My sister and I were at the Barcelo Maya Beach Resort, April 25th – May 2nd. Our ages 36 and 33, first time in Mexico. First off, we both loved the Barcelo, and would recommend it to anyone.
Arrival – we had a very early flight out of Philly (6am). We arrived at the resort around noon. Our room wasn’t going to be ready until 4pm. We packed bathing suits in our carry-on’s, so got changed in the bathroom and headed out to the beach. We were excited about getting their so early and having almost a full day, but were so tired when we actually got there, all we did was nap on the beach till the room was ready.
Resort – nicely landscaped. The covered pathways were hotter than the non-covered pathways. We loved seeing all the lizards, iguanas and birds around. Caution, if you go to play miniature golf, use bug spray. Only time except for Xcaret I got bitten by mosquitoes.
Rooms – good sized rooms. We were in Tulum, room 1201. It was a corner room facing the water, so we always received a nice breeze. Also, since a corner room, we had a hammock on the balcony. Could hear some noise from the disco, but it was very faint, and didn’t interrupt our sleeping. Diego Cruz did a good job of cleaning our room. We would leave a daily tip for him ($2), for the person that stocked our mini-fridge ($1), and for the turn-down person ($1). Also, if you don’t like the sparkling water in the fridge, there is regular bottled water at the Beach Buffet Grille that is there for the taking.
Pool – Loved the pools. Both of them were good sized and never felt crowded. No problems ever finding available lounge chairs. The water and air temperature were so perfect that we never bothered to get beach towels, we never needed them. This made worrying about having our towels stolen (which I read about in other reviews) a non issue.
Beach – We loved the beach. Again, no problems finding available lounge chairs, even in the shade. We loved the snorkeling off the pier. Lot’s of colorful fish to see. We saw the big sea turtle cruising around several times. Bring some bread with you to the pier and feed the fish. However, beware; if you are in the water with the bread it can get rather nerve-racking having all those fish swimming closely around you. And they bite! My sister and I both got nipped on the fingers, and in my sisters case, it actually drew a tiny pinprick of blood. Once the bread is gone though, they disperse quickly. While sea kayaking a smaller sea turtle surfaced for air about 5 feet from us. Very cool. The beach was very clean, always saw staff cleaning up the beaches. Being from New Jersey, I loved being able to look down in 10-15 feet of water and being able to see the bottom. Wear water shoes while in the swimming section. Even though it starts out sandy, it does turn to rock about 30-40 feet out. We followed suggestions in the reviews to bring insulated mugs. These came in handy traveling everywhere on the resort. The beach is very long. On the one side, we walked through Xpu-Ha (which looks like a really nice resort) and down to Copacobana resort. A long but nice walk. On the other side, we walked down to the point where the military outpost was. Again, a long walk but very nice.
Food – We ate lunch everyday at the Beach Buffet Grille. We would have liked it to have been open at night as well. The buffets were pretty good. Once I discovered the pasta stations I was very happy. You put the toppings you want on your plate, hand the plate over, tell them what kind of pasta and sauce you want, and they heat it all up and mix it all together. Even though we aren’t really dessert eaters, how could we resist the selection? We ate way too much, but luckily we spent so much time walking around that we didn’t gain any weight. We also ate at the Mexican restaurant and the Steakhouse. I’m a vegetarian, so only ate the vegetables at the Steakhouse, but my sister loved the steak she got. The Mexican restaurant was also good. If you like coffee, ask for a Mexican or Spanish coffee. It’s very entertaining watching them being made.
Drinks – The drinks for the most part are very weak, even though we tipped every time we got drinks, so strongly suspect the alcohol is greatly watered down in the bottle. We had one bartender, Manuel, at the Caribe pool bar that we became friendly with, but even his drinks were pretty weak. One night I had 3 shots and 2 mixed drinks, and felt nothing. However, I usually drink because I enjoy the taste of the drink, and not to get drunk, so that didn’t really bother me. Every once in a while though, we would get a drink that would knock us on our butts. It was hit or miss. Try the Rainbow shots. They are excellent. Stay away from the Mexican Flag shot. Yuck! I didn’t think the wait for bartenders was bad. Hey, when I go out for Happy Hour after work, I usually have to wait much longer.
Excursions – We didn’t book any trips through the resort. Based on the reviews we read, we already knew where we wanted to go and how to get there. We took Collectivo’s everywhere. How can you beat paying $1 USD pp to get to almost anywhere you want to go. $14 by taxi to Xcaret versus $1pp by Collectivo. $20 by taxi to Tulum versus $1pp by Collectivo. The only problem we had was figuring out where to pick up the Collectivo in Playa del Carmen. Otherwise, no problems. We both loved Xcaret. We got there later in the day not realizing that there would be so many cool things to do. The underground river snorkeling was very relaxing and though the water was cool, it didn’t feel cold. The snorkeling in the tidal pools was awesome. We saw so many unusual creatures. We also visited the Bat Cave, the Butterfly pavilion and the rope bridge. I loved floating on a tube and watching the dolphins play. We didn’t stay for the entire night-time show, but the beginning part of the show was terrific, especially the ball game. I loved the ruins at Tulum, but it was hot and towards the end of our trip, so I was pretty tired and couldn’t appreciate it as much as I should have. Coming from the US, I always love visiting places that are more than a few hundred years old. Bring water with you from the resort. It can get very hot at Tulum, and it’s also nicer to have free bottled water than to have to buy it at Xcaret. If you are going on an all-day excursion, you can ask the resort to make up a box-lunch for you. However you have to request it the day before, and it costs $5. Much easier to just grab some items from the buffet and take them with you.
People – The staff were extremely pleasant and friendly. There were a couple times where we had language issues, but we’re in a foreign country, I would expect nothing less. And they all spoke much better English then I did Spanish, so I certainly couldn’t complain. The other guests were also pleasant. The majority of the guests were from Spain, Canada and the US. We didn’t participate in any of the planned activities, but there seemed to be many of them.
Shows – We didn’t go to see all the shows, but made sure we caught the Michael Jackson show due to all the reviews about it. Didn’t think it was as great as many of the reviews made it out to be. But that was really because they played a lot of his songs that I wasn’t familiar with, much nicer when you can sing along. The impersonator was excellent. The other shows we saw were okay, not exactly to my taste. The singers and dancers were all fabulous. My lack of enjoyment wasn’t due to a lack of talent on their part.
Disco – Went to the disco several nights. Had a good time, but didn’t stay very long except for the first night. The music was repetitive. Enjoyed hearing music from other countries though, and especially liked watching people of all ages have a good time on the dance floor.
Things to Bring – insulated mugs, bug spray, sun screen, Ziploc bags, a waterproof container for room key, own snorkeling gear (we just brought masks and snorkel, didn’t need the fins, we used these at Xcaret and saved money not having to rent them, also by bringing our own didn’t have to worry about the 1 hour limit at the resort, resort also requires a security deposit), swim shoes, cheap water raft (the rafts started to look very tempting, and we eventually broke down and bought them, at $11 a piece!), backpack and lots of dollar bills for tipping. FYI, if from US no need to exchange currency, everyone took USD.
Going back – My sister and I had such a great time that when we got back, we talked our entire family into going to Mexico. We leave Thanksgiving Day, 17 of us. Unfortunately we couldn’t get into the Barcelo, so we will be staying at the Bahia Principe Tulum, which got some really great reviews.

