Just back from 7 night stay from Christmas day to New Year`s day. Four of us, 51 51 20 17, so can`t really comment on the kids amenities which others will do better. Resort was not busy upon our arrival but started picking up around the 28th. Crowds seemed to be handled well.

Transport

Flew with Air Canada Vacations (first time) and thought it was great. Plane seemed alot roomier than my Signature or Transat trips in the past. Not sure if this is coincidence but alot better service right from check-in at both ends to aforementioned seat room. Transport was on time at both ends with one stop before each way. Drivers pleasant and fast, which I like. Shout out to Ariana at Air Canada. Very helpful.

Check-in

We arrived alone at 8 pm so front desk was able to accommodate. We changed our designated room twice upon our arrival based on Tripadvisor comments. Here`s the low-down. If you want a very short walk to buffets, restaurants, and lobby, then get into the Yucatan building. We originally had this booking but opted to move after comments about noise from theater. Early sleepers will find it loud but noise does wrap up by 11 it seems. All the bars (except lobby bars) are closed by then so it`s not party central but will keep you awake until then.

We opted for third floor in Veracruz facing palace side of resort and thought this was the best compromise. A little bit of a walk to main areas (not that far) but beach area at the Veracruz building was IMO the best part of beach. Lucky with our neighbors, but walls are thin like all the rest so bring ear plugs in case.

In summary, get into Veracruz and opt for 3rd floor to minimize walkers above. Elevators are there all the time. Nightly shows above average.

Rooms

Rooms are clean and adequate. 5 star rating was lost based on rooms. While they are functional, they do seem a little basic and not much wow factor when you arrive. Bathroom was great, rain shower always had very hot water, morning, afternoon, or night.

They could use more dresser drawers, we had standard room with only two drawers. This is not enough if you like to unpack. TV was just ok, old style type, they could use an upgrade to flat screen and alot of the channels were in Spanish, so nighttime viewing for those who like was limited. IMPORTANT: as others indicate beds and pillows are "firm". Looked for pillow top under box spring skirt, and voila IT WAS THERE. On all the beds. Take it out, remake you bed, and it will make all the difference. Why they do this I do not know. Thank you TRIPADVISOR for this tip. Hotel does not mention it anywhere. Pillows are forgettable, and if you have room, bring your own. They are small and hard.

Nice balconies on upper floors, first floor have patio style with no barrier so not for all. Safe good, lotsa closet space, door sweeps in all room to keep unwanted guests out. Mini bar stocked each day with agua, soft drinks, peanuts, and Corona. AC worked in both our rooms, almost TOO good, and they do not work when patio door is open. A little musty but nothing bad.

Resort

Beautiful grounds. Lush with iguanas and lotsa birds to see. Bus transport from each hotel available. Great mini putt in a jungle setting for the kids, lotsa tennis over at the Caribe and Beach hotels, pitch and putt nice. Gym, spa, pools all very nice and clean. Good shopping at resort Market!! Bargain.

Food

Buffets were good. Lots of variety and only the pickiest of eaters will find fault. Always had room, service staff is excellent. BIG TIP, if you are a wine drinker, pick up bottles of wine at duty free on the way down. Girl said no limit, others said three bottles per adult, but whatever it is, cheapest bottle down there at a la cartes or buffet is 45 bucks unless you drink the swill they serve. I drink anything but this stuff was horrible. You are allowed to bring your own to buffet and a la cartes so STOCK UP with your favorites and save!!!!

We had 4 a la cartes and were alright to great. Seafood and steakhouse stood out, Japanese just good, and Mexican was alright. No problem with reservations, just DO it upon arrival. We lunched most days at the Palmeras which is right on beach. A little limited compared to main buffets, but very convenient.

Beach

Loved it. Plenty of shade trees, lotsa white sand and never had a problem getting chair. Snorkeling paradise for the adventurous. Loggerhead turtles everywhere, largest I found was three feet and you can follow and pet their backs as they rise to breath. Protected so don`t dick around with them. Best place I found was in front of Palace hotel just before you get to buoy lines. Large reef and on last day found a 6 to 7 foot ray doing his thing. Don`t be put off at shallows, waders kick up a lot of sand so go out a bit and enjoy. Plenty of serious snorkeling and diving excursions available. Nice walk south past Beach Hotel to abandoned resort. Check it out. If too windy at Tropical take a walk over to Caribe Beach side of beach. If one is windy, other side is not. You can lunch at Palmeras Buffet steps from beach. Bring water shoes.

