This was my 5th visit to the palace and things have gone down hill since my 1st visit. The palace is kept very clean they do a good job with that. The service in the buffet is getting bad. It is better in the evening but for breakfast there were 2 mornings that I never got coffee. The other mornings only 1 cup. The food in the buffets is very good but the quality of the steak is not what it was the last few years. The additude of the bar tenders at the beach bar was bad they did not care if they served you or not. If you asked for a special drink they acted like it was a big chore. They ran out of Jack Daniels and malibu rum they did not want to do anything to get more. We had to get a manager inorder to get more Jack and Malibu. We had a group of 70 people and we had a bath robe party in the lobby bar they refused to serve us. (this was the 4th year we did this & never had a problem before) They said we were not dressed properly I did not have a shirt on under my robe. The restaurants you need resevations for were very good food and service were both excellent as were the bar and bar tenders by the restaurants. Next year we are looking to go to a different resort. I would suggest trying a different resort we will not go back there.

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.