We arrived to Mexico on time and spent a hour in immigration before they opened more lanes. We took the hour shared shuttle ride to Barcelo' Maya Palace and checked in. We went to our room after checking in and there was a very musty/mold smell that no matter what we did could not get out of the room. We went down to the beach and there were no waiter/waitresses walking the beach. Up by the pool area there were which was OK but we went to Mexico to hang out by the beach and relax. The drinks are served in very small glasses which require way too many trips to the bar. You can purchase cups in the gift shop for a fortune that the bar will fill for you and is what we ended up doing after getting tired of walking back/forth every 15-20 minutes for a drink. The food was bland or just not good at all including the burgers. Steak and lobster was not even good either. In summary we will not be back and will not recommend this resort to anyone.

Took about an hour ride south of Cancun airport to get to this tropical oasis! Check-in was quick and without hassel, although we had to wait until 3pm to get our keys, but not a problem we went to eat right away.

We opted to get the premium room which came with several upgrades. This was well worth the extra cost. Included was unlimited access to specialty restaurants, top shelf drinks and coupons for resort activities.

I will start with the food - incredable buffet! Lots of local fare and homestyle eats, all fresh and delish! I also ate off the kids area where the french fries and hotdogs were good too - you're never too big for that. On the first day we tried to book only one specialty restaurant (steak house) and we could not get a reservation other than our last day at 9:30 pm - WHAT!!! There were four other places but we just settled for the buffet. We were very disappointed especially paying the upgrade to get the premium service and "first" selection. I suggest, if they let you, to book before you arrive at the resort. But the staff and the food was very good. The waiters all were top notch and tried their best to make your meal as enjoyable as possible. I also believe they gave alittle extra to those who wore the premium wrist band.

The room - very comfortable. I requested a king/queen bed and we got a double; a bit tight for us queen bed people. The room was spacious and ample room for everything we had. They restocked our refridge mini bar (4 coronas, 2 cokes, 2 waters, orange soda, apple or orange juice, mineral water and a coke "light") no liquor :( The room was controled by your room key that you slipped into a slot that turned on lights and a/c. We thought that would be a problem keeping the room cold but it wasn't. The bathroom was all marble and the shower had a great daisey head nozzle. Since we had premium rooms there were a wealth of toiletries. We had problems on three consecutive days getting all our hand and wash towels. The room (2111) was on the bottom floor and we had a terrific veranda overlooking the pool and further out was the ocean (couldn't see it). My wife relaxed and read her book and loved it out there. Very tropical - birds, palm trees, flowers and lots of lizards (she wasn't too fond of that).

The resort - mixed feelings here. We stayed at the southern end of the five section resort - big place! First thing that stood out there was no bar service at the pools or the beach. BIG hassel getting to the bar from a couple hundred yards away at the beach and then to wait in line to get drinks. At the pools, we just set up shop near the bar and got up when the crowd cleared to get our drinks. The drinks were not watered down as i have experienced in other resorts - they were all great. People got up at the crack of dawn to "reserve" lounges with a towel (hate that). The entire area is a tropical paradise. There are trees, shrubs, plants and flowers everywhere. You have the feeling of being in a tropical forest - just awesome! Iguanas would pop out from nowhere or be on the sidewalk and had to walk around them (don't worry they don't bother anyone). The entire resort was spotless and well kept, even the beaches. They also had hammocks everywhere near the pools. The pools were VERY large and you never felt crowded by anyone. We also went to the spa for a couplles massage and did found out we could not take our masseuse home - bummer!

Activities - the resort had lots of things going on all day and night, didn't partake in much, just wanted to relax. We did go to a show and it was great - singers and dancers. The other night we had free we watched the super bowl in the theater (Yea Ravens) good bar service here! We also went to Tulum Mayan ruins which was 20 minutes away. The bus ride took an hour by the time we made several pick ups at hotels. Take a cab and split the cost with some one - you will save $ and time! It was so hot I got woosie - take some water and an umbrella for shade. It cost $42 and was a very long walk - we should have been warned of this. Beautiful area and very interesting historical park. The next day we booked Xel-ha. AWESOME seawater park!!!! It cost $99 including transport but well worth it. Included was breakfast, lunch and dinner and unlimited drinks (alcohol too). The entire area is a salt water snorkle and swim park with something to do for everyone - this is a must do if you are looking for a care free relaxing day and/or warm water snorkeling/swimming. At extra cost they also have snuba, scuba, glassbottom boat, parasailing, dolphin encounters and big *ss turtles.