Bars

NEVER had a problem getting a drink. Drinks can be weak, just ask for extra alcohol and all good. Best drinks I had were at Palace main bar. Just turn your bracelet around, Palace ones are white and all should be good. Havana Cigar lounge was weak in lobby; no cutter and premium drinks seemed watered. Tequila Bar nice and Margs are very strong!!!. JAGUAR disco very nice, gets going really late but open to all hours. Big dance floor.

Excursions

We did three. Tulum Jungle adventure was all day and was a blast. Shout out to Rebecca, she was great. Ruins, repelling, zip lining, 4 wheel truck ride on `ROAD`, followed by snorkeling in Cenote, which is underground cave river. I LOVED IT. If you can bring your own light, or put a small dollar store flashlight in a ziploc. NOTE, my wife who was last in our group got left behind in cave for a bit. It is pitch black so make sure you keep up. All was good in end but makes you wonder. Stay in FRONT. Tulum ruins are nice and great swim at beach.

We did Coba Express which is half day, back to hotel by 2. More rustic ruin, in process of restoring parts. Only ruin you can still go up on. The climb to top of Coba is a work out, but worth the work. Highest structure in all of Yucatan. If you are afraid of heights DO NOT GO UP. The climb down is actually quite scary and a slip away from at best getting hurt. Take your time, and come down on your bum if you have to. No signs at this place, but keep going to the left and you`ll find the grandaddy. Rent a bike if you like. Cheap and it is quite a walk around.

We took taxi to Playa del Carmen. 20 to 25 bucks each way for the 4 of us, so reasonable. You can take bus and save. 5th avenue is huge, it has to be over 20 blocks of pedestrian shopping, with plenty of bars and food available. THIS TRIP IS A MUST, as while loaded with tourists, does give you taste of Mexican vibe. Don`t be put off by vendors, be polite as they are just trying to make a living. Smile and move on. Go off 5th and find a place to eat. Lots of cheap authentic fare. Cheap Tequila and Mezcal, cheaper than resort stores. Lots of bargaining. Start real low.

Summary

All in all great resort. Highs are the staff, the beach, the food, pools, while rooms were good. I would actually go back without hesitation, and noted many return guests ( 3rd 4th time ) while socializing. The ultimate review for a resort.

I searched all around on the internet and asked coworkers and other friends of a place to go in Mexico as I had never been there before. It was also my first all inclusive vacation, therefore I wanted it to be a good one.

Barcelo was highly recommended so I had high expectations. I am a bit fussy when I go to a hotel so I was concerned for sure as everyone has different standards.
We booked directly through the hotel and arranged our own transportation which worked out quite well as it was a private shuttle so there were no additional stops. After a long flight from Calgary to Cancun we just wanted to get to the resort and start our vacation!

The lobby is beautiful (always a good sign) staff were friendly and professional, at times there was language barriers but nothing that caused us issue.
The resort itself was very clean, the room was kept clean, fridge restocked daily with big bottles of water, pop and beer.
The pool was great, lots of activities to do and easy to catch the bus outside the resort to go to playa del carmen for shopping.
Beach was beautiful, you can walk and walk and enjoy the beautiful view.
My only complaint was that the bed was hard, my daughter did not find it too bad but for me I prefer a much softer bed and pillows. I could have easily asked at the front desk to have a mattress pad put on but it wasnt that bad.
Food was good, you have to make your restaurant reservations as soon as you arrive and we did ok, got some decent times, some were a bit too early so we ended up not going as we were enjoying the sun and pool.
Entertainment was fun, everynight there is a show, only one night we found it boring but hey thats ok too.
My only other complaint was that sometimes it took awhile at the swimup bar to get a drink, but again this is minor.
I cannot wait to go back again but may try the Palace as I believe its the newer part of the resort.
Stayed mid June 2012. Weather wasnt that great but hard to predict the weather anywhere you go.

Just returned from a week stay at the Barcelo Tropical and had a blast. We traveled with a large group and the resort offered something for all. We kept busy everyday and enjoyed the facilities the resort has to offer. The buffets and resturants had great food and service. The pools and beach were fantastic with plenty of space for all guests. Bring plenty of singles and small bills for tipping.

The rooms were good, I enjoyed coffee every morning on the patio. We had 2 double beds, they had firm mattress, along with a couch that converts into a single bed. My wife and I shared a bed while our 2 sons( ages 18 & 20) had their own bed each night. Nothing special about the rooms other wise, just a place to sleep at night and shower.

We ate at the buffet for breakfast, ate the omeletes several times, tons of fruit etc to choose from. Large selection and plenty of seating. The snack bar, another buffet, was equal to the breakfast selection. I had a salad every day along with some other offering trying to eat healty while on vacation. Make your dinner reservations when arrivng to get a good time at the resturants. We ate at the Steak house, the Italinan, Seafood, and Japanese Resturant. All had a good atmosphere., service, with a good menu. I did not favor one over another.

