We stayed at the Barcelo Ixtapa from December 30 to January 13. We have friends who have stayed here in the past and enjoyed their stay, but didn't have the chance to get their latest opinion before we left. I booked on the basis of the Barcelo reputation, and the price of our package. I usually pride myself on writing as positive a review as possible, as I have yet to stay anywhere that is perfect, but this is also a forum to share opinions. Overall, we had a great time in Ixtapa, although I would hesitate to stay at this hotel again unless they made some changes to their Food and Beverage Management. I can truthfully say that we have had better quality and variety in Cuba.
Our first impression of the food situation was not positive, as we attended at our first breakfast, we found a long line up at the grill for eggs (with only one cook), and several of the trays of food sitting empty. This proved to be a pattern for most breakfasts. The selection was very limited, and often included what appeared to be leftovers from the previous night's dinner buffet (not kidding, beef or pork stew for breakfast). However, there was always a good selection of fresh fruit, yogurt, and smoked salmon, and fresh pastries, which were very good. Now if they could only get their toaster to work! We did find it...We stayed at the Barcelo Ixtapa from December 30 to January 13. We have friends who have stayed here in the past and enjoyed their stay, but didn't have the chance to get their latest opinion before we left. I booked on the basis of the Barcelo reputation, and the price of our package. I usually pride myself on writing as positive a review as possible, as I have yet to stay anywhere that is perfect, but this is also a forum to share opinions. Overall, we had a great time in Ixtapa, although I would hesitate to stay at this hotel again unless they made some changes to their Food and Beverage Management. I can truthfully say that we have had better quality and variety in Cuba.
Our first impression of the food situation was not positive, as we attended at our first breakfast, we found a long line up at the grill for eggs (with only one cook), and several of the trays of food sitting empty. This proved to be a pattern for most breakfasts. The selection was very limited, and often included what appeared to be leftovers from the previous night's dinner buffet (not kidding, beef or pork stew for breakfast). However, there was always a good selection of fresh fruit, yogurt, and smoked salmon, and fresh pastries, which were very good. Now if they could only get their toaster to work! We did find it interesting that after the big crowds left after New Years, we did see bacon and sausages appear periodically at breakfast. We also were told that they had overbooked their New Years Eve dinner and that we could not have a reservation. There were a number of us who arrived on the evening of December 30 and thankfully, many of them spoke Spanish. As management sent a hostess to tell us that we could not have a reservation, the volume of the crowd increased and we collectively refused to go away until they produced the Food and Beverage Manager. The manager finally "agreed" to allow us to reserve a table in the buffet. In the end, it all worked out and the dinner was very good, however it was a rocky first day. We were told that the problem was due to the hotel selling tickets to the dinner to the public, before ensuring that their guests were given first choice. This is a practice that I have only ever encountered in Ixtapa, and would be interested to know if anyone has experienced it elsewhere.
The lunch buffet was probably the best reliable meal there, with a large selection of hot and cold dishes, and great fries. They also had a self-serve ice cream machine which was very popular, until it broke down. Dinner was better than breakfast, but not as good as lunch, usually with stewed meats and fish. I read somewhere they had a nightly theme, but it was not easily recognizable. The two al la cartes were o.k., the Spanish restaurant being the better, where we had lamb and salmon, both of which were pretty good, and the service was exceptional. They also have a nice Spanish sangria. The Sunset restaurant was confusing, as it is actually a buffet, but they don't tell you that when you arrive. If you are the first reservation, there is no one to follow. Not our finest moment . . .
I should also say that our entire family became ill (at different times and during our say) while we were at this resort. I cannot say for sure that it was because of the food, but I do suspect it. Another family that was on our flight also had two family members that became ill, one of which was an elderly woman who had to spend the night in a local clinic. The upside of this part of the story is that the medical service at this hotel is outstanding. When I got sick the day before we were to fly home, the doctor came to my room twice, once to administer a shot and a second time to check up on me and give me a prescription. Total cost to us was $75.00 US. Totally worth it. Then, the bellboys will go to the pharmacy and fill the prescription and deliver it to your room. The medical service was exceptional and was really a godsend.