Conclusion - this was my third resort visit in Mexico and would reluctantly mark it slightly as the best yet. If there was bar service at the beach and pool it would have been five stars hands down. I was also upset at not being able to get into the steak house. But all-in-all this was a great resort but would like to try another before I would come back here as a second time.

We traveled on January 30 with another couple. Our first trip to the Palace was a few weeks after it opened a few years ago and we found it to be outstanding. In most respects it has remained so. At the end I have a few suggestions to make it even better.

The Palace is definitely a 5 star resort. We have been to several 5 stars primarily in Mexico and the Dominican Republic and overall this is our favourite. We usually stay at adults only but make an exception for the Palace because the children's facilities are so expansive that rowdy kids are never an issue. The resort is huge but is very safe with excellent security. They even provide wheelchairs for the mobility challenged free of charge.

I will not spend time here describing the resort in detail as there are hundreds of reviews available here and elsewhere including YouTube with photos and videos galore that detail every inch of the Palace and all it has to offer. It is a spectacular resort with exceptional facilities and there is great snorkeling right off the beach.

Reception: Contrary to some reviews which expressed dissatisfaction, we had absolutely no problems. The staff was friendly, efficient and accommodating. We had e-mailed our room preferences and they were met to the letter and our rooms were ready upon arrival. They could not have been more professional. We had a late flight out and arranged a late check-out with no problem.

Staff: In all cases the staff were friendly and courteous. I cannot understand how or why some reviewers claim to have experienced communication/language problems. All of the staff - reception, servers, bartenders etc. speak English very well and many are fluent in multiple languages. The housekeeping and cleaning staff cannot be expected to have the same level of language proficiency but even they were more than able to assist us and went out of their way to do so.There is no shortage of staff anywhere including lifeguards and medical staff.

Cleanliness of grounds and facilities: Everything is kept exceptionally clean and well maintained. The beach is raked and cleaned daily as are all areas indoors and out. There are maintenance personnel everywhere cleaning, painting, trimming shrubs etc. constantly, somehow without ever getting in the way. Dishes and glasses are cleared away immediately and there is never a scrap of litter anywhere. The whole resort is immaculate.

Rooms: The rooms are all large well appointed junior suites accessible by elevators. Housekeeping is very good and the mini bar is well stocked daily.

Food and beverages: All of the buffets and restaurants are very good with plenty of choices. We had no difficulty whatsoever making reservations for the a la carte restaurants.

SUGGESTIONS TO MANAGEMENT:

Beds: Most people mention that the beds are extremely firm and they are. Consideration should be given to this issue as mattresses are replaced.

Food and Wine: I have enjoyed many very good but reasonably priced Spanish wines. The Palace's house wines are not among them however and the offerings on the wine list are a little pricey. This should be addressed by simply upgrading the quality of the house wines.

We were thrilled at the excellent quality of the food on our first trip. We found it is still very good but a few corners are being cut here and there. As for the couple travelling with us it was their first visit and they were quite impressed. It is still 5 star but I would rather pay a few extra dollars to cover increased costs than see quality compromised.

Bars: Bars are well stocked and service was always very good.

WiFi: We paid about $50 US for 5 days. The business centre staff were very helpful but many people are annoyed at the cost. Consideration should be given to providing it free of charge.

We traveled early February with our two kids, eight year old twins, and had a wonderful trip. We have been to several high-end, all-inclusive resorts along the mayan riviera and elsewhere in the caribbean and thought this ranked among the best.

TRANSPORT AND CHECK-IN-
We booked a round trip private van from cancun transfers (we have used them before) and they were quick and reliable again. It took us about 55 minutes to get to the resort. We arrived around 1:30 and luckily had a really quick check-in and we found the front desk staff to be very polite and accommodating. We had emailed a request for a room close to the facilities a few weeks prior and were given one in the first building in the Michoacan building. It was a really nice location and less than a five minute walk to the lobby. We also were able to make reservations right away and were only given a bad time for the day we arrived (9:30). Every other day we were able to get a 6:30-7:00 reservation for the restaurant we wanted.