The bartender were friendly and I never really waited for an extende time for a drink. I had blender drinks while there, Rum Runners, and Electic Lemodade were my go to drinks. Our boys went to the Jaguar Disco almost everynight with their cousins and had fun.

Our boys played pick up basket ball every day. Made friends with Samuel that worked for the resort and had a ball. They said it was thier best trip every.

The beach has white sand with some of the shore was a little rocky. Just walk a little ways until you see an all sandy bottom. We had some bring facemasks and snorkels from home and saw a Sea Turtle and Tropical Fish. The best snorkeling is off the Palace beach out by the bouyees. I spent the majority of the time poolside. Joined in the Water polo, water arobics, and swam laps.

The daily water arobics was enjoys by the gals as Samuel and Estaban lead the exercise program that was not too hard but fun. The gals were entertain by the "Magic Mike" like instruction from the young gentlemen.

I play tennis for the 1st time in 20+ years and wanted to play some more. We reservered the court. Min golf is near by, nice little course. The last couple of holes are killer if you get overconfident. I WAS 10 under par until the end of the course losing many strokes at the end.

Overall and excellent place for a vacation and I would not hesitate to go back again. Stayed on the resort for the entire week except for a short shoppinng trip to Playa De Carmen.

For a very long time, my mom kept track of this hotel because she wanted to go there for her birthday but it was quite expensive at that time, but we finally went on December 5 and stayed there till December 12! The main purpose for this vacation was the fact that my brother was getting married!! It was the most memorable and best week EVER! We travelled in a big group since it was for the wedding, we had around 30 people varying from different ages; some travelled with little babies, little kids, teens and adults. Not only did we celebrate a wedding, but 2 birthdays as well !

CHECK IN: Upon arrival, we were greeted with welcome cocktails which warmed our hearts right away! The front desk worked very well, so we got our key, our bracelets and everything very quickly. We even got our luggage’s distributed to our rooms very quickly, which was very pleasant.

ROOM: We stayed in the Yucatan building in room 7252 on the second floor! The room was just SPECTACULAR! We had two queen sized beds with a bunch of pillows and blankets! I’ve read some reviews that said that the beds were uncomfy but I found it otherwise, they were soo comfortable that it was hard to get up in the morning!! Upon arrival, our little mini fridge was FILLED with drinks and snacks that I absolutely adore!! We had a nice little TV with a lot of channels to choose from even though most of them were in Spanish, but who cares, we didn’t come to Mexico to watch TV!! Our balcony looked upon the palm trees and we got a GREAT view of the lizards! NOTE: If you’re a smoker, they do not leave an ash tray, so either bring your own or don’t smoke! The bathroom was SUPER awesome!! It was not small nor to big, the shower was great and the toilet worked perfectly! The mirror was very big and they even left shampoo, conditioner, body wash (so don’t bring your own), little comb, shoe shiner, sewing kit!! The safe worked amazingly, it was big and it did its job correctly!! We loved our room and the maid always cleaned it perfectly and we were left happy!!! Our room was also near all our family and friends which was great! The room numbering is kind of confusing, so on one side it could be pair numbers and then it changes, so just be careful with that!!

FOOD: The food was PERFECTO!! I love to eat and I was not left hungry or disappointed once! The perk of this resort is that you could eat at any buffet or in any restaurant except in the 5 star hotel, which was great! At first we usually ate breakfast in our buffet and the food was amaazzing! They had a huge variety of juices to choose from, omelettes, bacon, donuts, fruits, vegies and soo much more! They even had a diet corner which is great for dieters! We ate their a couple of times and then we just decided to eat at the snack bar near the beach because we were left so full after diner that we needed some time to get hungry!! The snack bar was soo convenient because it was situated right by the beach and the food there was amazing as well!! They had more variety of sea food then in the buffet which I liked and all the food was muy bueno!! The servers were always there and ready to serve, they never left you waiting and they were just so great and smiling and nice to talk to!! We always left tips because it was hard not too! For dinner, we usually went to the a la carte dinner, so the first night we went to Don Kijote, a Spanish restaurant for my dad’s birthday and the service was exceptional, the food was amazing and they even made us a little ceremony when bringing my dad’s birthday cake like they dimmed the lights and started hitting plates together, it was great!! Then we went to a seafood restaurant, I recommend the lobster, sooooo good  Once again great service! We went to a Mexican restaurant and the food was very good as well! If choosing a soup, be careful with the tomato soup because it’s very spicy!! In the end, I recommend you to ask for MEXICAN COFFEE because they give you this very entertaining performance with fire while they make it and it tasted delicious!! For my sister in law’s birthday, we went to the 5 star hotel (15$ per person) to the Brazilian restaurant and the steak was mhm mhm good!! They also gave her a nice birthday cake with a great performance!! Overall spectacular food, do not even worry!!!

