This is our third time at the Barcelo Maya Beach and we enjoyed our stay again.
If I could rate this hotel 4.5 out of 5 I would.
Here's my take...
Hotel:
This is a HUGE resort. Plain and simple. With that being said they take care of their grounds and there are many things a person can do. i.e. run/walk(I ran/walked 8 kms a day along the beach and main roadway between resorts), there are water sports, again snorkeling, there's a weight-room, tennis court, discotheque, shops, etc, etc...
In the evening it's nice hanging out at the 24hr lounge with other guests drinking tequila (or whatever you crave) and eating fresh popcorn from their popcorn machine.
Beach:
The beach is beautiful with its white sand, blue water and palm streets. Ensure you go out to the dock to do some snorkeling... it's well worth it as most of the fish hide-out there.
You'll get a couple of cards to borrow towels... we kept the same towels for our entire stay and let them dry on the balcony clothes rack. Just cut out the fuss of bringing them back and getting new ones each day.
If you want a good spot on the beach I suggest you get out early and claim a beach-chair with your towel as the good spots go fast.
Pools are nice... never spent time at them as I spend money to see beaches. lol I can hang-out at a pool any time in Edmonton Alberta.
Room:
Room was clean, bed was comfortable and little fridge was well stocked each day. (i.e. cans of beer, bottles of water, pop if you like pop)
******There's a plug-in in your room you can use for your laptop... you do not need a converter.(canada /usa 3 prong)
Also, they have a safe in the room.
Food:
We ate at the buffet each day and found the food good. We had many different varieties of food to choose from. All fresh. (***Remember that all staff work for tips so ensure you tip them accordingly for their service. I ensured I did and received excellent service.)
Internet:
Internet is pricy. Urrrgg. A 5 day wifi pass cost me 48 bucks. :( Warning, the signal is weak. I didn't use internet until the evening so all cool. Still, bites that it cost so much. (this is a weakness)
Overall a good experience and would recommend this hotel to others... I would come back.
Hope my review helps. :)

This was a great place to stay. The people were friendly, the food was good, the room was very good with a beautiful garden view. The beach was okay, a bit rocky. We took a tour of the ruins which was excellent. The pools were many and nicely kept. The whole experience was a pleasure.

S. Boykach

I was very displeased with the lack of ability to make phone calls and such from this resort or Mexico in general. Various Cell companies have no agreement with Mexico so those don't work. My personal phone card would not work.
Made one phone short phone call and it cost me a fortune.
What is sad is you pay for an all inclusive but there are apparently LEVELS of inclusiveness.
You can't get a reservation in the nice restaurants unless you KNOW someone. It's ridiculous to the point that there were empty tables when we were in one of the nicer ones and others were getting turned away. You were only allowed ONE ticket to use for a nicer eatery otherwise it was the buffets. Don't get me wrong the buffets were wonderful but still.

We stayed at a the Barcelo Maya Beach for a friend's wedding in February.
The hotel is very large -- with increasing pricing for services and areas down the beach. The end resort was the Palace. I would recommend to anybody to upgrade and stay at the Palace.
Positives: The beach was amazing at Maya Beach area. This resort is very family oriented, very family friendly, kids everywhere (if that's what you're looking for). The rooms are absolutely clean and comfortable enough for what little time you spend in them. Staff is very sparse, but friendly enough. The beach bar and grill is fantastic!
Negatives: There is no real bar area other than the lobby bar, which is hot, stuffy and has a lobby feel to it. There should be a view of the beach or even a pool when you're in a tropical setting. Only one bar too -- it would be nice to have any kind of option other than the same old tired lobby bar every night. The food -- food was absolutely terrible -- nothing but poor quality buffet food, meal after meal after meal. The a la carte restaurants were no better, just longer wait time, dress code and the ridiculous practice of making reservations (I know this is common, but there are resorts without it) when you first arrive. The a la carte restaurant's weren't air conditioned, so you just sweated out your 2 hour mediocre meal. My friends and I did pay extra to go to a restaurant on the high end resort at the end of the complex -- and what a difference that made. It was fantastic. The booze was plentiful, but the bartenders didn't know how to make anything other than strawberry daquiris and pina coladas -- all out of a bottled mix. It really got tired after the first day. Also -- depending what you're looking for -- the resort is very family friendly, kids everywhere. The pool on the Maya Beach resort is just straight poured concrete, nothing spectacular, but once you start moving down the complex, the pools become beautiful with gorgeous tile, running water, pool showers and in pool loungers and huts. ALSO -- absolutely no room service other than really, really basic stuff for an outrageous price (think pasta with butter for $20) .