragatory comment to me.
Rooms
Rooms are nice and clean but the A/C in our first room would not work and the lock on the patio sliding door was missing. After sweating through the first night they transfered us to a new room that the A/C worked a little better but you couldn't use the ceiling fan because the light fixture was so loose on rattled the entire time. The toilet flush became stuck so many times I finally put some vaseline on it at 3:00 in the morning to get it to stop. The next day the shower quit working, took more than than an hour to fill up the bath tub and became infested by tiny ants. To make it worse the clock went crazy and the staff tried to blame us!
Restaurants and Bars
We only went to the buffets during our stay as it was just to hot to get dressed up and walk through the unairconditioned lobbys and hallway's. The majority of the staff was pleasant but spoke very little english. Food was good but a little bland as one would expect a buffett would be. The bars were some of the worst I have ever expirenced in my 48 years. VERY rude staff and were not shy about expressing their dislike for americans even after we tipped them over $ 100.00 US dollars the first night alone. I paid for the premium so I could get american whiskey and not scotch but still had to argue with the staff at every bar because they wanted to charge the drinks to my room. I was to by the front desk that this included VIP and the disco so I took some family members over one night only to be told that we were not allowed and that we would need to pay an extra 10 dollars to go up there. After I was told that I could only get premium drinks upstairs I attempted to go up just to get my premium drink were I was verbally threatened by the manager when I objected to paying for something I already paid for. After his third verbal threat to kick my butt(in Spanish) I paid the ten dollars so the kids could enjoy their time. The next day I asked to speak to the bar manager but after a 45 minute wait he told the staff to tell me he was too busy to talk to me.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The beach is very good as is the pools and grounds.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
The Scuba diving and snorkeling are good as is the Mayan Extreme Adventure tour
Other Comments
Very disappointed in the resort and will not be returning. The staff really goes out of their way to make you angry and will tell you to your face that your are a "pendaho americano"(?) This "stupid american" will glady spend the nearly 10K I spent on this trip somewhere else including over 300 dollars in tips alone hoping it would get better!
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My wife and I spent a great week at the Barcelo Maya Beach. The room was great, staff was super-friendly, and the beach is excellent.
Your Arrival
We traveled with Air Canada vacations, and the transfer from the airport was very smooth. We were in an air conditioned van with two other groups, and the trip was somewhere around 45 minutes.
Like others have said: when you arrive at the airport, keep walking until you see an attendant holding up a sign from your travel company. The people in fancy uniforms at the front are all sales people.
Arrived around 1:30pm, and we had to wait until 3pm for our room, but they held our luggage and gave us our wristbands right away, so we were able to get some food and drinks.
Rooms
Clean and spacious. King sized bed was a little firmer than I prefer, but was fine. Bathroom was clean, bright, and well laid out.
Mini-bar was stocked with various pops and canned beer. We drank a lot of bottled water during our trip, and never ran out...there were usually 4 bottles available in the room.
Restaurants and Bars
The main buffet was good. Definitely better quality and variety than other resorts we've been to. Still a buffet though, so don't set your expectations too high.
We loved the a la carte restaurants. Pay the $20/person fee and go to the French restaurant up at the Palace....try the "Lobster Cappuccino" for the novelty if nothing else.
Mexican a la carte was very good, and so was the Spanish (order the Mayan Coffee to get a flaming table-side drink preparation). Wasn't as impressed with the Steakhouse option, It was good, but not as good as the other a la cartes.
Captain Morgans is the best bar. Good atmosphere, fun location, and great staff.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
Nice beach, great pools. This was the off season, so we had no trouble finding loungers near the pools or on the beach.
Ocean water was warm, and there were some good wave jumping days. Some rocky areas in the water to watch out for, but mostly very good.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Made a day trip out to Playa del Carmen and Cozumel. Lots of fun.
Activity staff was good: lots of activities, but they confined themselves to well defined areas, so you could participate or ignore them as you wished.
Other Comments
Really enjoyed the resort. Didn't bring any kids, but the kids pool area looked spectacular, and there were certainly lots of them running around and enjoying it.
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Handicapped Accessility EXCELLENT
Barcelo Maya Beach
User Rating:
Dixie >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Mar, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
1 people found this review helpful
This resort has exceptional handicapped access to restaurants, theater, activities, pools even the beach! You will not feel like you are the only one who is handicapped at this resort –many people with varying disabilities have been repeat visitors to this resort.
Rooms
A ground floor room is fine if you are able to transfer there is plenty of room with only a sliding door track to get over to your balcony. The bathroom has a tub with two lower grab bars with an angled bar on the wall. There are also handicapped rooms available with roll in showers.