BEACH: The beach is BEAUTIFUL!! The sand is very soft and you do not sink through when you walk!! The ocean was such a beautiful color and soo warm!! A lot people complain that there are rocks when you enter the beach and that is true, but only in the entrance, this beach has a lot of coral reefs so that’s why it’s a bit rocky and it was not even a problem for us! Just find a nice spot to enter from and you’ll be satisfied! This resort had an INCREDIBLE place to snorkel, like the best one we have probably seen!! When you walk into the water, there is already fish right underneath you and you could even see people feeding them! I suggest you bring your own snorkel equipment that way bright and early in the morning you could go snorkeling right away!! You should swim out a little, so near the buoys the snorkeling is exceptional! We have seen so much different corral and fish that we never saw! If you swim towards the 5 star hotel, be careful because there are some coral reefs that are very shallow and you could get stuck in them! Near the 5 star hotel, we saw A BUNCH of turtles, I’ve never seen so much, a BUNCH of stingrays, huge white ones, scary looking :P, a lot of different fish, big and small, we saw a manta-ray once, my brother and his friend saw a baby shark, don’t worry it’s a nurse shark so they’re harmless! We saw some eels, a HUGE barracuda and a million different fish!! We swam past the buoys but if the life guards are on duty and they see you, they will whistle and call you back because there is ongoing traffic from the boats! You could also rent water bikes (coolest thing I have ever seen), sea-do’s, you could go parasailing, kayaking!! So much fun stuff to do!!

ENTERTAINMENT: We are HUGE fans on entertainment, we always go to the shows and we have never ever missed one! The shows here were FANTASTIC, some of which I have never seen before!! The first night they had the nutcracker ballet, it was great!! They had a karaoke night and I really suggest you do it because you don’t have to be a great singer to sing the songs! I went up with a friend and everyone before us sang amazing and we were like oh no, we’re not that good but everyone was clapping, we had a blast doing it!!! They had THE COOLEST circus show that I have seen!! They had a great band with singers that performed before the shows and even after!! They had many other shows but I don’t want to ruin the surprise for you!! After the shows, the bar usually closed 30 mins later and if you’re a party person, then head to Jaguar the club, the music is live, they have dancers and it goes all night! The day entertainment was great as well! They had beach volleyball at 11 for an hour and it was soo much fun!!! Sometimes they had water aerobics in the ocean and most of the time in the pool! They taught you how to speak Spanish, they had bingo and soo many other things!! The entertainment team was amazing, they would play sports with you, they were just awesome!! They EVEN had a huge tennis court, mini golf, basketball area; amazing!

WEDDING: If you are planning your wedding, you MUST do it in this resort!! Our wedding ceremony was held at the 5 star resort, followed by a cocktail party, dinner and dance in our resort by the pool! Xhail, my brother’s wedding coordinator did a fantastic job, the wedding was soo romantic, facing the beach, it was just perfect! My sister in law got this AMAZING photographer, originally from Germany but he lives in Cancun, his name is Sascha Gluck and he took amazing photos, we didn’t get them yet but we got a preview, AMAZING!!! Recommend him! We even had a camera man filming our wedding which was great for memory!! The waiters at the cocktail party and diner were AMAZING, they did an amazing job!! Always offered drinks and food and we even caught them dancing to some of our songs!!! The music was soo loud from our wedding that it could be heard from far away and we had a lot of people come by wishing the married couple happiness!! There was even another wedding that day!!! It was my first wedding and it exceeded all my expectations!!! :D

STORES: There was a Plaza Mexicana in the middle of the resort and it had SOOO many stores and soo much to choose from which was great! Sometimes the prices they offer are a bit high but if you bargain with them, you could get the item for much less!!

OVERALL: This week was a week that I will remember forever!! Not only was it a vacation but my brother got married, and I couldn’t imagine a much better wedding in any other resort! The staff was soo welcoming, always smiling, eager to talk, they just did an amazing job, so please leave them tips, they really deserve it!!!! I had such a great experience, I would RECOMMEND this resort to anyone, it was just amazing!!!! No words to describe what I’m feeling, just amazing!!! We will definitely return to this resort because we had such a fantastic time!!! Despite the fact that in our group of friends, we had a stomach flu going around, we had AN AMAZING TIME!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH AND WE LOVE BARCELO MAYA <3