Hotel overview
Location
Riviera Maya - BeachProperty information
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Hotel details
Hotel advisories
General policies & fine print
Check-in Policy - Hotel requires a credit/debit card authorization or cash deposit upon check-in for incidentals; this will place a hold on your funds.
Convention Policy- Individuals attending a convention cannot book this property for their stay. If found attending a convention, guests may be subject to higher room rates upon arrival.
Hotel Spring Break Policy - This hotel cannot guarantee a spring-break-free environment.
Transfer Policy - A price may display when children stay free, if your vacation includes transfer to your hotel.
General Information - Room taxes and service fees are included in vacation price.
Minimum night stay restrictions may apply.
Reservation changes may not be permitted unless authorized by the hotel.
Ratings & reviews
TripAdvisor traveler rating
13207 reviews
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May 27, 2020Solid 4 star
I stayed in June a total of 9 nights at the Barcelo Maya Palace junior suite, ocean front, premium level with my two children 8 & 10. The Bad - As has been stated by some, the meat at buffet was a little dry and seems to have been sitting a while. As soon as i got out of the resort and at the international airport, i ordered a real burger. - Wifi is slow - Air conditioner could not get colder. - Got food poisoning on third day. Took 3 days to kind of recover. My stomach never really felt 100% the rest of the trip. It ruined the 2 best snorkeling days. My daughter vomited and kept us both inside for 2 days. - The cheap sugary drink asked at some of the side pools gave me a migraine. I decided to order elsewhere. i talk about best place below. - Could not find a way to get english language on the TV. - I Didn't see anyone cleaning the sargasso but ill be honest we never spent much time on the beach and i would think its futile to keep cleaning. They may have cleaned up some of the areas that were hosting beach weddings - Had red flags on a few days we were there. It was very tiring snorkeling. Fins are minimum must and it was too murky at those times regardless. - The hygiene is not as thorough as is the US. Person cleaning vomit wore no gloves! Person emptying bathroom trash grabbing your bottled water with same hands to place in rooms. The Good - Cell reception ( verizon ) was good - Place was clean-looking, beautiful, and not over-crowded. - It was not rowdy, and is certainly better for families than teens or college kids. - Staff was nice, friendly, and accommodating. They even spoke better English than many staff at the airport in the US in Fort Lauderdale! - We had great weather almost every day - Huge campus with lots to do for a family - Had one good snorkeling day. Saw lots of fish. Saw a sea turtle up close with my daughter. Great experience. - The place is huge. Almost too big. Walking everywhere, but it's nice to explore around. It felt safe. Some Tips - Call to confirm king bed before. It was not ready even though i had requested in the online order form. - Everyone reserves seats at pools, you have to get up early to get best spots. - Yes. It is rocky bring water shoes. Worth it. - We booked the palace which is the closest to some of the better restaurants and some of the best snorkeling. I would not book elsewhere. - No problems with USA Transfers from/to airport. I setup transportation a few weeks prior to arriving. . It is crazy outside of airport terminal. It wasn't easy to spot the company among the chaos. Ignore people trying to sell you their transportation. - You need to ask staff about information on the shows. There is also a flyer in the room talking about some shows - 24 / 7 bar near the palace at the lobby and premium lounge was the best place to get strong drinks. The pools and staff that walk around the pools bring poor low quality alcohol that gave me migraines. - From what i noticed every day as i walked by the check-in counter - Sunday was busiest check-in day with saturday was the next busiest. We arrived on weekday and left on weekday. It was quick. - If you have premium level, when the concierge/baggage guys greet you, make sure that they take you to the premium check-in. Do not go to the main check-in desk. - Went to pirate island had a good time and was able to do body boarding every other hour. surfing is every other hour but have to pay another $15. Son loved body boarding. Kids loved slides. We got discount. With 1 day. There was a lady walking all day taking drink orders. I Don't think they serve alcohol in this area though. Wish pool was shallower in some parts so my 8-year old could stand. - Went to Cenote Azul at the recommendation of a few commenters. It was $25 for my family. It was not worth it. It was crowded. The water was more murky than what you see in the pics and it has all the same fish. We stayed 40 minutes then left and went right down the road to Kantun Chi. We paid around $160 for four of us. I know a lot, but it was much cleaner, much nicer, the water was clearer. The Cenotes were bigger. It was an experience we paid for and the extra $130 gave us that. They had kayaks at the one Cenote. But the underground cave tour was great. What is disappointing is they don't let u take pictures down there and they charge you $50 for their own photographer. Such a shame that such an amazing resource is not being captured. We did walk across the street to these places and seemed safe enough. - The premium is 100% absolutely worth it. As i stated the drinks are better, check-in check-out is quicker. Customer service at the desk is more accommodating and quicker. Hardly a wait for questions or dinner reservations. They have complimentary snacks and alcohol around the clock. The premium dining is much much much better than the buffets. After 9 days i was done at the buffets and that was only breakfast/lunch. Can't imagine dealing with the poorer quality dinners as well. Synopsis I am going to compare this resort to cruise lines. I've been on Disney, Royal Caribbiean, and Carnival. I would consider Disney a 5-star, Royal a 4-star, and Carnival a 3-star. The Barcelo Maya Palace premium level is a solid 4 star. We had a great time and would have loved to stay longer. We probably won't revisit because there's just so many other places to visit as well. I don't regret the decision. I just wish my daughter and I never got food poisoning that kept us inside for 2 days, so i feel we lost that time due to Barcelo quality issues.