I'm a teenage girl, and over the summer i went to the Barcelo Maya Beach Resort with my parents and brother. I loved it, and can't wait to go back again! The beaches were amazing, with all of that white sand and clear, warm water! I could have happily spent my entire visit swimming in the waves! If you bring goggles and jump off their little dock, you can see a bunch of silver fish, swimming within inches of you! If you swim out a little further, you can see all sorts of coral reefs and other fishies. I saw some really cute yellow fish, swimming in the coral! The food is really yummy, and it's all you can eat.... There are also little fridges in your room, with bottled soda (They put more in every day, and it doesnt cost extra). Even though some people say that it takes forever to get your water at the buffets, it's really not that bad and you have to remember, there's maybe 4 or 5 people waiting on an entire room. Tip them, too! For a couple days, I went to the ruins of Tulum and Chichen Itza. At Chichen Itza, they have a really cool pyramid that you can climb to the top of! It was really fun, but HOT!!! At Tulum they have a nice little beach, but at Chichen Itza, well, just bring lotsa water! Later in my trip, I swam in a cenote that was over 100 feet deep! Being very scared of deep water, I had some troubles but I mostly got over it and had fun. Back at the resort, they have some really cool shows at night and the drinks are great... try the Pina Coladas! (No, I don't drink the ones with alchohol. I drink the non-alchoholic ones, and they taste really good! Try the margaritas and strawerry daquiris too!). I really loved this place, and recomend it to anyone! :-)

This is my fifth trip to Mexico and this has been the best overall resort. The beach is very nice because of the inlet the water stays calm. Everything at this resort was incredible.... you set the air conditioning for your own comfort level which is hard to find in Mexico...from the huge pools to the private beach area...never felt over crowded in any part of the resort....plenty to do at the resort.....four wheelers, horseback riding, shopping, wind surfing, kayaks, mini golf, massage... was worth the $55. Different theme every night for buffet....you have to try the paradise drink at the swim up bar at Captain Morgans...tell Manual to make it. Mmmm....makes me want to go back.....the only negative would be the hard beds...we talked to the maid and she brought in a pillowtop...tips will get you a little extra... Just go with an open mind to have fun and relax just don't expect the Trump tower it is Mexico.

I have been to several all-inclusive resorts in Mexico in the past, and this was one of the worst. The resort grounds and beach are wonderful, but the food and service are terrible. With so many resorts to choose from I would not return to this one. Almost all dining is buffet style, and by the end of the trip you can barely stand the food. It is also the least customer service oriented resort that I have ever been to. They do not serve you at all. You are lucky if they serve you water before you have eaten half of your dinner, and you are expected to get your own drinks (other than water). Tipping does not help either. Everyone on the bus-ride back to the airport agreed. No one will return. Try the Crown Paradise instead. It's great, and the food is wonderful!