Rooms beautiful and comfortable, buffet was excellent, beach is awesome you can snorkle right off the beach, only negatives no palapas and the gas fumes off the diving boat. Shows at night were outstanding, bartenders were awesome. I am a Barcelo Colonial for lifer!

Our one week stay(Nov 22-29, 2012) at this resort was our first experience at an "all inclusive" and in this region. The resort is situated away from all the hustle and bustle of big cities like Cancun and on 2 unbelievable crescent shaped beaches that have spectacular natural views, sand and warm calm protected waters. Life guards staff the beaches during the day which provides extra security to those who have children or are uncomfortable around the water. We especially enjoyed snorkeling the reefs right off the resort and walking along the clean well kept beaches. The vast tropical gardens / landscaping and gigantic swim pools are beautiful and well maintained. We had no safety concerns regarding walking around the resort during the day or in the evenings as all the walkways are well lit and the grounds secure; all the resorts along this region are "gated" and have 24 hr security . The resort has a very good buffet and additional restaurants to enjoy. No one we talked to had ever been" ill" from the resorts food and we were told that this resort has its own water purification system installed in all the food service areas. We, without exception, found all the resort staff, and there was many, to be most friendly, always pleasant and accommodating. The resort caters to all ages and most of the front line staff can speak English and French along with their regional language. We were surprised to learn that the resort also has a dedicated medical clinic with a doctor available 24hrs on site. This medical service proved to be a real asset for some of our business tour members health issues that surfaced during their stay. The swift medical attentional and care that they did receive was reported to have been "excellent". We found the location of this resort to be very central to accessing many of the regions "tourist" excursions and for catching the bargain "collectivo" van buses ($3.00 each way per person) that run almost continuously to and from the resorts into nearby towns for shopping etc. Our room on the 2nd floor was comfortable and clean and had large glass porch doors that we kept open whenever we were in the room and through the night to enjoy the fresh air and hear the tropical birds and crickets. Some of the nights were noisy especially when big groups arrived, stayed up clubbing at the disco or bar counters then paraded to their rooms; remember its "all inclusive' ..the free booze fuels it...earplugs would be helpful! Would we stay here again, of course..if you are looking for a beautiful holiday stay in the Mexican riviera you might like to consider this resort.

We stayed at this as part of a group promotional thank-you put together by our local newspaper for advertising with them.

The Colonial is one of the four 'sub' hotels that make up the larger resort of the Barcelo Maya Beach Resort. This resort is located about a twenty minute drive out of the tourist town of Playa del Carmen.

The Maya features a long stretch of beach that is mostly fine white sand and some rocky outcroppings. The water off the resort is a gorgeous aquamarine. If simply hanging out on the beach and working your tan is your thing, you'll do no better than the Barcelo.

(Note: If you are considering staying in this area, stay away from the resorts in town, if the beach is your thing. The beaches in town are very crowded and a funky, sewage smell hangs over everything.)

The overall Barcelo resort is huge and we never did fully explore much beyond our section of it. Our resort -- the Colonial -- was large, airy, clean and beautifully appointed. Large roomy lobbies, decorative pools and fountains throughout, big comfy lounge chairs and tables to relax and people watch or share a drink, well groomed lawns, grounds and gardens... Walking around outside you're apt to catch a glimpse of the local wildlife on the grounds such as the many iguanas.

The tile flooring used throughout the lobbies, corridors and the rooms is a double edged sword. It looks nice, makes for easy upkeep and cleaning by staff, but it is also an acoustic amplifier. A couple of nights we easily heard late night revelers stumbling back to their rooms in the early morning hours, but generally guests were respectful of signs asking them to stay quiet.

Staff were friendly and polite. There were no real language barriers. Most have a working knowledge of English and 'sign language' helped out in those situations where spoken language didn't. Sometimes restaurant staff seemed a little uncertain of their duties, but I think that many of them were new to their jobs and in training. However, they were always eager to accommodate us and we tipped them accordingly.

There's a wealth of activities to keep you busy even if you never venture beyond the resort. We jet-skied -- helluva lot of fun. We snorkeled -- hang out around the jetty and the rock outcropping just beyond it to see lots of colourful fish. We used the excellent fitness facility -- complete with wet and dry saunas -- several times during our stay. My wife also enjoyed the spa facilities (see below).

They have a theatre where they put on live nightly shows. Highly recommended is the circus show, a sort of mini-Cirque du Soleil. The Disney musical tribute and the Michael Jackson tribute were okay. My wife and I even participated on stage for the 'Battle of the Sexes' night and she won a free 30-minute massage at their spa! As a member of the losing team all I got was a ball cap... :(

The weak spot was the four à la carte restaurant packages that were part of our week long stay. We tried the seafood, the Italian, the steakhouse and the Mexican restaurants. Our roast beef at the Italian restaurant was more like a fatty, tough steak. At the steakhouse, my wife's salmon dish was raw and we had to send it back. (The head chef did come out to apologize to us personally). And although the food at the Mexican restaurant was good, it wasn't very spicy. I suspect they tone it down for American and Canadian palates. However, the hotel and its restaurants are always soliciting feedback so hopefully these incidents were just aberrations.

Other than the restaurants, the daily buffet featured a huge variety of food that catered to every palate.

I'd give this resort a full five stars, but for the minor quibbles I mentioned above. Otherwise, I would easily recommend this resort to anyone as a great place to stay.

I religiously use these reviews to assist in planning my trips so I thought it was about time I contribute!
I stayed at the Colonial with family from Nov.4-11.
We had a direct flight from Edmonton to Cancun, but once we got our luggage and took the looong bus ride to the hotel we were pretty exhausted. Check-in took longer than we would have liked, but it seemed like the staff were doing the best they could given the fact a bus load of people had just arrived.
Our rooms were fine, ours did face the theater and as other mentioned it is pretty loud at night, but that didn't bother us because we were at the theater every night enjoying the show. The shows were beyond expectations, with so many impressive dance routines and dozens of costume changes!
The buffet was like an other all inclusive, some good and some not so good. There is something to accommodate everyone's taste's though.
We had 4 a la cartes. We paid the extra $15 per person for the French as others had suggested and it was 100% worth it. The restaurant was absolutely stunning, the service amazing and food divine!
My second favorite was the steak house with seafood and Japanese tied for third. The service at them all is fantastic.
The pools were great (yes, a little chilly). We spent most of our time at the Tropical pool. This is where all of the music and activities happen. Even if you don't like to participate it is fun to watch while soaking up the sun.
The beach is incredible and there are plenty of loungers for everyone. Careful getting in the water, it is pretty rocky in some places.
We rented ATV's right from the resort. It was about $35 for the hour. This was a great little afternoon adventure and it was great having them right at the resort so there weren't any long bus rides involved.
We also spent one morning at Tulum. Very interesting to see and the beach there is a lot of fun. (They sell you bug spray on the bus making it seem like you can't live with out it...we bought...it was NOT necessary)
We also went on Catamaya for a day. This was great! Snorkeling, food, music and dancing! The staff go above and beyond to ensure everyone is having a great time. We also saw dolphins on our way back!
Overall this was a fantastic trip! I would definitely return!