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May 16, 2020Wonderful beach!
We were visiting this hotel when lots of hotels in Mexico were closed and there were not many guests, so our review may be not very objective. What we liked most in this hotel is the beach and the restaurants. The beach The water is clean, you don't need a mask to see the bottom. There are lots of different beautiful fishes in it. Besides there were two big turtles who swam closer to the buoys. It's a small adventure to swim near them. If you have kids they should be excited. The sunbeds stay very close to the water so you don't have to walk long. The weather was perfect all the time! Restaurants During our stay only three restaurants were working: French, Brazilian and Seafood, and one buffet. The food was delicious in every restaurant. Buffet had rather big choices, despite the virus time. The quality of food was great. In general the waiters in the buffet didn't care a lot about the visitors, could make you wait for a while. But there were two waiters who were very attentive to their clients. They are Carloz Santiz and Roselia Entzin. I want to say big thank to them, especially to Carloz, he made my birthday morning special! When he figured out that I had birthday he organised congratulations and cake. It was unexpected and very nice of him. Even night congratulation was less impressive than his. Hope to see him and Roselia next year. The hotel is huge. It's easy to get lost in it. There are lots of beautiful pools Based on the map it has lots of activities but it was harder to estimate them because they were closed. We felt very good there because there were not so many people. Hope in normal situation the place is not too crowded. The room is spacious and well organised. The only minus it has is the humidity and an unpleasant smell because of it. The clothes sensed wet as a result. We were in another Mexican hotel before and it didn't had such problem. I hope the hotel can figure out something to fix this. We liked this hotel a lot and would like to come back here.
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May 03, 2020
Great Holiday
We loved this resort. My husband and I travelled with our 4yr old son and my father-in-law. Access to all of the resorts kept us busy. Tropical had a great water park for kids, although our little guy preferred the one at Palace (a little more manageable for a 4 yr old. The main lobby and balconies provided cool quiet shade and comfy seats for my father-in-law. The food was very good. Rooms were exceptionally clean and quiet. Staff worked very hard and were very friendly. Would highly recommend for a relaxing family vaca.
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Apr 27, 2020
Carlos the bartender is the man!
Such an amazing resort. Stayed here for a music festival and could not have had a better time. The best thing about the experience. THE STAFF. So accommodating. Carlos, one of the young bartenders, was so friendly and prepared us a variety of incredible drinks. Had such a good time with him. Can't speak highly enough about him and the rest of the staff. Thanks Carlos!
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Apr 23, 2020
Everything was amazing
This is my favorite resort in Riviera Maya. I love the beach, the rooms, the food and the people that work there. My favorite place to eat is the Buffet Hacienda. Angel Tamay, Angelica P., Lucio C, Areli P and Deyli C are really great servers but Angel is my favorite. :) He's welcoming, kind, funny, polite... what else can I say. They are all a bunch of good workers.Oh yeah...the food is great too. :) My mom was in a wheel chair and they were always making sure she was ok. I love Mexican culture...they really take care of the older generation. I have been to Barceló 3-4 times and I won't be going anywhere else. Thanks soooo much for everything! I will be back!!!! ☼♥ I liked that they would have movies for kids on the beach in the evening! Awesome idea! Decorations for weddings were really pretty too. Snorkeling is soooo much fun here for kids and adults! You can walk/run along the beach on the sidewalk every morning if you don't want to walk on the beach.