Restaurants and Bars
All totally accessable the staff are happy to carry your plate to the table, get something from the buffet, etc.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The sand has a hard paced base so both strollers and wheelchairs can get down to the beach. At the foot washing stations you just roll right in-you can also use the rain shower option to rinse off the salt water. The foot washing stations are everywhere. The beach restaurants have low-sloped ramps, all wash rooms have handicapped facilities and are close to the beach and pool. The pool has many different types of entrances - hand bars, low slopes beach like entrance you could roll your wheelchair right into the water if you wanted. All pathways are well cared for. The walk ways to the main lobby are marble so its smooth sailing watch for a drop of about four to five inches on the marble surface- there are only a few in the day you might not see them but at night they are lit up.
Other Comments
I would recomend the Barcelo Maya to others who are handicapped or with a wheelchair or a family with a stroller.
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Barcelo Maya Beach has it all..and more and far exceeded all expectaions
Barcelo Maya Beach
User Rating:
Janet >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Mar, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
3 people found this review helpful
Everything was phenomenal! From check in, to rooms, food, service, amenities. There is absolutely nothing to complain about and everything to praise!
Your Arrival
Quick, easy, welcoming check in. We arrived late at night but they still provided food! Although it is a large resort, directions to our room were perfect. ALL staff, whether they were front desk, maintenance, groundskeepers, food and beverage service, housekeeping, supervisory were ALWAYS welcoming: a bright smile, a hello or hola and a genuine desire to be helpful and friendly!
Customer service was awesome!
Rooms
Clean, fresh, made up quickly, beautiful views no matter where you were. Extremely pleasant housekeeping staff. More than ample supplies and towels.
Great "eco friendly" opportunities re: bedding and towels if you choose!
New TVs (as if you spend any time watching them!) fridge, lots of drawer and cupbooard space.
Restaurants and Bars
Fabulous!!
Buffet: Great food, lots of variety, little to no lining up (depending on times I guess) Some items made to order (eggs, pasta, steak etc) Wonderful atmosphere, incredibly hard working, friendly, helpful staff!! Great theme nights at dinner time. Did I mention how great the service was even though it was a buffet!
A la carte: choice of three duting our stay were included. Every one was wonderful. Good selection on menus, food was properly prepared and beautifully presented. If a microwave was used you wouldn't know it! Service was excellent.
Bars: excellent service (whether you tipped regularly or not!) Again friendly, helpful cherrful staff!
All food and beverage areas were immaculate, foods were properly handled from sanitation perspective. Staff were clearly well trained in both food safety and sanitation as well as presentation and service! Very impressive!
** note: Food Service Management is my background so I am pretty picky when it comes to this stuff!
Beach/Pools/Grounds
All areas were beautifully landscaped and maintained, (includes indoor and outdoor gardens)
Pool and beach areas were always clean with more than adequate chairs and hammocks. Key system for towels was great and meant you didn't have to worry about leaving your towel on a chair etc.
ongoing clean up of beach, gardens, walkways was discreet but evident in the fact that you never saw even one piece of litter anywhere or at any time!
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
On Resort: Lots of great activities spread throughout the day and week! Included yoga on the beach, aquacise in the water, games, dancing, spanish lessons, mini golf, tennis. There were cards and a large assotment of games that people were playig in the lobby on the one rainy morning we had while there. Super, knowledgable and fun staff for all activities.
Off Resort: went to Tulum. Took the 'collectivo' For 30 pesos or $3.00 vs tour bus @ 79 to 99 dollars each) Found the 'artisan's market' on the way into the ruins to be disappointing. Almost completely cheap mass produced stuff at high prices and everyone claims they were made by their family (though you see them everywhere - even Ottawa Ontario Canada *lol*)
"Performers" asked for tips then sneered at a 50 peso($5) contribution - so we took it back and walked away!
The ruins themselves had a reasonable admission cost (approx $5) and were fascinating with well kept grounds and informative plaques. Guides were available but we didn't use one. The added bonus was the beautiful beach at the bottom of the cliffs. (There are stairs!) Be sure to take your bathing suit as it is gorgeous and few people in the water as most don't think to take a suit. The only disapointment at the ruins for me was that they recently roped off access to them - even though I totally understand the preservation aspect! *lol*
Other Comments
Over all a wonderful experience! I am generally not a resort person but this place was so fabulous that I even skipped a snorkelling excursion opportunity to just hang out at the resort and chill!!
I would definitely go back. Repeatedly.
The price was unbeatable! I couldn't have gotten a flight to Mexico City for what it cost us for the entire week all inclusive!