ROOMS-
Overall we thought the rooms were nice and were happy that they were large since we were all staying in one room. We had thought about getting a family suite but since they are located at the end of the property, and cost so much more, we didn’t think it would be worth it. Our room had a bit of a damp smell when we got there but it didn’t last and we never felt like our clothes were damp and our swimsuits dried easily overnight. The things we didn’t like about the rooms.... the beds. We didn’t think they were that hard although the mattress topper was already in place. What bothered us the most were the stiff, sandpaper-like sheets and the hard pillows. After a few days I requested softer pillows, which came quickly, and that helped a bit. The other thing we didn’t love about the room was the bathroom set-up. All of the bath elements (sinks, vanity, shower and toilet) are located in one large area with no doors separating them. It wasn’t super convenient with 4 of us staying in the room and having to wait for someone to shower, use the bathroom, etc. whenever you wanted to use something else. Not a huge deal- just not well laid out for families.

LAYOUT-
One the things we liked best was the layout of the resort. Other than the rooms aside from club premium, all of the buildings and facilities were located near the beach and water which gave you a very tropical and beachy feeling. The main pool, sports pool, lobby, bars and restaurants were just steps to the water. So many newer properties along the mayan riviera have everything set very far back and that is not our preference. Also, it was great having everything in a central location with two 8 year olds. We would get chairs near the bar and central part of the pool and could keep an eye on them if they were in the pool, the waterpark, the basketball court and games. We felt really comfortable that they were not far away and were safe. It was also nice that the main pool was no deeper than 4 feet at any point so they could always stand in the water while swimming.


BEACH and POOLS-
The beach was great! It was rocky in parts but there were plenty of large sandy parts too. Really beautiful and we enjoyed walking down to the pier and also down to the other resorts. We would often take a walk along the beach to the other resorts and then take the stone pathway that ran along the beach on the way back. This boardwalk was really pretty at night... well lit with lights and framed by palm trees. The snorkeling was great! We brought our own equipment and saw turtles, schools of fish, eels, etc. It was a really nice added feature to be able to walk a few minutes from the pool and swim with the turtles. The water was a nice temperature and got warmer throughout the week. The main pool was nice too although the water was definitely cool! It was huge, clean and very pretty and it was very easy to find chairs throughout our stay. There was always sunny and shady chairs available even later in the day. We thought it felt like there was always a lot of extra space even though I would think that the resort was fairly full in early February. We didn’t use the adult only pool but it looked very serene and beautiful and there was a quiet bar there as well.

KIDS CLUB AND WATERPARK-
One of the reasons we chose this resort was because they had a kids waterpark and kids club hours that went into the evening. We were hoping to get a few dinners alone after sending the kids to the evening activities and that worked out well. Without having to pay a babysitter! We were told that the babysitter was $30/hr ($15 per child) and were were usually tired pretty early and didn’t think it was worth it. Overall, the kids club did not seem that well attended with usually just a few kids at many of the activities. And most of the kids were very young. FYI- they state that only kids from 4-12 were allowed but many times it looked like they allowed toddlers there as well. So I would try to send your kids if they are younger and they want to do an activity. Our kids enjoyed the water park and liked going to dinner with the staff and the 7:00 activity but i think were too old for the daytime activities. They have a basketball court, ping pong, and pool table near the pool which was very popular with the older kids.


FOOD and DRINKS-
We thought the food was very good. The buffets were pretty standard for what you would expect for a higher end all-inclusive. They would cook many items to order so you can get fresh, hot entrees. The a la carte restaurants were very good. We liked the French the most (great onion soup and surf and turf), and were happy with the caribe, Rodizzio (sp?), and japanese. We did not go to any of the restaurants in the other Barcelos. One of our highlights was that you could always sit outside near the water and we enjoyed the ‘reception’ area before you went into the french/caribe/raddizio. They made great drinks there and had some fun, light apps.

We thought the drinks were so/so. A lot of over sugary drinks that you find at all inclusive places and like others have said, the wine was not even close to being good. We would have been happy to purchase a bottle of a decent chardonnay, but not at twice the value here in the US. I brought a BOTA box in my luggage for a glass of wine in the room and I was happy I did. It did not fit in the fridge so I had to add a little ice but I was still happy to have it!

SERVICE-
There have been some very negative comments about the customer service there and overall attitude by the staff. We were so pleasantly surprised to find that the staff there was just wonderful. I think if you go in to your stay with a positive attitude and treat everyone kindly and with respect you will get the same. We may have encountered a crabby bartender or two, but other than that, we found the staff to be very friendly and very accommodating.


We didn’t make it to any of the shows since they started at 9:30 and our kids were done well before then. It would have been nice if they started a bit earlier... at least some of the nights. We also did not do any excursions since we were having so much fun at the resort! I am sure we will do some of those in the future when the kids get older.

Overall, we really loved the Barcelo Palace and our trip. We are already thinking about our going back next year! Please feel free to email me with questions.