golden

I am on the verge of booking a trip for myself and 4 other ladies to the Riveria Maya area for May 2004. We are considering a couple Junior suites at the Barcelo Maya Beach Resort. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. This is the first time to Mexico for any of us so any other advice regarding things to see and helpful tips would also be great.

BrendaR

My hairdresser went to this resort in March '03. Said it was beautiful! I did lots of research on both this resort and the Grand Palladium (the same area) and ended up going with the Palladium, mostly because my kids are 14 and 17 and at the Barcelo they charge you an adult rate for kids that age. If you don't want to pay as much, you might check out the Copacabana also. It looks very nice and not as big and busy.

DOCK

stayed here in Dec 02. resort is gorgeous,swim up bar. loungers are plentiful at pools and on beach, no reserving necessary as at some resorts.Food is good, buffet has a good variety and there is always something to suit every palate. As Mayan Riviera i s away from Cancun you do need to know as it is your first visit that it is more quiet. if you are looking to wander around a city in the evenings then go to cancun. The beach at barcelo Maya is heaven, perfect sand, turq, water. We would definitely recommend this location and property.Have not been back as have other places we wpild like to see, but both my kids always pick it as first choice for location when asked.

MFNYC

It's a very nice resort and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. The grounds are beautifully landscaped, the beach is one of the best and you can always find a shaded place near the pool or on the beach. The only issue, but not really a big deal, is that it's not very close to any real Mexican town. The best town in the area is Playa Del Carmen and there are many resorts very close to there (only a few dollar cab ride away from the near resorts). Barcelo is about 20 minutes from PDC (maybe a $15-20 cab fare, not really sure on the amount), which is still doable but not as convenient. PDC is a very nice town (I think much better than Cancun, for a real Mexico feel). If you've never been to Mexico, you should definitely visit PDC. It also is where you can catch the ferry to Cozumel, which is a nice day trip you can do on your own. The closest town to Barcelo is Puerto Adventuras which really isn't much of a town. It's a small kind of 'man-made for tourists' area that surrounds one of those dolphin adventure places. Not much in the way of Mexican culture in that town. In any case, Barcelo is a fine choice.

paulalou

We stayed at Barcelo Maya Beach and loved it - it's identical twin is right next door and accessible -the Barcelo Maya Gardens. We have stayed at several all inclusives in Mexico and the Carribean - as far as AI's go, the facility is gorgeous. It is large, but the buildings are situated so you don't feel like you are staying with hundreds of other people. The reservation restaurants had well prepared food with nice atmosphere (you have access to the Maya Garden's restaurants as well). The buffet is set up, again, so you don't feel overly crowded - and as far as buffet restaurants go, the food is pretty good. As with anywhere else, by day 7, it may get old, but that is the nature of the beast.

The pool area and hammocks are great - the beach is beautiful with nice pads on the lounge chairs. The evening entertainment was okay - but we were so worn out from the day - it didn't really matter.


Playa del Carmen is an easy cab ride - we paid $10 - they have a cab que right in front of the hotel, which makes it very easy. There is a local bus at the entrance to the resort, but you take your life in your hands waiting up there, the traffic travels so fast. We took the ferry to Cozumel for a day trip from PDC. Also did a cab trip to Tulum, latched onto a tour group for a while there (very easy to do - they are not very disciplined about stragglers wandering in on thier commentary)- this was also an easy 1/2 day trip - glad we did not pay for the bus tour offered from the resort.

It is a great set up for joggers/walkers - you will see plenty in the a.m., running or walking the loop around the perimeter of the resort. We took advantage of the $50 massage as well...what a treat!!

Feel free to ask any questions you may have!!

pinwiz

Hi, I stayed at the Barcelo for one week in January this year. The grounds a very nice! I did have some problems with this hotel! First my room was not readdy when I arived. Second a bottle of my wifes cologne was stolen from our room by the cleaning staff! Three I had to keep calling down to the front dest for Towels, wash cloths and coffee and coffee creamer the week I stayed there! The food was ok nothing special! What struck me odd was they would collect the trash bags from the whole complex and pile it in front of our hotel entrance! By the end of the day it looked like Mayan temple just piled up!!! The bed were like sleeping on a rock!!! i YOU LIKE HARD BEADS AND I MEAN VERY HARD BEDS THIS PLACE IS FOR YOU!!