Enough about the food, the hotel itself was overall good, but they need to do some more maintenance. We were given a room on the 9th floor, ocean view (which we hadn't asked for but were very happy to take) and the views were amazing. The waves would lull you to sleep every night, the sunsets were spectacular, and we were lucky enough to see two whales off in the distance from our balcony. Our bathroom had been renovated, the beds were comfortable and they provide more pillows than any two people could possibly need. They provide a mini fridge which is stocked daily with juice, bottled water, beer and pop. Unfortunately, our teenagers were given a room on the 3rd floor (a little further away that we wanted). Their room had a few more problems. Their telephone didn't work, and it took 3 days to get it fixed, then broke again days later. The hot water tap in the shower came off in my son’s hand, spewing hot water everywhere. I found out later a fellow traveller from Edmonton had the same thing happen in his shower. I will say that the maintenance man appeared very quickly, fixed the problem within a half an hour and the room was cleaned up immediately. One other thing, the guy who stocked the mini-bar did, however, seem to forget that they had two teenagers in this room, although we did let the front desk know, and they continued to deliver beer for the mini-fridge, and a bottle of tequila for New Years. They were thrilled – until we stole their beer, that is
The beach is nice, but you need to be wary in the waves. They are not huge, but they are certainly big enough to cause some trouble for the unprepared. Many lost hats, sunglasses, and bathing suit tops in the waves, and one flipped me over and slid me into the beach on my face. Yet again, not my best moment, but the lifeguards are very good. I had one attend to me immediately, took a report, checked in on me for the rest of the afternoon.
The Barcelo offers no palapas on their beach. I was told that they removed them last year, not sure why. There are several groups of palm trees on the beach that offer shade, depending on the time of day. There were a lot of beach chairs, and once the New Years rush was over we never had a problem getting a chair. However, for the first week we had to get up early to save chairs. \
The Barcelo is next to a public access to the beach. We found that many local families, especially in the first week, would come onto the beach at the access point and set up in front of all of the Barcelo chairs. They are not allowed to use the chairs but they bring their own umbrellas, coolers, chairs, music, food, etc. and set up camp in front of the hotel chairs. It was so crowded during this time that by afternoon you couldn’t even see the water’s edge for all of the people setting up. They only seemed to set up in front of the family villas building, not sure why, so after our first day on that end of the beach we made sure we chose chairs at the opposite end. I found it tough to relax on such a crowded and noisy beach. It reminded me of Waikiki Beach in high season.
Because the beach is public, there are salesmen who walk the beach every day. There are some very good ones, and they are not overly pushy. If you tell them no, they will leave you alone. We always sent them off with a “no thank you” and a smile. There are two that bear mentioning, though. There is a sweet young man named Hector who sells his wood animal carvings. He does beautiful work, his prices are very reasonable, and has the best smile ever. He is friendly and sweet and has a new baby at home. We now have 4 of Hector’s carvings on our mantel. The other salesman that we met was named Gustavo, but everyone called him Gus. He offers fishing trips, horseback riding and Ixtapa Island tours. We took the Ixtapa Island tour with him. He gave us a good deal which included snorkelling and lunch. He was personable, spoke pretty good English and I would recommend him for that tour to anyone, eventhough his van could use a little work. Can’t speak for the fishing trip however.
Two years ago we were disappointed after purchasing a fishing trip from a guy from a guy on the. This year I did my homework and thanks to Trip Advisor, Gary from Dallas Texas, referred me to Julio’s Tours. We booked the trip online in three months prior to the trip. We went on a trip that included 3 to 4 hours of fishing in the morning, snorkelling for as long as we wanted, and then a leisurely lunch at Los Gatos Beach, at Otilias Restaurant. It was a fabulous day. I will write a more detailed review on the Zihuatanejo forum but if you can find him, I would highly recommend him. His boat is a small Panga called The Joceline. His website is http://www.juliostours.com.
All in all, we had a great family vacation, beautiful weather, great fishing, and time spent with family, which is what it is all about. I have yet to find the perfect resort, but I sure hope I am able to continue looking for it.More
- Free parking
- Pool
- Visit hotel website