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Feb 16-23, my spouse and I went to the Barcelo Maya beach Resort, and have nothing negative to say! First class all the way. Food was outstanding, service was outstanding, we researched prior to booking and picked the right one for the beach! The other Barcelo's attached, the beaches were not nearly as nice. This is the place to go! This was our first holiday of this sort since 1975, which was our honeymoon in the Bahamas.This was heaven! Loved it, would go back in a minute!
Your Arrival
rooms were not ready for a couple of hours, but lunch buffet was open!
Rooms
Excellent, clean, bright
Restaurants and Bars
Great Food, Great drinks
Beach/Pools/Grounds
georgeous!
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
Great, everything you would want
Other Comments
don't hesitate, just go
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We were 22 people at the Barcelo Maya Beach from March 6 to March 13 2010.
We got married on the beach on March 11.
Resort: The rooms are spacious; they are nice and very clean.
They always fill up the fridge with beer, water and pop.
The beach: Best beach of the 5 resorts, it was well groomed and the water was warm and blue.
Food:
The buffets were average. The lunch buffet was excellent but at dinner it was bland and everything tasted the same.
The restaurants:
The Mexican was very good and we paid extra to go to the Palace, La Brasserie and it worth every penny.
It was delicious. We were told by some friends that the Steak house and Spanish was also very good.
The Wedding:
The Wedding coordinator Xhail & Karen were fantastic, everything was perfect. They were professional and really make sure that this day was a special day. We took a package (mint), it was very affordable and we had a private dinner reception where there was 7 servers taking care of us (for 22 guests), we were spoiled. There was a nice bar, we had brought our own music and they provide us a music system, it was fun. The food was excellent and the cake also.
Thank you very much to Xhail, Karen and Roberto at the reception.
Overall, we would recommend strongly this resort to get married and to spend a wonderful time on the beach.
Louise & Derek
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Great Hotel - Great Experience!
Barcelo Maya Beach
User Rating:
Ron >
1 contribution(s) Canada
Mar, 2010 | Leisure | With Spouse/Partner
2 people found this review helpful
Your Arrival
Arrived on March 13, 2010 - just in time for the Canadian March Break crowd! Check-in was quick and uneventful. We had to wait for an hour or so for our room to be ready, so picked up some food, a beverage and took a brief tour of the property. The property is breathtaking. If you exchange US funds into Pesos, be aware that the hotel will not convert back to American funds (you can do this at the airport, if they are open!). The other option is to do it at a bank in town.
Rooms
We had a room on the 3rd floor in Building G, on the far side of the property. We had a king bed - fairly firm but comfortable. The air conditioning seemed to only have one setting - cold! I didn't check it out with management; perhaps it could have been adjusted somehow. I ended up shutting it off and on a few times each night. Overall the room was very nice - large enough with a couch, clean, updated and a very nice shower.
Restaurants and Bars
The food was above average compared to other caribbean resorts I have been to. Something for everyone. Desserts often looked better than they tasted. Highlights for us were the varieties of fresh bread each day and the salads. We went to the Italian restaurant and the Steakhouse and found both very good. We had beef tenderloin and it was very nice. The flatbread in the Italian restaurant was awesome dipped in the oil/balsamic.
Beach/Pools/Grounds
The pool area is very nice, with crystal clear water (albeit a bit too cold for many people). The grounds are immaculate - the nicest I have seen at a resort. The beach is nice and you can walk a decent distance in both directions. There are rocky/weedy areas in the water in spots which makes swimming a challenge in some locations but there was a large rock/weed free area for swimming that was very nice. The water is shallow for a decent ways, so great for kids swimming.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel
We did take part in one off-site tour - Coba ruins. We enjoyed the ruins and the visit in a Mayan family home. On site, we took part in water aerobics and enjoyed the use of the kayaks and the large tricycles. We also snorkled next to the resort at the far point (it was too rough in front of the Palace where we heard there was good snorkling) and there was a decent reef there to check out with plenty of fish. The evening entertainment was decent with a cultural flair in all shows but the circus show on Friday night. We went into Playa Del Carmen on the one afternoon that the weather wasn't great. If you go, be prepared to be 'bothered' as you shop with 'deals of a lifetime', etc.
Other Comments
We are a couple in our 40's and have travelled extensively in the caribbean. I would rate this hotel as one of the best I have stayed at, anywhere. The staff were fantastic in all locations of the hotel and did everything they could to help. I was surprised by the number of older teens at the resort (man, where do they get the money?! :-)), but other than at the bars in the evening, they weren't very noticeable. If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line at scuba24@hotmail.com
Best of luck as you research your ideal vacation!
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